I retreived my old original Arcam black box DAC from the loft and have fed both my Cyrus 8x cdp and my Logic Squeezbox through it and have only noticed a slight change in the sound. Are modern DAC's better in some way over this original Arcam, has anyone compared older DAC's with new one's ? I may just do that myself ,come to think of it and answer my own question.
The Original Arcam Black Box ?
- Thread starter alan harknett
- Start date
It is a big misterundstanding that the newer dacs are better! There never has something wrong with the original TDA1541a from Philips onboard of the Arcam black box. It is still one of the best sounding chips available! And when you bypass the oversampling chip ( Put it in NOS) you have a DAC that will outperform about any exotic newer DAC.
Trust me, the Arcam is a jewel, so keep it
Trust me, the Arcam is a jewel, so keep it
I was researching the Arcam Black Box DAC and came across this thread - referring this DAC as a jewel - well in my opinion - is just plain... CORRECT!
The original BB DAC is just plain musical! However bear in mind that I'm not the analytical type - nor do I worry about placing instruments precisely in the soundstage - I just like the ebb and flow of musical 'juice' complete with the emotions it stirs up.
I am currently listening to the original BB DAC with Squeezebox Duet (not Touch) as source - NAD 325BEE amplifier - and pair of 1970's Goodman Mezzo SL's.
I can almost hear the disgust of hi-end audiophiles thinking that the above system will perform at all - but trust me - it does!!! Get the latest What Hi-Fi rave reviews if you must - but I assure you - you will be on the upgrade path for years only to find yourself coming back down to earth and enjoying music from low cost components like in the above example.
The original BB DAC is just plain musical! However bear in mind that I'm not the analytical type - nor do I worry about placing instruments precisely in the soundstage - I just like the ebb and flow of musical 'juice' complete with the emotions it stirs up.
I am currently listening to the original BB DAC with Squeezebox Duet (not Touch) as source - NAD 325BEE amplifier - and pair of 1970's Goodman Mezzo SL's.
I can almost hear the disgust of hi-end audiophiles thinking that the above system will perform at all - but trust me - it does!!! Get the latest What Hi-Fi rave reviews if you must - but I assure you - you will be on the upgrade path for years only to find yourself coming back down to earth and enjoying music from low cost components like in the above example.
Oh and very important - I forgot to add - if you do use an Arcam BB1 DAC which hasn't been played for a long time then you will need to run it in all over again.
And if you listen to a BB1 make sure it's been switched on for at least 48 hours before you listen to it - the difference is huge - it will sound ordinary and matter of fact if you listen to it cold - or even listen to it with just a few hours on the clock! You would then consider the BB1 to be no good compared to your expensive modern DAC just because you plugged it in for an hour or two to then conclude to dismiss it as been old and had it - "big mistake" - leave it switched on!
The BB1 also likes sorbothane feet - but no fancy power leads necessary. I like to use the good old fashioned Van Den Hull D102 mkIII's connected to my simple little Squeezebox Duet.
And if you listen to a BB1 make sure it's been switched on for at least 48 hours before you listen to it - the difference is huge - it will sound ordinary and matter of fact if you listen to it cold - or even listen to it with just a few hours on the clock! You would then consider the BB1 to be no good compared to your expensive modern DAC just because you plugged it in for an hour or two to then conclude to dismiss it as been old and had it - "big mistake" - leave it switched on!
The BB1 also likes sorbothane feet - but no fancy power leads necessary. I like to use the good old fashioned Van Den Hull D102 mkIII's connected to my simple little Squeezebox Duet.
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