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Big DAC

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Baconrind View Drop Down
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    Posted: 06 Feb 2013 at 8:36am
Graham 

Any news on the BIG DAC development , specs , time frame etc?

Thanks

dean
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Feb 2013 at 9:19am
Originally posted by Baconrind Baconrind wrote:

Graham 

Any news on the BIG DAC development , specs , time frame etc?

Thanks

dean


It needs a specification all are happy with? It's no good making something nobody wants. Been there already with the Bitzie. Asked to do for digital what I do for analogue - did it - not good enough! Most want 96kHz resolution to playback their up-sampled 44.1's.... Confused

So, the best I can offer on USB-in is 24/48 from almost all devices on the planet, but when it comes to the rest of the big DAC it's whatever Wolfson's receiver chip can do, and if Wolfson isn't good enough then I don't know what is?

The biggest delay is in people not knowing what they want. Then if you serve up what you think they want they tell you it's not right.

I'm not a mind reader so let's have some serious discussion here about what members want in a big DAC... let's get it right!

Then I can finalize it and get it into production.

Graham
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote philipjohnwright Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Feb 2013 at 9:47am
Hi
 
Have a look at the spec of the Mytek 192 DAC, I think that's what I'll be looking for as/when I upgrade from my rDac from Arcam).
 
The core requirement is asynch USB, 24/192 & DSD capability, and multiple inputs (I need 4 inc USB).
 
I could manage without the headphone output, indeed a fixed output per se would be fine (ie make it just a DAC).
 
Price point....well the Mytek does it all for around £1,300.
 
All of which is a pretty big ask I suspect Smile
 
As an aside, aren't the engineering skills needed for digital somewhat different from analogue?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Edmond_Terakopian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Feb 2013 at 9:57am
I'd add to the multiple inputs being and / or; so, one would have twin or triple inputs which would be COAX or Optical (naturally one of which would be usable in each input sector). Naturally USB would be important too! I too don't think there's need for headphone sockets and amplification. Lastly, I personally would appreciate a price point less that the the £1300!!

Cheers,

Edmond
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Feb 2013 at 10:08am
Originally posted by philipjohnwright philipjohnwright wrote:

As an aside, aren't the engineering skills needed for digital somewhat different from analogue?


Very true, but I never said I was analogue only. My capabilities list is as long as my arm. I think I need to rewrite my "about page" but I didn't want to be too boastful. In the eighties I was working on quite a lot of non-audio digital projects... 0's and 1's are just the same whatever the application. As for who I worked for: two Cable & Wireless companies and Siemens Medical are names most may have knowledge of. There were many not so well-known others.

So let's get back to the "wants" and "needs" and thanks philipjohnwright for your input.

Graham
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ilan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Feb 2013 at 10:35am
Coming here from the email campaign...

I do not own a DAC, I'm a bit unfamiliar with what they usually offer, but I could consider buying one if it greatly improved CD listening experience (I do have a high end CD player) and if it allowed listening the the same quality as a high end CD player with bits coming from the computer instead.

I guess I want a DAC that can do the buffering itself and "read ahead" in the stream, so the actual source is not that important, as long as it's able to ship the bits fast enough (even if the speed is not constant). Maybe all DACs already do that?

Does it make sense?

Inputs should be at least USB and S/PDIF to feed the beast.

I don't care for a headphone out. A basic one just for monitoring can't hurt though, doesn't have to sound great.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jrhughes Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Feb 2013 at 11:28am
I have a CA Dacmagic which feeds my Solo ULDE and Sennheiser HD800. Feeding the Dacmagic is either my iPod Classic (all ALAC) through an Onkyo ND-S1 or my Teac MD-H300 Minidisc (yes, Minidisc! so I can listen to my vinyl in my office) or, occasionally (after a somewhat annoying cable swap) my iMac.

The Dacmagic sounds superb (especially considering the price) but it's the only external DAC I have tried in this office system. I have no doubt that a "Big DAC" will eclipse it sonically, so leaving aside sound quality, what I'd *need* in order to replace the DM would be at least two, but much more preferably three, inputs. I'd need two of these to be optical (the Teac and iMac are optical-only - I'm not interested in USB). Since all of my files are 16/44.1 I don't care about higher rates, yet it's good to have some "future-proofing", I suppose. As far as amplification is concerned, I do not need anything other than line-out to go to my Solo. 

The DM has a couple of extra features which are by no means essential, but I'd welcome your views on them, Graham. One is the filter: there are three to choose from but I use only Linear and Minimum. The effect is very subtle, but I do find I often prefer one over the other, depending on the source. Having said that, if the filter was stuck at only one of these, I would not mind. The second is Phase: this I do not fiddle with as I can't tell any difference either way.

There is one more thing: up sampling. The DM does this but since I can't switch it in/out I can't tell what kind of effect it's having. Would the Big DAC do this?
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