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The weakest link... my DAC?

post #1 of 29
7/27/11 at 5:47pm
Thread Starter 

Hey folks. I've been out of the game for a little while (4 months) and was wondering how I could improve my current setup if I had some extra money to put into it. As it stands now, it is...

 

A PC with 320/FLAC connected via NuForce Impulse USB cable to

> Audinst HUD-MX1 connected via Silver Sonic BL-1 RCAs to

> Yaqin SD-CD3 (w/ Sylvania 6SN7GT VT-231 tubes) connected via Silver Sonic BL-1 RCAs to

> STAX SRM-313 with IeGO's L70530 power cable to

> STAX SR-303 earphones

 

(Source > DAC > Tube Buffer > Amp > Phones)

 

What do you think? I do enjoy it the way it is, but I have some extra money and had my eye on stepping up the DAC to something a little better if it's worthwhile. I'm open to all suggestions/input for improvement. Thanks!

 

(Tried posting this in the STAX thread to begin with but they showed me no love x_x)


Edited by treal512 - 7/30/11 at 1:08pm
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post #2 of 29
7/27/11 at 6:13pm
If you like your setup how it is, spend your money on something else. smily_headphones1.gif

If you have to buy a new DAC, you might check out the new Schiit Bifrost. Good specs for the money.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/560639/haute-schiit-bifrost-is-world-s-most-affordable-fully-upgradable-dac
Edited by Maxvla - 7/27/11 at 6:16pm
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post #3 of 29
7/27/11 at 6:25pm

If I were you I would get a new DAC. I didn't know what I was missing until I upgraded my MX1 to an HRT Music Streamer II+. Greatly improved soundstage, resolution and dynamics.


Edited by 12345142 - 7/27/11 at 6:29pm
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post #4 of 29
7/27/11 at 10:47pm

Heya,

 

I'll second the appeal to a new DAC.

 

I found that amplifiers really don't change much when they're quality and solid state. They shouldn't sound much different. Tube amps are the amps that should sound different and that's their appeal. So I have one of each (solid state & tube) to change my sound that way. Otherwise, I've listened on much higher end amplifiers and didn't notice anything worth spending $1000 on. I'd rather just get other headphones, frankly. That said, a good DAC goes a long way. I've listened from poor sources, high quality sources, and it really does matter what converts that digital signal to analog for sound to be rendered. You don't need a $1200 DAC. I did however notice a difference from my Vivid V1 to my Matrix Cube. The Matrix Cube for me was more detailed, crisp and had a good separation that supported sound stage.

 

Whatever your DAC outputs is what is amplified. Remember that.

 

I always suggest `upgrade' links to be: Headphone, DAC (source), then Amp.

 

Very best,

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post #5 of 29
7/28/11 at 12:20am
Thread Starter 

Ahh, thanks Mal! You solidified my thoughts exactly. I will definitely check out these recommendations guys. Thanks for the input and keep the DAC suggestions coming if you feel it necessary.

 

beerchug.gif

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post #6 of 29
7/28/11 at 7:11am

There are some very different, and polar opposite, opinions on the matter. I asked in another thread and i got the comment that a investment in a dac would not be a real improvement.


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Willakan View Post

The DACmagic IS neutral - it has a completely flat frequency response. Whatever you're looking for in a DAC, it isn't neutrality. As I believe that looking for something that isn't neutrality in a DAC is an exceptionally bad idea on several levels, I would again recommend that you buy headphones instead that change the sound to your preference.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Willakan View Post

Buy headphones, you have a decent DAC. Any improvements DAC-wise are of dubious authenticity and highly subjective. If you really want a "better" DAC, the Benchmark DAC1 is prettymuch measurably perfect - that is its flaws are so past the point of audibility as to render their discussion irrelevant. If you want an "improvement", buy that, but don't blame me when they (Benchmark and your existing DAC) sound the same level-matched.

 

I would focus on headphones - no-one is going to argue whether they sound different. 


 

 

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post #7 of 29
7/28/11 at 8:57am
Thread Starter 

It's not hard necessarily to upgrade headphones in my current setup, but it is very costly because for STAX (the SR-507), the next step up would require me to upgrade my amps (and no doubt my DAC) as well. That would quadruple my current budget if I was lucky. I browsed your thread that Willakan was referreing to and I would agree with him as well. It sounds like you have a good foundation in place to support better headphones.


Edited by treal512 - 7/28/11 at 9:00am
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post #8 of 29
7/28/11 at 10:50am

Oh lol i failed to see that you had a stax set-up....In that case it would be an expensive undertaking indeed.

 

Whats the budget?

At the 1 - 1.5k mark the Anedio D1 and Hegel HD20 are very well thought of.

 

The Bifrost seems to be a new hotshot indeed.

 

How abour Audiogd and Meier audio?

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post #9 of 29
7/29/11 at 8:50am
Thread Starter 

Ahh, the budget isn't going to replace my Audinst with anything extraordinary, but I'm OK with that. I'm willing to spend around $3-400, give or take, to bring everything on par.


Edited by treal512 - 7/29/11 at 8:52am
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post #10 of 29
7/30/11 at 10:19am
Thread Starter 

Help!

 

Ok, so I've done some reading up on DACs and I need some more help with this to get the most out of my purchase. Right now my HUD-MX1 is connected via USB which I've been reading can degrade the audio more than other medians of connection, ie. S/PDIF. My soundcard at the moment is a Razer Baracuda AC-1 (not great, but suggestions are welcome for this current purchase plan) which has S/PDIF connectors. I have my eye on a MF V-DAC (smooth for longer listening sessions as the SR-303 is already analytical) as the DAC replacement, but isn't it adaptive and not asynchronous? Does this mean on top of a V-DAC purchase that I would need to get a V-LINK as well? Or would me connecting via S/PDIF from my soundcard to the V-DAC avoid the whole asynchronous USB dilemma? Perhaps I wait for the V-DAC v2? I was looking at the HRT Streamer II as well, but I want a bigger upgrade (dedicated PS) than that.


Edited by treal512 - 7/30/11 at 10:23am
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post #11 of 29
7/30/11 at 12:31pm

I seriously doubt your dac is a weak link unless it has some kind of audiable disortion/jitter, also usb doesn't degrade the signal or doesn't degrade it enough to make any difference, With your set-up you should use usb or optical, usb bypasses the pc's built-in soundcard completey but optical stops pc noise being transfered to the dac but might indroduce a bit of jitter probley not enough to be audioable though.

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post #12 of 29
7/30/11 at 1:11pm
Thread Starter 

Appreciate the adverse input. So what then do you think I should upgrade (since I am wanting to upgrade)?

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post #13 of 29
7/30/11 at 1:40pm

Your tube buffer or headphones , since these aren't solid state eletronics or cables.

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post #14 of 29
7/30/11 at 1:42pm

Hi treal512, what is this Yaqin SD-CD3 device in your signal chain? Have you tried removing it?

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post #15 of 29
7/30/11 at 1:59pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stitch View Post

There are some very different, and polar opposite, opinions on the matter. I asked in another thread and i got the comment that a investment in a dac would not be a real improvement.


 


 

 



That's the kind of nonsense that we have to curb in this site. 

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