DACs Which/what kind should I look for?

[dodgers831]

I can see the writing on the wall; eventually CDs will become obsolete. I have an older NAD 375 int amp, but I want to play high res music files from flash drives and external hard drives. Obviously I need a display to be able to select files, which many DACs don't have. I suppose I could just get the Oppo 103, but that will make my CD player useless. Anything out there that won't break the bank? Thanks ahead of time.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Check out Sonos. No built in display, but can be controlled from you smartphone or tablet. Very easy to use

 

[dodgers831]

Check out Sonos. No built in display, but can be controlled from you smartphone or tablet. Very easy to use

Thanks, BSA. I'm not a techie so I don't use a my smartphone for music or videos. I was just going to download from my desktop to an external HD. I'm not ruling out the Sonos or Emotiva Stealth, but I thought there was something out there to meet my needs. I'm just behind the times. Again, thanks for you input.

 

[PENG]

Are you looking for a pure DAC or one that has a built in media player? It will also help narrow things down if you specify a price range.

 

[dodgers831]

Are you looking for a pure DAC or one that has a built in media player? It will also help narrow things down if you specify a price range.

Price range around 500.00? The Project Media Box does what I want, but are there others? Thanks, Peng.

 

[PENG]

Price range around 500.00? The Project Media Box does what I want, but are there others? Thanks, Peng.

So you are not talking about a DAC but a media player. The Marantz, http://us.marantz.com/us/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=HiFiComponents&SubCatId=0&ProductId=NA6005 is listed for $649 but it can do much more than the Pro-Ject Media Box, can play higher resolution files and can actually function as a DAC.

For DAC only, here's one that is listed right at $499:

http://usa.denon.com/us/product/headphones/amplifiersusbdacs/da300usb

 

[dodgers831]

So you are not talking about a DAC but a media player. The Marantz is listed for $649 but it can do much more than the Pro-Ject Media Box, can play higher resolution files and can actually function as a DAC.

For DAC only, here's one that is listed right at $499

I guess my lack of knowledge is showing. I just assumed a media player was also a DAC. Which Marantz are you suggesting? Also, what DAC is listed for 499.00?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Again, I highly recommend Sonos, specially since you already have int-amp and speakers (I assume )
you should check out Sonos Connect:
http://www.sonos.com/shop/products/connect

Few alternatives, which seems to be among same lines, but I don't know much about ether, except Denon and DekTek both very serious companies.
http://usa.denon.com/us/heos-link
http://www.definitivetech.com/products/wadapt

for 3rd time: Sonos has ginormous client base, they had perfected setup, installation and ease of use.
ps: Don't get stuck on 192/24 - in most cases are worse than proper 44/16
https://xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html


If USB support is a must have and you have TV in same room you could get something like this:
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1270

 

[PENG]

I guess my lack of knowledge is showing. I just assumed a media player was also a DAC. Which Marantz are you suggesting? Also, what DAC is listed for 499.00?

Good question, I just edited my post to include the links in my original post. Some media players can also be used as a DAC but not all of them do.

 

[Rastabolino]

I use a combo to do what you are talking about. I keep all my audio files on an external drive on my computer. I use a fire tv with kodi media player to play files. The fire tv optical out goes to a musical fidelity v90 dac, then from dac as analog to my receiver.

The fire tv and v90 dac combo should run you around 400 I think. You have the added advantage of being able to stream movies from a hard drive to tv through the fire tv also

 

[dodgers831]

Bored, Peng and Rasta - Thanks for all of your suggestions.

Bored- I really do want USB Type A for flash drives and external hard drives, and I want to keep my 2-channel setup simple, so no TV. That leaves out Sonos, although I liked what I saw for the price. And, thanks for the educational link on frequencies and bitrates; enjoyed reading it and learned a thing or two or more. I always wondered bout those frequencies beyond my auditory range.

Peng - The Marantz hit it on the head and is now on my list. The Denon doesn't have a type A USB, so that's out.

Rasta - I do want to keep my 2-channel simple, so there will be no TV option.

OK. So far I have Marantz NA 6005 and Bluesound Node, which is a new device from NAD/PSB. There is a Pioneer N50 that is not available in the US but is similar to the Marantz and has had good ratings. I like the fact that Marantz and Pioneer have remotes, so I don't need to use my phone or ipad to select music (Bluesound Node), but I like the price of the Blusesound Node. I will post when I make a decision, but any other suggestions are welcome.

Great site. Love the support.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

One more : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/841975-REG/Denon_DN_700H_Network_Audio_Player.html

 

[dodgers831]

One more : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/841975-REG/Denon_DN_700H_Network_Audio_Player.html

Add another to my list. Now I have to remember to NOT pay attention to the fact it doesn't play 192/24 but only up to 88.2/96, or something like that. Not much discussion on the onboard DA converter. The price is right, though. Thanks, Bored.

 

[dodgers831]

After some time away, I'm coming back to this thread to ask some more elementary questions. Bear with me here, as i think aloud...

DACs are necessary to convert digital signals into analog sound, right? This means DACs are built into soundcards on computers/laptops/media devices, in order for us to listen to music files, true? Assuming "yes" to these questions, you can just plug the computer/media device into a receiver that does not have a DAC, right? Then, why would it be necessary to get a standalone DAC or one that is built into a receiver? What would be the technical/audible advantages? I suppose a situation where you want to play music files from a portable hard drive would require a standalone DAC or built into the receiver. But are there any other reasons to get a DAC? Thanks, ahead of time.

 

[slipperybidness]

Then, why would it be necessary to get a standalone DAC or one that is built into a receiver? What would be the technical/audible advantages? I suppose a situation where you want to play music files from a portable hard drive would require a standalone DAC or built into the receiver. But are there any other reasons to get a DAC? Thanks, ahead of time.

Not necessary at all!

However, the onboard (as in on-mobo) DACs in many computers are inferior products. On sound cards, they are typically better DACs.

The real problem is that the environment inside a computer chassis is often a noisy place (as in electronic noise), and computer power supplies may be inadequate to perform all of the demands without problems. Noise is problematic for analog signals, but orders of magnitude less problematic for digi signals. So, it is often better to pass the digi signal outside the computer chassis before converting it to analog.

If you have a DAC in your computer, try it out and see how it sounds to you. If it sounds good, then you are done! If not, then you may consider an external DAC.

 

[dodgers831]

Not necessary at all!

However, the onboard (as in on-mobo) DACs in many computers are inferior products. On sound cards, they are typically better DACs.

The real problem is that the environment inside a computer chassis is often a noisy place (as in electronic noise), and computer power supplies may be inadequate to perform all of the demands without problems. Noise is problematic for analog signals, but orders of magnitude less problematic for digi signals. So, it is often better to pass the digi signal outside the computer chassis before converting it to analog.

If you have a DAC in your computer, try it out and see how it sounds to you. If it sounds good, then you are done! If not, then you may consider an external DAC.

Mr. Slippery - Thanks for replying. All computers have DACs, no? Maybe I'm missing something here. Actually I use my iPad and plug that into my receiver. Since the receiver doesn't have a DAC, I'm assuming that the DAC in the iPad is doing the conversion. It sounds OK, but I was wondering if I needed to spend for a media player, such as the Marantz NA 6005 for better sound, or if that would be redundant. Also, as time permits could you take a look at the Marantz and compare with the Pioneer N-50? They seem very similar, but the Marantz has a DAC mode for the USB input and the Pioneer doesn't. I'm not sure what that means. Thanks for your help.

 

[PENG]

Mr. Slippery - Thanks for replying. All computers have DACs, no? Maybe I'm missing something here. Actually I use my iPad and plug that into my receiver. Since the receiver doesn't have a DAC, I'm assuming that the DAC in the iPad is doing the conversion. It sounds OK, but I was wondering if I needed to spend for a media player, such as the Marantz NA 6005 for better sound, or if that would be redundant. Also, as time permits could you take a look at the Marantz and compare with the Pioneer N-50? They seem very similar, but the Marantz has a DAC mode for the USB input and the Pioneer doesn't. I'm not sure what that means. Thanks for your help.

I believe the first part of your questions have been answered before so you can just re-read some of the earlier posts such as post#15.

The Pioneer N50 does have the USB DAC mode and is quite comparable to the Marantz NA6005 but the Marantz is more up to date and has DSD support.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

All computers have DACs, no? Maybe I'm missing something here. Actually I use my iPad and plug that into my receiver. Since the receiver doesn't have a DAC, I'm assuming that the DAC in the iPad is doing the conversion. It sounds OK, but I was wondering if I needed to spend for a media player, such as the Marantz NA 6005 for better sound, or if that would be redundant. Also, as time permits could you take a look at the Marantz and compare with the Pioneer N-50? They seem very similar, but the Marantz has a DAC mode for the USB input and the Pioneer doesn't. I'm not sure what that means. Thanks for your help.

Just bitstream all digital source to your AVR, which DOES have DAC.

The DAC in AVRs are fantastic.

PCs have DAC. But not all implementations of the DAC are great.

If you have a good AVR, like the $500 Denon X3100 (MSRP $1,000), you should just bitstream the digital source to the AVR and let the AVR's DAC do the work.

 

[dodgers831]

Hmm. I do have an older Denon 1912 that I use for movies. Maybe this is my option. Thanks. I'll give it a try.

 

[dodgers831]

I believe the first part of your questions have been answered before so you can just re-read some of the earlier posts such as post#15.

The Pioneer N50 does have the USB DAC mode and is quite comparable to the Marantz NA6005 but the Marantz is more up to date and has DSD support.

Thanks for looking into this Peng. For the same cost, $650, I was leaning towards the Marantz. But still not sure I want to spend if not necessary.