Greatest SQ improvement: New DAC vs. new Preamp Question

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gadfly

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Re: Greatest SQ improvement: New DAC vs. new Preamp Question
« Reply #60 on: 23 May 2015, 05:08 pm »
IMO:
I've owned emotiva gear and found the SQ to be rather pedestrian.
Check out the soon to be released aries mini.  A $400 streamer/
dac capable of 24/384 PCM files, quad rate DSD, and Tidal
lossless streaming.  Initial audio press impressions are that
the vega/aries combo at $4,700 more had a softer more relaxed
sound.  According to Mr. Darko the mini is,"a little more strident."
Throw in usb out to any other dac you might prefer and it gets
interesting.  You have a good pre/amp combo.  IMO to improve
on your current preamp SQ with a dac preamp would require
a $3,500 + dac with analog, not digital, volume control.  The
auralic facebook pg. has a vega/aries, aries mini, spec sheet
comparison.

gad-

yates7592

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Re: Greatest SQ improvement: New DAC vs. new Preamp Question
« Reply #61 on: 3 Jun 2015, 01:58 pm »
Another vote for iFi micro iDSD - fantastic sound for a portable DAC and amazing power on the amp section, although you could bypass the amp if needed on the RCA-outs.

mresseguie

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Re: Greatest SQ improvement: New DAC vs. new Preamp Question
« Reply #62 on: 12 Jun 2015, 10:09 pm »
Hi, Yates.

As it happens, I was in Echo HiFi in Portland on Wednesday to buy an iFi micro iDSD DAC. Unfortunately, they had already sold out. [It's their best selling DAC!] Unwilling to walk out empty handed, I bought an iFi iPurifier USB audio purifier to try out. I'm pretty sure there is an improvement, but I'm also pretty sure I'll return it, and will wait until they are resupplied with the DACs.

While I was there, I listened to a couple songs on the Ryan R-620 floor standing speakers. They sound pretty good (great sound stage, open feel, nice midrange clarity) although there seemed to be just a hint of brightness. I'd first want to listen to a bunch of my songs before passing final judgement on them, but this was my initial impression.

Michael

barrows

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Re: Greatest SQ improvement: New DAC vs. new Preamp Question
« Reply #63 on: 12 Jun 2015, 10:25 pm »
Do not succumb to the absurd assertions by some that there is some kind of problem with using a digital volume control.  As long as your system is well matched for gain and you do not need to use ridiculous (>40dB) levels of attenuation, a good digital volume control (like that used in the ESS chip and Vega) will be entirely transparent, unlike an analog volume control which will add the thermal noise of the resistive element (whether a pot or discrete resistors).