In reviews and articles I've read for certain external DAC's like V-DAC or DacMagic, I've noticed the reviewer mention he tried the DAC connected to different CD players and had different results. It was my understanding that when a source is connected via digital out, that it is just that. A source. If no digital to analog conversion goes on in the source, than why is does the DAC sound different when connected to different sources? To save money, I was going to buy an external DAC and connect all of my current electronics to it (computer, DVD player, DVR, etc...) I don't have cheap electronics, but they're certainly not top of the line. Does connecting the external DAC to a cheap piece of equipment defeat the purpose of having the expensive DAC, or is it still worth the money to do so?
In reviews and articles I've read for certain external DAC's like V-DAC or DacMagic, I've noticed the reviewer mention he tried the DAC connected to different CD players and had different results. It was my understanding that when a source is connected via digital out, that it is just that. A source. If no digital to analog conversion goes on in the source, than why is does the DAC sound different when connected to different sources? To save money, I was going to buy an external DAC and connect all of my current electronics to it (computer, DVD player, DVR, etc...) I don't have cheap electronics, but they're certainly not top of the line. Does connecting the external DAC to a cheap piece of equipment defeat the purpose of having the expensive DAC, or is it still worth the money to do so?