Chromecast Audio and Arcam irDAC

[rmatthew]

I have a Chromecast Audio to stream Spotify and it feels a little soft when using the analogue output. Has anyone tried it with the Arcam irDAC (or other external DAC) using the optical out? Is so how did the clarity compare with the analogue?

Thanks.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I use the amazon fire tv box with the ir dac and considering Spotify is streaming at 320 kbs it isn't far behind my naim cd5i(2).great timing and all the detail comes through but it does maybe lack the dynamics that the cd player or full size files from a pc or streamer can manage but that'll be down to the streaming and not limitations of the ir dac.I wonder how it'd perform with some flac files from my pc

 

[rmatthew]

I ordered an optical cable yesterday so I could compare the optical and analogue outputs. My stereo amp does not have a DAC so I used a low budget ( £200 ) 2.1 AV unit I have connected to my TV.

I am pleased to say there is a noticable difference in clarity between the 2 outputs, the "soft" sound I experienced with the analogue output is not present with optical. So I think the way forward is to get a decent DAC and power Amp combination to drive my Mission 753 Freedoms.