Finally have the money...............Rega Dac or not?

[jamesrfisher]

Have had the Rega for a couple of months and can thoroughly recommend it. Made a real difference to my Arcam CD73 and also streamed Spotify via Airport Express.

Another UK hi-fi mag reviews the Rega in its current edition and gives it 5 stars

 

[Potts]

only reason why im really hesitating and thinking twice now is because the rega dac is not asynchronous where as something like an Arcam Rdac is. As i play all my music from my laptop surely Asynchronous would be better for me but after reading countless reviews i cant help but feel the Rega dac is another league compared to the Rdac.

Hi JezBaker,

I'm in the same boat as you with regards to using USB from my computer, and wondered what kind of quality limit this would give... of the review's I've read, I'd say it seems that the USB seems to be the least favoured input. Would you agree?

Do you think maybe the addition of something like the Musical Fidelity V-Link might be the answer to our question?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi JezBaker,

I'm in the same boat as you with regards to using USB from my computer, and wondered what kind of quality limit this would give... of the review's I've read, I'd say it seems that the USB seems to be the least favoured input. Would you agree?

Do you think maybe the addition of something like the Musical Fidelity V-Link might be the answer to our question?

I have the v-link on my list to buy. Ive just bought the rega dac and im waiting for it to arrive. What im planning on doing is, letting the dac burn in, i want to get familiar with the sound quality then afterwards im going to buy a V-link and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Cold Roses]

only reason why im really hesitating and thinking twice now is because the rega dac is not asynchronous where as something like an Arcam Rdac is. As i play all my music from my laptop surely Asynchronous would be better for me but after reading countless reviews i cant help but feel the Rega dac is another league compared to the Rdac.

Hi JezBaker,

I'm in the same boat as you with regards to using USB from my computer, and wondered what kind of quality limit this would give... of the review's I've read, I'd say it seems that the USB seems to be the least favoured input. Would you agree?

Do you think maybe the addition of something like the Musical Fidelity V-Link might be the answer to our question?

Jez/Potts - like the two of you, I'm about to buy a Dac at around the £500 mark and I'm pretty much sold on the Rega (seems like the natural choice with my all Rega set up, aside from anything else). Though, the limitations of the USB input (i.e., that it's not asynchronous and limited to 16bit/48 Khz files) is causing me to hesitate.

Obviously, if you're intending to play a lot of high-res files via the USB, the Rega probably isn't the best option. Adding an asynchronous USB convertor is a possible solution. Although, I believe the Musical Fidelity V-link is itself limited to 24bit/96 Khz files. Whilst 24/96 seems to be the preferred resolution for most high-res music available today, I would want an element of future-proofing and this would therefore rule out the V-Link for me (at least in it's current form). I'd personally probably opt for something like the M2Tech Hiface convertor. Though, the price of the Rega plus Hiface takes you pretty close to the price at which the M2Tech Young Dac was recently being offered at here in the UK. Based on the reviews I've seen (both professional and user), the M2Tech Young has the edge on the Rega (perhaps not surprising given the price differential between the two dacs).

Now of course there's a debate raging on the forum about how much variance there actually is between the sound of different Dacs. Query also how significant the difference between 16/48, 24/96 and even higher res files is on an average system. Indeed, I've read comments recently that many folks have trouble differentiating between different high-res files in blind testing, though that's a whole other can of worms.

No doubt much ultimately comes down to personal preference and you can't beat auditioning (which unfortunately doesn't sound like an option for you Jez). I'm planning to audition the Rega and Arcam rdac back to back within the next week. I'm also going to see if I can listen to the Musical Fidelity M1, M2Tech Young and Simaudio Moon 100D (although, like the Rega, the MF1 and Moon have limited USB capabilities too).

 

[Cold Roses]

Jez - I hadn't seen your post this morning (saying you've now ordered the Rega) when I posted the above. I'll be interested to hear your views when it arrives. So far, I've yet to see one bad review of the Rega and (USB limitations aside) it certainly seems to be the DAC to beat in the price range.

 

[Anonymous]

Jez - I hadn't seen your post this morning (saying you've now ordered the Rega) when I posted the above. I'll be interested to hear your views when it arrives. So far, I've yet to see one bad review of the Rega and (USB limitations aside) it certainly seems to be the DAC to beat in the price range.

I too havent seen any bad reviews from ANYONE apart from usb limitations but a v-link or m2tech hiface can fix this. I will come back to this thread once the rega dac has burnt in for a couple of days and post my impressions.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi JezBaker

Nice one 🙂

Btw, which colour have you gone for?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Hi JezBaker

Nice one 🙂

Btw, which colour have you gone for?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

i really liked both colours but in the end went for black as the girlfriend was moaning it would look out of place (silver one that is) as everything else is black

 

[Potts]

Hi JezBaker,

I'm in the same boat as you with regards to using USB from my computer, and wondered what kind of quality limit this would give... of the review's I've read, I'd say it seems that the USB seems to be the least favoured input. Would you agree?

Do you think maybe the addition of something like the Musical Fidelity V-Link might be the answer to our question?

I have the v-link on my list to buy. Ive just bought the rega dac and im waiting for it to arrive. What im planning on doing is, letting the dac burn in, i want to get familiar with the sound quality then afterwards im going to buy a V-link and see if it makes a difference.

You'll have to keep us updated Jez, I'm really keen to see how you go on. For all I know, I might be totally satisfied with the USB input

. The WHF June issue review should hopefully provide a decent insight also.

Jez/Potts - like the two of you, I'm about to buy a Dac at around the £500 mark and I'm pretty much sold on the Rega (seems like the natural choice with my all Rega set up, aside from anything else). Though, the limitations of the USB input (i.e., that it's not asynchronous and limited to 16bit/48 Khz files) is causing me to hesitate.

Obviously, if you're intending to play a lot of high-res files via the USB, the Rega probably isn't the best option. Adding an asynchronous USB convertor is a possible solution. Although, I believe the Musical Fidelity V-link is itself limited to 24bit/96 Khz files. Whilst 24/96 seems to be the preferred resolution for most high-res music available today, I would want an element of future-proofing and this would therefore rule out the V-Link for me (at least in it's current form). I'd personally probably opt for something like the M2Tech Hiface convertor. Though, the price of the Rega plus Hiface takes you pretty close to the price at which the M2Tech Young Dac was recently being offered at here in the UK.

Factor a decent cable into that and your spending even more ha. It never ends!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi JezBaker

Nice one 🙂

Btw, which colour have you gone for?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

i really liked both colours but in the end went for black as the girlfriend was moaning it would look out of place (silver one that is) as everything else is black

Hi JezBaker

Thanks for your reply.

Black gold! :bigsmile: Anyway happy listening 🙂

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

As much as I like the Rega Dac, I'm certain that in a blind test, I couldn't really tell the difference between the rega dac and the squeezebox I'm currently using as transport.

Really depends on whether the rest of your system is resolving enough.

 

[indietronic]

hi ! i've got a couple of questions to ask concerning the rega DAC.

what are the usb limitations ?

is there some e-store in UK that sells overseas (europe) ?

regards!

 

[Anonymous]

hi ! i've got a couple of questions to ask concerning the rega DAC.

what are the usb limitations ?

is there some e-store in UK that sells overseas (europe) ?

regards!

The rega dac's usb is limited to 32/44.1/48kHz 16-bit, and yes there is a uk webshop that will ship anywhere in the world (£45 shipping with courier). Not sure if im allowed to mention the website here but ive just bought a rega dac from them and am waiting for it to arrive.

 

[the record spot]

If the limitation on USB playback is an issue, I understand that Emotiva's XDA-1 DAC (£349 from Item Audio in the UK, or check Emotiva's website for a dealer outwith the UK - they're a USA based firm) achieves a higher upsampling rate.

 

[indietronic]

The rega dac's usb is limited to 32/44.1/48kHz 16-bit, and yes there is a uk webshop that will ship anywhere in the world (£45 shipping with courier). Not sure if im allowed to mention the website here but ive just bought a rega dac from them and am waiting for it to arrive.

ok i see there IS a limitation with the usb port but it is the sound of Rega that i love so i guess i can bypass this downside..

now, although i see other shops mentioned i respect one's right not to mention names in a forum. of course another can do mention it... this would be a great help in my quest, you know..

 

[Anonymous]

If your primary source is going to be a computer, then you really should consider an ASYNC USB DAC, there is nothing gained with an extra stage of conversion, and outputting s/pdif.
Keith.

 

[Anonymous]

Arcam, M2Tech something which plugs directly into your computer and will you to play at least 24/192.
Keith.

 

[Anonymous]

😀

 

[Potts]

😀

Jez, do enlighten us on the significance of this post! ...

 

[Anonymous]

😀

Jez, do enlighten us on the significance of this post! ...

Still awaiting delivery, should have it friday. will be back when i have it

 

[Potts]

😀

Jez, do enlighten us on the significance of this post! ...

Still awaiting delivery, should have it friday. will be back when i have it

Awesome. Look forward to it

 

[Anonymous]

took delivery of the rega dac yesterday, plugged it in turned it on, cranked up the volume and my jaw literally dropped! This was straight out of the box with no burn in at all. The sounds is very dynamic, detailed and there is ALOT of bass. This DAC is on another level compared to the beresford 7520. It was worth every penny!! cant wait for it to burn in a bit and see how it develops over time

 

[MUSICRAFT]

took delivery of the rega dac yesterday, plugged it in turned it on, cranked up the volume and my jaw literally dropped! This was straight out of the box with no burn in at all. The sounds is very dynamic, detailed and there is ALOT of bass. This DAC is on another level compared to the beresford 7520. It was worth every penny!! cant wait for it to burn in a bit and see how it develops over time

Hi JezBaker

Nice one :bigsmile:

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

In my experience (had the Rega DAC on home demo for the weekend), the Rega DAC matches the Arcam CD192 in detail and character. However, the dac manages to make the cdp sound grainy in the midrange in a direct comparison, and offers slightly more refined bass texture. I have not heard the rDac though, so can't help you with that. The reviews I've read seem to suggest it is slightly bass-heavy.

I'm curious as to which filter setting you are using? I have found filter 4 to be the most open-sounding. The differences are small, but filter setting 2 (preferred by my dealer) sounded slightly muffled to me.

Finally, regarding synchronous vs asynchronous: I'm not sure there is any difference. As usual, the marketing fluff doesn't match the technical reality. USB technology itself is an asynchronous technology, in the sense that there is no "master" clock signal that defines the timing of bits on the wire. Additionally, packets are usually sent in bursts, which means that (unlike s/pdif) buffering is a necessity. Maybe someone else knows (and can share) the technical realities behind the marketing?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes the rega does sound a bit bass heavy but i think over time with a bit of burning in it might calm down. ive quickly tried the filters flipping through em and could barely hear the difference, gonna ask my girlfriend to keep changing the filter while i stand far away, might be able to hear the difference.