My experience - the DAC in the SB3 is not bad. I think it's probably fair to compare it to a $500 or so CD player.
When I first got the SB3, I erroneously bought a toslink cable which had a 'mini-toslink' connector on one end. As such, I was forced to go a couple of days using the analog output of the SB3 into my preamp/processor (Linn Unidisk SC). The sound quality was actually not too bad - it was free of digital 'edge' and had a coherent presentation across all frequencies (not goosed up in the treble or bass). Certainly, if you have a CD player which is more than 5-6 years old, I'd bet the SB3 sounds better. When I got the 'right' toslink cable, and let the Unidisk do the DAC, there was an improvement in sound quality. The music became more dynamic with a percieved extension in both frequency extremes. At the same time, there was more detail and the soundstage gained a sense of depth. So, in summary, the analog output of the SB3 is certainly competent, but if you have the opportunity to use a good outboard DAC (which will inevitably cost quite a bit more than the SB3) then you will get a worthwhile improvement in sound quality... or, I suspect you could use a Transporter instead. -- jbc ------------------------------------------------------------------------ jbc's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=11473 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=35642 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
