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In Reply to: RE: Qobuz Sublime posted by hesslemount@yahoo.com on May 15, 2017 at 04:45:39
OK. Well I wouldn't go to Richer Sound for expert advice ;-)
You don't use a laptop with the WXC-50. It connects directly to your router and you control it via your tablet or smartphone using the Musicast app. I have linked to the user manual so you can work out if it is functionally right for you before purchasing. It provides Qobuz support for pieces bought in the UK, French, German, Austrian markets.
It outputs a digital stream to a DAC. Your Cambridge amp has an inbuilt DAC. The DAC is specified for all of the common PCM formats including the hi-rez ones: 24/88.2, 24/96, 24/176.4 and 24/192 according to the specs that you posted last week.
The Yamaha provides connectivity via both optical and co-ax. If the current SP/dif protocol is used by streamer and amp then <24/192 is available. The older protocol limits SP/Dif to 24/96.
So on the face of it I cannot see why you would need to buy an external DAC unless you preferred it for other reasons than functionality. However see below.
Of course you won't get DSD hi-rez but then no streaming service provides this and Qobuz do not offer DSD downloads.
Note again that Qobuz does not provide hi-rez streaming as part of its usual service. It is lossless 16/44.1. If you buy and download a hi-rez album from them then you can stream it as well. However I have not seen how Qobuz appears in a Musicast view so I can only assume that all the features are there. You may like to ask Qobuz. If you go to their website and look at the bottom of the page you will see a link to customer services.
When using a laptop you cannot just plug this into your amp (or the amp's DAC)as it has no USB input. Perhaps this is what the Richer Sounds salesperson was referring to? Yes you can buy a USB DAC and do it but otherwise you can use a USB/co-ax converter (I did mention this last week). The laptop USB output plugs into the USB input on the converter which has a co-ax output which connects to your amp . That is if your amp has a co-ax input. Is it only toslink? If so then that does complicate matters further.
NB: USB/Co-ax converters vary a lot in performance and price.
Follow Ups:
Thanks once again for your very in depth reply Par. There is a USB port but this is labelled BT100. I'm not sure if this means it's only for a BT100?
https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/products/cx/cxa60
The WXC-50 seems the way forward unless I can plug a laptop directly into the USB BT100 port.
Looking at the user manual it appears that a true USB input is available on your amps' sister the CXA 80. I think that the one on the 60 may use a USB connector but may not conform to the USB standard. This despite Cambridge's use of the USB logo on the chassis which should not be there if the input does not conform to the USB plug 'n play protocol.
I suspect that plugging in the USB output from a laptop won't work but there is no harm in trying a suck it and see experiment.
Do you know how to configure your laptop to send sound to the DAC via the USB port? Is your laptop a Mac or PC?
No the Yamaha isn't the only way forward as you can use a converter as I have pointed out. However the Yamaha has advantages like no laptop cooling fan noise.
NB: As much of our recent dialogue relates specifically to your setup and may not be of any interest to other inmates ( evidenced by little input from them), did you know that you can contact me directly rather than via this thread? Just click on my moniker in my postings and that will give you an option to email me.
The WXC-50 has a dac built-in capable of decoding dsd 2.8/5.6MHz & PCM 192kHzIt's USB input only accept storage devices, and it is not meant to accept USB data from PCs. But this thing can stream 2xdsd files from your storage devices, so it is not an issue.
It does have a switchable fan built in.
Default is ON.
Can only be switched off via MusicCast Controller App on smartphones/tablets.Sound quality is quite good though.
Dynamic and clear. Soundstaging can be quite spacious.Couple of Recommendations:
- Default setting is [Bookshelf Speaker] Mode.
Need to set it to [Floorstand Speaker] Mode to bypass the High-Pass Filter to sound its best.- Make sure you check AC polarity.
All-in-all, this thing is dirt cheap. But perform very well against more expensive competitors.
Compared to the Auralic Altair (nearly 6 times the price of WXC-50), the WXC-50 sounds way way better, more dynamic and opened.
Edits: 05/23/17
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