Stan's New Dac - any reviews yet?

Kalozois

This USB box will give you give to an optical out for connection to a 7510 - it is a DAC as well and will probably be as good as the output from a Mac - line out and headphone out.

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/f...roduct_id/8522

You must use the ASIO or WASAPI (for Vista) drivers to tame Windows.

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I use a Squeezebox - it too bypasses the Windows sampling rate issues.

I have my FLAC files on the study PC and stream to the Squeezebox, which feeds the Standac - that beats the Squeezebox internal DAC by a big margin.

The Squeezbox is also good for Internet Radio.

See

http://forums.slimdevices.com/

https://www.ripcaster.co.uk/

http://www.cooltopia.com/product.php/6/30 << Cheapest UK price £130

The Cyprus Logitech agents are in Strovolos, but their website does not show the Squeezebox

http://logitechcyprus.com/

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Originally Posted by Labarum

The difficult area remains domestically acceptable loudspeakers.

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This is, of course, dependent upon the working definition of "domestically acceptable," :), but speakers have always been, and will always be the most difficult area and the one that makes the most difference.

Tim

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Originally Posted by tfarney

This is, of course, dependent upon the working definition of "domestically acceptable," :), but speakers have always been, and will always be the most difficult area and the one that makes the most difference.

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Agreed.

Music industry monitors will integrate into many modern interiors, subject to the whole household's agreement! They will not sit well in the traditional English cottage, or the 18th century drawing room!

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Originally Posted by tfarney

This is, of course, dependent upon the working definition of "domestically acceptable," :), but speakers have always been, and will always be the most difficult area and the one that makes the most difference.

Tim

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That's a turn around for me! I was led to believe many years ago the source of the audio was most critical and makes the most difference because it tends to be the most expensive part of the sound system and therefore harder to achieve - and that the speakers were the least of the factors in the sound system. Pehaps I 've got it all wrong?:scratch:

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Originally Posted by kalozois100

That's a turn around for me! I was led to believe many years ago the source of the audio was most critical and makes the most difference because it tends to be the most expensive part of the sound system and therefore harder to achieve - and that the speakers were the least of the factors in the sound system. Pehaps I 've got it all wrong?:scratch:

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That was the current view when the Linn Sondek swept onto the scene. Rubbish in, rubbish out was the theory. Since then digital sources and amplification have improved very considerably.

I was never totally sold on the cash at the front idea - it is expensive to move air, and that's what loudspeakers do. Or look at it another way - the transducer is where the expensive mechanical engineering is needed. In the analogue chain you have four - microphone, cutting lathe, turmtable/arm/cartridge and loudspeaker. (Six if you count tape transport with record and replay heads.)

In the digital chain you have two - microphone and loudspeaker. Put you cash into the only mechanical transducer in the replay chain - the loudspeaker. The rest is dirt cheap (cheap as chips) - or ought to be.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Labarum

That was the current view when the Linn Sondek swept onto the scene. Rubbish in, rubbish out was the theory. Since then digital sources and amplification have improved very considerably.

I was never totally sold on the cash at the front idea - it is expensive to move air, and that's what loudspeakers do. Or look at it another way - the transducer is where the expensive mechanical engineering is needed. In the analogue chain you have four - microphone, cutting lathe, turmtable/arm/cartridge and loudspeaker. (Six if you count tape transport with record and replay heads.)

In the digital chain you have two - microphone and loudspeaker. Put you cash into the only mechanical transducer in the replay chain - the loudspeaker. The rest is dirt cheap (cheap as chips) - or ought to be.

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Ah yes, Brian, but only if the digital to analog conversion is done correctly. Then, with the musical signal in microvolts, one needs to amplify it dramatically without losing musical information, and drive the transducers in the speakers that are moving the air without losing control of them as impedience swings dramatically.

I have recently heard dirt cheap speakers sound terrific when used with great source, DAC, and ampilication equipment. Example- my iMac ALAC music files to AirTunes, to Apple Airport Express, toslink optical to Linn AV 5103 (onboard Numerik DAC), to AVI V2 amplifier, to Sony $159 tower speakers.

I think every step of the signal chain is equally important.

Kurt

Hello mates,

BTW: my office system will get 7520 that Stan ships to me Monday. It is...

Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo USB or toslink optical ALAC music files, Pandora or higher bitrate Internet radio, to Stan 7520 to Audio Refinement Complete integrated amp to bi-wired Linn Kan II speakers.

I'm using the Zero DAC via toslink now.

Any predictions on whether usb or optical into the 7520 will sound better in my system?

Cheers,

Kurt

Hi Brian,
Interesting comments. I have a friend at work and he said that if he wants to listen to music he puts on a record but if he wants to listen to noise he puts on the cd. Well, I have to admit that before I got Stan's dac I had the same predijicial point of view . Yet he buys cds' which what I have done over the years. Had to really since alot of material was only released on cd.now i feel I have the chance to listen to them properly. Anyway I'm gonna let the tc-7510 settle down after the mods and invite him around for a listen. I'm sure I'll make a believer out him in the end.
In the mod 21 for the 6/3 I put some cheap capacitors in but have since ordered black gates pk series from abroad and hope to get even better audio from the Tc-7510 when they are fitted. :)

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Originally Posted by kbuech

Ah yes, Brian, but only if the digital to analog conversion is done correctly . . .

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Always a question of balance. It ought to be possible to take for granted that the electronics would be competently executed. All components (resistors, capacitors and semiconductors) are manufactured to a reasonably high standard these days, and the premium components are not that much more. There is no excuse for expensive electronics, still less for bad design.

Yes, I too have heard remarkable sounds from plastic speakers gripped by good amplification, but the law of diminishing returns necessarily cuts in higher with mechanical transducers.

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Originally Posted by kalozois100

That's a turn around for me! I was led to believe many years ago the source of the audio was most critical and makes the most difference because it tends to be the most expensive part of the sound system and therefore harder to achieve - and that the speakers were the least of the factors in the sound system. Pehaps I 've got it all wrong?:scratch:

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As philosophy, garbage in/garbage out sounds great. I just don't think it works that way in practice. To my ears, at least, the differences between DACs, even in radically different price ranges, are subtle nuances compared to the obvious differences between speakers, often even speakers of very similar design.

Tim