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Processor DACs

I am shopping for a new Processor. I’ll probably get an Integra DHC 80.3, so I am curious if anyone has ever compared the onboard DAC of their processor to an established benchmark DAC such as a W4S DAC-2. Since my music server has USB outs, it would require purchasing a USB to S/PDIF converter (such as the Anedio U2) to hook up the processor to the server. Before spending the money on a converter, I am wondering if people have tried this out, and what their experience with it is. It seems that most mainstream processors have solid DACs to do all the Dolby Digital conversion, so wouldn’t it make sense that they should perform excellent as a standalone DAC? I would appreciate your thoughts and experience.
hifiguy5
mateored
258 posts
 
Edorr - This is an outstanding point that I already knew but somehow keep forgetting. In my acoustically-terrible living room, the Anthem Room Correction (ARC) makes a huge difference, so it is unlikely that an outboard DAC would make sense for me.
cdj123's avatar
cdj123
57 posts
 
This is interesting. My room is treated but it makes me wonder if the 1% (or 5% or 10%) you give up with a processor, you gain back with room correction. Even the best rooms can benifit by Audyssey/ARC/Trinnov etc. It's time for an experiment!
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,720 posts
 
In general, the improvements due to room correction are instantly apparent compared to the subtle differences among quality DACs.
edorr
714 posts
 
You can have both (I.e. top notch outboard Dac and room correction) if you put a dedicated room correction / xover box with digital in and outputs in the chain, which is what I do (trinnov pro). It gets a little complex and pricey, but results are well worth the effort if you get over these two constraints.
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,720 posts
 
Edorr is correct in suggesting this option but some people have a bias against incurring the additional A/D/A conversions, regardless of how well they are accomplished.

Kal
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