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How good are the DACS in the Sound cards?I just tried an outboard DAC for the first time -
Wow. Good stuff.
Only problem is, I am tri-amping, and want to crossover digitally.
Just starting to use the PC, only holding off on ordering the Lynx TWO B because I want to be certain of my configuration before putting out the bucks.
I had hoped to eventually be using the PC for crossover and using the sound card dacs for 6 analog outs for tri-amping.
Hard to see how the DACs in the sound card could be equal to a good outboard DAC, but I guess they could.
To get really good, or great DACs, are we going to be limited to DEQX type or digital crossovers for the DACS in tri-amped configurations?
Or will an outboard processor such as the Lynx and RME units with external DACs be the way to go?
Or are the DACS in the top cards really good?
Comments?
Regards
Ken
Follow Ups:
Contrary to a lot of opinion, the Lynx cards have excellent isolation from RFI and EMI from the computer cases. The output is very clean. I dumped my $6,500 Audio Note 3.1x balanced NOS tubed dac for the superior sound quality of a Lynx L22 card. Lower noise floor, better sound, everything was better.To get even better, you could add the Lynx Aurora external DAC, and nothing will better that IMHO.
thanks for your post -That was exactly the sort of info I was looking for.
Regards
Ken
My only complaint is that I have a ground loop that I am having trouble eliminating. But that is not necessarily the fault of Lynx. More likely the crappy wiring of my house.
If you go with the Lynx analog outputs, you might want to consider isolating the signal with a transformer. The Jensen ISO-MAX is a good choice here.After all, the S/PDIF outputs on good cards are transformer-coupled. You can do the same thing with the analog out from the dirty-powered, RFI-contaminated computer box.
I suggested to you earlier that external dacs are the way to go; much better because of the constraints (power supplu, high freq noise and components) in a sound card. Most (all I have seen) use cheap pro quality opamps. Buy a Universal Audio 2192 and you have a superb dac that will do almost anything, plus a top notch adc for digitising your records.Consider an outboard Tact and that does Room Correction with superior results. Some of the software Room Correction software I have seen is just messy, and bear in mind that the microphone is very important.
Your reasons for going with an external DAC are identical to my reasons for also going with external digital output. :)
I'm diligently doing my "due diligence" and reading - nor sure I retain it all, plus it starts to blur a bit _grin_Your point about the op-amps in the sound cards was apparently in there somewhere and part of what prompted this thread.
triamping - Three high quality external DACs will run the cost up, plus I still have to do the crossover function
At that point, I would be better going with one DEQX - in cost, size, complexity - plus has off the shelf software for crossover, uses Burr Brown DACs and has DRC -
Which is why I'm sorting it all out, with everybody's help _grin_
Have you looked at the Lynx Auora 8 or the Apogee dacs?
Nope, going to look them over now -appreciate the post.
Regards
Ken
I am interested to hear what others say about the DACS on the LynxTwo B. The idea of having six channels of high quality sound is tempting. I currently have an M-Audio 2496 and an M-Audio 410 (internal pci). The sound quality of the M-Audio DACs are not nearly as good as sending a digital signal out to my external Audio Aero Prima SE DAC/preamp (but it has a tube output stage). The M-Audio DACs sound strident in comparison.On the other hand, I have a Marchand XM9 active crossover. While the Marchand will drive anything, I think it does enough damage to the sound where I don't want to use it in the system. In comparison, the software based foobar crossover plugin does no damage that I can hear.
I would love to get my hands on a Lynx for a comparison to the Audio Aero, but at $900 it is a bit of a scary risk.
Alan
As for the quality of the Lynx 2b, I can say that I like it better than the DAC it replaced...the $300 or more expensive Birdland Odeon AG.Nothing against the Birdland, it upsamples to 24/192, and have a variable out. I liked the sound of it, and would have no problem recommending someone with that budget give it a listen. I still use it for headphone listening, but it doesn't compare with the Lynx. The Lynx is just another league.
Also, I definately think the ability to tri amp with digital crossovers for less money than the Birdland is a huge selling point for the 2b. It definately gets my system to another level. Before that, I had a Dynaco CDV-2 tubed cdp that I liked, but it never had the resolution of the Lynx PC based system.
Personally, I think there is a bigger difference in doing away cleanly with the passive crossover versus the difference between similiarly priced DACs.
Now, if you can afford 3 dacs of good quality, or are using digital amps, then something like a Lynx AES 16 may be the ticket. But I don't think 3 $300 dacs will sound as good...given that the $1200 dac I have doesn't.
Tubes tubes tubes. THis is the only challenge I see with the Lynx 2b/ crossover approach. If you want them, then it really means you HAVE to use tube amps. May not be an issue for you at all, but, for me and my Maggies, it does limit amp choices if I want to go tubes.
Thanks for the Marchand info. I was seriously thinking of getting one of their tubed units, but decided not to since the computer could do the job better.
I am sure there are places that will allow you to get your money back if you don't dig it. I would be surprised if you didn't dig it.
Never ordered from them, but they do seem to offer a complete refund, and are somewhat close to you I think.
I have just enough budget to do what it will take for high resolution digital x-over.However, I don’t have the budget to buy one that doesn’t get the job done, sell at a considerable loss, buy another, etc. and so on and then at the end of the road find that the DACs aren’t up to snuff and equal to the quality of the Burr Brown DACs in the DEQX.
If that’s the case, I would be $250 better off to buy the Lynx L22 and just use the PC as a transport and do digital out to a DEQX.
The DEQX is a little bit of a stretch for me, but is doable.
However, I don’t have the bucks, not to mention the time, energy and inclination to go down a path of trying this, that and the other.
T,Here is a post you may find interesting.
In Reply to: what about the DACs on the sound cards? posted by Triodeuser on October 15, 2006 at 17:24:20:
I saw that earlier -
He sent me some links.He has a beautifully done system.
Truly impressive.
To be sure of the differences in DACs he would need to complete his system and do some A/B with them -
Maybe all of that seems a little overwhelming at the moment _grin_
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