2. digital
  3. 130613-101370

Emotiva ERC-3 or Music Hall C-DAC15.3 / connections?

Hi,
first time post. Not an 'audiophile' per say, just a guy who appreciates good sound.

I'm looking at buying a new CD player and the Emotiva ERC-3 is on my short list. I've read good reviews and the 5 year warranty is a big plus.
I'll be hooking it up to an Anthem MRX 710 AVR. The Anthem doesn't have balanced inputs and from what I've read the ERC-3 sounds best using balanced connections.  So, would there be any advantage in using an XLR to RCA cable? Or am I going to get the same sound using RCA-RCA?

The Music Hall C-DAC15.3 player is also under consideration.  My speakers are Paradigm Studio 100's v2 
With the Anthem , which would be a better bet, the Emotiva or Music Hall?

Thanks!
kfoxian
kfoxian OP
6 posts
 
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts.

gdhall and 123running, RE whether the ERC-3 is fully balanced or not, have you taken a look at the internal pics? Does the circuitry around the XLR inputs give you any better indication?
pics here: https://emotiva.com/products/sources/erc-3
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
@kfoxian, Yes, I have looked at the internals. Pictures cannot provide any answers in this regard. Only a schematic and knowledge of electronics can. Regardless of whether or not the ERC-3 is fully balanced is not entirely the point though. It does have balanced connectivity and that does provide greater all around capability (noise reduction and higher output gain) relative to RCA. It's a great CD player at a very reasonable price point.  
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Based on work I have done with the XDA-2 DAC, I would say that the output buffer of the ERC-3 is fully balanced.  However, it is difficult to say for sure if it is fully balanced from the DAC chip and I/V stages. 

https://emotiva.com/sites/default/files/styles/product_very_large/public/ERC3_TOP.png?itok=cjgxjTHQ

There are four op amps right next to the AD1955 DAC chip, so it could very well be fully balanced through the I/V and low pass filter stages.  Emotiva likes to use OPA2134 op amps.  These are somewhat laid back with a warm full sound, but definitely not as high-resolution as other op amps, such as the bipolar op amps (i.e. OPA1612 or AD797).

213runnin
914 posts
 
Op amps are also a cost cutting indication, the better designs go with discrete circuitry.

I'm sure, however, that the ERC-3 sounds nice, but op amps plus a noisy spinning mechanism indicate that it's built with a lower price point in mind.
kfoxian OP
6 posts
 
@auxinput
please, could you have a look at the Music Hall’s internal and give your opinion?
http://musichallaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/music-hall-cdac15-3-inside.jpg

btw, you can’t see it , but the CD drive controller board is positioned underneath the drive

EDIT: the pic here is better, allows a focused zoom
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MHCDAC153
More to discover