$300'ish and under DAC suggestions?

invalid

When you get a DAC with an overbuilt power supply, a great output stage, and Galvanic isolation , then you will really hear a difference great measurements or not.

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invalid wrote: »

When you get a DAC with...

I believe it!

The difference between my integrated amp to AVR-as-pre-w/-separate-amp to solid standalone pre w/ separate amp jives with that dac progression you speak of.

There's a problem now.

I can't go back.

Good G/god(s).

This is how you guys get stuck upgrading things.

NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo...

Gardenstater

So which sounded better; feeding the Parasound preamp from the DACs, or using the DACs as the preamp? Also, which sounds best; Single ended or Balanced?

heiney9

I hear differences in gear all the time (to varying degree), it really has nothing to do with your speakers being SDA's. Also, don't use the word "decoding". SDA's aren't decoding anything, they are not processing anything either and they really aren't an "effect" as some people like to say. They are allowing a natural aural phenomenon to be more noticeable via completely passive means.

Glad you are having fun, as I always say "everything matters".

H9

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Gardenstater wrote: »

So which sounded better; feeding the Parasound preamp from the DACs, or…

Haven’t tried the dac feeding the amp yet. It’s on the menu. I got the balanced cables.

I’m having a strange audio argument in my head with the current setup…

- I’ve got some echo on the right. I need to build some diffusers to match the shelves I have on the left.

- I think the coffee table in front of me is reflecting sound in a negative way. That echo in my right ear also has a weak phasing sound straight at me. Not an echo as much as a reverberation… hard to explain.

- Some songs sound astonishingly… right. Like Eyes of a Stranger by Queensryche just came on. Brilliant. Even/balanced. Material Girl, Madonna? Weak, small, tiny. Mother, Danzig? Nice. Could be stronger in the middle, but it wasn’t exactly a prime mix. Ironic by Morisette? Very pretty. Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden? Great! Run to the Hills, Iron Maiden? Weak, falling to the middle like a fallen cake.Billie Jean? Punchy, wide, forward, voice echoey from my room. Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel. Balanced. The Reflex, Duran Duran. A little thin in the middle, but o.k… My City wasGone, The Pretenders (one of my favorite songs of all time). Thin, small.

- I can hear room effects, and they seem obvious and really crazy. An increase in volume helps. Music does not require that I raise my voice at all, and it fills the whole room. But it does lose some of the thin sound if I turn it up. But on a lot of stuff the sounds seem distant. But then Walk of Life, Dire Straits, is full and crazy detailed… even if the voice is further back than expected (I’m not versed in Dire Straits past radio play and MTV back in the day.

Yes, 80’s and 90’s songs tonight.

And then the remastered Road to Nowhere is great! No thin vocals. Maybe a little… subdued, but clear.

Augh, you guys! You’ve turned me into a critical monster!

I’ll see you it sounds bypassing the Parasound in the next week… It’s just 1 setting and 2 cables…

plastic_avatar

First line last paragraph^ should be:

I'll see what it sounds like using the dac as pre, straight to the amp, in the next week.

plastic_avatar

I added placement on the overlays for where things were for the E50 with balanced out bypassing pre.

Observations

- I did not subjectively measure the quality of the sounds.

- Subjectively, there is little difference, to me, in the quality of sound between the D-6 and the E50. Either one would likely please anyone getting into this part of the stereo experience.

- The differences I cataloged were spatial; the placement and direction of sounds were different between all 3 tests (E50 and D-6 to pre, plus E50 as pre).

- The E50 + pre, to me, had the widest, solidly placed, overall presentation of sound. But it was so close, I doubt anyone who isn't dissecting the material for comparison would notice.

- If I didn't have the WiiM, I would have been happy with the D-6 and my phone. I expect, seriously, less variation in those spatial differences with a standard stereo speaker hook-up. I imagine it's awesome on headphones.

- As is, since my parents are not moving to a stereo-friendly house anytime soon, the D-6 will probably be listed for sale. I wish the E50 had the D-6's design. It's a vastly superior user experience.

- The settings on the E50 are a pain. Not having a knob and relying on presses and pressure is not awesome. Example:

E50 menu navigation really does suck compared to the D-6

I changed the wrong setting while hooked to the balanced out. A blast of distorted music canon-balled out so loud that:

- The dogs in 2 other rooms above me flipped out.

- My family thought I blew something up.

- I thought I blew something up.

- I thought I'd destroyed my speakers. I grabbed my chest because I was so startled by the sudden slam of volume and pressure. I was so rattled I almost fell over trying to cut the signal.



Some overlays of all 3 sources

E50 = black
D-6 = orange
E50 as pre = purple

Yes, my handwriting is shaky.

Hotel California (live)


Walking in Your Footsteps


Get Back
This one was tough. Biggest notice was Preston's keyboard being more distinct and off center and defined.


Wish You Were Here

jbreezy5

If the sound characteristics are so close, to your ears, why not keep the better user experience dac? This isn't endgame DAC usage, it’s transitory/experimental.

Also, the room problems you cited will affect the overall sound, no matter how costly the equipment is in your system.

You will either have to make changes to correct the room, find a way to reliably apply room correction technology, or both.

In fact, until this is addressed, you may not be able to adequately appreciate what a given component actually delivers.

plastic_avatar

@jbreezy5 Great points.

I was just setting up for some tests this weekend.

The room is an ongoing tweak zone. Just got some foam (leftover from my voiceover space) arranged that helps balance the right side to the left. Big difference in the right channel.



It's low-rent, but it made a dent in that particular room issue. Bass traps and a change of floor and front wall coverings are imminent. (Hopefully by the end of the year I can get the actual room finishing started. For now, it's do what I can to an unfinished space.)

On the user-experience:

I was looking them both over again this evening and thought similarly.

The SMSL is just so much easier to fiddle with, that alone is almost enough to win out over the E50. That slight difference in sound placement in the soundstage is what's throwing me.

The thing you said that hits me in the gut is 'it's experimental'. You're absolutely right o.O

[goes to think...]

jbreezy5

You said a key word “balance”. If you have a balance control on your preamp, that may be something to try adjusting to further help with the L/R imbalance.

I like these kinds of tools, especially when there are environmental factors (asymmetrical room layout, uncentered listening position, etc.).

Sounds like you’re having fun, which is the main thing!