Looking for... DAC - HP Amp w/ Coax S/PDIF out.

(I also posted this in Computer Audio... sorry for the redundancy)

Hey.

The Cambridge DAC Plus and the Audiolab M-DAC have Coax S/PDIF out.

I've contacted Audio gd, and Kingwa can customize one of his DAC's to include the Coax out, but only fed from the USB input.

But I'd prefer one that can output as a pass-through from an optical or coax feed.

So... any other Dac-HP Amps have this feature?

Thanks!!

shane

^^ Great list!!

Thanks, I'll check them out.

Anyone else?

Cheers

Hey Diseree...

Thanks again for the list. Here are my impressions. Listed in order of desire, not in order of purchase likelihood.

1) FOSTEX HP-A8C (fully path-thru except DoP, with discrete HPA) - >> Only one Coax input, but I could make it work. This is one sweet unit!! I love the SD card slot for DSD. A bit above my price range, but might be worth the stretch.

2) Nmode X-DP1/X-DP1-HF (path-thuru from Coax and optical, except feed from USB, with digial HPA, japanese domestic model) - >> Wow. Great option. Expensive, but not as costly as the Fostex. A nice DAC with a lot of features. Availability... sketchy. I have never heard of this brand, but I like the specifications.

3) Audiolab M-DAC (Full pass-through optical and Coax, HPA) - >> Not on your list, but has received great reviews, great price - Top of purchase likelihood list at this point.

4) Cambrige Audio DacMagic Plus (as you know) - >> Yeah. I know. Has most of what I want. Might be looking for something just a bit better for SQ.

The rest are nice, but not considered.

FOSTEX HP-A7 (fully path-thru, USB is up to 96KHz/24bit, not for export, japanese domestic model) - >>No Coax output. Non-starter.

Luxman DA-200 (fully path-thru, USB is up to 96KHz/24bit, with OPamp HPA) - >> Nice... but way beyond price range.

Luxman DA-06 (fully path-thru except DSD, DAC only, no HPA, high end, very expensive) - >> Can't even consider it...

I don' t want a network player...

Pioneer N-50 (Network Player with 192KHz USB DAC. path-thru is valid from Coax and optical, except feed from USB, no HPA)

Maranz NA-7004 (Network Player with 96KHz USB DAC. fully path-thru, with HPA)

Maranz NA-11S1 (Network Player with 192KHz/DSD USB DAC. fully path-thru, high end, very expensive, with HPA)

Thanks teofilrocks.

I'll look into this unit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by teofilrocks 

Sure thing. This may seem like a whacky suggestion considering I don't know the setup you're going for, but the Meridian Explorer (which seems to be the FOTM) has a line out like a Mac. It's a combination 3.5mm analog out and a mini toslink digital out that sits right next to the dedicated headphone out. Pretty impressive considering it's size and portability.

First... I looked into the Matrix Cube and Matrix Mini-i... nice little units! They would be great if I didn't need more Coax inputs. The only Coax inputs on each is one BNC (yeah, I have adapters, but I still need more than one. But at least it's an option. Thanks.

Second, the Meridian is way too simple for my needs, which is several things plugged in, and several more out. On my Benchmark DAC1-PRE, I'm using just about every input and output. I have one optical, three coax and analog L&R in. Both balanced and unbalanced out.

As for my setup... this is from the other thread... just to give you an idea what and why.

My current DAC (Bencmark DAC1-PRE) is in my office with my computers and Turntable, etc. It's where most of what I do takes place. I use it as a HP amp as well as a preamp for my Outlaw receiver and as a feed (analog) out to my living room. I want that feed to be digital from a Coaxial S/PDIF output. I still need one DAC in my office, and I'll need one in the living room, where the better speaker / stereo system resides.

The analog signal running through the house picks up too much interference, hum, etc. The digital (I've tried it already) doesn't.

My laptop only has Toslink/optical out for S/PDIF, so it needs to be converted to digital over Coax after it feeds the DAC. I was planning on moving the Benchmark into the living room, and getting something like the Audiolab M-DAC for the office.

The solution: "http://www.siig.com/av-products/converters/audio/s-pdif-coaxial-toslink-2-way-converter.html" is good. I can split the Optical digital signal into Optical and Coax, feed the Benchmark (or whatever DAC) in the office, and feed the Coax S/PDIF to the living room. It's a good solution. I just didn't want an additional device / wall wart, etc.

I am hoping for a more elegant solution. I've got a good budget for it, so the M-DAC is not out of the question, I just wanted to know all my possible options.

Cheers!