AudioCircle

Industry Circles => NuPrime Audio => Topic started by: envydd on 1 Mar 2018, 05:09 pm

Title: IDA-8's DAC quality
Post by: envydd on 1 Mar 2018, 05:09 pm
Love my IDA-6 (and its volume control) but need a little more power without much coloration. Of course I could do DAC9+2xSTA6 but I wonder if the ESS DACs are more open. In that case my options are IDA-8, DAC10 or use something else (Project S2). How is the preamp/DAC section of the IDA-8?
Title: Re: IDA-8's DAC quality
Post by: slash71 on 1 Mar 2018, 06:41 pm

the nuprime preamp section and the volume control  , with thin-film switched-resistor ladder network , make the difference ..also on IDA-8 .
Title: Re: IDA-8's DAC quality
Post by: envydd on 1 Mar 2018, 06:51 pm
thx slash .... wondering if the preamp section is pretty much same. Then I would rather buy the IDA8 since it has a ESS dac (not the best probably).

Also how does the ladder resister etc compare to a simple passive pre-amp e.g. by schiit.
Title: Re: IDA-8's DAC quality
Post by: John Casler on 1 Mar 2018, 08:17 pm
Love my IDA-6 (and its volume control) but need a little more power without much coloration. Of course I could do DAC9+2xSTA6 but I wonder if the ESS DACs are more open. In that case my options are IDA-8, DAC10 or use something else (Project S2). How is the preamp/DAC section of the IDA-8?

Since all NuPRIME gear is progressively better due to better quality components, the performance of the component will then depend on your SYSTEM'S Overall Abilities, and your Listening Ability to perceive it.

In some areas, it may also depend on your preferences, as in some might prefer the DAC-9/STA-9 as well as the DAC-10/ST10

Your DAC-9/2xSTA-6 would certainly be a Giant Killer in the Price Performance. (as long as you don't need, or want XLR connectivity)

I should mention the DAC-9 doesn't use the ESS DAC, but the chipset used is specific to the design and sonic signature sought.

To be SURE, going from the IDA-6 to DAC-9/2xSTA-6 would certainly be a good step up.

Title: Re: IDA-8's DAC quality
Post by: John Casler on 1 Mar 2018, 08:21 pm
thx slash .... wondering if the preamp section is pretty much same. Then I would rather buy the IDA8 since it has a ESS dac (not the best probably).

Also how does the ladder resister etc compare to a simple passive pre-amp e.g. by schiit.

In general "many" passive volume controls are impedance/resistance attenuating devices, meaning they only lower volume, and do so by resistance to the signal.

Title: Re: IDA-8's DAC quality
Post by: envydd on 1 Mar 2018, 09:08 pm
In general "many" passive volume controls are impedance/resistance attenuating devices, meaning they only lower volume, and do so by resistance to the signal.

Thx ... I thought all ideal volume controls should appear as a single resistor and not distort the sounds vs the digital volume controls which reduces the resolution. If that is correct, then the simple passive pre-amps + line level DACs is the same as a ladder resistor DAC/preamp e.g. IDA-6/8

Am waiting to see what NuP does in 2018. I was expecting a DAC-6 or a Pi-streamer+DAC (Is the alpha version good?) before deciding on my DAC9+2xSTA6
Title: Re: IDA-8's DAC quality
Post by: rustydoglim on 2 Mar 2018, 03:54 am
thx slash .... wondering if the preamp section is pretty much same. Then I would rather buy the IDA8 since it has a ESS dac (not the best probably).

We find that ESS 9018 still sound the best. Sure, 9038 has less distortion but it is not perceivable. In our IDA-32 prototype, we initially went with 9038 but it was not sounding right, so we went back to 9028 (9018 is just as good but you people probably bought into the marketing hype so we will go with 9028). We can't tell the difference between 9018 and 9028, and it is the rest of the circuit outside of a DAC chip that determines the sound quality of a DAC product, because DAC chip performance has gotten to the point where it doesn't make a difference anymore.