[igork]

Hi There,

I have the Edifier S1000DB 2.0 speakers and I’m thinking to add them a dac .
Currently they are connected to my pc which have onboard via vt2021 sound card.

The point is that these speakers have a digital amp with an internal dac which also have a dsp (audio processing)

The question is, does a decent dac like for example the Aune X1S will have any impact on such speakers which have a dsp and internal dac ?
 

Thanks for the help,

Igor

 

[theveterans]

Just use the DAC in your Edifier and save your money. Edifier will sound the same regardless of the DAC due to audio processing.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I have the Edifier S1000DB 2.0 speakers and I’m thinking to add them a dac .
Currently they are connected to my pc which have onboard via vt2021 sound card.

The point is that these speakers have a digital amp with an internal dac which also have a dsp (audio processing)

The question is, does a decent dac like for example the Aune X1S will have any impact on such speakers which have a dsp and internal dac ?

 

It would have to be a comparison between a crappy DAC and a decent one (whichever applies to either the internal DAC board or an external unit) to easily notice any difference. As for the DSP, AFAIK the DSP chip in it just works as an SPDIF receiver, not a full-on processor like what you'd find in a soundcard, A/V receiver, or a car audio processor.

 

And that speaker also has a remote, so having a DAC-HPamp-Preamp to control the volume with a knob closer to your hand isn't a priority either.

 

Personally, save your money, and get a DAC-HPamp-Preamp unit primarily for driving headphones. Having the preamp so everything is a single audio chain right up to that split in the path is just a bonus.

 

[igork]

Thanks for the answers ,so ProtegeManiac according to your opinion a dedicated dac like the Aune X1S will be useless ? 

1.  

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Thanks for the answers ,so ProtegeManiac according to your opinion a dedicated dac like the Aune X1S will be useless ? 

 
it gives you a volume knob right by your hand, but the Edifier has a remote anyway. Just save up for something that can really drive headphones if you get any in the future.

 

[igork]

But I don't have any headphones so it's not related to the discussion and the remote is also not related to the discussion.
What is interesting me is if the Aune X1S will be able to make the speakers sound more "warm" or will be able to impact the sound at all or not  ?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  But I don't have any headphones so it's not related to the discussion and the remote is also not related to the discussion.
What is interesting me is if the Aune X1S will be able to make the speakers sound more "warm" or will be able to impact the sound at all or not  ?
 

 

That's why I said "if." My point is that it will not impact the sound that much, so if you want to blow money on a DAC and preamp (which inevitably comes with a headphone amp in most cases), then do so if you also need a headphone amp to drive a headphone.
 

 

Now, if you don't believe me that it won't exactly alter the sound too much unless it deliberately does or whatever you're using now is distorting (which is even less likely considering you're using USB digital input to the speakers), then you might (this works like "if") want to spend money to try it out. However, if you do and it doesn't alter the sound much less how you want it, just don't say nobody explained that the likelihood for it is low.

 

Oh and the remote became part of the discussion because in the course of explaining the above point on what a separate preamp is for, it became relevant because, surprise, preamps aren't supposed to color the sound at all, and the reason why people add a separate preamp is not to color the sound but to have a convenient volume control within easier reach, something unnecessary for a digital input powered speaker that came with...tada!...a remote.

 

Now if your goal is to use a preamp to color the sound - even with its job is to control the output level, rather than reshape the signal - then you'd be better off using the Little Dot MkII since its tube preamp is a warmifying boombasticator rather than a preamp (or headphone amp for that matter). And the headphone amp might be irrelevant to you, but absent dedicated preamp units (that will cost more), this is your best shot. Look into tube rolling threads and figure out which tubes will color the sound even more to your liking, but the headphone amp being "irrelevant," then you just need to roll the driver tubes (the smaller ones out front). 

 

This will negate the DAC in the S1000DB however and the LD MkII doesn't have its own DAC, so you'd have to look into getting another DAC to send a cleaner signal from your computer to the MkII. But then again, you'd warmify and colorify it anyway, so I guess getting a clearer sounding DAC isn't all that necessary as long as you get the tube combos that will do exactly that.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dobrescu George]

I am actually still using S1000DB as my speakers, those are bought, and they sound pretty nice

Also, the DAC within them is pretty bad to my ears, but happily, I have Burson Play with its amazing DAC to enjoy them

 

[Dobrescu George]

I made a review of those, where I also mention some complaints about them

 

[Dobrescu George]

To reinforce my findings, the DAC in them is really awful sounding, getting virtually any DAC is better than it, even something like Audirect Beam, or Cyrus Soundkey, I would avoid using the DAC within them at any costs.