Have your say & ask the experts

Hi all

External DACs are great if you are happy with your system and just want to add digital input. I've been noticing a growing list of amps which will take a digital input. This seems like a great idea if a lot of your music is computer based. I thought that creating a list might be a help. There isn't such a thing on the WhatHifi site and many other site focus on external DACs.

I'll make a start on the basis of amps which allow digital in and active speakers with an on board DAC. I'm ignoring DVD players, AV amps and similar. List price is in parentheses after the product name.

## Amps

Cyrus 8XP (1500)

Cyrus XPd (1500)

Pioneer A-A9 (700)

naimuniti (2000) 

Moon i3.3 (2450)

Naim Supernait (2350) 

Bryston B100ST (4000) 

 ## Active Speakers

AVI ADM9.1 (1250) 

B&W Zeppelin (400)

It would be great if you added the ones you know about and wonderful if this information got added to a section on the site, ideally as filters on the review search interface. There are enough CDPs that it is worth creating a separate list.

There is a slight drive for economy and reduction in box count here, I understand that separate DACs mean less electrical noise, but cost and space also matter.

thanks for your help

Gavin

Russ Andrews RAVE-1 USB (225)

Musical Fidelity A1 (1000)

Note that there is a difference between an amp that sees a usb stick/drive as a source of (mp3) files (and has an internal mp3 decoder + DAC) and that has to be operated through the amp, and one with a usb (usually type B) connector that can be hooked up to a computer (so the decoding is done by the computer, the amp lacks the decoder) and you operate the computer using some media player software.  The two above are of the second type.

Pete10

Thanks Pete10

I'm thinking really of the first sort, where the DAC is inside the amp and you get optical or coax inputs as well as USB.

thanks for noting the distinction

cheers

Gavin 

Actually they all have a DAC, the difference is whether they are actively reading a plugged-in usb memory to look for music files like the Onkyo cd-receiver I have in the bedroom (type 1) or passively waiting for something to arrive at the digital input (optical, coax or usb, type 2). The former is often coupled to a decoder for mp3's (so digital mp3 ----decoder----> digital 44.1Hz/16bits ----digitalupsampler/DAC---> analog), the latter not as far as I know but I could be wrong. I suppose most amp's are of type 2, indeed it is not very user friendly to browse through folders on a usb stick looking for the filenames of the tracks you want to play.

With type 2 you have to feed the amp with a digital signal from a media player or another source like a cd player. This allows you to manage and store your entire music collection on the computer, you can create playlists, setup your own database, add Album Art etc. Note that there also is variation in the digital signals they accept: different sampling rates/depths, only stereo or also 5.1 dts/dolby. If there is a match the amp 'locks' the signal and translates it on the fly to an analog signal.

up the music:

Beresford TC7510

Beresford TC7530

Benchmark DAC Pre

Benchmark DAC Pre USB

Possibly a bit of a cheat and we all know about them anyway, they lack power amp sections but if you consider the variable output do they count?

These products are worth mentioning.

Amp's with digital inputs bridge a gap now that CD is dead.

I suspect that in the future most systems will be a DAC/pre fed into active loudspeakers. The sonic benefits are overwhelming.

Eddie Pound:

These products are worth mentioning.

Amp's with digital inputs bridge a gap now that CD is dead.

I suspect that in the future most systems will be a DAC/pre fed into active loudspeakers. The sonic benefits are overwhelming.

I think you are right, certainly some form of computer based playout into a DAC at least. Flexible playlists are a superb thing. 

Currently using an integrated amp and passive speaker, would like to try actives with a DAC/pre stage.

So please list more dac/pre setups too. 

There is the Lyngdorf TDAi2200 and new Harman Kardon HK990 to add.

Nick

More dacs with amplifiers 

Harmony Design DA9 USB DAC PRE (700) 

Bel Canto S300i/u (2000)

Benchmark DAC1 HDR (new with remote) 

These all in ones also fit the bill I think. 

Arcam Solo Mini (650)

Myryad Mi (1250) 

Meridian F80 (1500)

Linn Classik Music (1000) 

Again, a mixed bunch. The Solo, for example, only reads usb flash memory, you can not hook up a computer running a mediaplayer. It would perhaps be useful to make a table with models and specs:

1. integrated amp, or pre-amp (soundcard dac) only


2. optical/coax/usb inputs


3. usb flash memory or computer media player through usb


4. supported digital compression formats wma/mp3/lossless if usb flash supported


5. accepted digital input stereo/5.1/dts


6. accepted digital formats 32,44,48,96,192 - 16,24 bits


7. type of dac, upsampling etc


8. .... 

If someone is willing to maintain this, I am sure forum users like me are willing to contribute to the data

Pete10:

Again, a mixed bunch. The Solo, for example, only reads usb flash memory, you can not hook up a computer running a mediaplayer. It would perhaps be useful to make a table with models and specs:

If someone is willing to maintain this, I am sure forum users like me are willing to contribute to the data

Agreed that would be really useful.

I've put a simple wiki page up at http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=r01HFYbgfD-zxZ8Ymy2LZrA (ditched pbwiki)

pm me for edit rights on the page.

not trying to outdo what hifi, just trying to collate information. ideally include this back into the magazine 

thanks

Gavin