XDA2 Gen 2 ..vs.. DC-1 chips used

[mikek200]

I have a XDA coming in on Monday..5/18/15
I'm trying to find out what chips are used in both dacs?..XDA2 & DC-1
I am looking to get the best sound quality I can--I realize the DC-1 is 2x's the price of the XDA,which is ok.
Any advice,opinions ,would be greatly appreciated
My setup is the Stax 009,with a KGST stax amp,on a windows 7 machine

Thanks,
Mike

[Dark Ranger]

They both use the same DAC chip: Analog Devices AD1955 (multi-bit delta-sigma). However, the key is implementation. While the XDA-2 uses one chip, the DC-1 uses two chips, one for each channel, each operating in differential monaural mode. There's a lot more to the DC-1 than just its DAC chip though. There are very high quality op-amps, a 4-layer PC board, an upgraded power supply, dual Muses precision volume controls, and lots of other things.

The improvements may not be audible depending on your system and your ears, but the DC-1 is a better unit from an engineering standpoint.


EDIT: I hesitated to include this, but I will: I've owned the XDA-1, XDA-2 (Gen1), and now DC-1. There was a noticeable difference between the XDA-1 and XDA-2. There was a MUCH smaller difference, to my ears, jumping up from the XDA-2 (Gen1) to the DC-1. However, I bought it for its other features. I also love the smaller form-factor.

There's no way to know for sure unless you buy both and compare both. Let your ears decide for you.

[mikek200]

Many Thanks for the reply
Excellent post
I was considering ,upgrading to the DC1,now,you solved that problem

Mike

[garbulky]

Oh boy. For me, the DC-1 was just significantly better than the previous emo dacs. The main weakness of the XDA-2 being dynamics (same-ish volume all around) and a lack of low level detail clarity which the DC-1 was able to better. The XDA-1 was the next most impressive however when compared it has an audible glare to its treble and a lack of mid-range presence. Thought it is still quite impressive. I would easily go for the DC-1 over your other choices especially if sound quality is worth it. But like @darkranger said, it depends on if you notice the quality difference. A lot of things can completely mask any kind of improvement like speaker positioning, general resolving capabilities of the speaker, poor room acoustics, a near field setup etc.
Here's my very critical review of the DAC I love (when it was originally priced at $700 or 799).
emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/33501/garbulkys-review-love-female-voice?page=1&scrollTo=686988

[vcautokid]

I love the DC-1 allot. So much my Room mate uses it more than I do for his audio/video project mixes. They come out a treat. Accurate, and detailed is how I see..uh, hear the DC-1. The XDA-2 is a great listen don't get me sideways. Also I think a nice step up from the XDA-1. Is the DC-1 better than the XDA-2? Your ears may tell a different story. You could score the 10 ring with the XDA-2, and call it a day, and love your music.

If there is a Je ne sais qois quality you wanted more in the XDA-2, the DC-1 is just another great option. Both will rock your world. Depends what you want. Also remember if you want to scale up, and do more later, the DC-1 might be a better fit as the recent announcement of the SP-1 Analog extension device for the DC-1 was shown at Axpona Audiocon 2015 in Chicago. Same size as the DC-1, and will function still with the remote that comes with the DC-1. Like I said, depends what you want, what are your data point must haves. Your emotional must haves in your music, and all.

[GreenKiwi]

I'm with garbulky and vcautokid, the DC-1 was a big improvement over the XDA-2 in my system. Plus, I found the analog input to be extremely useful.

Those Stax SR-009s are supposed to be incredibly revealing... so it is likely you'd hear a difference.

If it were me, I'd listen to the XDA-2 because you already have it coming to you... but I'd be thinking very seriously about using the 30 return to upgrade to the DC-1.

Btw, is your amp from these guys?
mjolnir-audio.com/?page_id=14

[mikek200]

Thanks Guys,I appreciate your input
Re: my KGST stax amp,it was built by Geoffrey,in London,it was slightly less expensive that one of the Spritzer models I was looking at,but very similar ,build & SQ-I absolutely love it
I'll be using the Emotiva dac,until my Schiit Yiggy dac is finished

Thanks,
Mike

[garbulky]

May 17, 2015 10:58:20 GMT -5 mikek200 said:

Thanks Guys,I appreciate your input
Re: my KGST stax amp,it was built by Geoffrey,in London,it was slightly less expensive that one of the Spritzer models I was looking at,but very similar ,build & SQ-I absolutely love it
I'll be using the Emotiva dac,until my Schiit Yiggy dac is finished

Thanks,
Mike

Ah you've got an yggy coming? If it is coming anytime soon like within a month, I think you'll be fine

[mikek200]

My Yiggy delivery date,just pushed back to mid July...I'm in no rush..the XDA will tied me over,nicely
I got the XDA-2 about 2 hours ago..I'm very impressed,and my 009's like it too
Need another 48-72 hours for more honeymoon listening time

Build quality is outstanding,and it came double boxed,really,really nice
Emotiva is first class
Thanks Guys for your help,will buzz back in a week or so

Mike

[mikek200]

Still have the XDA2,but thought I'd do a comparison,between the DC-1,and the XDA2...
It should be here , tomorrow
Hopefully ,it will be a night & day difference???
OK,not a night & day,but a big difference?-LOL

Mike

[Dark Ranger]

Great! New gear is always fun to play with. Definitely share your thoughts with the group here.