@majorc,
you are right, however: a passive avoids the additional lossiness of a digital attenuator. Running the Dac at max output reduces the impact of the mismatch
Will DAC always sound better going straight into a Power Amplifier?
Hi All,
I experimented today with plugging my Khadas Tone Board DAC straight into a Power Amp, and then using a vintage restored Yamaha solid state preamp in the chain...and the sound seemed to be clearer without the preamp.
Is this always the case, where a DAC will sound better directly connected to a power amp?
I see some expensive DAC offerings, like the Musetec 005 and the Holo Audio May, and was wondering that if i want to save up for one of them...if i have to save up for a preamp as well.
If it will cloud the sound, then i'll leave the preamp out of the mix. Let me know your thoughts all!
I've read that some people have had experiences where the DAC sounds better through a preamp, so I'm not sure if there is a universal answer here or not.
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I use an ifi idsd dac micro which has the option of running in direct mode or 2 options for preamp mode - 1 with 0 gain and 1 with gain - when in preamp mode there volume control nob in enabled - is it safe to assume that that is an analog volume control - and if so serve the same role as a passive? |
@majorc 0.0 gain or 0.0 db means the DAC is connected straight to your pre-amp or power amp and is not interrupting or changing the voltage from your source. -db means the gain has been reduced and +db the gain has increased which will decrease or increase the volume by a such a multiple. Your Ifi DAC probably has a digital volume control but don't sweat it. Only in a more revealing system would it show wanting. It probably sounds fine. |
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