Buy a new preamp

[bartgign]

Hello !

I am looking for a new preamp.

Iam also waiting the new Gustard X16 Dac (i had a Audio GD Master 7 Singularity before).

Around 1000 euros (i live in France). I am thinking of two models :

SCHIIT Freya + with good measurement, and three modes passive, active and tubes.

GUSTARD P26, look pretty good also.

I need XLR output and input. The preamp will be connect on a berhinger DCX 2496.

If you could give some advices it will be very useful for me.

A question : is anybody knows the output level on XLR, on the Freya + ?

I didn't find this spec.

Thanks a lot.

Cedric

 

[gentlejax]

Hello !

I am looking for a new preamp.

Iam also waiting the new Gustard X16 Dac (i had a Audio GD Master 7 Singularity before).

Around 1000 euros (i live in France). I am thinking of two models :

SCHIIT Freya + with good measurement, and three modes passive, active and tubes.

GUSTARD P26, look pretty good also.

I need XLR output and input. The preamp will be connect on a berhinger DCX 2496.

If you could give some advices it will be very useful for me.

A question : is anybody knows the output level on XLR, on the Freya + ?

I didn't find this spec.

Thanks a lot.

Cedric

I cant find the spec on the output. there are 3 different setting on the way the pre outputs. sorry for the bad explanation but it will drive anything .

 

[Harmonie]

Welcome @bartgign
Check out also the new Topping Pre90 to come out soon ...
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ping-pre90-ext90-preamplifier-extender.17635/

 

[bartgign]

Thanks !

An opinion between Gustard / Topping and Schitt ?

 

[Staki]

I was thinking about Freya (solid state) for several months, but could not find a way to buy it in Europe (I'm in Belgium). Now it seems discountinued. Even your choice Freya+ is still out of stock. That's how I also stumbled upon Gustard P26, but ultimately decided that spending close to 2K eur (p26 + hypex or purifi amp + phono stage) to replace a perfectly reasonable Rega Brio-R integrated amp is not the best way to improve sound. Currently I'm leaning towards spending even more money for minidsp SHD, but I'm put off by the fact that it does not play very nice as a Roon endpoint.

In the USA, minidsp SHD is very good value for money (Dirac license is included) at 1200$, but in Europe I could not find it under 1500 eur.

 

[gentlejax]

Welcome @bartgign
Check out also the new Topping Pre90 to come out soon ...
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ping-pre90-ext90-preamplifier-extender.17635/

they didnt have a dac that can be used for a good preamp already?

 

[bartgign]

My future dac is a gustard X16. Enough for a good volume contrôler ?

 

[LTig]

Hello !

I am looking for a new preamp.

Iam also waiting the new Gustard X16 Dac (i had a Audio GD Master 7 Singularity before).

Around 1000 euros (i live in France). I am thinking of two models :

SCHIIT Freya + with good measurement, and three modes passive, active and tubes.

GUSTARD P26, look pretty good also.

I need XLR output and input. The preamp will be connect on a berhinger DCX 2496.

If the output of the new preamp goes into the DCX then it doesn't make much sense to pay for SOTA preamp and DACs since the bottleneck is the DCX.

 

[bartgign]

Sorry for my misunderstanding
What is SOTA ? And what will be your choice ?

My system is full activ amp drive by a DCX 2496.

With four Audax PR380MO and two BMS 4590. DIY speakers.

What will be a good audio source in this system ?

Thanks !

 

[LTig]

Sorry for my misunderstanding
What is SOTA ? And what will be your choice ?

My system is full activ amp drive by a DCX 2496.

With four Audax PR380MO and two BMS 4590. DIY speakers.

What will be a good audio source in this system ?

Thanks !

SOTA = State Of The Art (the best of the best).

If the DCX has a digital input then a DAC with digital volume control like the RME ADI-2 DAC (or the PRO if you need additional analogue input) would be the best solution because it skips an additional AD/DA conversion for digital sources. However you would only use its digital output (except when driving a headphone) so it's a very expensive overkill solution.

 

[bartgign]

Yes, there is a digital input on a Behringer DCX 2496, one AES/EBU input. So for you it's a RME ADI-2 DAC, in my setup ?

 

[LTig]

Yes, there is a digital input on a Behringer DCX 2496, one AES/EBU input. So for you it's a RME ADI-2 DAC, in my setup ?

I have to check whether it really has a digital output (EDIT: no, it hasn't). I do own the ADI-2 PRO which has 3 digital outputs (AES, SPDIF coax, SPDIF toslink), 4 digital inputs (same as listed before, plus USB) and 1 analogue input, volume and tone controls, EQ and loudness and can work as a preamp with DAC. But all this comes at a price.
EDIT2: I checked the manual of my ADI-2 PRO and it seems that volume control (and all other DSP functions) does not work in digital through mode. This the only mode where digital signals other than USB are routed to the digital outputs. I may be wrong though, maybe @MC_RME can shed some light.
EDIT3: I'm no longer sure whether the volume control works at all for digital outputs, looking at the block diagrams in the manual.

 

[Harmonie]

@bartgign
Let's start all over again and I just see that @LTig has maybe the same reasoning:

Why do you need a preamp at all and why do you need 2x a dac ?
The Gustard X16 as many other Dacs, have both the Dac and the Preamp function (volume attenuator) + a remote control; most of them have RCA/XLR in/out 2/4volt some even 3/6volts.
the Berhinger DCX 2496 is a dac as well.
https://www.thomann.de/fr/behringer...ign=idealofr&offid=1&affid=229&subid=idealofr
So do you need both ?

 

[TimW]

@bartgign what sources do you plan to use with this system?

 

[TimW]

@bartgign
Let's start all over again and I just see that @LTig has maybe the same reasoning:

Why do you need a preamp at all and why do you need 2x a dac ?
The Gustard X16 as many other Dacs, have both the Dac and the Preamp function (volume attenuator) + a remote control; most of them have RCA/XLR in/out 2/4volt some even 3/6volts.
the Berhinger DCX 2496 is a dac as well.
https://www.thomann.de/fr/behringer...ign=idealofr&offid=1&affid=229&subid=idealofr
So do you need both ?

I've been looking through the manual for the DCX2496 and I don't think it can really act as a volume control on its own. There is input and output Gain settings but those can only be adjusted from -15 to 15 db. He may in fact need another device with variable output.

 

[bartgign]

Thanks for your answers, you make me reflect myself ....

My source is now an Intel NUC with an HD Plex linear power supply with Daphile.
At the moment, i need a Dac, because my preamp (actually an Audio GD Master 1) have only a analog OUT, so i use the analog IN on the DCX, but may be there is a better solution.

 

[Harmonie]

Hello !

I am looking for a new preamp.
Iam also waiting the new Gustard X16 Dac

Gustard X16 has both functions no need to buy a "preamp" on top ...

 

[bartgign]

I've been looking through the manual for the DCX2496 and I don't think it can really act as a volume control on its own. There is input and output Gain settings but those can only be adjusted from -15 to 15 db. He may in fact need another device with variable output.

Yeah, not possible to use the DCX like a volume control.

But i have no answers on that :

Best solution :

NUC > DAC > Pre AMP > DCX on ANALOG input

OR

NUC > DAC (with control volume) > DCX on ANALOG input

Or others set up ?

 

[Harmonie]

Thanks for your answers, you make me reflect myself ....

My source is now an Intel NUC with an HD Plex linear power supply with Daphile.
At the moment, i need a Dac, because my preamp (actually an Audio GD Master 1) have only a analog OUT, so i use the analog IN on the DCX, but may be there is a better solution.

@bartgign
You have a budget of 1000€
Buy the Gustard X16, or A18 or Topping or SMSL (your choice), which may cost you just half of your budget.
Sell your GD (which doesn't measure at it best - that's the least we can say). Which will give you additional pocket money.
As for the DCX ... up to you what you want to do with it.

But bottom line:
All you need is DAC , tadatada (the Beatles

 

[TimW]

The Gustard is all you need, no other preamp unless you have analog sources you want to connect.

If you wanted the connection to your DCX2496 to be digital to avoid an extra AD/DA stage, you could get something like the miniDSP SHD Studio. It has variable AES/EBU outputs and would give you Dirac room correction.