Welshsox
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PS Audio DAC
tomjtx
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Make sure your digital interconnects are at least 1.5 meters long (5 feet or more.

I go with 2 meter.
This removes the ghosting effect.

If you still don't hear a diff. save your money you lucky dog

mrlowry
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Alan-

I too tried the PS Audio DACLink III (I'm assuming that's the one you are playing with) and was not blown away either.

Welshsox
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Mrlowry

What did you try it with ?

I have an older Pioneer Elite DVD and I was hoping to make it a good universal player. Im thinking that plan B might be to get say the NAD M55 master series demo that Saturday Audio is currently selling.

What do you think ?

Alan

mrlowry
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The transport that I used with it was a Primare D20 CD player and it was compared to a my Theta DS Pro Basic III DAC which was about a $3,000 approximately 15 years ago. While the PS Audio had a bit more extension and sparkle in the highs there was nowhere near as much dynamics, sound staging width/depth, or bass (I'm not a bass freak but I still noticed.)

I also tried the USB in as, like you I've played around with building my own music server a little bit. For whatever reason when trying to up-sample the USB input to 192kHz every 10 to 15 minutes there would be a small pause in the music that lasted about 0.25 to 0.5 seconds which was annoying. When I switched the up-sampling to 96kHz that issue went away but the sound wasn't as good.

I of course kept the my Theta which I still use. To be honest with you I don't have that much experience with NAD products so I wouldn't be able to give you an informed opinion. However, I am an Arcam fan and their units that do SACD and DVD-A are fantastic, including their CD performance. The only digital source that I've heard that significantly out-performs them is the Ayre stuff at several times the price. I'm probably pickier about digital sources than just about anything, except speakers

JIMV
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Very interesting write up

commsysman
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My experience with DACs is that when you try to do what you are doing, the interface is very tricky.

The optical connection has never sounded good to me in any case, and the typical coaxial digital output driver from a CD player is a poor quality circuit that doesn't usually even have a proper 75 OHM connector, so you have a rotten impedance mismatch to your cable to start with. This will usually lead to a very distorted waveform reaching the DAC.

This quite possibly explains why you are having problems; I suspect that it had nothing to do with the DAC per se.

I have an Ayre CD player that I primarily use now, but I still have a Yamaha 5-disc player that I use sometimes through a THETA PRO BASIC III BALANCED DAC. I think this is an excellent DAC, and if you can find one used, you might get it for $500 or so.

JIMV
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I am using an old Audio Alchemy digital interconnect, which has a BNC connection....any comment on this or would I be better off with a newer RCA type connection?

Kal Rubinson
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Quote:
I am using an old Audio Alchemy digital interconnect, which has a BNC connection....any comment on this or would I be better off with a newer RCA type connection?

A 75ohm BNC is a better connection (physically and electrically) but the difference may not be discernible.

Kal

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