[pookyman]

Hi everyone, I'm interested in getting a DAC but was wondering if it would even make sense for the setup I have. So I inherited (in a good way) a sound setup consisting of a tube amp (http://tubedepot.com/diy-k-8ls.html) and some KEF speakers (http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/kef/q15/prd_119869_1594crx.aspx) 
 
I've had this setup for a while and was looking into purchasing a DAC to try to improve my setup but was wondering if it would make sense for me to buy one. Specifically, I was looking into the HRT Music Streamer II. Does a DAC provide as much benefit to passive/tube amplified speakers as it does to active speakers? I'm also open to other suggestions within that price range. 
 
I'm listening exclusively to all my music off my laptop.
 
Thanks and any help/guidance is much appreciated! 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Of course it would; the only difference in the general design is where the amplifier is mounted (passive speakers have separate amps, active speakers have them built-in, etc). The question is how much it would matter for a particular amp, speaker, or active speaker, since some may be more transparent of upstream components than others.

Given you're using it straight out of a laptop, chances are any decent DAC would improve the sound. I got to borrow a D-Zero for my laptop feeding Swan D1080MkII 08 speakers, and it was immediately noticeable: better bass slam and detail, more treble detail, more body in the midrange.

 

[pookyman]

Thanks for the input. I've been trying to find some experiences with the HRT Music Streamer + Amp + Passives but haven't been able to find any. It seems most use it with the powered speakers. Are there DACs that are better for a passive setup or does it not matter? 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Thanks for the input. I've been trying to find some experiences with the HRT Music Streamer + Amp + Passives but haven't been able to find any. It seems most use it with the powered speakers. Are there DACs that are better for a passive setup or does it not matter? 

Nope, it's more a matter of whether they all "match" the amplifier and speakers according to your tastes. The only difference is where the amp is and who made it (active made by or designed by the speaker manufacturer, for example, so on that part of the chain, assume a "perfect match" already).
 
If anything, a true studio monitor would be more unforgiving and transparent to the point that cheaper ones tend to not have much bass even at nearfield since the priority was flat and totally uncolored sound, which in a cheap monitos can translate to "uninspiring/boring/really flat" in much the same way that Reference monitors need to be "full-bodied" and cheaper ones tend to churn out "too warm."