New Audiolab DAC...?

[sq225917]

Lots of bad advice here from peeps who haven't owned any of the kit or bothered to read the spec sheets. The DQ uses a lower quality output stage than the Mdac which uses the Cross output stage. The CDQ uses a lower quality psu arrangement with lower spec parts than the Mdac, they had issues with the Original transformer vendor for the CDQ and subsequently offered the new transformer and OLED display as an upgrade to owners of the CDQ. If you need analogue throughput today then the CDQ is the best option. If you can wait for John to make the Mdac PSU with analogue throughput option then that would be the highest quality option in the long run. You might be waiting six month for that tO materialise though.

The mdac is the best specced and most current design out of the three. Which you prefer, of you can tell them apart at all is another matter entirely.

[technobear]

Yes Simon, but the point is will the superiority of the MDAC (which is not huge - how could it be at this quality level?) survive passage through the 8000Q.

I use my CDQ in analogue pre-amp mode most of the time as the difference is not huge between analogue and digital. The Westlake pre-amp section is very good.

[WAD62]

Lots of bad advice here from peeps who haven't owned any of the kit or bothered to read the spec sheets. The DQ uses a lower quality output stage than the Mdac which uses the Cross output stage. The CDQ uses a lower quality psu arrangement with lower spec parts than the Mdac, they had issues with the Original transformer vendor for the CDQ and subsequently offered the new transformer and OLED display as an upgrade to owners of the CDQ. If you need analogue throughput today then the CDQ is the best option. If you can wait for John to make the Mdac PSU with analogue throughput option then that would be the highest quality option in the long run. You might be waiting six month for that tO materialise though.

The mdac is the best specced and most current design out of the three. Which you prefer, of you can tell them apart at all is another matter entirely.

Cheers for the info Simon...

I've seen a couple of references to the mythical Q-Dac but not much information. Do you have any more info on specs? Will there be multiple analogue inputs?

It seems odd that they'd bring out 2 products competing in the same space, I.E. the Q-Dac and DQ would be functionally identical, if not physically, or sonically.

Given that my initial driver was to upgrade my DAC, and not specifically my pre-amp, I might have to ponder on this one...

As stated earlier, time for a listen, cheers for the input chaps

[roob]

Please be aware that JW no longer works for Audiolab so future M Dac upgrades will be via his own company based in the Czech Republic.

[WAD62]

Please be aware that JW no longer works for Audiolab so future M Dac upgrades will be via his own company based in the Czech Republic.

...mmmm doesn't that imply that the Q-Dac will not see the light of day, well not under an Audiolab banner anyway

[WAD62]

Yes Simon, but the point is will the superiority of the MDAC (which is not huge - how could it be at this quality level?) survive passage through the 8000Q.

I use my CDQ in analogue pre-amp mode most of the time as the difference is not huge between analogue and digital. The Westlake pre-amp section is very good.

Chris, that was kind of my thought process too, the benefits gained from bypassing my 8000 Q, might outweigh the differences between the M-Dac and the DQ Dac portion, as you say they share a lot of components and can't be that far apart.

My assumption is that your CDQ is the DQ with a CD drive, can you set the amplifier mode (digital or analogue) per input channel, or is set for all channels at any given time...?

[roob]

...mmmm doesn't that imply that the Q-Dac will not see the light of day, well not under an Audiolab banner anyway

Thats how I see it, JW described his time with IAG as a nightmare but I expect him to produce a power supply for it and he is working on a budget dac that he thinks will surpass the performance of the M-Dac.

[realysm42]

He doesn't think it will, he said it might. Really, you should go speak to him on that forum if you want anything more Chinese whispers about it.

[technobear]

My assumption is that your CDQ is the DQ with a CD drive, can you set the amplifier mode (digital or analogue) per input channel, or is set for all channels at any given time...?

The digital pre-amp is only available when using a digital input (or CD). If you select an analogue input then the analogue pre-amp is selected automatically. It reverts to digital mode when you select a digital input.

On the other hand if you select analogue pre-amp mode then every thing goes through the analogue pre-amp.

There are reasons why you might want to do this. If you have a very powerful power amp and/or very sensitive speakers, you may be able to hear the noise floor of the digital pre-amp when the signal is digitally attenuated. The noise floor is not attenuated. A small number of people have had this problem.

In analogue mode, the signal passes through a digitally controlled analogue stepped attenuator. When the signal is reduced in this manner, the noise floor is reduced too.

I think the analogue pre-amp is very good. Differences between analogue and digital are small enough not to care in my case.

[WAD62]

The digital pre-amp is only available when using a digital input (or CD). If you select an analogue input then the analogue pre-amp is selected automatically. It reverts to digital mode when you select a digital input.

On the other hand if you select analogue pre-amp mode then every thing goes through the analogue pre-amp.

There are reasons why you might want to do this. If you have a very powerful power amp and/or very sensitive speakers, you may be able to hear the noise floor of the digital pre-amp when the signal is digitally attenuated. The noise floor is not attenuated. A small number of people have had this problem.

In analogue mode, the signal passes through a digitally controlled analogue stepped attenuator. When the signal is reduced in this manner, the noise floor is reduced too.

I think the analogue pre-amp is very good. Differences between analogue and digital are small enough not to care in my case.

Cheers Chris, sounds just what I want...digital from my SB/CD, and analogue for my TT and AV L,R & C...

The more I think about it the DQ is looking the way to go, but I'll have a demo anyway