Processor DACs

Another more realistic option I totally forgot about it this. If you can live without sub(s) in stereo mode, you can still have full blown room correction, an external DAC and integration with an SSP with its own room correction.

You would do this by running the room correction for 2 channel on your music server PC. Dirac now sells their software to run on a PC (I believe around $700), and there is also acourate, which is even cheaper. This is full blown 2 channel room correction with phase / time alignment. So you would run the music server (which also runs the correction) into the DAC over USB. If you buy the wyred4sound DAC2, you would run the SSP through the HT bypass on the wyred4sound. In 2 channel mode you use the wyred4sound volume control.

This would be a relatively cost effective integrated 5.1 and 2.0 system. With room correction in both modes.

Steve N - so in a room with terrible acoustics, do you think it would be worth sacrificing the room correction for better DACs for 2 channel music? I know I could just try it, but every time I buy new equipment or make changes to the living room rig, my wife starts asking a lot of questions ; )

Mateored, for two channel there are many more options that will give you both room correction and outboard dac. I mentioned running room correction on a pc. You can use PEQ in amarra on a Mac (something Steve is a strong advocate of). You can also use a dedicated box such as tact, lyndorf or trinnov.

"Steve N - so in a room with terrible acoustics, do you think it would be worth sacrificing the room correction for better DACs for 2 channel music?"

Absolutely. Room acoustics will do little to improve detail rendering and dynamics if the source cannot deliver these. Good for eliminating bass resonances mostly.

However understand that it's the master clock in the DAC or the source that is more important than the DAC. If you are using a source such as Sonos, SB, Apple TV or a CD transport, get a reclocker to reduce its jitter. If you are using USB, make sure the master clocks in it are up to snuff.

If you are using an active preamp, get rid of it and replace with a DAC with a good volume technology or use a transformer linestage such as Music First or these others:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=89744.0

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Edorr, Have you experimented at all with Dirac or Acourate? If so, I would like to hear what your thoughts are and how the results compare to some of the mainstream products (given that they have a different implementation).