Dac help

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Poultrygeist

Ajani,

I didn't buy the Marantz SA8004 to use as a music server and didn't realize it had USB, optical and coax inputs. It's mission in life, as far as I'm concerned, is to make SACD's sound even better and that it does.

---

Oh, if I had the cash I would by the 8004 in a heartbeat. That piece answers all my needs with fantastic build quality.

Great score. Let us know when you use the digital inputs as to how they sound.

I wish more company would make this type of product.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RGA

Ajani - this will be my next move - into a music server. Basically it's due to my constant traveling that it's simply easier to cart my music in a hard drive or two than it is to try and lug the discs/lps around the world.

Soundhounds had a neat rig around the Soolos however that is far too expensive. Looking at that system closer it seems to me to be more about functionality and a cool touchscreen and I believe I am correct in thinking that something can be done considerably cheaper.

Step 1:

Buy an external hard drive - I did - a 1.5gig Western Digital portable - runs from the laptop.

Step 2: Load CD and copy to hard drive in lossless

Step 3: Buy a D/A converter that accepts USB

The issue is I HATE ITUNES - I hate it loathe it despise it! I really don't like it. I have an iPod and after using iTunes I wanted to throw the thing out the windows (har har - pun sorta intended).

I have a little Trends UD 10.1 USB converter here that I am not really reviewing but they lent it to me to make my connections. Since I have not heard any other such device I can't really review it because I have nothing to compare it against. But I wonder if this is worth buying at $199 6moons audio reviews: Trends Audio UD-10.1 USB

---

Have you considered the Touch Squeezebox player

Logitech Squeezebox Touch network music player | Stereophile.com

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RGA

Ajani - this will be my next move - into a music server. Basically it's due to my constant traveling that it's simply easier to cart my music in a hard drive or two than it is to try and lug the discs/lps around the world.

Soundhounds had a neat rig around the Soolos however that is far too expensive. Looking at that system closer it seems to me to be more about functionality and a cool touchscreen and I believe I am correct in thinking that something can be done considerably cheaper.

Step 1:

Buy an external hard drive - I did - a 1.5gig Western Digital portable - runs from the laptop.

Step 2: Load CD and copy to hard drive in lossless

Step 3: Buy a D/A converter that accepts USB

The issue is I HATE ITUNES - I hate it loathe it despise it! I really don't like it. I have an iPod and after using iTunes I wanted to throw the thing out the windows (har har - pun sorta intended).

I have a little Trends UD 10.1 USB converter here that I am not really reviewing but they lent it to me to make my connections. Since I have not heard any other such device I can't really review it because I have nothing to compare it against. But I wonder if this is worth buying at $199 6moons audio reviews: Trends Audio UD-10.1 USB

---

I found this thread on DIY AUDIO of affordable dacs.

This is quite a list. The EMU seams interesting. Most of these are affordable chinese alternatives that I think Poultry or Feanor suggested the likes of earlier.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RGA

Ajani - this will be my next move - into a music server. Basically it's due to my constant traveling that it's simply easier to cart my music in a hard drive or two than it is to try and lug the discs/lps around the world.

Soundhounds had a neat rig around the Soolos however that is far too expensive. Looking at that system closer it seems to me to be more about functionality and a cool touchscreen and I believe I am correct in thinking that something can be done considerably cheaper.

Step 1:

Buy an external hard drive - I did - a 1.5gig Western Digital portable - runs from the laptop.

Step 2: Load CD and copy to hard drive in lossless

Step 3: Buy a D/A converter that accepts USB

The issue is I HATE ITUNES - I hate it loathe it despise it! I really don't like it. I have an iPod and after using iTunes I wanted to throw the thing out the windows (har har - pun sorta intended).

I have a little Trends UD 10.1 USB converter here that I am not really reviewing but they lent it to me to make my connections. Since I have not heard any other such device I can't really review it because I have nothing to compare it against. But I wonder if this is worth buying at $199 6moons audio reviews: Trends Audio UD-10.1 USB

---

If you're planning to buy a new dac then I wouldn't suggest getting the trends. Just get a dac with a good USB input. If you have a non USB dac, then you might want to hold on to the trends.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Feanor

A couple of asides, Eno.

I think opamps get a worse rap then they deserve. Modern opamps are very, very good and if discrete circuits are better at all then it's likely they are the ones in very high-end equipment. If some people like Burson it's likely because Burson has tweaked to sound to popular taste rather than actually improved performance -- which of course means they might be worth it if they are your taste. The Burson opamp replacements are a lot more expensive than opamps but still not all that expensive.

320 kbps can sound very good, though not quite as good as higher resolution depending on the music and the source records. I have a dark suspicion however: that 320 (or 256) takes the "edge" off the sound of many recordings making them sound smoother, which a lot of people will like. People need to decide whether this "dumbing down" is for them, of course.

You mention playing back at 176 kHz: is it your music player that does that and can you choose the oversampling rate?

---

Yes i think Feanor. The PS3 allows you to choose the output frequency rate of either 48khz or 44/88.1/176khz. You can also select bit rate as well from ambiguous titles as bit type 1,2, and 3, which might correspond to 8bit, 16bit, and 24bit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ajani

If you're planning to buy a new dac then I wouldn't suggest getting the trends. Just get a dac with a good USB input. If you have a non USB dac, then you might want to hold on to the trends.

---

What about a quality SPDIF converter?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Enochrome

Yes i think Feanor. The PS3 allows you to choose the output frequency rate of either 48khz or 44/88.1/176khz. You can also select bit rate as well from ambiguous titles as bit type 1,2, and 3, which might correspond to 8bit, 16bit, and 24bit.

---

That's interesting. I'm not entirely sure of the ramifications of doing oversampling in the source device rather than in the DAC. Note some DAC chips automatically oversample (which is not the same thing as asynchronous upsampling); on the other hand, other DAC chips only handle whatever the incoming signal provides.

I trying something along those lines employing a software resampler plug-in for my Foobar2000 player. As I understood it, my DAC chip did oversample. By oversampling in software I relieved it of that burden -- for whatever benefit that might have been.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Feanor

That's interesting. I'm not entirely sure of the ramifications of doing oversampling in the source device rather than in the DAC. Note some DAC chips automatically oversample (which is not the same thing as asynchronous upsampling); on the other hand, other DAC chips only handle whatever the incoming signal provides.

I trying something along those lines employing a software resampler plug-in for my Foobar2000 player. As I understood it, my DAC chip did oversample. By oversampling in software I relieved it of that burden -- for whatever benefit that might have been.

---

I think having the source do the work in regards to up/over sampling is along the same lines as the Marantz 8004 sacd player that was talked earlier or in another thread.

I am still not sure what is the difference between over sampling and up sampling?

What is Foobar?
I think when I get my computer audio system going I will use "Pure Music" which embeds itself into Itunes. This upsamples as well as adds a buffer 2 or 3 second processing buffer for the upsample, I believe.

I don't think I could invest in a DAC that does do 24/96k or higher, because more and more high res. downloads will start flooding the market soon and in the future.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Enochrome

...
I am still not sure what is the difference between over sampling and up sampling?

What is Foobar?
I think when I get my computer audio system going I will use "Pure Music" which embeds itself into Itunes. This upsamples as well as adds a buffer 2 or 3 second processing buffer for the upsample, I believe.

I don't think I could invest in a DAC that does do 24/96k or higher, because more and more high res. downloads will start flooding the market soon and in the future.

---

First off, I agree that one ought to buy only a DAC that will handle hi-rez: preferably all these rates: 24/88.2, 24/96, 24/176.4, and 24/192.

Oversampling vs. upsampling: well, I'm not exactly an expert and some people seem to use the terms interchangeably ... however ...

Oversampling is multiplying the input kHz rate by an even multiple, viz. 2x or 4x, higher, (multiplying 44.1 kHz to 88.2, 176.4 kHz or higher). The purpose is to implement hypersonic filters for sound above the audible range that don't degrade the sound due to phase shift. Most current DAC chips have built-in oversampling capability.

Upsampling is the term used for "asynchronous" rate conversion, i.e. non-even multiples of kHz rate, e.g. 44.1 to 96 kHz. This upsampling is usually done on a separate chip from the DAC chip itself, and the process necessarily involves "reclocking" the input data stream. The reclocking reduces jitter, which is probably the main advantage of DACs that have this feature. At the same time the resulting higher kHz also allows the better filtering that oversampling permits as mentioned above.

Incidentally, just because a DAC is advertised as handling 24/96 or 192, doesn't mean it does upsampling, (nor oversampling for that matter). So some "NOS" (non-ovesampling) DACs will handle 24/96 but only if the input signal is at that rate.

Foobar2000, (HERE), is PC audio player that permits many plug-ins including some that "resample" to higher kHz rates.

Recently, I use this software AppleMacSoft Graphic Converter for Mac can be easily converter in batch mode, you can convert or resize to provide all the source images of choice in a batch, so just a few mouse clicks. This intuitive interface, requires no special knowledge to operate.

In addition I Recommend Professional Multipage PDF to Image Convert for Mac Convert Multipage PDF to Image, JPG, TIFF, BMP or PNG.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DisoKda

In addition I Recommend Professional Multipage PDF to Image Convert for Mac Convert Multipage PDF to Image, JPG, TIFF, BMP or PNG.

---

Is this spam? Or does this person not understand what we are talking about?

Moderator?!

Picked up a Beresford tc-7520SE for $165, shipping included, from Audiogon. The dac will be delivered tomorrow. I was about to pull the trigger on the DAC-11 but then this came up and was $200 cheaper. I'll miss out on the tube aspect and the extra line out, so it was a tough call. Other than those it has all the same functions, especially the headphone option. I have heard mostly positive reviews about this dac. Some say it is a giant killer, I'll be happy if it plays music and puts a smile on my face.

Enjoy the Beresford. As I gather there are lot of people quite pleased with them.

I've taken no action on replacing my "cheap" DAC; I'm still using my old, 20 bit ladder-DAC Assemblage 1.5. Despite good reports I'm still not ready to spring for the DAC-11. In any case it won't happen this month -- I just got a big car repair bill. :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Enochrome

Picked up a Beresford tc-7520SE for $165, shipping included, from Audiogon. The dac will be delivered tomorrow. I was about to pull the trigger on the DAC-11 but then this came up and was $200 cheaper. I'll miss out on the tube aspect and the extra line out, so it was a tough call. Other than those it has all the same functions, especially the headphone option. I have heard mostly positive reviews about this dac. Some say it is a giant killer, I'll be happy if it plays music and puts a smile on my face.

---

Enjoy the Beresford, it is supposed to be a very good budget DAC.

Thanks guys. I'm starting to enjoy it. At first it was not too my liking; it was too bright and the mid-range was recessed a little. Now it has started to smooth out, but the mid-range is still lacking a little. Going to perform some of the cheaper mods that is suggested with the caps and resistors and that should fix it. Some people like this dac because it is so easy to mod and the creator posts actively on different mods he suggests.

What I have noticed about the Beresford TC-7520 so far:

- can be a little thin and bright
- cheap
- it has an enormous sound stage that is staggering (really that best thing about the dac)
- the detail retrieval is phenomenal especially for the older parts it uses, I hear more of the recording than I ever have.

- it does not mate well with my Jolida 502a (will try with the SET amp that I will make this year)
- it sounds great with my Acurus DIA 100 but a can be unforgiving of badly compressed mp3 files

Here's the biggest surprise:

Through my Macbook using the demo version of Channel D's Pure Music putting out only 16bit/44.1 though usb to the Beresford tc-7520 (that rate is max for the Beresfords usb) connected to my Acurus.....sounds amazing. The detail is all there, the sound stage is even bigger; and more lateral and vertical, and it is buttery smooth. I could live with 16/44 this way. * The added benefit is that I can use my Ipod as a remote even with Pure Music embedded. Not just play and track select, you can use the Ipod to visually search through your whole library and even control the volume.

I will tell you how the mods go in the near future and post pics.