Optical capable amp or DAC?

[pbrow...@gmail.com]

good morning,

I'm looking for a bit of advice, please.

I have a B2 connected to an analogue only amp via the 3.5mm shared output on the B2. It sounds OK. I was thinking of improving the sound by buying a new amp with optical input for about £500. 

However, there's nothing really wrong with my existing amp. Would it be more sensible to spend less and just stick a DAC between the B2 and my existing amp?

I guess what I am asking is how do I get the best sound per pound?

thanks

Patrick

[Davywhizz]

Hi Patrick. There was a thread here recently in which the consensus seemed to be that an external DAC will generally give better results than the internal B2 one you are hearing through your analogue system. I thought that might be a bit harsh, but then had to try my B2 via 3.5 mm jack, because my optical cable was faulty, at which point I had to agree. But it will still depend on the quality of the external DAC selected.

I suppose your choice depends on how much you love your amp or whether you'd prefer an integrated one or two separate pieces of kit. And a new amp might offer other benefits which may or may not be attractive to you, such as music streaming.

Are you sure the reason the current setup sounds just "OK" is the B2 DAC? If there's any doubt,  if I were in your position I would try to  arrange to hear the B2 through some DACs and integrated amps if possible. 

[JAC]

I don't know what loudspeakers you have, but it's frequently the case that they are the weakest link in sound quality.  I'd suggest that the improvements in sound from upgrading the DAC and Power Amp (unless you are trying to get too much out of it) will be much less than spending the same money on better speakers.

I expect you will tell me now that your speakers cost £5K and I'm talking rubbish !

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Patrick,

Yes if your old amp is a good one then simply using the optical output from the Brennan rather than the analog one will give you a marked improvement. 

The DAC I used for this was not expensive. See :-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005HFTUO0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XHRYW2C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

will do the job. (cheap enough to try it and see?) - I was happy with the first option!

Fred

On Thursday, 27 August 2020 at 11:13:23 UTC+1 pbrow...@gmail.com wrote:

[Jasper Warwick]

I have a Bi-amped Roxsan Caspian system with floor standing speakers bought about 20+ years ago. After being somewhat dissatisfied with the sound quality from the B2 I spent £160 on a Cambridge Audio DACmagic 100 and was really very impressed with the improvement in sound. Before the upgrade there was a noticeable difference in quality between my Meridian CD player and the B2, after the upgrade I really can't tell the difference. A higher spec system might benefit from a better DAC but my for my £3K system the £160 spend was well worth it.

I have said it before but  I don't think the need to upgrade the DAC is in anyway a criticism of the B2. At the price point it is sold at the sound quality is fine but if you want to pair it with a higher end system then the ability to add whatever DAC best matches your amp and speakers is really cool.

Jasper.

On Thursday, 27 August 2020 at 11:13:23 UTC+1 pbrow...@gmail.com wrote:

[Stephen Winding]

Well here in the States it is how many dollars you are willing to spend. Everyone hears things in their own way. The perfect sound stage or whatever is very subjective. Your could spend a small fortune on a system. With that said my old Marantz has optical input, a fairly good amp. It is all about speakers. I have new Tektron Electrons fairly priced but not cheap. Very popular here. I first had my B2 hooked up analog because I didn't have an optical cable. Sounded pretty good compared to my Marantz DVD-CD player HDMI hook up. A week ago I got the Optical Cable $8. Yes there is a real improvement. The B2 is fine machine and its audio is very nice compared to my player. I think it is better but 69 yr. old ears maybe questionable. Just my 2 cents. comparing the two.

Happy Listening

Steve

[Mark Fishman]

I like a comment made by Peter Walker (of Quad fame): "If you can hear a difference between two amps operating within their design specs, you aren't old enough."

I also like a comment made by Roy Allison (a loudspeaker designer): "If two loudspeakers sound different, at least one of them is wrong."

In many cases, people will prefer the more expensive product simply because it is more expensive and they want to justify the price. But accuracy isn't always as "pleasant" as some kinds of inaccuracy, and as long as you are enjoying the music I won't quarrel with your choices. I get a great deal of enjoyment out of a decent table radio tuned to a good performance.

Cheers -- Mark F.

[Davywhizz]

Nice quotes Mark. I must admit to audiophile tendencies, but when tempted to throw stupid money at "better" equipment I remind myself, firstly, how much nonsense is talked about hifi. Far more than in my other world of musical instruments and live sound, and I thought that took some beating. Secondly, I try to  remember that I got hooked on music when I could only listen on ancient TV sets or valve radio, so audio quality clearly  wasn't the attraction, though I've learned the  joys of it since. 

I'm sure I could spend a lot more on hifi than I do, at the cost of some minor marital discord, but I much prefer working to get the best out of mid-price kit, making incremental improvements along the way. My most recent enhancement was adding a USB DAC to my laptop, bypassing the internal one and the headphone socket. I can now have high res audio files in my office on either headphones or near-field speakers. A big improvement for not very much money.