DirecTV HD reciever Digital output

Theo,

Go for it. Adding a dac to sources such as DTV, Apple TV and XM Radio is a great addition. Of course do not expect anything near sonic nirvana, but for just listening to hassle free music, I believe that it is a perfect way to go. FM radio is my first choice for casual listening but with good stations becoming harder to find, one has to make do with what is available. Unfortunately that availability is presented to us in the form of nasty little digits. Fortunately, one can make all those digits sound pretty good. You have the right idea wanting to grab onto those little digits and making them sound halfway palatable. Look for an inexpensive "TUBE" dac for the best listenablity ( IMHO). I believe that I have found a very good one with the new Jolida Glass tube dac. It has all the right inputs and sounds great for a fairly low cost... A bit under 500.00 new. It uses 2 12ax7's for the output. It is VERY high quality using Clarity Caps and high quality connectors. I run a high quality Toslink from my Apple TV directly into the Jolida dac. It turns the little digital machine into a highly listenable item. There are a smorgasbord of radio stations to choose from and it really makes listening enjoyable. Of course there are many other Dacs that may even be a better choice for you than the Jolida.
I believe that you should most certainly give a dac a try with your system.

Good luck
Tubeears

Tubeears, thank you for your response and suggestions. I tried a Arcam rDAC and there wasn't enough difference to warrant the change. I think a tubed DAC may bring results that I may like. However the game has changed a little bit. I bought a Sonos Connect today and won't be using the Sat receiver for Pandora, but I think a look at the Jolida is something I should do when I get ready to buy a DAC for the Sonos.

Thanks Again
Theo

Theo,

Looks like you are doing a bit of shuffling. My, how the boxes keep coming and going with this fatal addiction that we so casually call a hobby.
I have been doing a bit of changing myself. I have recently aquiried a fine pair of Ref. 3a DeCapo-i's and a gorgeous (solid state) integrated amp from Italy, the Audio Analogue Maestro Settanta (rev 2). They are tied together with Monster Cable, Sigma Retro Gold speaker cable. I use a Jolida JD100a CD player that has its digital coax out going to a Michael Yee Dac One (solid state). This configuration allows me the option to switch from the (inboard) tube dac in the CD player immediately ( on the fly) to the marvelous SS Yee dac.
The Jolida Glass Tube dac plays a very important part in my system. I use the outputs from the DTV HD for its TV sound (and other music APP's) and then I have the little Apple TV box TosLinked to the Jolida tube dac as well. It all sounds very, very good.

All of these TV boxes seem to be a bit on the redundant side. They all have the ability to fetch radio stations, Pandora and other apps. That's OK, I just switch back and forth to find the best reception that each option has to offer. For my system, the small Apple TV box (about $100.00 at Best Buy) is by far the clearest. There are many HD stations and its all free.

Since medical issues cancel out any turntable options, I must rely on the digital world to bring the music to us. The Jolida dac has a USB port as well... I have not tried that yet.

I hope all this babble has been of some information that is useful to you. I am certain that it is not the best way, but it has been cost effective for me and it sounds very good to my aging and hair filled ears.

Cheers !!!,
Tubeears