[pslate]

Good Morning Fine ACer's,

I am in a total quandary on cheap dacs, and wondered what some of you think about them. I will connect the dac via an optical connection, and an asynchronous DAC would seem to be a good choice for this. However, the Emotiva XDA-1 is coming out and creating quite a stir. My two concerns with the XDA-1 are the large form factor, and lack of ARSC. The V-DAC is obviously a good choice, but the Matrix Cube Dac also has some nice features, ARSC toggle etc. I need a gentle push in the transparent direction and the Matrix would seem to be good for this. Is it foolish at this point to overlook the XDA-1 for its lack of ARSC? The large size is annoying, but I could deal with it.

Thank you!!
Paul

[srb]

ASRC.
 
Since no one has heard the Emotiva XDA-1, it's still too early to speculate.  The fact that it uses an AD1955 DAC and has a discrete output stage isn't enough to know how it will actually sound.
 
I do know that when I had a Stello DA100 Signature DAC, the majority of the time I preferred the sound with the upsampling bypassed.
 
As far as the form factor, I prefer a ~ 17" wide unit to line up with the other 17" wide components in my rack, like the Berkeley Alpha DAC.  However, I could see wanting a smaller width unit for use with a desktop computer setup.
 
Steve

[pslate]

Thank you Steve 

[hdspeakerman]

I have a like new V Dac if you are interested.  I have repair bills to pay on my #1 preamp and 4 other dacs.

Howard

[hdspeakerman]

pslate

pm sent to you

howard

[2gumby2]

I own a V-DAC and I think it is a very nice DAC and a good value. I heard the new Emotiva DAC at RMAF and their entire system sounded great, but I had nothing to compare directly to their DAC at that time. I brought my V-DAC to RMAF, but Emotiva didn't have a way to hook up the V-DAC since they used their DAC as a volume control, no preamp. I put the V-DAC up against the Neko Audio and new Van Alstine hybrid DAC at RMAF. I couldn't detect any difference between the Neko Audio and the V-DAC. The Van Alstine DAC was better, but it wasn't a big difference IMO.

[Rclark]

I wouldn't go rushing off to buy anything just yet, the XDA-1 will be out in a matter of weeks.

 If you're concerned about sound quality, basically it's a significantly improved ERC-1's DAC and the ERC-1 alone sounds great. Expect the XDA-1's high performance as advertized.

[jtsnead]

I just got the email that my XDA-1 is ready to be shipped. Anyone gotten theirs and how does it sound? I will be using it on my SB Touch, wondering if it is worth the upgrade.

[MLS]

Go to the Emotiva forum and read about it.  It seems that several people are disappointed with the linear volume control and others are underwhelmed.  Read for yourself and make your own decision.  I was hoping for a better DAC at a modest price.

I am on the list also but I think I will pass.

I think my slightly modded Maverick D1 is a better option at this point.

Scott

[Gopher]

The XDA-1 is OK, but I am not surprised people are underwhelmed.  Its nicely built and provides a nice upgrade over my dad's use of his Squeezebox Duet via analog outs, but a giant killer it is not.

[eclein]

I have had my Grant Fidelity Tube DAC-09 for quite some time and I have heard other similar priced DACs and at $225 I think these DAC's are an excellent choice. I think many people overlook them because of the modest price point, I have yet to hear any owners complain about them, and you never see used ones up for sale...in fact I've never seen one here or the gon for that matter. Just thought I'd throw that out there....

[HT cOz]

Audio GD has some DACs in this price range.  I recently ordered the NFB-12 DAC for ~$250 delivered.  I will report about it when it arrives.  I can compare it to a SB2 and my Denon reciever.

Robert

[mbakes]

I had the XDA-1 home for about a week before sending it on tour for a month or two.  It will not replace my Amarra 4 but it is a heck of a value at $300.  Build quality (not see inside) is about as good as anything in anything I've seen, other than perhaps 10 times the price.  The sq is very good using usb and optical.  Again, not the last word in any particular thing but damn good.  I didn't use the volume control so not have any issues there.  I haven't heard every $300 to $500 DAC out there so not sure if better or not.  I will have an Arcam rDAC, to compare once the XDA-1 returns from its travels.

[Gopher]

I have had my Grant Fidelity Tube DAC-09 for quite some time and I have heard other similar priced DACs and at $225 I think these DAC's are an excellent choice. I think many people overlook them because of the modest price point, I have yet to hear any owners complain about them, and you never see used ones up for sale...in fact I've never seen one here or the gon for that matter. Just thought I'd throw that out there....

One just went used on audiogon a week or so ago for like $175.   I know because I would have bought it for my little brother's x-mas present if I noticed a little quicker.

[Phil A]

I had the XDA-1 home for about a week before sending it on tour for a month or two.  It will not replace my Amarra 4 but it is a heck of a value at $300.  Build quality (not see inside) is about as good as anything in anything I've seen, other than perhaps 10 times the price.  The sq is very good using usb and optical.  Again, not the last word in any particular thing but damn good.  I didn't use the volume control so not have any issues there.  I haven't heard every $300 to $500 DAC out there so not sure if better or not.  I will have an Arcam rDAC, to compare once the XDA-1 returns from its travels.

I have a question.  When you say you didn't use the volume control do you mean it was left at full output or is there a defeat mechanism?  Am interested in a decent DAC (that does at least 96kHz) for a secondary system that doesn't see tons of use and the Emotiva sounds interesting.  Thanks

[srb]

When you say you didn't use the volume control do you mean it was left at full output or is there a defeat mechanism?  Am interested in a decent DAC (that does at least 96kHz) for a secondary system that doesn't see tons of use and the

The XDA-1 volume control is a digitally-controlled analog resistive ladder within the AD1955 DAC chip, and as such, is not a digital volume control that uses up least significant bits.  Some have used the control at full output, while others, including myself, attenuated it a bit to level-match other sources.
 
Although originally advertised that it controlled volume in .5dB steps, it turned out that it was not a logarithmic curve, but a linear control in .5 steps (not dB).  Therefore many who tried it direct to power amp (myself included), found that the first volume step (.5) was too loud for the lowest setting, and only a handful of steps were possible before the volume was at the maximum level for a particular system.  (The volume range is 160 steps from 0 to 80).  My maximum was 4.0, which meant I had 7 useable steps, and each one was too big of a jump.
 
Emotiva has recognized the problem and has offered to reprogram it with a logarithmic profile for those that wish to return the unit.  For new purchasers, I am not clear if all new units shipping will be reprogrammed, so best to inquire first if you intend to use it as a digital preamplifier.
 
I was also told that the USB input would accept 24/192 (the website specifications did not differentiate between S/PDIF and USB inputs for its 24/192 capability).  However that is not the case, and like many otherwise competent DACs, this one is also limited to 16/48 through the USB input.  I verified this with J.River Media Center and foobar2000 using WASAPI drivers, Windows 7 and 24/96 files.
 
Steve

[Phil A]

Steve, thanks for the clarification.  I won't be using mine as a digital preamp.  I'll be using it in the secondary basement system as a DAC mainly connected to an old Oppo DV980H (for SACD, DVD-A and a CD transport) along with an HDMI audio de-embedder for SACD (or DVD-A).  I probably don't even use the system enough to even bother with a DAC at all but if and when I listen to it I'd prefer something slightly upgraded for disc playback