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Digital Source poll

What's the Best Source for a DAC?

  • Sonos

    Votes: 1 0.8%

  • SBT

    Votes: 13 10.4%

  • Mac mini

    Votes: 14 11.2%

  • PC (audio spec'ed)

    Votes: 15 12.0%

  • PC/Laptop (standard)

    Votes: 10 8.0%

  • CD Player

    Votes: 21 16.8%

  • SACD/DVD/Blu-Ray player

    Votes: 3 2.4%

  • Linn/Naim/other HiFi branded

    Votes: 18 14.4%

  • All the same (bits blah, blah, blah)

    Votes: 30 24.0%
  • Total voters
    125
  • Poll closed .
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Whaleblue

Whaleblue

Southbound
Well, if it's poll time here's mine.

Which source have you found the best for digital music?

Options I can think of:

Sonos
SBT
Mac Mini
PC (Custom quiet type)
PC (Any old)
It doesn't matter (bits is blah blah blah...)

This is of course driven partly for the bake-off and if I find a separate DAC worth acquiring for my own interest.

Any other options worth adding before I turn the thread into a poll?
 
As long as bit perfect data is delivered to a properly designed and implemented dac, it really doesn't matter.
Keith.
 
Well, Keith, you would say that! :)

Out of interest, do you know the specs of the Sonos well enough to have an opinion on whether it conforms to "bit perfect delivery"?
 
I think with a DAC that is relatively immune from jitter type of effects, e.g. Naim DAC, MDAC etc, then the source of the bits is largely irrelevant, and other factors have greater influence. I rejected the Mac Mini in favour of a Linn DS, but I now think it was the PSU interfering rather than any losses in the delivery itself. I now use SBT as it sounds fine, is easy to use, and I can run it from a battery supply which means I don't have any SMSPU anywhere near to my system.
 
Add LinnDS and Naim streamers to the poll, as they are the "state of the art" - whatever that is...

I really think ease of use is now a more important differentiator, my shirt has never been less hairy.
 
I don't own any of the above. I have an old Mac G5 but I don't use it for music as such. I have a CDP in both systems and that's as far as digi goes for me.
 
Two different conversations entirely to be had: USB or SPDIF?

If SPDIF or AES/EBU, the Aurender is up there with the best of the best. Having said that, some of the top Esoteric transports from the heyday of CD - and some of the clock-upgraded TEAC models around - are very clean-sounding. You can attach one of these to any DAC and they will make a bigger difference than doubling or trebling the price of the converter. You can upgrade a Sonos with a similar clock and power supply and turn it into a very fine source.

If USB, we're largely asking: 'how good is the DAC's USB implementation?’ Which is why there's no level playing field on which to make a comparison. And unless you're very careful to isolate the DAC from any time-domain or power influence, the USB transport (computer) will quickly make its presence felt. Anyone who's heard a properly optimised computer will tell you the computer is part of the equation with almost all DACs. If you want to polish the last 10-20% of grunge out the system, it's essential not to skimp on the PC.

Mac or PC isn't the issue: the big question is how is it powered. It's not possible to power a motherboard cleanly with a single-input supply: if you see a 'music server' with only a single-rail input, don't be duped: it's half-specified. Therefore, Windows or Linux on an ATX-powered board with a three-rail linear is (unfortunately) preferable to any species of Apple.

If USB isn't your DAC's forté, combining a tidy computer with an SPDIF converter from the top drawer (Audiophilleo, SoTM, Sonicweld, Empirical) is surprisingly comparable to the better SPDIF transports mentioned above - or the dedicated streamers from Naim, Linn, Weiss, etc. Just much cheaper.
 
The best option is not listed - a dedicated transport!

The other challenge is voting on a poll like this one lies in the DAC to be used - not all DACs are equal.

The source and DAC should, ideally, be selected as a pairing.

Also, SACD digital feed is carried out using a DSD data-stream and there are very few DACs designed to accept a DSD data feed - those that are incredibly expensive and their cost would tend to exclude them from consideration by >95% of buyers.

Blu-Ray Audio is new and likely to be buried in digital rights management controls.

DVD Audio has all but died, so the only real option for a source+DAC combination that uses physical optical disk media is likely to be Red Book CD.

For downloaded media files, there are a number of options in the source arena - but I know little to nothing about those...
 
My source isn't one of the options in the poll. I have a NAS drive connected directly to my DAC via USB. It's a very cheap option, delivers a bit-perfect stream, and has decent streaming software, though not quite as slick as Sonos.
 
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