2. digital
  3. 1008208555

breaking in a dac

well, i've finally done it. i bought a boulder 1012, after to listening to my dealer's demo off-and-on for several months. so, my questions (yes, i’ve searched--found nothing on point): (1) does a standalone dac benefit from break-in? (2) if, as i suspect, the answer to #1 is "yes," how best does one do this without scaring the dogs or the neighbors (i.e., do i need to power up my amp and speakers to normal listening levels)? (3) if i need a resistive load, can i jury-rig a device (all inputs and outputs are xlr)? TIA -cfb

BTW, for those sometimes mystified by internet-speak abbreviations, here's a great website primer:

http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/chat.html
cornfedboy
bob_bundus
1,834 posts
 
That's a slick design but still makes me wonder...
Say you've been playing the phono awhile tonight, & now you want to switch to the CD. The whole digital section is stone cold; how is that going to sound optimum until after about 24 hours or so when the semiconductors attain thermal stabilization?
I'm sure they have this all figured out, but I know my SS isn't at its best until a day or so after power on. I don't know how they get around this problem - apparently it's not an issue.
cornfedboy OP
1,645 posts
 
bob: i figure i'll leave the pre/dac on 24/7, switched to the digital mode. even if i listen to a couple or three hours of lp's, the dac shouldn't be "stone cold." moreover, the line stage, which is likely more critically acclimated by warmup, will not have been cooled down atoll. just a guess, but i'll talk to bruce vanallen to get his views. let you know if my presumptions are wrong. i do, of course, appreciate your comments, as always. -cfb
sean
6,231 posts
 
Yeah Kelly, PLEASE do keep us posted on that. I'm with Bob on his thoughts as we've both seen / measured drift in digital gear as it goes from cold to fully stable. This is besides the fact that most of us think analogue sounds best after a day or two also. I'd be curious as to how they get around this or what their thoughts are. Then again, if you don't like what they have to say, you could always send it over here. Bob and i are close enough that we could take turns sharing it : ) Sean
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cornfedboy OP
1,645 posts
 
sean: i spoke to bruce vanallen at boulder amps about your and bob's interesting question. he gave me an explanation, tho i'm not sure i have a sufficient grasp of the technical argot to communicate it. but here goes my attempt: the analog section of the 1012 is always on, as is that portion of the digital motherboard used to powerup and control the display. thus, the digital and analog motherboadrs are always in a "warmed-up" mode. the boards are optically and mechanically isolated to assure there is no deleterious "cross-talk." the dsp, which is in its own shielded portion of the chassis, is powered on only when a digital input is selected. the dsp requires virtually no warmup, according to bruce. i hope this all makes sense. it did when bruce communicated it to me.

-kelly

ps- bruce sent me an email this am, saying my 1012 was on his desk and offering to deliver it today. now that's service! my dealer's sales manager (who lives in boulder) picked it up. i'll hafta wait 'til tomorrow am to get my hands on it. avalanche hockey on the menu tonite. -cfb
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