daws0n
05-12-2013, 14:17
I recently bought an Exposure 2010s2 dac to compliment my 23/28 pre power amps.
Sounding great, but I only ever use 1 input on the pre (for the dac) - the rest of my kit hooks up via toslink. Bit of a waste really and since the 2010s2 offers digital attenuation, I figured id try running it directly to the power amp.
Minimal digital attentuation is necessary to acheive a comfortable volume and the discrete output stage is of good quality. It also features variable voltage so if it is not loud enough at "-1" you can increase the volume further up to "+20" which I presume is when voltage increase takes place maxing out at 4.5v. So, plenty of volume on tap for my listening room and some kind of active circuitry to boost things further.
Id have thought that a shorter signal path and smaller box count would result in a cleaner sound but im not sure what to think of it... The sound is noticeabley different-punchier and brighter, but it seems to lack a certain drive/weight.
I am not sure if this new sound signature is due to the lack of colouration that the pre introduces or whether the power amp is just happier being driven by its natural partner (23 pre)??
Ive read a few comments regarding preamp dacs vs dedicated active pres and people tend to agree that dac pres are rarely as good as a decent standalone box. What do you guys reckon?
Sounding great, but I only ever use 1 input on the pre (for the dac) - the rest of my kit hooks up via toslink. Bit of a waste really and since the 2010s2 offers digital attenuation, I figured id try running it directly to the power amp.
Minimal digital attentuation is necessary to acheive a comfortable volume and the discrete output stage is of good quality. It also features variable voltage so if it is not loud enough at "-1" you can increase the volume further up to "+20" which I presume is when voltage increase takes place maxing out at 4.5v. So, plenty of volume on tap for my listening room and some kind of active circuitry to boost things further.
Id have thought that a shorter signal path and smaller box count would result in a cleaner sound but im not sure what to think of it... The sound is noticeabley different-punchier and brighter, but it seems to lack a certain drive/weight.
I am not sure if this new sound signature is due to the lack of colouration that the pre introduces or whether the power amp is just happier being driven by its natural partner (23 pre)??
Ive read a few comments regarding preamp dacs vs dedicated active pres and people tend to agree that dac pres are rarely as good as a decent standalone box. What do you guys reckon?