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MP3 source with DAC so I can output to Hi-Fi DAC?

post #1 of 12
12/2/10 at 2:00am
Thread Starter 

Are there such a thing? Like using the lossless MP3 as source to a dedicated DAC just like good old CD transport.

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post #2 of 12
12/2/10 at 9:45am

You mean like a computer? :P

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post #3 of 12
12/2/10 at 9:55am

First of all, mp3 can not be lossless. That is an oxymoron. Mp3 compresses the music to make the file smaller but it loses some of the music when it does that. Running mp3 through some good phones usually doesn't sound good, because a lot of the original information is missing from the music and mp3 adds weird distortions and artifacts. 

 

There are, however, a few options for running lossless to an external DAC other than a computer. There is the QLS QA350 that only takes WAV (uncompressed CD quality) and has digital outs. 

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post #4 of 12
12/2/10 at 7:12pm
Thread Starter 

George The Goodman,Thats good insight. I have an Alchemist Forseti APD15A MkII Class A Amp, AudioQuest MidNight III Bi-Cable to Monitor Audio Studio 2 MkII and my Arcam CD player is dead. So, I'm thinking to rip my favourite CD to Wav (storage is cheap now) and digitally output to a HiFi class DAC then Amp :) So, the source is what I'm keen to know. I'll check out the QA350.

 

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post #5 of 12
12/2/10 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 

QLS QA350 doesn't have digital out? Is there something similar that I can use external DAC? :D

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post #6 of 12
12/2/10 at 7:24pm
Thread Starter 

Or should I build a cheap small factor PC, stuck in a good sound card with digital out then use my smartphone running emulation as remote control? Sounds like an idea, anyone try that?

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post #7 of 12
12/3/10 at 12:19am

or u could try something like the asus o!play. my friend uses one connected to a usb/esata dock which holds a 1tb drive containing all his mp3 files. he uses the analog outs to an external t-amp to drive his diy spkrs and the comp.video to feed an lcd monitor for track selection.  the o!play (and other devices similar to it) also comes with optical spdif out and hdmi... so, yes, it is possible to connect this to an external dac. it comes with remote and can be found for < $100.

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post #8 of 12
12/3/10 at 5:32am

The QLS QA350 had optical and coaxial digital outs. It also has a good headphone out and analog line out. I have one, and i love it. I am getting a DAC soon to run it to with the digital, so I will let you know what I think.

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post #9 of 12
12/3/10 at 12:09pm
Thread Starter 

nice :) pls update when u finish your review.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeGoodman View Post

The QLS QA350 had optical and coaxial digital outs. It also has a good headphone out and analog line out. I have one, and i love it. I am getting a DAC soon to run it to with the digital, so I will let you know what I think.

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post #10 of 12
12/3/10 at 12:15pm

I will definitely update as soon as I can. 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by whoelse View Post

nice :) pls update when u finish your review.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeGoodman View Post

The QLS QA350 had optical and coaxial digital outs. It also has a good headphone out and analog line out. I have one, and i love it. I am getting a DAC soon to run it to with the digital, so I will let you know what I think.


 


 

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post #11 of 12
12/3/10 at 12:17pm

Another (more expensive) option would be a Squeezebox Touch. You can plug a USB hard drive into it and although it has a good DAC, it also provides Coax and Optical digital out.

And, of course, it can connect to your home network via WiFi or Ethernet cable, etc...lots of features. Not much more expensive than a decent netbook setup, but more powerful.

I've got one and I like it a lot.

John

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post #12 of 12
12/3/10 at 12:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by VictoriaGuy View Post

Another (more expensive) option would be a Squeezebox Touch. You can plug a USB hard drive into it and although it has a good DAC, it also provides Coax and Optical digital out.

And, of course, it can connect to your home network via WiFi or Ethernet cable, etc...lots of features. Not much more expensive than a decent netbook setup, but more powerful.

I've got one and I like it a lot.

John


That sounds like a good idea. I just got the QA350 and really like it, but the Squeezebox looks like it is a lot more convenient. The QA350 only takes SD cards.

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