# Are my DACs up to the task?



## olddog (Dec 21, 2008)

First, thank you for vewing and sharing your thoughts on this post with me.
After several months of research and thought, I decided my next upgrade would be a music-streaming device. I looked at the Sonas, Transporter, Squeeze Box, ( single room application) and am looking forward to checking out the Logitech Touch that just came out. Several have told me that it would offer me a wider range of flexibility if I just got the transport without the built in DAC’s, like the Sexy Transporter, and added a separate DAC of my choice, after thought I can see where they have an excellent point.
So Question? How about if I just let the Burr Browns (24-bit/192-KHz PCM-1791) that are included in my Denon 988 do the job and save money to boot. What kind of quality of sound can I expect? CD quality?
Thanks again


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Your bigger issue will be what format your music will be in. Your Denon will do a decent job handling most of what you throw at it however DACs have come along ways in the last 5 years.


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## olddog (Dec 21, 2008)

From what I have read FLAC would be the best. Then internet radio?if my terminoligy is right. The 988 is the same as the 2808CI that both were new in 2008 so the DAC teck on them is not that old I would think.
Thanks for the reply


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## Josuah (Apr 26, 2006)

The chip itself is only part of the equation. Even two pieces of gear with the same DAC chip can sound very different because of the analog output stage and other considerations.


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## K Shep (Jan 30, 2010)

Computer Audiophile dot com has loads of valuable information regarding current DAC models.


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## HionHiFi (Feb 18, 2007)

olddog said:


> First, thank you for vewing and sharing your thoughts on this post with me.
> After several months of research and thought, I decided my next upgrade would be a music-streaming device. I looked at the Sonas, Transporter, Squeeze Box, ( single room application) and am looking forward to checking out the Logitech Touch that just came out. Several have told me that it would offer me a wider range of flexibility if I just got the transport without the built in DAC’s, like the appealing Transporter, and added a separate DAC of my choice, after thought I can see where they have an excellent point.
> So Question? How about if I just let the Burr Browns (24-bit/192-KHz PCM-1791) that are included in my Denon 988 do the job and save money to boot. What kind of quality of sound can I expect? CD quality?
> Thanks again


One thing to remember about the Transporter is that it has a state of the art D/A Converter built in with inputs and a remote control. Something most DAC's don't have. You won't need a separate DAC. Stereophile did a glowing review of the Transporter some time ago. Google it. 

A music streaming device will be much more versatile than a CD Player, however keep in mind that alot of your preferred music will not be available in soft copy at standard resolution or high resolution. Thus you must purchase a CD unless you want to settle for the mp3 version. I have squeezebox touch myself and it has pretty much revolutionized how I listen to music.

I think the DAC's inside the Denon 988 will do the job but the analog section my leave something to be desired in sound quality as compared to a high quality separate DAC.


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

"I think the DAC's inside the Denon 988 will do the job but the analog section my leave something to be desired in sound quality as compared to a high quality separate DAC."

+1 on that. If the DACs in your Denon are 24-bit/192-KHz, then (all things being equal) they are capable of _better_ than "red book" CD quality (16 bit/44.1-kHz). Streaming music introduces a lot of other variables: format, streaming device, streaming source, etc. 

HOWEVER, if the question is simply "are my DACs up to the task?" then the answer is yes. Again, all other things being equal (that's assuming an awful lot) you can expect CD quality...or better based _just_ on the DACs.


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

Lots of info here, too:

http://www.audiostream.com/


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## astrallite (Apr 30, 2010)

IMO the analog output stage and preamp are far more important that a DAC chip that might have a few more db of noise suppression. Although certainly there's been a rage over DACs lately with the ESS Sabre lineup.


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

"IMO the analog output stage and preamp are far more important..."

I agree, but I think that one of the reasons that DACs are such a popular upgrade is their low cost (compared to replacing a preamp, for example). You can spend mega bucks on a new DAC, but you can usually find a highly rated budget model.


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## christmclean (Feb 13, 2012)

I have a north star design 192 that decodes much better than the sony c222es that I was using originally. I also tried a hagerman tech usb converter to stereo RCA and there was no comparison for sound quality. Granted the north star is considerably more expensive but I thought the hagerman tech usb convertor might do a better job. I use the mini toslink from my macbook pro and it sounds very good.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

astrallite said:


> IMO the analog output stage and preamp are far more important that a DAC chip that might have a few more db of noise suppression. Although certainly there's been a rage over DACs lately with the ESS Sabre lineup.


You bet!

My universal player has become dated, but it still slays the mid-fi Sony SACD player it replaced. Absolutely love my passive pre integrated.

I am very interested in the latest DAC's, like the ESS Sabre.


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