DAC/Amp question from a total newbie...

[musicmansweden]

Hi there,

Just got into head-fi and have bought a pair of Grado sr-80 and I am listening to Spotify on my computer but I want more out of my headphones so I am trying to learn. I have a small pc and I have started to rip my cd:s through Itunes with AIFF format and I want to buy a Dac and amp to fit my Grados...

My first question is: when in the process does the signal get upsampled? Is it the dac that do that or is it the amp? The reason I ask is because I read about the Musical Fidelity XCan V8 amp that it: "comes with 24-bit 192kh true upsampling". Que? Please, can anyone explain? Aint this an amp???

Second question: Is a combo with Cambridge Da Magic and a Argon HA-1 a good choice for my speakers and ok for future upgrades?

Thanks in advance,

Musicman Sweden

 

[Bleuburd]

Before you get a dac or amp, you should start ripping with a suitable program. XLD is probably the best for mac. Just make sure you find a good tutorial and find your drive's correct offset value. I would suggest ripping in FLAC for archive purposes and then converting to something apple friendly, like ALAC or plain ol' V0.

 

[musicmansweden]

Hi,

Thanks for that tip. I have a pc and I am using Itunes so I am ripping in AIFF. Isn´t that good enough maybe?

Thanks,

Musicman

 

[Currawong]

If you have error correction turned on in iTunes, that should be fine, as long as your CDs aren't scratched.