Jump to content

Preamp Owners....What Are You Using?


Youthman

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, Youthman said:

"it's not bad" doesn't sound too impressive.  LOL  If it's not going to be an improvement over what I have now, it's pointless buying it.

i am using the xda-1 my nephew has the dc-1 i borrowed it before to compare them  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
47 minutes ago, wstrickland1 said:

Man get the optical cable, hook it up that way and carry on. It is going to be so much better. Right now you're using whatever (assume crappy) dac that's built in to the device. It will be a world of improvement.

Thanks Billy.  The cable arrives today.  Will do some testing tonight.

 

I guess I never really understood that process.  So if I'm understanding you correctly, if the Airport Express is connected via an analog RCA cable, the internal DAC of the Airport Express is doing the conversion but if I connect the Airport Express via a digital cable, it sends the data straight through the cable and then the HK does uses it's internal DAC?

 

It sounds similar to how in home theater, sending info as PCM lets the sending device do the processing or as bitstream which lets the receiving device do the processing.

 

 

Amazon.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Youthman said:

Thanks Billy.  The cable arrives today.  Will do some testing tonight.

 

I guess I never really understood that process.  So if I'm understanding you correctly, if the Airport Express is connected via an analog RCA cable, the internal DAC of the Airport Express is doing the conversion but if I connect the Airport Express via a digital cable, it sends the data straight through the cable and then the HK does uses it's internal DAC?

 

It sounds similar to how in home theater, sending info as PCM lets the sending device do the processing or as bitstream which lets the receiving device do the processing.

 

 

Amazon.jpg

Yes, you've got it! And the converter is pretty much garbage, at least compared to your amplification and speakers. I mean it's intended for headphone use. Probably a bit thin and noisy. This should be a major improvement.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
2 hours ago, wstrickland1 said:

Yes, you've got it! And the converter is pretty much garbage, at least compared to your amplification and speakers. I mean it's intended for headphone use.

What "converter" and "for headphone use" are you referring to? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Youthman said:

What "converter" and "for headphone use" are you referring to? 

Apple has crammed a lot of functionality into a $99 Airport Express.  One of the things it can do is use its internal DAC to send analog out its 3.5mm headphone jack.  It actually does a pretty good job at this.  However, you should notice an improvement when you avoid the AE DAC by connecting an optical cable to your HK and using the DAC inside the HK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Just now, pbphoto said:

Apple has crammed a lot of functionality into a $99 Airport Express.  One of the things it can do is use its internal DAC to send analog out its 3.5mm headphone jack.

Ok, that's for clarifying that.  I was confused at what he was referring to since I couldn't imagine plugging in headphones directly to an Airport Express.  Kind of defeats the purpose of having a streaming device.

 

1 minute ago, pbphoto said:

 However, you should notice an improvement when you avoid the AE DAC by connecting an optical cable to your HK and using the DAC inside the HK.

Looking forward to it.  Will share what I find.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...