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DAC as preamp

wintoid

pfm Member
I'm considering setting up another room for music, and due to left-over components available, might have a power amp I can use and a Raspberry Pi, but no preamp.

I was idly musing about buying a DAC for this system that would handle preamp duties also. I believe the RME ADI-2 FS can do this, and also the Matrix Mini I Pro 3, and the Topping D90. Any others at a similar price point?

I'd be really interested to hear from anyone who does this. In particular, my concern is that if for some reason the digital gubbins decides to go for max volume, I could get a terrible shock (unlikely with an analogue potentiometer). Also, presumably the attenuation is occurring in the digital domain, so are you sacrificing quality at lower volumes?

Anyway, definitely interested to hear any real world experience.
 
The RME is a tremendous device, there is a Mk1 version with a simpler remote and slightly different internals, you might get a deal on one. I ran one with a Quad QSP for a while with great results. You can set a safe max volume, it’s a pretty complex unit with more features than most sub £1K Pre/DACs, even the psu cable locks into the chassis, it works just fine out of the box so you can take your time learning all the menu options.

I wasn’t convinced by the D90 as a Pre/DAC, as a DAC it is seriously good, I also prefer a physical volume dial. The SONCOZ SG1 is great value but feels a bit cheap and the UX wasn’t very pleasing so I sold it fairly quickly, it does have a proper volume dial. Plenty of other choices around and I am sure you’ll get much more advice/opinion shortly - by all accounts DACs from SMSL and Gustard would be worth looking into. Bit of an oldie but goodie - used DacMagic Plus, if it has the features you need they come up on eBay cheapish.
 
I use a Cambridge audio streammagic 6 as a pre and have no issues with sound degradation or software errors.
I recently added a Khozmo passive pre so I could add more analogue inputs and it is completely transparent.
 
Most, if not all, of the new Chinese DACs have a single common earth and are designed for just this task. My Smsl SU-8 is for sale in the classifieds and will do this job perfectly, as will a Gustard X-16. However I could not hear any difference between the 2 dacs.

None of them have analogue inputs, for that you'll need the Benchmark DAC
 
Most, if not all, of the new Chinese DACs have a single common earth and are designed for just this task. My Smsl SU-8 is for sale in the classifieds and will do this job perfectly, as will a Gustard X-16. However I could not hear any difference between the 2 dacs.

None of them have analogue inputs, for that you'll need the Benchmark DAC
Yeah they are missing a trick for folk wanting to run a TT, a cheap Pre/DAC with a single analogue in would fill a gap, not looked hard maybe there are some out there already. I know Topping have a matching Pre for the D90, dunno how much.
 
For a little while I was running an Apple iMac via USB into iFi Zen DAC (w/iFi iPower) straight into a Naim NAP 140 power amp w/ProAc Tablette 10 loudspeakers. To be honest it was quite good and very simple. Maybe even easier if the amp doesn't need special cabling.
 
Thanks for the comments, lots of useful stuff here, especially the safe max volume on the RME. Seeing the JDS labs passive preamp reminded me that I do have a Tisbury floating around in a drawer somewhere, so I could potentially go that way too. A friend is offering me a Quad 306 (and incidentally he has had my Audiolab MDAC on very long term loan, but I ended up tired of it).

Any reason (impedance?) a Tisbury wouldn't work well with a Quad 306?

Even so, I'm really thinking about the RME now. For PC/Mac stuff, I have RME (Hammerfall 9632 bought about 20 years ago, and a Babyface Pro FS), so I've always thought they were a good make.
 
I have a couple of dacs with a volume control..a jolida dac and a beresford dac..if it were me? I would go for a quad cdp2 as its a excellent digital pre amp and a splendid cd player! Or use a schiiit sys as a passive pre amp..such a good pre amp for so little money .
 
I’m not familiar with the components mentioned to figure out the price point so bear that in mind…. The Chord Hugo TT2 can act as a pre-amp and also as a power amp within the limitations of the speakers being used. I use mine in this way in the system in my home office (low volume for long periods) and the sound quality is excellent.
 
I’m not familiar with the components mentioned to figure out the price point so bear that in mind…. The Chord Hugo TT2 can act as a pre-amp and also as a power amp within the limitations of the speakers being used. I use mine in this way in the system in my home office (low volume for long periods) and the sound quality is excellent.
Considerably less than the TT2. £2-800 ish. You’d need special speaker cables made up to use the TT2 into speakers?
 
I’ve used my Weiss DAC as a pre-amp for some time now and although it is supposed to have a brilliantly implemented volume control, I’d definitely try a passive preamp if you can. As I am using a cheap one currently and it sounds great.
 
At the end of the day it is much about gain matching.
My SMSL M400 has peak performance at full output 5.2V ( a full 2 dB better than at 4.0V output)
The Topping Pre 90 has peak performance at 4 to 8 Volt input.
Feeding my Benchmark AHB2 amp in low gain mode at 9.2 dB.

Sorted, though I have a Gustard X16 arriving this week, because, well you never know.
 
I use a Mytek Manhattan II as a pre amp and dac. It has an analog and a digital volume that can be used. It also has analog inputs which I use for my surround system.
 
I've used an Mdac for a long time, happily to begin with as a preamp. As part of a side project whose purpose I no longer remember, I ran the DAC at full output with a passive resistive potentiometer following. I was really surprised at how much the DAC's digital attenuator had been compressing dynamics. I replaced the resistive attenuator with an even better sounding stepped attenuator but never went back to using the mdac as preamp.
 


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