MHDT Tube R2R Dac sweet sound
Can a DAC sort out a flat\cold amp?
My pc is connected to an external sound card (scarlett 2i4 by focusrite). I bought the Yamaha a-s1200 & am really disappointed at the brightness & the lack of bass to the extend I prefer listening to my portable JBL boombox. I'm in no position to sell or trade this amplifier so I thought a DAC with eq may help the predicament. Since auditioning my equipment is not an option in my country I have no choice but to buy something purely on recommendations. I also thought about replacing the speakers but since I listen to soundcloud & youtube i really think upscaling & eq will be much more cost effective option in sorting out this issue & may give me the confidence to try a much more expensive speaker option. what would you recommend?
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- 47 posts total
OP, please do not feel self conscious about the state of your room. Most of us constantly have rooms in a state of flux.
The photo is incredibly revealing… sonically. First, move the PC away from the integrated. PCs are really noisy and you can pick up all sorts of it being that close.
Second, the speaker positions look really compromised. With that much bare wall… and the speakers that close to the wall you are likely reinforcing the treble and probably compromising the bass. The window may not be helpful as well. Before buying anything I would start working with what you have. The thing that is immediately obvious is the setup is a big problem. Do you have options? Do you have a location where you could build a six foot triangle between your speakers an your sitting location with space behind and on sides? Could you have one side of the room for your workstation and the other your system? Even if not permanent, I would try to build your system in the triangle… without walls so close behind and sides… then dampen the back and side walls where reflections. Then toe in on the speakers. See what it is capable of.
I have a setup in my office like yours… it sounds fantastic. It uses tiny Totem Mite speakers (10” high and 7” wide) and a small subwoofer (all in beautiful wood. |
I read an online review that described the 1200’s bass performance a somewhat lean combined with forward mid’s/high’s, but didn’t search for other reviews. Have you tried the tone controls (either backing off on treble or adding bass (didn’t see a tone control defeat in the pics)? Don’t know if makes a difference, but per the pic the power supply of your CPU is really close to the bottom of the 1200 (assuming that it and the fan are located @ the top/back of the CPU). Unless your current DAC is very thin sounding/bass shy I can’t imagine another DAC remedying your situation much - if @ all. Can you try an inexpensive, but decent subwoofer (maybe borrow one)?
DeKay
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You might want to consider trading YH 1200 for a used Hegel H90 with some money left back to your pocket. This integrated amp is equipped with more than adequate DAC/Stream which allows you to play music directly from Hegel. It is a very wonderful thing because the desktop music playing is like a third rail. It has only 60 wpc but high current with damping factor more than 2000 which should drive your speakers with authority and clean bass. IF you desire more power, a used Hegel H160 will just cause you $300-500 more than H90. See the review by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2iLYRjCFOw&t=1156s.
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- 47 posts total