2. amps-preamps
  3. 155746-20253

Digital Only Preamps - What's out there now?

Hello everyone,

I became a fan of what I call "digital only" preamps with the Theta Casanova I owned. I loved the sound and capabilities of it so much, and was literally crushed when Theta Digital delayed HDMI and then never produced a working Supernova. Maybe "digital domain preamp" is a better phrase.

What made this pre remarkable, especially if we think of the era, is that it converted EVERYTHING to diigital. It wasn’t just a DAC, it had built in Analog to Digital converters to bring in everything, and allow for digital manipulation of the signal for the main speakers and subwoofer. I think there was even an add-on EQ card.

Anyway, enough waxing noxtalgic.

What preamps today meet the highest standards in audio quality while taking advantage of every digital goodie available?

Best,

E
erik_squires
rsf507
2,314 posts
 
How about the Bricasti M21 or M12?
erik_squires OP
16,056 posts
 
How about the Bricasti M21 or M12?

<< BUZZER >> These are just DAC's with volume control. Mytek products, given built in switching and phono preamps are closer, but even then, they aren't the same. They lack ADC and even the most rudimentary of DSP capabilities like subwoofer out, high pass or low pass filtering, etc.

Best,

E
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,588 posts
 
You have to buy the speakers and amps (inside the speakers) with it, but Gayle Sanders' new Eikon Audio Image 1 Integrated Speaker System has an Eikontrol box that has 4 pairs of analog inputs and 3 digital inputs.   It converts all inputs into digital and has DSP.
steve59's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
steve59
1,762 posts
 
meridian 818v3 digital pre and hi rez DAC that supports everything but sacd I believe. Pricey tho. 
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,385 posts
 
I will just throw this out there...................McIntosh D150 digital preamp.  Gotten excellent reviews, but not for me.  
More to discover