Dacs...

[ddjr]

Is a dac needed with a NAD 317 amp? Or a NAD tuner? If I were to stream music from the internet, should it be run through a dac before the amp? If so, what is a good dac? Is a Bluetooth dac better than no bt? (I haven't seen any posts about this so I thought I'd ask. Need some educatin' on this)

 

[lovinthehd]

That integrated amp does not include a dac. Tuners doubtful would. Yes, music is delivered digitally for internet streaming so you would need a dac before playable tru your analog gear. Bluetooth is a wireless transmission/receiving method and you could maybe use your phone with a simple BT receiver connected to your integrated amp. Likewise you could connect your computer/phone to your integrated amp with an appropriate cable and utilize the dacs in those devices.

No personal recommendation as I don't use external dacs, but I'd look thru these reviews to help me decide if I did https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?forums/digital-audio-converters-dacs.10/ and I'd also check out this thread https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dac-types-and-their-sonic-signature.7959/

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Before hunting for DACs, you need first to have a solid grasp on what exactly your sources would be.
It's like shopping for spurs, before buying a horse. Maybe you don't need "spurs" if you'll be buying "a car"

 

[ddjr]

Thanks for the responses. I have a NAD amp and a NAD receiver coming soon. I have a good cd player. But I've been thinking about streaming services...

 

[mtrycrafts]

Thanks for the responses. I have a NAD amp and a NAD receiver coming soon. I have a good cd player. But I've been thinking about streaming services...

I am presuming these components are new and modern? Why both, an amp and a receiver?
Do you have model numbers?
If that receiver is in fact a preamp, it may or may not have a DAC in it.

 

[ddjr]

They are not new. The amp is the NAD 317, and the tuner is the 440c. The amp is integrated, I believe.

 

[lovinthehd]

The 317 integrated amp is from 1997, the 440c tuner from 1998. If you need manuals signup at hifiengine.com, they have both available for download. No dacs included.....

 

[ddjr]

Wow, I didn't know they were that old. Do you think they will sound ok? I guess we will find out tomorrow, they are scheduled to arrive after lunch. I should mention I've never had an amp before, I've always had av receivers.

 

[lovinthehd]

Wow, I didn't know they were that old. Do you think they will sound ok? I guess we will find out tomorrow, they are scheduled to arrive after lunch. I should mention I've never had an amp before, I've always had av receivers.

Hopefully they're in good functional shape, they should sound fine if so. An integrated amp is just a receiver without a tuner as we used to say (and if going separates you'd want separate pre-amp and amp, too ). Good luck!

 

[ddjr]

Waiting for my nads ... They're being delivered today. I also have an old Creek obh-12 remote pre-amp. Could that be used in conjunction with my stuff? I have: a California audio labs dx-2 CD player, NAD 317 amplifier, NAD 440c tuner, and meadowlark kestrel hotrods speakers. I also have a pair of Allison sevens.

 

[lovinthehd]

A pre-amp could be used if you want to turn your Nad 317 into a power amp (by using the main in connection), but it already has it's own pre-amp section so I'd just use the Nad....especially as the Creek is a passive pre-amp of limited use....

 

[ddjr]

Ok, thanks. What would it's limited use be?

 

[tmurnin]

Ok, thanks. What would it's limited use be?

So you have an integrated amp, a tuner, a CD player and this Creek pre-amp and you think you may want to incorporate some kind of streaming service? There's really no reason to bring the Creek into this system since the NAD has sufficient inputs to incorporate a streaming device. Depending on what you want and your budget, you could do something as simple as a Bluetooth transmitter so you can stream music from your phone like this - https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Adapter-Streaming-Wireless-Speakers/dp/B016NUTG5K/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=rca+to+bluetooth+transmitter&qid=1588874311&sr=8-3 or you could try and pick up a used Apple AirPort Express if you are an Apple guy.

or if you want a more sophisticated/standalone streamer/DAC you could look at options like:
- Sonos Port
- BluSound Node 2i
- Cambridge Audio CXN

Alternatively, you could replace the NAD amp/tuner with a modern AVR that has built-in streaming capabilities. Most receivers today generally incorporate some level of streaming from Pandora/Spotify.

 

[ddjr]

I've been looking into tidal(for the hi quality music) and the bluesound node 2i. Are there any modern av receivers that have tidal on them, like our TV's have Netflix or YouTube? Thanks for the response, I'm very much a noob!

 

[lovinthehd]

Why Tidal particularly? Others like Qobuz and Amazon have similar offerings without the MQA bullshit.

 

[ddjr]

I don't know what mqa is. But bullshit doesn't sound very appetizing. A friend mentioned qobuz, I'll look into it. We have Amazon, maybe that would be the way to go. What is the mqa in tidal?
I looked into it, seems like just something to charge more money for.

 

[ddjr]

NAD units showed up!! The sound is so much better!! (I've been using this cruddy old Aiwa from Walmart, 25 years old at least!) I love it. Can't wait to run my cd player through it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Everything depends on what streaming audio services you want to use. As mentioned, the BluSound is a very popular streaming service device, as is the Sonos unit. There are tons of others out there, but why not just start by plugging your phone into your system? That's the most basic way to get audio from the Internet into your system.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-3-5mm-2-Male-Adapter-Stereo/dp/B01D5H8JW0

Depending on your phone, you may need an adapter just to get a 3.5mm stereo output jack. For iPhones they are about 10 bucks.

Amazon.com

 

[ddjr]

Thanks, I like that idea!

 

[pewternhrata]

I just started tidal a few weeks ago, jumped on the $4 for 4 months. I have a nad c326bee that I would bluetooth aptx to but didnt care for the sound. I have an outlaw 1050 that I hooked up to the nad to utilize the digital input, huge improvement. (Outlaw has a weak right channel in the amp so figured why not use it as a pre)