The Musical Fidelity M6si Amp and Musical Fidelity M6sCD CD/DAC both have USB-B digital inputs. Do they use the same DAC? I've looked at the user manuals and it's not obvious.
Question Musical Fidelity M6si Amp and Musical Fidelity M6sCD. Same DAC?
- Thread starter Sir Ken Smith OBE
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MF's website doesn't say, but has these descriptions:
Amp: USB type ‘B’ connector - asynchronous data stream at up to 24-bit/96kHz.
CD (6i): DAC: 32 bit Delta-Sigma (bit stream) dual differential 8x over-sampling.
Can't say I know a vast amount about DACs, but that would suggest differences.
Amp: USB type ‘B’ connector - asynchronous data stream at up to 24-bit/96kHz.
CD (6i): DAC: 32 bit Delta-Sigma (bit stream) dual differential 8x over-sampling.
Can't say I know a vast amount about DACs, but that would suggest differences.
Al ears
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I would imagine they are different. In most cases the dac in the CD player is there to handle CDs whilst the dac in an amplifier might be designed to handle hi res digital sources.
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Al ears
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Perhaps, but possibly inferior.
However they must be as cheap as chips these days if manufacturers insist on putting them in amps as well as partnering CD players ...
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Knowing little about DACs (as I do), I was under the impression that more bits should be better, which if correct would actually suggest the CDP's DAC would actually be the better one. I'm sure someone else could enlighten me!Perhaps, but possibly inferior.
However they must be as cheap as chips these days if manufacturers insist on putting them in amps as well as partnering CD players ...
EDIT: a quick google does suggest more bits should be better (whether it's audible or not is another matter), suggesting that the CDP's DAC is better than the amp's. Maybe MF takes the view that if you're still spinning CDs, maybe you are more interested in such things than someone who just streams. Who knows?
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Al ears
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manicm
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Perhaps, but possibly inferior.
However they must be as cheap as chips these days if manufacturers insist on putting them in amps as well as partnering CD players ...
It may not be as clear cut as that. As Arcam stated, although the A5 amp and CD5 share the same DAC chip, they recommend connecting the two through analogue RCA, as the CD5 has a well designed analogue output stage.
My advice is not to get hung up on the dac chips. Or lack thereof.
Al ears
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Indeed, makes you wonder why manufacturers insist on putting them in all of their equipment when they hope you will buy a combination of amp and cd player and then stick an inferior dac in the amp.
Al ears
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manicm
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Because this is Musical Fidelity's flagship CD player, and may be used with one of their higher-end/analogue only amps?
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Al ears
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manicm
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It isn't - the Nu-Vista is. Though that seems to be missing from the website at present.
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