About to pull the trigger on one of these for room correction, and replace a NAD M51. I will look in a year or two at adding 4 more nCores and running my speakers (ATC SCM35s) fully active.
Are there any reviews or comparisons against more common DACs that could push me over the edge?
Ever heard of the WAF Audio Najda ?
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/215379-dsp-xover-project-part-2-a.html
Seems to be the best value around. Very powerful, and constantly getting better!
But only unbalanced outputs.
This is the case because for most home applications this is actually better and it certainly is for use as an active crossover in a bi/tri/quadri-amplified active speaker, but it can also be modified to use balanced connectors, i believe. You'll have to search the thread for that.
I have done a lot of research on existing active filters and i am definitely going to be getting the Najda because it is great quality at an unbeatable price (btw, i have no shares in the company
)Can you explain why you think unbalanced would better?
It can be modified to use balanced connectors. It will still be an unbalanced output, but driving a a balanced connector. It will work, but not as well as a proper balanced driver.
I have done a lot of research on existing active filters and i am definitely going to be getting the Najda because it is great quality at an unbeatable price (btw, i have no shares in the company
Great that it works for you - we all have different criteria.
In home use most equipment uses unbalanced outputs. This means you don't need to convert the signal or use adapters. The current levels are fit for CD players, which is, i believe, still the most common (and possibly best) source in high-end audio applications. I know some have XLR outs but that is still a minority.
Driving bi-amped or tri-amped speakers is also simpler with unbalanced as most DIY kits (LM3886, etc.) use unbalanced levels and are also more compact because of this.
Normally you wouldn't use an analog input on the Najda anyway since it is digital and your source is most likely digital too: you would go out from your source on an optical or coax cable and enter the Najda digitally, only using its D-A converters. This means only one cable from your player to the Najda, and digital cables are often of perfectly good quality at a fraction of the cost of a good analog cable.
Your signal then typically goes from the Najda into 4 to 6 amplifiers, on a distance so short that there really would little to no benefit using balanced cables anyway. The amps are kept smaller & cheaper by the unbalanced design.
You then have a speaker cable (or 2 or 3 or 4) going to each cabinet.
Bear in mind that balanced, although preferable in pretty much most cases i suppose, really doesn't make much difference on very short distances and is of little point in a system where the CD player has RCA outs.
I too use mostly balanced (24 track recorder, XLR active speakers, XLR mic preamps, etc) but i think until home audio players & amps change from RCA to XLR or TRS Jacks then unbalanced makes perfect sense for active crossovers & multi-amplification in speakers.
In a blind test i don't think i'd hear the difference anyway.
Right. So in that case unbalanced would be more convenient. Not better, just more convenient.
Absolutely. That is why the analog connection from your CD player has very little to do with either the Nadja or the connection between the Nadja and the amps.
I totally agree. In a consumer-grade system, unbalanced is not much worse than balanced, and is cheaper. Does that make it better? No.
I prefer to go for one interconnect standard on my systems, and for me that is balanced XLR. That's why the Nadja isn't my favourite (despite the fact that the ncore differential balanced inputs would do a pretty good job of dealing with the unbalanced output of the Nadja.
Yes, more convenient, some might say preferable, but not 'better'.
I wouldn't be surprised if they make an XLR version some day.
But even with RCA it's probably a better solution than anything else out there under about 1000€.
Unfortunately there will always be something better out there - if not now, then next week...
The Hypex DCLP has less powerful filters, no FIR, and 2 channels less.
It costs twice the amount of the Najda.
Exactly.
And do some blind tests...that should put your feelings into perspective.
Look up DIY ADC.
I wouldn't know because i haven't heard them.
And had i heard them, i wouldn't know.
Since i tried to hear the difference between my various preamps+ADs, i am not so worried about these things anymore.
Check out this page : http://beis.de/Elektronik/ADDA24QS/AD24QS.html
Take a look at the figures...and then the cost.
Sure this is a kit. But then again so are the Najda & DLCP. Cheap doesn't mean bad or worse. In fact in the DIY world cheaper usually means a lot better.
The FIR filtering is extremely powerful on the Najda & completely absent from the Hypex DCLP. If you are going to use a filter for filtering, then that is probably the most important point of comparison between the two.
I'd also bet that the Najda will be evolving very rapidly, as it already is, and will improve from one month to the next according to user feedback. I doubt that will be the case with Hypex.
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Possibly.
The Najda users seem quite happy, however.
I will probably be getting one in a few months. Seems wildly superior to the Behringer DCX2496 (similar price range, a bit cheaper) and the Hypex is too pricey for me.