Suggestion required for Digital Audio

gilfredpaul

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Hi FM,

I'm trying to figure out of buying an external DAC, is better than the DAC that exists inside my Denon1912.

I play my music via Jriver from Mac mini(HTPC) which I have connected to my Denon1912 via optical cable. About half my library is CDRIP/HDTracks and the other half in various lossy formats of about 256.

I am considering Modi 2 Uber DAC as a connector between Macmini/Denon

Are these external DACs worth it or should I simply stay with the Denon DAC?

Budget is an issue of course:sad:, hence cant invest more than $200.

Also confused:confused: whether budget DAC can do justice in my setup or wait and go for seperate AMP/DAC route.

Existing setup:
AVR: Denon1912
Speaker : Tannoy Mercury V4

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
I have listened to stereo from my PC via AVR for a good time... When one of my friend got a DAC (Encore-mDAC), borrowed it for couple of days time to check if it was any better than AVR...

IMO, i didn't feel much difference...

I would suggest you to request fellow FM with an external DAC @ your place for evaluation and then decide...
 
I think any decent external dac is better than budget avr's internal dac. Modi 2 uber is highly regarded amongst audiophiles for its price, performance ratio.

Going forward you might need to upgrade to dedicated stereo amp.

For this time being, connect dac's line out to avr's analog in and run AVR in pure direct stereo mode. I believe you will get better results.
 
Hi, I have same speakers and denon x1000 receiver. Combo is really good but now I have added emotiva XDA2 DAC and also schiit magni 2 uber(I use this primarily as headphone amp) as preamp. Definitely it sounds better and I am happy with it. What all it improves and how much it sounds better is difficult to measure but for me this set up sounds good. I am enjoying it.
 
A good DAC can make a world of difference in a stereo setup. Does not mean that a 'good' DAC always has to be expensive, the Modi you are referring to is very well received in budget segment.
Further down the line if you choose to go with a separate stereo setup then the investment on a decent DAC will reap its full rewards. Even now with the AVR you should get some noticeable difference in stereo performance, if not substantial still subtle and enjoyable.
 
@gilfredpaul

I have Schiit-Modi-2-Uber. Using it in the stereo setup as my IA does not have digital inputs. It has made a difference for music listening. Coming to DACs in AVRs. They are usually pretty good for music listening. Denon 1912 claims to support high bit resolution formats.

One advantage of using external DACs is USB noise isolation. PC/Laptops can be inherently noisy. SO an external DAC may play the role of blocking this noise (if any). External units have dedicated re-clocking logic for USB input. Not sure how it is handled for OPT/COAX SPDIF.

Schiit M2U is priced at $160 (incl US local shipping). For this price it is a very well featured product to my ears. I also have a Marantz NR1605 (similarly spec'ed to Denon 1912). Let me hook it up and try to hear if there is a difference (if so, how much).

You are welcome to audition Schiit M2U with your chain before committing to an external DAC. This is assuming that bringing your gear out is not a big hassle.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Thanks to all the Fm's for the valuable suggestions, After reading some reviews & suggestions ...its clear that by adding this DAC, its no going to bring huge difference in my setup. But still for the price performance ratio expected to see some marginal difference.

@raghupb

since you are using the same setup..i am eagerly waiting for your review and thanks a lot for welcoming to audition.
 
A lot will depend on the DAC inside your AVR, but most AVRs just use a single chip-based solution for the DAC. In fact in the AVR you are not paying for the DAC, but the amplifier. It is really a testament to how far along DAC technology has come and how cheap they have become that even mid-level AVRs sound very good. Even I have an Onkyo (mid level) that I use for audio streaming in a secondary set up, that sounds surprisingly very good.

That said, Schiit really makes some wonderful budget DACs, especially the Schiit Modi 2 Uber. For that price you really cannot go wrong with it.
 
Hi Fm's

Big thanks to everyone for their suggestion and opinions, I went and ordered Modi 2 uber + additional purchase of Audioquest Jitterbug :yahoo:. now let me wait for the package to reach me.
 
Oh so you took the plunge. Schiit M2U, if I am right, has USB re-clocking and has an external wall-wart for power. So don't know if jitterbug would be required. I have not faced any noise issues.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
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Some says that they found real difference in jitterbug.

Any USB dac has a clocking mechanism... But still additional reclockers are popular.

Anyway, congratulations @gilfredpaul on your purchase. Hope to see pictures and your impressions on this combo soon. :)
 
@raghupb I see some good reviews about jitterbug, though of trying how this will do value addition. will soon post some review.

@saikatbiswas82 sure will post the pictures
 
@gilfredpaul
Congrats on your purchases. I hope you will hear a difference in the SQ with these additions. Sorry, I promised to expt with M2U and AVR but have not found time to do so.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Hi Fm's

Big thanks to everyone for their suggestion and opinions, I went and ordered Modi 2 uber + additional purchase of Audioquest Jitterbug :yahoo:. now let me wait for the package to reach me.

Congrats. Where have you ordered it from?
 
Schiit does not have any dealers...you have to order from their website only IMHO.

Ohh okay. I am trying to figure out a way to loop in a DAC in my setup which does not involve a PC. Thinking of placing a DAC between my BluRay player and AVR. BluRay player is connected to my 1TB hard disc which has my music.
 
Ohh okay. I am trying to figure out a way to loop in a DAC in my setup which does not involve a PC. Thinking of placing a DAC between my BluRay player and AVR. BluRay player is connected to my 1TB hard disc which has my music.
Which bdp do you have currently?
 
Schiit website says that they are on Amazon.
Quote from their dealers section FAQ

"I found "Schiit Audio" on Amazon, selling both new and B-stock products. Is that you?
Yep, it's us. Lots of people like to buy through Amazon, so we're there."

Cheers,
Raghu
 
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