Tact 2.2 XP: which configuration to get?

Using an external D:AC with the TacT 2.2XP going into one of its analogue inputs seems an odd choice, given that all incoming signals are processed in the digital domain for the purposes of RC. I tried it with an old (but still very good) Trichord Pulsar D:AC 1 and the character of the system didn't change at all.

As mentioned previously, the 2.2XP can sound very good indeed once you finally get it tuned exactly right, though it does seem to highlight the worst of less than great recordings as much as it highlights the best of good recordings. It isn't at all forgiving and assuredly won't make your entire collection sound wonderful, hence your relationship with it can tend to be a mixture of love and hate. But, with the right recording, the right company, a glass of your favourite tipple and a fair wind, it can sound superb. Just don't expect it to sound that way with everything and anything you may play through it.

Jools,

The option I'm contemplating is for the digital signal to be fed to the 2.2XP for it processing and from there to an outboard DAC. This assumes he outboard DAC is better than the one supplied by Tact, which I don't know to be true.

Point taken about the added resolution and hence some crappy recordings will sound crappier. I gues that's our eternal tradeoff!

Thanks!
Horacio

Horacio,

Ah, I see ~ but how would you vary the analogue output from an outboard D:AC to feed your power amplifier/s? How many D:AC's are designed to drive power amplifiers directly? It's my understanding (but I may be wrong) that the digital outputs from the TacT 2.2XP are variable only for the purposes of driving one (or more) of TacT's own digital amplifiers. Results with an outboard D:AC might be very different (and possibly destructive). And how might an outboard D:AC handle a room-corrected digital signal coming from the TacT? If your speaker system comprises two main speakers and two subwoofers (as does mine), then an outboard D:AC with no crossover facilities is a non-starter.

If you're not happy with the fundamental sound quality of the TacT 2.2XP, then it might be better to remove it altogether from the equation and go for an analogue pre-amp fed from the output of the outboard D:AC followed by something like the Lyngdorf RP-1 which, as mentioned easrlier, according to most reports, seems to impose little or no sonic signature of its own on the overall character of any components upstream. The RP-1 includes a crossover too, though whether it's as adjustable as the one in the TacT 2.2XP I'm not sure.

I have been thinking about moving on from my TacT 2.2XP to a Lyngdorf RP-1, but what has held me back are the expense of having to buy a D:AC and pre-amp as well, plus the fact that the Lyngdorf doesn't offer the almost infinite fine adjustability of the TacT. If none of the preset voicings in the RP-1 is exactly what you want then, apart from downloading a few alternatives from the Lyngdorf site, there's nothing you can do about it. The result (after having shelled out a lot of money) could be that all you've done is exchange one set of good-but-not-quite-there frustrations for another. But I recently acquired a pretty good outboard D:AC (the Trichord Pulsar) for very little money and my local dealer's happy to lend me his (highly regarded) Electrocompaniet EC4.7 pre-amp. So, if I can find a used RP-1 at a moderate price, I might just give it a go. We'll see.

Horacio,

Ah, I see ~ but how would you vary the analogue output from an outboard D:AC to feed your power amplifier/s? How many D:AC's are designed to drive power amplifiers directly? It's my understanding (but I may be wrong) that the digital outputs from the TacT 2.2XP are variable only for the purposes of driving one (or more) of TacT's own digital amplifiers. Results with an outboard D:AC might be very different (and possibly destructive). And how might an outboard D:AC handle a room-corrected digital signal coming from the TacT? If your speaker system comprises two main speakers and two subwoofers (as does mine), then an outboard D:AC with no crossover facilities is a non-starter.

If you're not happy with the fundamental sound quality of the TacT 2.2XP, then it might be better to remove it altogether from the equation and go for an analogue pre-amp fed from the output of the outboard D:AC followed by something like the Lyngdorf RP-1 which, as mentioned easrlier, according to most reports, seems to impose little or no sonic signature of its own on the overall character of any components upstream. The RP-1 includes a crossover too, though whether it's as adjustable as the one in the TacT 2.2XP I'm not sure.

I have been thinking about moving on from my TacT 2.2XP to a Lyngdorf RP-1, but what has held me back are the expense of having to buy a D:AC and pre-amp as well, plus the fact that the Lyngdorf doesn't offer the almost infinite fine adjustability of the TacT. If none of the preset voicings in the RP-1 is exactly what you want then, apart from downloading a few alternatives from the Lyngdorf site, there's nothing you can do about it. The result (after having shelled out a lot of money) could be that all you've done is exchange one set of good-but-not-quite-there frustrations for another. But I recently acquired a pretty good outboard D:AC (the Trichord Pulsar) for very little money and my local dealer's happy to lend me his (highly regarded) Electrocompaniet EC4.7 pre-amp. So, if I can find a used RP-1 at a moderate price, I might just give it a go. We'll see.

Horacio,

If you would like some help from long-time TacT users do a search for Yahoo Users Groups for TacT Audio and TheRealTactHackers. I would post the links here but every time I have tried it my post never passes the powers that be. I tried it again yesterday and it is the third or fourth time my post did not survive.

You CAN use an outboard DAC after TacT and use the 2.2X to adjust volume. I have done it so I am not just guessing. The fact that it is a corrected signal does not matter to the external DAC. That is not an issue. Also TacT will measure and adjust for any change in time delay.

See my cautions in a previous post on this thread. Visit the experts and good luck.