When to consider a DAC?

By the sound of it your present setup would not benefit from an external DAC. However if you ever go down the streaming/music server/NAS path then a good DAC would be essential. I personally have a FiiO K5 PRO and it more than fulfils the sound that I like.

 

I do similar..
Laptop -->DAC-->Mixer-->Powered Speakers.
What is an SB Touch? (soundboard something?????)

 

I’m a believer in the benefits of using a good DAC, but if you haven’t spent much time auditioning them before you may be disappointed at how subtle the differences can be. This isn’t a purchase that’s going to make sense until you’ve heard a few DACs in your system and get used to how they behave differently. So maybe your money is better spent elsewhere for now.

 

You can probably try a decent DAC at a used price and sell it on again without any loss. The only real way to know is to try. In my experience an external DAC made a big difference to the quality of CD and gave me access to a wide range of formats and sample rates.

 

I had a SOTA DAC in the RME ADI-2 and could not tell it apart from the DAC built into my Anthem STR on CDs.

much of the appeal and proliferation over the past 5-10 years is due to downloads and now streaming along with some specmanship and, for a short time, an infatuation with MQA.

 

The trick isn’t to buy an external DAC - it’s to buy a good one that makes a positive difference. And that’s quite likely to happen if you get into the better ones. You just need to find and try them, and be able to either return or sell them if you aren’t impressed.

 

Yup. F....k the DAC !

 

The PCM1796 was arguably one of the best DAC chips ever. Now the chip isn't everything, the implementation matters as well. I'd think Yamaha did a good job of it in that player, and another DAC is unlikely to truly improve things. Yeah I'd focus on a sub for super-low bass (though I'm not sure your amps have any highpass capability, so maybe you can't properly integrate the sub). Or speakers, though you'll have to spend several times to improve on what you have.

 

From what I can make out, the Yamaha CD player has two DAC's, one for each channel. So yeah, perhaps a tall order. I need to figure out why I get caught up in fool's errands!

I have a sub, actually. It's been in and out of service at various times. My issue that I live in an apartment, and I have constant guilt at what my neighbors might be going through when I have it set up. I've ended up taking it out again.

I do have my heart set on a pair of speakers, but yeah - they're not happening any time soon given the price.

 

My marantz player was fine. liked it, burr-brown chipset. Decided to try a couple of not expensive DAC's since they are easy to sell or return. A Topping D30 didn't quite sound as good as my cdp, a bit flat sounding. Sold it. Later I tried a Schiit Modi MB which sounded a bit better than my cdp, imaging, etc. I was happy and it wasn't expensive. Recently the Marantz died. I stuck in my old Oppo dvd player as a temp. solution and played it through the Modi. What a surprise that was, it sounds considerably better than the Marantz, wider soundstage, better spatial cues more presence, and I'm keeping it.

Sometimes you think your happy with what you have but then sometimes you find out that you can be happier with a small change. Isn't that what audio forums are about, exploring different experiences, pieces and combinations in an effort to improve your sound?

 

Bass shakers! If adjusted to a not ridiculous volume, these truly can fill in the bottom end sensation nicely without killing the neighbors. I used to give demos like that. Def Leppard's drummer had them on his drum riser. Alternative #2 is ask the neighbors IF they hear bothersome sound. Some people are out a lot, some are very sensitive (me!), others are not sensitive about noise.

 

I have one DAC only and love it, a Chord Qutest. I don't anticipate replacing it. The DAC it replaced in my CD player (a Burr-Brown chip in a Pioneer PD-HS7) sounds very good (I still use it in a secondary system), but the Qutest was a significant step up.

 

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this and it's probably pretty system dependent. I had a scenario where I had recently upgraded my speakers and amp, and was using a high end streaming device, running digital coax to the DAC in my integrated amp. In theory, everything was around the same quality level and you'd think an external DAC wasn't necessary when using the one built into a $2.5k integrated amp. Something just didn't sound right to me still, and then I added a really nice external DAC out of curiosity and it blew the doors wide open. It was the last upgrade I made to my system and I think that was a couple years ago now. For me, it tied my whole system together and brought out the best in my previous investments.

 

I'd buy a DAC, rather then new speakers, ideally take your CDP so you can hear the improvement a external DAC can make.

My CDP was a Meridian 507, inflation price £1700 and a Yamaha CDS 300, £120, feeding my Rega DAC, £620, sounded significantly better.

Whilst the Rega DAC-R has been discontinued, there's one for sale on ebay for £320, although it just says Rega DAC (double check it is the DAC-R), a no brainer from my experience.

REGA DAC HIFI Digital to Analogue Converter with cables and mains cable | eBay

 

Huh - you've dragged me in again, since I have a Rega amp.

The one for sale is the Rega Dac, not the DAC R. However, reading about the differences, they're really minor (mostly around enhanced USB, which is of no interest to me anyway).

I was wondering why Rega no longer did DAC's, and have done quite a bit of searching. At first all I could find were third-hand comments about Rega saying DAC's in equipment had gotten better. But then I finally managed to piece together what's happened - the added the transport! The Saturn-R CD player is essentially a transport and the Rega DAC in one unit. Sneaky fellows.

Hm....

 

Sorry, Squeezebox Touch
https://www.logitech.com/assets/33606/squeezebox-touch-fg.pdf

 

I've never seen Squeezebox before.... looks interesting. Especially having a remote!
I'm using some Radio Station Automation software... it can do random, shuffle etc and a great overlap feature for transitions.

Wish I had a remote though!

 

It's pretty much an early streamer, using LMS's server. It's to get what's on my PC to the main system. Puppy's still going after 10 years
I use a cheap Amazon Fire tablet now for the remote-

 

I am researching it as we speak!
Cheers.

 

If it ever fails I'll probably go with a Raspberry Pi which works with Logitech Media Server.
Some threads here in hardware on them

 

I also use a cheap kindle $35 black friday deal as a remote for my media server to control tracks and volume on my stereo. comes in handy since my preamp has no remote
i hear that i shouldn't run the volume on my media server below 75% in order to minimize the loss of audio quality so that usually my starting listening volume. not sure how true that is but i stick to that rule. if anyone can confirm or deny, then please do so !(im using jriver)

Yes i have to get up to turn the volume up or down when listening to my turntable but hey, i gotta get up and down anyways to use my turntable.

 

Huh! Cool, didn't think about the Kindle, pretty neat!
Read this as well. For the Touch 100% was rec'd.

 

Do you have some dealers near you that still do in-person demos? If so, here's what I would suggest:

1. you obviously like the sonic signature you currently have, so why not try comparing your Yamaha player to their 2000 and 3000 level players? I see the DAC chips used in the higher priced players are made by ESS, and they, along with AKM, are the best in the business (though I have no idea whether AKM has been able to recover from the fire which destroyed their plant). Do you detect differences? Are they worth the step up in price?

2. assuming you do not find nirvana in step 1, or are still curious, see if you can compare your player to some of the better Marantz products (since you state a preference for warmth) like the SACD 30n, SA-KI Ruby or SA-10. How do they compare?

3. still curious? Of course you are, explain to the dealer what you are trying to achieve, and see whether s/he can demonstrate something that meets your budget and needs.

Good luck!

 

Might be worth a try but ESS chips are far from AKM chips in sound signature, ESS are much brighter sounding then AKM chips.

 

There is nothing bright about the ESS chips. It all comes down to how the chips are used.