Please rate/review the arcam d33/naim dac/Cyrus dac x+/chord qbd 76

[MUSICRAFT]

HI CnE

And your speakers and amp are?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

MF AMS 35i + Kef Ref 205/2

Hi CnE

Thanks for your reply.

OK so the benefits of active speakers are?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi CnE

Thanks for your reply.

OK so the benefits of active speakers are?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

The catalyst for a good argument! :shifty:

I heard some £30k+ Linn Klimax Actives, and preferred what I have. :O

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi CnE

Thanks for your reply.

OK so the benefits of active speakers are?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

The catalyst for a good argument! :shifty: I heard some £30k+ Linn Klimax Actives, and preferred what I have. :O

Hi CnE

I didn't ask you for your preference. Anyway i'd be grateful if you could also share the technical benefits of active speakers please?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

The benefits of anything are only benefits if the user gains something from them.

 

[Kevin Stephens]

I'm puzzled Rick: your shop sells ATC Active Monitors, which by all accounts work well, so why aren't you telling us rather than consulting a member of the public? Or am I missing something here?

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi CnE

I didn't ask you for your preference. Anyway i'd be grateful if you could also share the technical benefits of active speakers please?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Are you seriously asking me, when this topic has been discussed ad-infinitum on endless threads. :? There is another forum, not too far from here, that would be all too willing to oblige, if you're confused. :shifty:

I buy equipment because I like the sound, not because I rely on some slick marketing sound-bites or technical paper....but what do I know!

 

[Frank Harvey]

I buy equipment because I like the sound, not because I rely on some slick marketing sound-bites or technical paper....but what do I know!

Good enough reason.

 

[CnoEvil]

I buy equipment because I like the sound, not because I rely on some slick marketing sound-bites or technical paper....but what do I know!

Good enough reason.

...and it's exactly the same advice I give to anyone who asks. Listen to as many different options as possible and then get what "floats your boat".

I think the case for Actives is already robustly argued and represented on here already. If you hear of a TUBE Active speaker let me know....Health and Safety will probably dictate that it has a fire extinguisher attached. :O

 

[shooter]

If you hear of a TUBE Active speaker let me know....Health and Safety will probably dictate that it has a fire extinguisher attached. :O

Now theres a diy project if i've ever heard one. You wouldn't have to shove valves in the rear but you could run valve mono-blocks with active crossovers :rockout:

 

[CnoEvil]

Now theres a diy project if i've ever heard one. You wouldn't have to shove valves in the rear but you could run valve mono-blocks with active crossovers :rockout:

True, but we were talking about neat compact/integrated solutions....a sort of Activalve speaker. :roll:
If you make one, I will allow you to use that name....for a small fee. :shifty:

 

[Craig M.]

so, shooter, are you gonna spill or what? oke:

 

[shooter]

True, but we were talking about neat compact/integrated solutions....a sort of Activalve speaker.

Already been done Cno

Agreed though, my idea is a bit wigwamesk!

 

[CnoEvil]

True, but we were talking about neat compact/integrated solutions....a sort of Activalve speaker.

Already been done Cno

Agreed though, my idea is a bit wigwamesk!

You obviously need the wine before they become attractive.

:beer: :beer: :beer:

 

[chebby]

Hi CnE

I didn't ask you for your preference. Anyway i'd be grateful if you could also share the technical benefits of active speakers please?

Are you seriously asking me, when this topic has been discussed ad-infinitum on endless threads. :?

I am sure Rick knows from his knowledge and experience of ATC passive speakers + ATC amps vs ATC actives. (I'm not sure it would be possible to set-up a closer* comparison of active vs passive than an all ATC 'shoot-out'.)

*Please note I wrote 'closer' and not 'better'.

 

[gregvet]

Honestly guys, I turned my back for a couple of hours and my threads turned into actives v passives (lol)

All I need now is someone to tell me to ABX the dacs on my list as there's no provable difference and I will retire for the night!

 

[Anonymous]

Having demo'd all the Dac's - including the Bryston too, I was left feeling there was too little to differentiate at this level.

I did not think the Cyrus was as good as the rest though.

But I heard the Chord and seeing as I was in for a big bill, I got the best deal on the Chord with RIK @ Musicraft who is on the posting. Knowing that Chord were the only company that design their own internals / architecture, opposed to NAIM and Arcam for example who buy chipsets and get the best out of them - it's maybe why they all sound samey.

 

[Anonymous]

I have heard them all except Arcam d33 and differences in sound are not that big. They will depend on your taste and the rest of equipment, so it is really good to hear them in your own system. Consider the price that you can achieve and features that you do not need. I settled for Bel Canto 3.5vb - no USB input, but sound, build quality and features fit my needs.

For example, variable output level proved to be important in my case. Some dacs have very high non-adjustable output level (e.g. Audio Research Dac8 - 6.6VRms) that may ruin your low level listening. On the other hand, the preamp capability was not of benefit as I have a good preamp that I intend to keep.

 

[shooter]

so, shooter, are you gonna spill or what? oke:

I will but i'll start a fresh thread so not to highjack this one, i'm very exited though :dance:

 

[shooter]

But I heard the Chord and seeing as I was in for a big bill, I got the best deal on the Chord with RIK @ Musicraft who is on the posting. Knowing that Chord were the only company that design their own internals / architecture, opposed to NAIM and Arcam for example who buy chipsets and get the best out of them - it's maybe why they all sound samey.

A dac chip is only a dac chip, you here this a lot and i'm not sure this to be true and along with a certain Wolfson chipwhich has good all round rep or a certain Sabre chip has slightly hard upper mid, so which is it? Variables also seem to come from power supply design or op amp a circuit design, which any manufacturer worth his salt should have good knowledge of.

In house design though has to be the way of pushing the limits of technology, and with it comes the price tag. If these companies didn't exist maybe eveything would sound the same

 

[SteveR750]

I'm not overly keen on stand alone DACs any more. With the emergence of digital products like the Leema Elements DAC, the Audiolab 8200DQ and M-DAC, the Classe CP800, the Cyrus DACxp Plus etc (basically DACs with integrated digital or analogue pre-amps), I personally see less value in a DAC which is just a DAC. With an integrated pre-amp, you're cutting down on an extra run of quality killing cables, and those with digital pre-amps having the advantage of the possibility of keeping the original signal untouched.

Another aspect is that there are streamers emerging with on board high quality DACs. We no longer keep the Naim DAC on display, because of the value offered by the Naim NDX is better value for money - you get the £2100 DAC, but for £900 you get a high quality Naim streamer with a great iPad app.

Obviously your system is a little different as it is AV based and you already have a pre-amp, whereas I'm coming at this from a 2-channel point of view. But you did ask what I would go for personally

I couldn't agree more, and have been saying so for some time. A Dac is a "bolt-on" fix, rather than an integrated solution (shoot me now!)

Unless you already own a good free digital source - a PC!

I reckon streamers as separate boxes are on borrowed time, as it's now so easy to hook a PC into a hi-fi. I've yet to be convinced that a stand alone streamer can do anything a PC or Mac can't.

 

[ID.]

Lovely looking piece of kit, but this pic is giving HAL9000 flashbacks. I don't want it telling me "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that"

 

[CnoEvil]

Unless you already own a good free digital source - a PC!

I reckon streamers as separate boxes are on borrowed time, as it's now so easy to hook a PC into a hi-fi. I've yet to be convinced that a stand alone streamer can do anything a PC or Mac can't.

......and the only way to be convinced is to try a Linn DS in your system. You know as well as I do, that a personal demo is the only way to put "reckoning" and "conjecture" finally to bed. :shifty:

 

[Frank Harvey]

Unless you already own a good free digital source - a PC!

I reckon streamers as separate boxes are on borrowed time, as it's now so easy to hook a PC into a hi-fi. I've yet to be convinced that a stand alone streamer can do anything a PC or Mac can't.

I think a lot of people would rather not link their PC to their hi-fi. Many people don't want their PC switched on all the time when they're not using it for PC stuff (unless of course they've bought it specifically for that reason). I do partly agree with what you say though - stand alone streamers are on borrowed time. With the likes of the Classe CP800 getting a hardware upgrade to provide onboard streaming, and Primare having an option to have a streaming board added to their I32 integrated amplifier and Pre32 pre-amplifier. Stand alone streamers will only survive if they have pre-amplification features built into them.

 

[SteveR750]

Unless you already own a good free digital source - a PC!

I reckon streamers as separate boxes are on borrowed time, as it's now so easy to hook a PC into a hi-fi. I've yet to be convinced that a stand alone streamer can do anything a PC or Mac can't.

I think a lot of people would rather not link their PC to their hi-fi. Many people don't want their PC switched on all the time when they're not using it for PC stuff (unless of course they've bought it specifically for that reason). I do partly agree with what you say though - stand alone streamers are on borrowed time. With the likes of the Classe CP800 getting a hardware upgrade to provide onboard streaming, and Primare having an option to have a streaming board added to their I32 integrated amplifier and Pre32 pre-amplifier. Stand alone streamers will only survive if they have pre-amplification features built into them.

which is where in terms of integration Linn is ahead of the game, but they are still not flying off the proverbial shelves, but that might be down to Linn's pricing and exclusivity marketing. I would consider a stand alone streamer if it had an onboard DAC with plenty of digital inputs for other equipment to connect, but at the moment for me a PC + DAC is the much cheaper option.