Once More - High Praise for the DAC in the SGCD/Preamp

Audio Components DACs
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While I’m still waiting for next year to purchase a used DSD Sr. (thank you to the members who have offered up theirs at a great price…but financially, it’s next year once I have the Stack paid off).

Tonight I was playing Ella & Louis and it sounded like crap. Well, when I switched from TV Audio to my Sony Streamer, I forgot to change the SGCD remote to coax and was listening to the Analog 1 input for half the album. Especially the muted trumpet was making my ears bleed. Then I took my eyes off of my laptop and saw that the SGCD was not displaying the sample rate. Once I switched to Coax, all was good in the world again.

I know that the built in DAC of both my Sony STR-DN1080 & UBP-X1000ES don’t do PCM very well and tonight, that proved itself. However, DSD playback whether in 5.1 via the AVR’s true DSD DAC (2.8Mhz only) or the X1000’s dedicated DAC analog out (which play true DSD up to 11.2MHz, 2.0 channel) sounds really good…

So yes, just like Cartridges/Preamp combo’s in the Analog world, your choice of DAC’s and the Preamps that they feed matter. And you don’t need to be a “Golden Ear” to figure that one out !

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I agree with your observations. I had a SGCD for 6 months. I was very, very happy with the sound quality whether using ROON or PWT transport.

Then, suffering upgrade fever, I added a used DSDAC Sr. I do believe that the addition of the DSDAC improved my sonic experience but I really liked my SGCD.

I recommend that you trial the DSD Sr, if you can, before buying. You need to hear for yourself.

Just Reporting,
Chas

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One of the members of our Phoenix area A/V Club has one. Maybe I can ask him to try it in my system in our Apartment before I pull the Trigger next year. So far with PS Audio, the in home trial hasn’t worked out well for me…I keep everything I’ve trialed at home :joy:

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