joessportster Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 So here goes I'm coming from a high end home analog set-up using edgarhorn speakers and set amplification, bi-amped with solid state on the bass. All my source was analog or tubed CD players, I have no experience with DAC's and am basically lost when it comes to all the tech surrounding them Life changes and i was forced to sell off my system and I'm now in the middle of putting a modest computer based system togeather. I have approx. 400 gb of WAV lossless ripped and enjoy listening directly from my laptops output on my Sennhieser HD 650's Everything i read tells me i can significantly improve my listening experience with an Amp and a DAC. So I'm wondering which would give the biggest improvement in sound to start ( i will be buying both, and am strongly leaning twords schiit gear) In my previous systems with speakers i was routinely surprised by how much difference an amp could make in a systems sound, and even hearing much more detail in the music Common sense is telling me a DAC should make the most difference (bypassing the cheap stock realtek soundcard) but experience tells me an amp can make a big difference, I thought it might be prudent to get some opinions from folks that have been down this road already Thanks Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 both... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 both... ok elaborate on what attributes each will contribute joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full Range Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 A TeraDak NOS Chameleon, will give you the best bang for your dollar as it's a superb sounding DAC A DAC needs to be connected to an amplifier - any amplifier that suits your ears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 A TeraDak NOS Chameleon, will give you the best bang for your dollar as it's a superb sounding DAC A DAC needs to be connected to an amplifier - any amplifier that suits your ears Thanks for the input, I just recieved the Schiit tubed Valhalla amp today and so far i like it. Ill take a look at the dac even though i wont know what the heck im looking at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 The Schiit gear sounds great, I listened to several of those units at shows. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full Range Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 A TeraDak NOS Chameleon, will give you the best bang for your dollar as it's a superb sounding DAC A DAC needs to be connected to an amplifier - any amplifier that suits your ears Thanks for the input, I just recieved the Schiit tubed Valhalla amp today and so far i like it. Ill take a look at the dac even though i wont know what the heck im looking at Almost all CD players have a DAC ( a handful don't - these units are classed as transports ) Some are better than others, it all depends on how it's put together and the Chip installed that does the converting DAC stands for Digital to Analogue Convertor However if you want to play from a different input e.g. Computer or Stream over WiFi then you need a DAC with the appropriate input connections e.g. USB, Optical, SPDF ect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) The Schiit gear sounds great, I listened to several of those units at shows. Dave Ive never been a big believer in the burn in theory (more than likely this is a reflection on my hearing loss) But i can say I'm hearing improvements on the Valhalla over the past 3 hours. I think headphones are allowing me to hear things i couldn't hear on my other systems. I'm by no means a big headphone guy i really miss soundstage as presented by a good system, I can certainly tell a difference In what im able to hear though Edited January 10, 2014 by joessportster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I love to listen to headphones for short periods of time, however I too prefer a good 2 channel rig. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 I love to listen to headphones for short periods of time, however I too prefer a good 2 channel rig. Dave I'm not sure the things im hearing can be attributed to the amp or the headphones, but im finally hearing some of the things I've heard others talk about while i just scratch my head. I can actually hear the venue acoustics and echo on some live recordings i thought i knew backwards and forwards, its wild to hear the subtle differences in voices, there accents are much clearer. and way more intimate..............Now i have to resist the urge to SPEND more and more money in an attempt to improve> I am going to buy a DAC but i want that to be the end of my upgrading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I am going to buy a DAC but i want that to be the end of my upgrading Yeah I have said that many times myself. Good luck with that. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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