Quote:
Originally Posted by
IceClass 
Glad to hear it. I'm certainly pleased as punch with this unit. The DAC compares very well to my DACMagic and in many ways surpasses it. Only the usefulness of the built-in filters give the DacMagic the edge.
In practical terms, what would you say the differences are between the PCM63K and PCM56PK chips?
Probably my biggest issue so far with the DAP-5500 is just the sheer number of ways to connect and output a signal. I keep forgetting what's hooked up to what.
It's worth noting that the DAP-5500 in those pics is the rare twin power cord version with totally separated power supplies. I think it was only ever available in the Japanese market. I want one.
There's currently a used DAP-500 on Ebay at a pretty good price. I've seen these things going for as high as $800.
The 63P-K is 20 bit vs the 56PK being 16 bit. The 63 can over sample at 16X while the 56 can only handle 8X. They are both mono chips and constructed the same way (R2R IIRC) Some other notable updates to the 63 ( vs the 56 series ) is a better SNR/THD rating (-94 db vs - 108db) and the biggest difference being the 63 series uses dual dac sections vs the singular 56 series. I hope that helped a bit.
The 63 is a better chip (it should be since the 63 came a few years after the 56) but the 56 is no slouch compared to it SQ wise.
Here are the data sheet links for you to have a look at....
PCM56P-K http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets_pdf/P/C/M/5/PCM56P-K.shtml
PCM63PK http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets_pdf/P/C/M/6/PCM63P-K.shtml
I would think the DAP 5500 would blow away the DAC Magic in a few significant instances (massed strings and piano should sound noticeably more lifelike and correct with the older BB chips, much like the current production R2R ladder chip, the pcm1704UK is superior to the sigma delta types in this respect).
That being said the DAC Magic is very decent performer for what it costs (feature rich for sure). As for having various controls to fiddle with I soon get tired of such things and find the setting that sounds the best and leave it there (with the RE1 you can change a number of parameters via dip switches on the DSP1 board).
If you have any trouble figuring out how to efficiently route your gear through the DAP-5500 I can help you out with that.
Peete.
Edited by Pricklely Peete - 7/3/10 at 1:22pm