Help me decide if I really need a DAC?

[pearsall001]

Ah!! the audio bug might be biting again. My present 2 channel system consists of: A Conrad Johnson PV14L tube preamp, Van Alstine OmegaStar440EX amp, Consonance CD120 upsampling CD player, & AAD 2001 monitors. Now don't get me wrong, I really do like the way my system sounds, but it's just been buging me about this DAC issue. Do you think a DAC would benefit me & in what way? What are your experiences? What DAC's have you used & how did they perform? My budget is maxed out at $1800. Hopefully your info will allow me to make an educated decision.

 

[Tawnos]

Your source runs the Crystal CS4396 DAC so you would have to compair specs with the seperate DAC's you are looking at and go from there.

 

[Tawnos]

http://www.cirrus.com/en/products/pro/detail/P33.html

It took me a while but I found the site and for some reason it says "Status: Not Recommended for New Designs"?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Ah!! the audio bug might be biting again. My present 2 channel system consists of: A Conrad Johnson PV14L tube preamp, Van Alstine OmegaStar440EX amp, Consonance CD120 upsampling CD player, & AAD 2001 monitors. Now don't get me wrong, I really do like the way my system sounds, but it's just been buging me about this DAC issue. Do you think a DAC would benefit me & in what way? What are your experiences? What DAC's have you used & how did they perform? My budget is maxed out at $1800. Hopefully your info will allow me to make an educated decision.

I seriously doubt an external DAC will help you. They are usually over hyped.

Save your money for speaker improvements or room acoustic treatment or EQ.

 

[JoeE SP9]

mtrycrafts believes that a cheap POS receiver is good enough for anything. There are those of us who strongly diasagree with him. I use an external DAC and I am happy with it. If you are curious my gear is listed under member syytems how much is your system worth.

 

[jcPanny]

Like his signiture says . . .

If you read JoeE's signiture, it says let the ears decide. If you are considering speding that kind of cash, request an in home audition and do a blind test to verify any incremental improvement provided by adding the DAC.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... request an in home audition and do a blind test to verify any incremental improvement provided by adding the DAC.

YES But will they listen to that? NO. They trust their ears unconditionally.
That is their loss.

 

[mtrycrafts]

mtrycrafts believes that a cheap POS receiver is good enough for anything. There are those of us who strongly diasagree with him. I use an external DAC and I am happy with it. If you are curious my gear is listed under member syytems how much is your system worth.

Now you are a psychic. Interesting. .

 

[Tempest]

YES But will they listen to that? NO. They trust their ears unconditionally.
That is their loss.

Or your loss

 

[JoeE SP9]

If you read JoeE's signiture, it says let the ears decide. If you are considering speding that kind of cash, request an in home audition and do a blind test to verify any incremental improvement provided by adding the DAC.

I can't disagree with that. Any gear that you are spending substantial cash on should get a home audition.

 

[highfihoney]

Im not so sure anybody really NEED'S a dac as long as they are running a quality cd player,ive ran quite a few different dac's over the years & the differences were very easy for me to hear but there was never an improvement in sound,more like small changes in the overall tone of the music.

For a few years i ran 2 identical mcintosh cdp's with no dac on one player & a tube dac on the second player & the dac made the player connevted to it sound different from the other player but the sound was never better.

The thing about dac's with me is how they do not hold value, a $2,000 dac will not be worth much more than $500 in a year or two,if your hearts set on getting into a dac you need not spend much more than $500 to $800 for a killer model that is only a year or two old .

 

[Tawnos]

tube dac

You mean tube powered DAC's?

 

[highfihoney]

You mean tube powered DAC's?

What is it that your asking?

 

[Tawnos]

For a few years i ran 2 identical mcintosh cdp's with no dac on one player & a tube dac on the second player

Here is what you posted and I was wondering what you ment by "tube" DAC? Is that the brand because you obviously can not have a DAC made out of all tubes.

 

[krabapple]

Ah!! the audio bug might be biting again. My present 2 channel system consists of: A Conrad Johnson PV14L tube preamp, Van Alstine OmegaStar440EX amp, Consonance CD120 upsampling CD player, & AAD 2001 monitors. Now don't get me wrong, I really do like the way my system sounds, but it's just been buging me about this DAC issue. Do you think a DAC would benefit me & in what way?

In a word: No.

 

[highfihoney]

Here is what you posted and I was wondering what you ment by "tube" DAC? Is that the brand because you obviously can not have a DAC made out of all tubes.

I wasn't refering to a brand name, Tube dac's have output stages that are powered by tubes & their are quite a few different manufacturers of them.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Or your loss

I think I am the winner.