Emotiva Dac .....

a.wayne · 29th January 2011, 04:03 PM

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase this D/A unit and wanted to see what you digitalites

thoughts are on it . Posting a link to pics of the internals, comments would be appreciated as to quality of parts ( or lack thereof) , potential mods , etc ...

Emotiva Audio XDA-1 Digital-to-Analog Converter

regards,

qusp · 29th January 2011, 05:42 PM

hmm, well the spec is pretty average (102db SNR) and this doesnt mean everything, but OPA2134 also pretty average for the IV stage and will likely suffer digitalus as a result. also for a digital pre I would go for something that uses the internal digital volume of the dac chip, rather than a secondary digital volume control stage, which probably means another A->D and D->A and this will limit the SQ IMO.

price is right, but dont know whether the sound will be. also how many times can you use the words 'digital reference' in a paragraph.... they speak of a discrete output stage, but say notyhing of its pedigree

c2cthomas · 29th January 2011, 06:25 PM

I'm not an Emotiva basher - I live near their HQ in Tennessee and attended last years annual show and kinda like the idea of having a "player" in the audio field nearby. This link will point you to what some others are saying and it seems to reflect my experience with Emo (and many others also - to be fair). My position - I often wait for revision 2 - or 3 - or 4 before I jump in - esp. when it is a new product line.

Emotiva XDA-1 Initial Impressions - Audio & Video Equipment Forums

Emo does have a 30 day return policy - and from what I have seen strives very diligently to satisfy their customers. From meeting the staff etc. at the show I can vouch for the fact that they are "real" people with a passion for audio and great pride in their company and products.

qusp · 06:42 PM

well i'm not bashing, but seriously, they need to get someone to write a different info page, I just tire of this style of ad that uses words like reference repeatedly. could be a great bed for mods, but my personal experience with OPA2134 in IV is not good at all. very dry and digital.

like I said, the price is right, give it a try, I could be totally wrong. just had a read of your link, the gain issue is a bit of a deal breaker, digital volume at the very beginning of its range is limiting the DNR substantially. DAC 1 is not a favorite of mine, I find it very dry also, perhaps that is the style they are going for when they say 'reference' dry and analytical

a.wayne · 29th January 2011, 06:32 PM

Thanks guys .....

c2cthomas · 29th January 2011, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp

well i'm not bashing, but seriously, they need to get someone to write a different info page, I just tire of this style of ad that uses words like reference repeatedly. could be a great bed for mods, but my personal experience with OPA2134 in IV is not good at all. very dry and digital.

like I said, the price is right, give it a try, I could be totally wrong

Hi qusp!

Emo has a web site and a forum - drop 'em a line about your thoughts and concerns. They are a small company so there isn't some huge engineering chain of command ladder to climb up or get lost in. Bear in mind - just like their competitors they are designing to hit a market target and all to often that means compromise. That point gets us back to why we do it the DIY way! Hey - most of the time DIY is a better route - and sometimes - welllllllll - let's just say that sometimes we get to learn something new and unexpected.

qusp · 29th January 2011, 08:07 PM

haha yes the magic smoke is always new and unexpected, well usually unexpected anyway

I think they have it covered at the forum already, designing a dac to work with your amp and have the digital volume hardly getting off zero... I dont think letting them know my concerns on their forum when there is no chance i'm going to buy their gear is fair. for me at least DIY is rarely massively cheaper, but always more suited to my taste...in the end. chips such as the OPA211, LT1028 or OPA1641/42 are pretty reasonably priced and even going with the usual 600% markup, the difference in cost to the consumer might be 12-18 dollars, I dont know about you, but I would pay that.

unless its socketed, in which case you can just roll your own.

c2cthomas · 29th January 2011, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp

in which case you can just roll your own.

Haven't rolled my own since school daze. Swapping out op amps is another story - but that gets us into the topic of IC's or discrete circuits - and then on to power supply noise, proper circuit grounding, phase shift, capacitor of the month discussions, balanced in and outs vs. unbalanced - blah - blah - blah. DIY - Ya gotta luv it!!!

Either that or buy something off of da shelf - which brings us full circle and back to the commercially available toys. At least Emo isn't charging several mega big bucks to get into da club!!!

a.wayne · 30th January 2011, 03:24 AM

PC sound card instead ....

ASUS Xonar Essence ST/STX soundcards Measurements | Stereophile.com

AV100 - PCI Express - 24 bit - Internal

a.wayne · 30th January 2011, 04:05 AM

Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic D/A converter Measurements | Stereophile.com

29th January 2011, 04:03 PM	#1
a.wayne diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Front Row Center	Emotiva Dac ..... Hello, I'm looking to purchase this D/A unit and wanted to see what you digitalites thoughts are on it . Posting a link to pics of the internals, comments would be appreciated as to quality of parts ( or lack thereof) , potential mods , etc ... Emotiva Audio XDA-1 Digital-to-Analog Converter regards,

29th January 2011, 06:25 PM	#3
c2cthomas 49 - for the 16th time diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Near "Music City" (Nashville Tennessee)	I'm not an Emotiva basher - I live near their HQ in Tennessee and attended last years annual show and kinda like the idea of having a "player" in the audio field nearby. This link will point you to what some others are saying and it seems to reflect my experience with Emo (and many others also - to be fair). My position - I often wait for revision 2 - or 3 - or 4 before I jump in - esp. when it is a new product line. Emotiva XDA-1 Initial Impressions - Audio & Video Equipment Forums Emo does have a 30 day return policy - and from what I have seen strives very diligently to satisfy their customers. From meeting the staff etc. at the show I can vouch for the fact that they are "real" people with a passion for audio and great pride in their company and products. __________________ "You can't always get what you want" K. Richards/M. Jagger *** "Next time I will know some things better" Zen Mod

29th January 2011, 06:32 PM	#4
qusp Sometimes a square peg fits a round hole just fine diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia	well i'm not bashing, but seriously, they need to get someone to write a different info page, I just tire of this style of ad that uses words like reference repeatedly. could be a great bed for mods, but my personal experience with OPA2134 in IV is not good at all. very dry and digital. like I said, the price is right, give it a try, I could be totally wrong. just had a read of your link, the gain issue is a bit of a deal breaker, digital volume at the very beginning of its range is limiting the DNR substantially. DAC 1 is not a favorite of mine, I find it very dry also, perhaps that is the style they are going for when they say 'reference' dry and analytical Last edited by qusp; 29th January 2011 at 06:42 PM.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Emotiva XPA-1 vs Jungson 99D	erin	Solid State	248	15th April 2012 10:21 PM
NIB Emotiva LPA-1 7ch Amplifier	azngotskills	Swap Meet	3	7th May 2011 09:51 PM
Emotiva Audio	vdi_nenna	Everything Else	9	8th October 2010 08:45 PM
FS: Emotiva LPA-1 HT amp	al r.	Swap Meet	0	1st September 2009 02:06 PM
Emotiva BPA-1 T-Amp ?	EdT	Class D	1	22nd February 2007 04:13 PM


	Please consider donating to help us continue to serve you. Ads on/off / Custom Title / More PMs / More album space / Advanced printing & mass image saving

29th January 2011, 05:42 PM	#2
qusp Sometimes a square peg fits a round hole just fine diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia	hmm, well the spec is pretty average (102db SNR) and this doesnt mean everything, but OPA2134 also pretty average for the IV stage and will likely suffer digitalus as a result. also for a digital pre I would go for something that uses the internal digital volume of the dac chip, rather than a secondary digital volume control stage, which probably means another A->D and D->A and this will limit the SQ IMO. price is right, but dont know whether the sound will be. also how many times can you use the words 'digital reference' in a paragraph.... they speak of a discrete output stage, but say notyhing of its pedigree

29th January 2011, 08:07 PM	#7
qusp Sometimes a square peg fits a round hole just fine diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia	haha yes the magic smoke is always new and unexpected, well usually unexpected anyway I think they have it covered at the forum already, designing a dac to work with your amp and have the digital volume hardly getting off zero... I dont think letting them know my concerns on their forum when there is no chance i'm going to buy their gear is fair. for me at least DIY is rarely massively cheaper, but always more suited to my taste...in the end. chips such as the OPA211, LT1028 or OPA1641/42 are pretty reasonably priced and even going with the usual 600% markup, the difference in cost to the consumer might be 12-18 dollars, I dont know about you, but I would pay that. unless its socketed, in which case you can just roll your own.

30th January 2011, 03:24 AM	#9
a.wayne diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Front Row Center	PC sound card instead .... ASUS Xonar Essence ST/STX soundcards Measurements \| Stereophile.com AV100 - PCI Express - 24 bit - Internal

30th January 2011, 04:05 AM	#10
a.wayne diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Front Row Center	Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic D/A converter Measurements \| Stereophile.com

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

New To Site?	Need Help?
Register to Participate Search Privacy Statement Contact Us	Frequently Asked Questions Did you forget your password? Mark Forums Read