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I can't tell the difference

I have a primate I21 integrated amp, bowers and wilkins cm5 speakers, and a slim devices squeezebox. I recently purchased a musialcal fidelity v-dac thinking the squeezebox's dac might be my weak spot. I've done a blind comparison between the sb3's dac and the v-dac but I can't tell the difference between the two.

I really thought that the v-dac should have been a significant upgrade seeing as how it costs the same as the sb3 which has a lesser burr-brown chip and a ton of other componets where with the v-dac you are just paying for the dac and nothing else.

Should I be able to hear the difference here? How much do I need to spend to upgrade my source?
mustard
afranta
180 posts
 
FWIW, I've been impressed by the Squeezebox Duet streaming Apple lossless files. I thought I'd add an external DAC, but doubt I'll bother--especially since my system isn't high end (Naim CD5i, Nait 5i, Dynaudio Excite x12) and 90% of the time I'm using the Squeezebox for internet radio or Pandora.
mustard OP
10 posts
 
Afranta, I'd say our systems are in the same ball-park budget wise. I'm back listening to the sb3's dac and it really does sound quite good. I guess I just had it in my head that a 300$ device with a ethernet card, wireless antenna, and other hardware besides the dac shouldn't be able to hold it's own vs a dedicated component.

I listen to mostly apple lossless files so I'd like to think there is more potential in there somewhere. But I suppose I should just stop worrying about it and enjoy the music. I'll be returning the v-dac.
gb24
17 posts
 
FWIW, I also couldn't tell the difference between the V-Dac and the internal dac of my Denon receiver. However, I use an Apple TV rather than SB, and an external dac does definitely sound better than the internal ATV dac.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
I think the vdac is a lateral move - whatever advantage the dac may have over the squeezebox is offset my the added cable. (The cable introduces a new source of jitter, which you may not have had with the standalone squeezebox). Remember, the more revealing a system is, the more noticable upgrades are.
mustard OP
10 posts
 
Anyone have any thoughts on the Bel Canto DAC 2? I've seen it listed used in my price range. I know it is an older model, but I like it's simplicity -- I don't need a usb input, balanced outs, or anything else.
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