USB DAC

[admin_exported]

Guys

After some of your experiences please with DAC's using USB preferably either Beresford 7520 or CA DACMagic.

I'm thinking of buying a DAC so i can play all my WMA files from my laptop, but i only have a USB Output on my laptop and not a digital out. Has anybody heard the CA DACMagic or 7520 through the USB out, and if so what was the quality like? Is there a massive difference between WMA files and other formats? Also, would there be any sound benefits of using either of the DAC's with my Arcam CD73 as a Transport, or would i be best leaving well alone and using the inbuilt DAC on the CD player.

A few questions i know, but i would appreciate any feedback i can get.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

IMO USB is not the way to go, because far more devices use optical digital, so wireless to an Airport Express, control itunes with an iPod Touch and use the AE's Optical digital out to a more versatile DAC.

However there is a USB DAC that is a giant killer, which isn't surprising since it comes from one of the best and biggest Pro Audio Companies, M-Audio. Their Transit compares favourably with any DAC you can buy and it costs £50! Not only does it D to A but it also A to D's and outputs optical digital if you cant to compare it with other more expensive ones to make sure. It's the size of a pack of twenty cigarettes and turns any old PC into a top flight CD player.

It will be the most useful £50 anyone can spend IMO. Dolphin Music stock them.

Ash

 

[chebby]

chiefbrody: Has anybody heard the CA DACMagic or 7520 through the USB out, and if so what was the quality like? Is there a massive difference between WMA files and other formats? Also, would there be any sound benefits of using either of the DAC's with my Arcam CD73 as a Transport, or would i be best leaving well alone and using the inbuilt DAC on the CD player.

A few questions i know, but i would appreciate any feedback i can get.

Thanks

The quality of USB from my laptop through a Beresford TC-7520 is superb. The designer has given USB it's own seperate clocking and deliberately given attention to it's sound quality rather than just including it as an afterthought.

Highly recommended. It also has an excellent headphone amplifier (plus optical input and coax should you need them at a later date.)

If you have a DVD player or DVD recorder (especially if it has a freeview tuner built in) then plug it's digital optical audio output into the DAC as well to get high-quality Freeview radio and DVD/TV sounds. (Better than using the DVD player's RCA phono audio output.)

The CD73 has the same DAC (WM8740) as my Solo-Mini so there is little to be gained from using either the DacMagic or Beresford instead. Far more to be gained with your laptop or your DVD/Blu-ray or PS3 or whatever.

There is a very good chance you will find replay of lossless material from your laptop is at least as good as from your CD73. (This is what I have found with my Solo-Mini CD player which uses the same clock and internal DAC as the CD73.)

 

[chebby]

Ashley James:IMO USB is not the way to go, because far more devices use optical digital, so wireless to an Airport Express, control itunes with an iPod Touch and use the AE's Optical digital out to a more versatile DAC.

Even if the OP only gets the 16GB iPod Touch, then that is £205 extra.

An Airport Express is another £65 and he will then be locked into using iTunes unless a further £25 worth of software is bought!

So, £295 (so far) before we even look at that £50 M-Audio DAC - which Ashley admitted himself a couple of weeks ago - has slight noise issues on another similar topic.....

Ashley James:
If you're using a Windows Machine then £50 spent on an M-Audio Transit
will give you a very good CD player provided your Amp can cope with the
little bit of RF there is on the output, if it can you'll have an
amazing CD player. Dolphin Music do them.
Ash

I think I will stick with the OP's original brief for a DAC that performs well with USB. Cheaper and simpler and (with the Beresford) a high quality headphone amp too

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot guys for all your feedback, most useful. I have however just realised that my laptop does indeed have a digital out so the USB is not mandatory anymore. I do like the sound of both the DAC's you mentioned. I would rather stay clear of iTunes and tend to use Windows Media Player. I will have a look into both. By the way Chebby, where can you purchse the new Beresford from?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:
Ashley James:IMO USB is not the way to go, because far more devices use optical digital, so wireless to an Airport Express, control itunes with an iPod Touch and use the AE's Optical digital out to a more versatile DAC.

Even if the OP only gets the 16GB iPod Touch, then that is £205 extra.

An Airport Express is another £65 and he will then be locked into using iTunes unless a further £25 worth of software is bought!

So, £295 (so far) before we even look at that £50 M-Audio DAC - which Ashley admitted himself a couple of weeks ago - has slight noise issues on another similar topic.....

Ashley James:
If you're using a Windows Machine then £50 spent on an M-Audio Transit
will give you a very good CD player provided your Amp can cope with the
little bit of RF there is on the output, if it can you'll have an
amazing CD player. Dolphin Music do them.
Ash

I think I will stick with the OP's original brief for a DAC that performs well with USB. Cheaper and simpler and (with the Beresford) a high quality headphone amp too

Chebby

I think you should come to AVI with your preferred reference standard equipment and we'll prove to you that the M-Audio Transit is better.

However as you're not technical I'll put it into layman's term for you:

Imagine a pond 120 ft deep before you hit mud and that the water is murky for 20 ft above that and then, using a Snorkel, go swimming.

If you're lucky, you'll get down 40ft, but not get anywhere near the mud or the murky water. Now imagine how much of a disaster it would be if the farmer turned up and asked to to get out of the pond you'd chosen and jump into another that only had 96ft of clear water.

Now replace feet with decibels and consider yourself as music and that most dynamic range (depth) there is on a CD as being about 40dB (ft to you) and the noise on a recording at 80 dB.

I do hope this explains why it is doubtful that anyone will hear a difference between the M-Audio Transit and the Benchmark DAC which is the best stand alone you can buy.

I know this is getting complicated but DACs operate at 33 mHz, which is radio frequency so they are radio transmitters. If designers don't follow the instructions to the letter, some of this RF gets onto output leads and into your power amp and it can upset them if they are not the best. This is the main reason why DACs vary and it has been for years. Therefore if you have an old fashioned power amp, you might be better off paying more for better DAC because it should produce less RF.

Ash

PS. EDITED BY MODS for house rules violation.
PPS. The Edirol UA1EX is not great so avoid it, but the UA25 is excellent.

 

[chebby]

chiefbrody: By the way Chebby, where can you purchse the new Beresford from?

Thanks

Best to order direct from the Beresford site,....

http://www.beresford.me/others/Products.html

Phone therm first if you have any queries.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice one cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

What about selling the amp and CD player to buy the new Cyrus amp: Cyrus 8 XP d?

It is an improved amplifier and contains a DAC.

 

[Anonymous]

Aren't they about £1500. Might be struggling with that. Plus i'm happy with my setup, it's just for flexibility with my Laptop.

 

[Anonymous]

chiefbrody:Aren't they about £1500. Might be struggling with that. Plus i'm happy with my setup, it's just for flexibility with my Laptop.

I'm sure the CD and amp still have resale value though, plus the cash you have for the DAC.

The move would gain a wider range of improvements too.