DAC with analog Yamaha receiver?

[moose89]

Hi all,

It seems there is a lot of audio knowledge here, and I consider myself a home audio newbie. Here is what I have and what I want to do:

I recently inherited a Yamaha CR440 receiver and Yamaha P320 record player- which have seen more years than I have- and a pair of Polk Monitor40's to play them through. I'd love to stick with the receiver, and obviously plug the record player directly in. However, I also would like to run a signal from my xbox, computer, and possibly my LED TV (optical audio out?) through the Yamaha receiver.

Sound quality is a must. My speakers aren't quite audiophile quality, but I want to get the most out of them. I know very little about DAC's, but something like the NuForce Dia would allow me to get a high quality signal from my digital devices to my analog receiver.

My questions:

Which DAC would best accomplish what I want? Ipod/iphone connectivity is nice, and I would rather use wires than go wireless. If a DAC is not the best option, what type of unit should i be looking for? My budget is around $300.

Lastly, is it worth sinking $300 into a decent digital A/V receiver instead?

Thanks!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Hi all,

It seems there is a lot of audio knowledge here, and I consider myself a home audio newbie. Here is what I have and what I want to do:

I recently inherited a Yamaha CR440 receiver and Yamaha P320 record player- which have seen more years than I have- and a pair of Polk Monitor40's to play them through. I'd love to stick with the receiver, and obviously plug the record player directly in. However, I also would like to run a signal from my xbox, computer, and possibly my LED TV (optical audio out?) through the Yamaha receiver.

Sound quality is a must. My speakers aren't quite audiophile quality, but I want to get the most out of them. I know very little about DAC's, but something like the NuForce Dia would allow me to get a high quality signal from my digital devices to my analog receiver.

My questions:

Which DAC would best accomplish what I want? Ipod/iphone connectivity is nice, and I would rather use wires than go wireless. If a DAC is not the best option, what type of unit should i be looking for? My budget is around $300.

Lastly, is it worth sinking $300 into a decent digital A/V receiver instead?

Thanks!

You'll be much better off using built-in Dac into tv/xbox and investing money into new speakers instead.. Monitor 40 imo is less than a bottom of the barrel... 300 could get you some really nice speakers
That you have might be a base for nice 2.0 system and I'd suggest you to use the BF discount and get a pair of CMB170's - at $300
CBM-170 SE High Performance Bookshelf Loudspeaker

 

[bikemig]

Agree with BSA that speakers have more of a pay-off than upgrading the electronics.

If looking for a digital switchbox, an av reciever will be more useful than a dac.
AC receivers are a very competitive area and if you shop around you can find one that will handle the various devices (iPod, computer, xbox and TV) you want to connect.