Phil Leigh;518901 Wrote: > I do - but I can understand others that hear little/no difference. There > are too many variables to say why that might be the case.
Everybody has made some fine points, as Phil has pointed out - the variables could and can go on forever. Main Point: Listening Pleasure IE Music is in the ear of the beholder. As my system (in my opinion) has improved over the years, the quality of the recording in the grand scheme of things has escalated in its matter of importance. I believe this is due to the system being more accurate and revealing as it becomes a better system for playback. So to external DAC or not to DAC for me comes down to two main items. First being whether ones system will really be able to gain from paying for a DAC expensive enough to be able to enjoy/hear the improvement. Don't misunderstand or read to much into what I am saying as I do agree that adding almost any external DAC that is actually better then the DAC Circuit of ones current Squeezebox will improve things, the question falls back to will ones current equipment be able to present the improvement that we all know should be there? Second, if ones equipment can benefit and actually present the improvement from an external DAC, is it pleasant and the improvement/quality/sound one is looking for and enjoys listening to? Every DAC as a sound or color just as an all tube gear system sounds different then an all solid state system with the same speakers, cables, and source. So for me to answer the OP, it depends first if its worth buying an external DAC due to the level of ones equipment and two is the DAC that is chosen have the sound one prefers to listen to. Even if a DAC is judged by everybody to be the worlds best DAC (the DAC all DACs are judged by) if it doesn't have/produce the sound one prefers, then it isn't worth the price of what the parts sell for at scrap to the listener. If one has $500 speakers and a $250 Receiver, I say an SB3 is perfect don't waste your money on any DAC. If one has $10000 speakers and $5000 amp and doesn't have a Transporter, I say its time to look at a nice DAC if one wants/needs to improve the sound of ones FLAC library or buy a Transporter and more the other Squeezebox to a smaller system (of course assuming that a NMP is going to become ones main source component). -- iPhone *iPhone* Media Room: Transporter, VTL TL-6.5 Signature Pre-Amp, Ayre MX-R Mono's, VeraStarr 6.4SE 6-channel Amp, Vandersteen Speakers: Quatro Mains, VCC-5 Reference Center, four VSM-1 Signatures, Video: Runco RS 900 CineWide AutoScope 2.35:1 Living Room: Duet, ADCOM GTP-870HD, Cinepro 3K6SE III Gold, Vandersteen Model 3A Signature, Two 2Wq subs, VCC-2, Two VSM-1 Kitchen: Squeezebox BOOM Bedroom: Second Boom Bathroom: Squeezebox Radio Ford Thunderbird: Duet, Mac Mini Ford Expedition: SB Touch, USB drive ------------------------------------------------------------------------ iPhone's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13622 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=75447 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
