russelk;240026 Wrote: > I disagree with the statement that the speaekers will contribute about > 95% of the system character. During my last upgrade I kept my speakers > (Quad 12L) but replaced the source and amplification (Linn > Creek) - > the change in sound was staggering. Speaking for myself at least, the > speakers did not contribute anywhere near 95% of the sonic character of > my system. > > I have stated in a previous post that I don't think much of the SB3's > analog output - I don't know if it's the DAC that's the limiting > factor, or the supporting components. The bottom line is that it's > bettered quite easily by a mid-range cd player. Of course one must take > into account that the SB3 does cost a great deal less than a mid-range > cd player, so it's unfair to expect that kind of performance. > > cgull, I would definitely recommend that you try an external DAC. I > know exactly what you mean when you say the SB3 sounds dull and flat. > Unfortunately I am not familiar with the DACs that you have listed. I'm > using a cheap moodlabs Concept DAC at the moment, and I'm not really > satisfied with the performance gains. Yes it does sound better than the > SB3's analog out, but not by a great margin. I'm going to be auditioning > a Benchmark DAC1 in a few months - it is quite expensive but I'm hoping > the gains will be worthwhile.
If your 12Ls are anything like my 11Ls, they are very revealing of anything upstream of them. So like you, I was able to immediately discern the improvement an upgraded DAC made to my Squeezebox. On that point: cgull, if you're looking at the Zhalous, take a gander at the Musiland DACs like the MD10. I bought mine from Pacfic Valve and Electric. I'm using the aforementioned Behringer SRC 2496 to upsample the stream to the MD-10 and running it at 88zHz / 24 bit. All told, the whole combo' set me back about $430 and I've been a very happy camper. Just got back from visting my brother who has a purebred Linn Ikemi and I much prefer my humble German / Chinese mutt. To russellk's point, the Benchmark has been consistently described as "bright" in the many reviews and shootouts I have read. A less pejorative term would be "analytical." Not my cup o' tea, but if that's what you're after, there are usually several for sale at any given time on Audiogon (used) for $700 -$800. -- Videodrome Two-channel System: SB3 -> Behringer SRC2496 -> Musiland MD-10 DAC; Outlaw 970 Pre/Pro; McCormack DNA-125 amplifier; Quad 11L speakers; Sota Sapphire ttbl. w/ Grado Ref. Platinum Cartridge -> Rolls Bellari VP-129 tube phono stage; Marantz 10b; Nakamichi RX505; Cables Used: DH Labs, Van den Hul, Distech, Monster, many more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Videodrome's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=11727 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39892 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
