Your advice please on an ALL digital system

[beammeup]

I was looking at the recent all digital NAD D-7050.

On paper it looks "ideal", and it's endowed with lots of facilities (Music Streaming, aptX Bluetooth, AirPlay, etc).

If you are running a digital only system, it seems logical does it not to keep digital all the way through the chain right the way up to the loudspeaker terminals if possible - and that's what this all-in-one unit does.

Reading the blurb... 'The uncompromising performance of the D 7050 is made possible, in a large part, by the elimination of noisy and resonant analog circuits that can obscure musical detail and soften musical transients' - seems logically correct to me!

...'Direct Digital means there are no noise and distortion producing analog circuits in the D 7050; your music remains digital right up to the speaker outputs' - also seems very logical.

It would seems this purist approach by eliminating analog distortion (because there is no analog) is the way to go (on paper anyway) if you play only digital based music.

Does anyone see any disadvantages with this concept (apart from you don't get an appealing collection of boxes anymore for pride of ownership)?

http://nadelectronics.com/products/digital-music/D-7050-Direct-Digital-Network-Amplifier

 

[darrenyeats]

It doesn't really fit with active loudspeakers?

 

[beammeup]

It just "seems" ideal - no interconnects, no DAC, no specialised preamp (i.e. no need for lightspeed types, no passive), no valves, no nothing that can deteriorate the signal in the path of the digital music - just the transition from digital to analog at the extreme edge of the box just as the signal passes to the loudspeakers.

 

[Cereal Killer]

DAC/pre. Analog active speaker. Have a click on my Sig. Simple system. No difference.

 

[TimF]

Cereal, have always loved your system, simple and clean. Would love to hear it. Off subject, where-or who makes your coffee table? Thanks, Tim

 

[Cereal Killer]

Cheers Tim, table was a present from my brother. IIRC its from IKEA.

 

[TimF]

Wow, wouldn't have even thought to look at IKEA for it. The wife and I think it looks great, and your whole room there! Nice indeed! Thanks, Tim

 

[Cereal Killer]

Thankyou both

 

[Mr Perceptive]

Cough "Meridian" Cough - The signal remains digital right up to the loudspeaker itself rather than the speaker outputs on the amplifier.

There are other active speakers as well with digital inputs.

 

[Purité Audio]

Yes or Genelec digital range where the A/D and D/A are built into the speakers, and active room correction just add source.
Keith.

 

[demotivated]

It's just a 50 watt stereo amp and a bit more stuff. So what? If you want something that falls over when you turn the knob, go for it.

 

[337alant]

Its a UPnP streamer with a built in Dac and Digital Gain.
It has a 50W into 4 Ohms (25W-8ohms) Analog amplifier with traditional anolog out speaker terminals Note these are not Digital
Looking at the back panel I dont see any digital outputs? only a pair of analog line level phono outs which could drive active speakers.

Alan

 

[Rodney gold]

My system is fully digital , Meridian DSP6000 Digital active speakers , Squeezebox source and a Dspeaker antimode 2.0 Room correction unit , simple , infinitely tuneable and sounds superb.