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Suggestion for DAC or CDP with balanced out

post #1 of 13
11/29/06 at 12:46am
Thread Starter 
Need some idea on CDP or DAC that are designed with balanced out in mind and not as an after thought. I need to match it to my Ayre amp.

I just have CX-7e, C5Xe and Lavry DA10 in mind. Need other choices so I can make some decisions.

I can only afford either a CDP or a DAC not both
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post #2 of 13
11/29/06 at 2:12am
I can't remember the model, but a friend of mine recently picked up a used single tray Rotel CDP with HDCD support and balanced outs. It's a nice deck and it sounds good.

Also, I know the Benchmark DAC1 has balanced output.
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post #3 of 13
11/29/06 at 2:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
I can't remember the model, but a friend of mine recently picked up a used single tray Rotel CDP with HDCD support and balanced outs. It's a nice deck and it sounds good.
That's the Rotel RCD 991. I have the RCD 991AE, which is the "Audiophile Edition". It's a great sounding player. I use the balanced outs to drive my Bel Canto eVo2i with excellent results.

If you are looking for another option, I am selling an Apogee Mini-DAC with balanced out. Here is the manufacturers website:
http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/minidac.php

Here is the one I am selling on Head-Fi.
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showp...91&postcount=1

E-mail me with any questions. I've tried various DAC and player combinations over the years.
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post #4 of 13
11/29/06 at 3:08am
Thread Starter 
I need a player with more than just XLR output, I need a player that was designed to be XLR, that is no opamp used in XLR output stage.
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post #5 of 13
11/29/06 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chesebert View Post
I need a player with more than just XLR output, I need a player that was designed to be XLR, that is no opamp used in XLR output stage.
In that case, both the Lavry DA10 and the Benchmark are out, since both use op-amps in their analog output stage. On a side note, what's so bad about using op-amps? If the circuit uses them well, it can sound really good, like the Lavry DA10.

But anyways, if you want a fully-discrete, balanced output stage, check out the Stello DA220 and the Stello DA220 MKII. Both use fully-discrete output stages.
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post #6 of 13
11/29/06 at 5:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by humanflyz View Post
In that case, both the Lavry DA10 and the Benchmark are out, since both use op-amps in their analog output stage. On a side note, what's so bad about using op-amps? If the circuit uses them well, it can sound really good, like the Lavry DA10.

But anyways, if you want a fully-discrete, balanced output stage, check out the Stello DA220 and the Stello DA220 MKII. Both use fully-discrete output stages.
opamp are inherently slower than discrete (slew rate) and opamp suggest to me that the circuit was not really balanced, opamp used to give balanced out.
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post #7 of 13
11/29/06 at 6:58am
humanflyz

There is some part of the DA10s output that is discrete? Do you remember which part that is? I think it is the XLR side isn't it?

Opamps are used to balanced (as noted in the Blue's design schematic in my gallery) the signal put not power the output as I understand it on the XLR side. I also remember that on the headamp side that it was noted as being discrete.

All this is on the LavryEngineering.com web site forum it anyone wants to know the details from Dan Lavry's own words or we could just listen to those who have taken the machine part and looked not knowing anything about the internal design itself.

Quote:
Originally Posted by humanflyz View Post
In that case, both the Lavry DA10 and the Benchmark are out, since both use op-amps in their analog output stage. On a side note, what's so bad about using op-amps? If the circuit uses them well, it can sound really good, like the Lavry DA10.

But anyways, if you want a fully-discrete, balanced output stage, check out the Stello DA220 and the Stello DA220 MKII. Both use fully-discrete output stages.
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post #8 of 13
11/29/06 at 10:31am
I think you need to give us some idea of funds available. Otherwise it would be very easy to suggest an Esoteric X-01.
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post #9 of 13
11/29/06 at 12:09pm
Thread Starter 
Used/New around $2k generally. (C5Xe is another story )

I don't mind spend LESS
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post #10 of 13
11/29/06 at 12:46pm
Try deming a Bel Canto DAC3. Includes a built in volume control allowing it to run a power amp directly via balanced. It's also a rather good DAC.
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post #11 of 13
11/29/06 at 7:25pm
My vote would go to a used Wadia 830 ~$1,500 if you can find one. Excellent balanced outs, optional digital input board, newly released factory upgrade now available to add second power supply ($500). Wadia thread...
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=185080

Also see the "Wadia as a headamp" thread in my sig (balanced 650s sound great straight from the Wadia). Some people end up selling preamps and or headamps when they get a Wadia, just to simplify the signal path.
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post #12 of 13
11/29/06 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slwiser View Post
There is some part of the DA10s output that is discrete? Do you remember which part that is? I think it is the XLR side isn't it?
The headphone amp is completely discrete. The output stage, while it is fully balanced, uses opamps. It does not use opamps to create inverse phase like most CD players out there however.
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post #13 of 13
11/29/06 at 9:51pm
@cheesebert:

Like Phildox said, the Lavry doesn't use op-amps to create an inverse phase, so it is fully-balanced.
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