Facts on DACs

Early B.

If you have high quality DACs in your sources, is there a need to upgrade an older receiver to a new one with correspondingly high quality DACs in order to produce even better SQ?

pjdami

I you have a high quality source like a cd player with great DACs and you use the analog output and analog interconnects to your receiver then you are only using the preamp/amp in your receiver and not the receiver's DACs. If you use the digital output (digital coax out) on your cd player or DVD player then you are using the DACs in your receiver.

Paul

Ceruleance

Like he said, You can only use one DAC at a time, you can't convert the signal twice..

Early B.

Thanks for the response. I guess that means I need to return the optical digital cable I just purchased for connecting my CD player and get RCA cables instead.

warviper

So if thats true then do the best cd players not have the digital outs. For some reason that doesnt make sense to me. Why woudnt the cd player not do the sound proccesing Ive never even considered sound proccesing capabilitys on an avr. Please chime in if you have any info on this subject.

F1nut

It seems to me that all CD/SACD players come with digital outs these days. Why? I don't really know. Maybe because if they didn't somebody would **** about it. I've got one on mine, but I'd never dream of using it.

warviper

Wow thats alot for me to take. I have to reconsider every thing I have ever thought of audio. This may sound dumb but does this apply to ht and Dvd player also.

pjdami

I like the option of having digital out on cd players. Look at it this way, you can use the cd player as a transport and use a higher quality external DAC like a tube DAC. Then you run the analog outputs L & R channel from the external DAC to your receiver or preamp. Gives the user more flexibility (for a change!).

I'm actually considering adding an external tube DAC to my Rotel or Myryad cd player. I will use the players just as a transport. Very nice option to have.

Paul

danger boy

PJ has it right.. having digital out puts on your CD player gives you options that those older CD players with only analog L&R don't give you.

I'm like PJ, i use the coax out put from my CDP to run to a tube DAC. the external DAC sounds better than the DACS in my receiver or the DACS in the CDP. I never thought i'd ever have use for an external DAC.. but it sounds really nice to me.