Hi,
I am considering the IDA-8 to power my Spatial Audio Hologram M3 Turbo S speakers. They’re open baffle, 4 ohms, and and 94 dB sensitive. Room is not huge.
I know someone who is thrilled with this combo, but I have a question:
I currently have two sources. One is a CD player with both optical and coaxial outputs, so, no problem hooking that up to the amplifier and using the internal DAC. (Currently using a Musical Fidelity M1 DAC and USB-SPDIF bridge box with the CD player and also to play hi resolution files out of my MacBook Pro.) And on the analog side, I have a turntable with an outboard phono preamp. What gives me pause is that the analog inputs on the IDA-8 convert the signal to digital, which just seems weird to me. How do those of you using analog with the IDA-8 feel about the sound? I read the Absolute Sound review and Julie Mullins was happy with how vinyl sounded, but I am eager for more input.
Also, for those of you who have had the chance to compare the internal DAC with various standalone units, how do you think the sound stacks up?
Thank you.