Originally Posted By: JohnK
Luc, first a point of terminology: the DAC in your Yamaha is just as "dedicated" in doing digital to analog conversion as is a separate DAC. The separate one may or may not measure slightly better, but DACs in quality equipment such as your Yamaha already are doing the job with audible precision and no audible benefits are to be found in buying a separate unit.

As to the amplification, since you already have enough for the loudness you need, there's nothing to be gained from buying still more which won't be used. There's no magic to be found in putting the amplification process in more boxes when it's already being done in an audibly transparent manner.


Thanks for your input. When I said dedicated DAC, I was not refering to the chip but more to the external DAC component. I was precisely looking at the XDA2.

I did some testing with my high end sound card the other day:

PC -> digital toslink -> yamaha
PC -> analog -> upa-2 (power amp)

and didn't hear any difference at moderate-high volume. It did test two different DAC circuitry and two different amplification sources without any real benefits.
I would have not been able to identify them in an ABX test.

The origin of my investigation was fueled by forum posts where most of the 'stereo heads' are disgusted with any form of music playing through an AVR.

I never own an external DAC component and I can't judge if they're worth anything.

Last edited by LucRaymond; 01/08/13 10:29 AM.