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Budget DAC with switchable inputs

I've got a vintage Kenwood receiver with some KEF speakers and a Kyocera PL701 Turntable. Not an audiophile set-up, but I like the Kenwood tuner and slight warmth. The trouble is lack of inputs. I've got three or so things to plug in but only two inputs. And I want to add an Airport Express to stream Lossless audio to my stereo. I figure it'd be better to let a DAC handle that and use the optical out of the Airport Express. Then if I get a DAC I can send digital audio from my DirecTV box, low end DVD player, and from my pro High Def video card that's in my Mac tower. I'd love to find one for well under a thousand that can handle at least two optical inputs and one coax. I've been searching these forums and other places and haven't found anything that fits these needs.

Baring that, maybe there's one that can switch between one optical and one coax input. By coax, I mean the digital connection that uses RCA connectors (is that the right terminology?).

Any suggestions are appreciated!

-sean
cutterfilm
upstateaudio's avatar
upstateaudio
249 posts
 
Try a Musiland MD10. It has one optical and 1 coaxial input.

http://www.pacificvalve.us/MusilandMD10.html

Its favorably reviewed at www.affordableaudio.org.

I have had one for 3 months and use it with a Logitech Squeezebox 3.
palmerston
24 posts
 
For well under your budget you can find a used Bel Canto dac2 which has both optical and rca inputs. 6moons gave it their Blue Moon award.
kh6idf
28 posts
 
How about $129?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-SRC2496-ULTRAMATCH-PRO-Converter?sku=182480&src=3WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0

It has optical, coaxial and XLR digital inputs and a front panel switch to select between them.

It has a DAC (and also an ADC) that is good sounding in my opinion. And you get a headphone output as well.

It does not have a volume control so it would be best used upstream of a preamp/receiver with it's own volume control.

No audible noise or distortion that I can detect. I was surprised how clean and quiet the output is.

I have one of these and it's a steal for the price. I'm running it into a DEQ2496 for equalization (actually I use the DEQ 2496 for the DAC but both the SRC and DEQ have the same DAC).
cutterfilm OP
59 posts
 
The Musiland looks like it might be what I could use for multiple inputs. Are BNC and coax(RCA) digital connections the same signal with different connectors? Because I could buy a TOSLINK to coax adapter and that could work to to handle my other optical line.

thanks, everybody.

-
sean
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