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Can you take the USB output from a Phono A2D Preamp into USB input of a DAC?

Zek

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I could buy a preamp but that would mean another set of leads to my active speakers
You already have a pre-amp (Rega Fono A2D), right?
What inputs do your active speakers have?
 
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AW61

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I hope this works out well for you as you've worked hard to find a good solution.
Thankyou!
All it needed however would be for the DAC to take an analog input and then only the phono preamp would be required. Probably there are such but my SMSL D200 doesn't have that facility.
I too was looking at the Topping Pre90 - not primarily for turntable purposes but for sound quality of my streaming source (CCA) because until the D200 came along, all reports of using DACs to control volume (instead of straight DAC ie no volume attenuation) indicated that sound quality was reduced. I thought that the Pre90 would be needed therefore. Happily not so using the D200 - I can verify first-hand that there is no loss of sound quality when controlling the volume here so no need for the Pre90.
 
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AW61

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You already have a pre-amp (Rega Fono A2D), right?
What inputs do your active speakers have?
Actually I don't have the Rega - i think someone assumed above but I do now have the Behringer PP40, just arrived today - effectively the same thing though.
Need to distinguish between preamp and preamp... a phono preamp does not have a volume control, it's just for converting the cartridge signal into a std RCA line signal.
So even with a Phono preamp, if I was going to connect it to my active speakers I would still need a conventional preamp with volume control.
I guess I could have taken the DAC output into that preamp as well so still just one set of (RCA) leads to the speakers. But any preamp, even secondhand would be considerably more expensive, and larger than a little A2D (£11 on Ebay) feeding into my small DAC.
OK so I could have bought a std preamp with a built in phono stage but the turntable bit is just for fun and now with the Behringer unit and the A2D I have what I need for £27!!
 

EdTice

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Actually I don't have the Rega - i think someone assumed above but I do now have the Behringer PP40, just arrived today - effectively the same thing though.
Need to distinguish between preamp and preamp... a phono preamp does not have a volume control, it's just for converting the cartridge signal into a std RCA line signal.
So even with a Phono preamp, if I was going to connect it to my active speakers I would still need a conventional preamp with volume control.
I guess I could have taken the DAC output into that preamp as well so still just one set of (RCA) leads to the speakers. But any preamp, even secondhand would be considerably more expensive, and larger than a little A2D (£11 on Ebay) feeding into my small DAC.
OK so I could have bought a std preamp with a built in phono stage but the turntable bit is just for fun and now with the Behringer unit and the A2D I have what I need for £27!!
At the risk of getting thread-banned, if fidelity were your top concern (rather than fun), you wouldn't be using a turntable.

DACs don't have analog input because the purpose of a DAC is to convert a digital signal to analog. I think you can see the irony of "converting" an analog signal to analog! That would be essentially doing nothing. Of course in that scenario the DAC does do something... it would convert the analog signal to digital for the sole purpose of doing volume control and then convert it back to analog... degrading the signal for something as simple as adjusting the volume. But when we are less concerned with fidelity, that might actually be a cheaper way of doing volume control than an actual analog attenuator.

If you wanted a "proper" setup, the DAC would be set to fixed output (volume control disabled, most of them have that) and both the phono preamp and the DAC output would go to a proper analog passive preamp. Unfortunately, that would be more money and probably not worth it for "just for fun."

People tend to find these thread long into the future. I hope none of the comments reduce any of your enjoyment. For anybody who finds this years from now and is trying to get a setup started, hopefully the comments here help them.
 
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AW61

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DACs don't have analog input because the purpose of a DAC is to convert a digital signal to analog.
Agree the modern Chinese ones do not seem to. But there are units available that do, eg Cyrus DAC XP Signature DAC / Pre Amplifier. Who knows, maybe Topping are preparing to release a unit that is a combination of one of their DACs and a Pre90? That would be interesting.


If you wanted a "proper" setup, the DAC would be set to fixed output (volume control disabled, most of them have that) and both the phono preamp and the DAC output would go to a proper analog passive preamp. Unfortunately, that would be more money and probably not worth it for "just for fun."
Agree again. Although see above the Cyrus solution.


The attraction of vinyl is multifaceted - the connection with media you can handle, the attraction of the mechanical aspect of the spinning disc, the challenge of setting up for best sound quality - and maintaining that setup, the ability to swap in components eg cartridge.
But yes sound quality - call it "difference" - is a high factor for many.
That kind of setup is far from just fun, people spend £££ on a LP12 with all sorts of upgrades, and for that setup, a dedicated preamp is a must.

But for me, I'm satisfied by having a working solution with the least amount of large boxes, and low cost!


If you wanted a "proper" setup, the DAC would be set to fixed output (volume control disabled, most of them have that)
Yes - but here the SMSL D200 seems to buck the trend of degraded sound quality when using volume control on the DAC. I read in a review that (unusually) there was no degradation on the D200 and I have now confirmed it at least using my ears!
 

EdTice

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Yes - but here the SMSL D200 seems to buck the trend of degraded sound quality when using volume control on the DAC. I read in a review that (unusually) there was no degradation on the D200 and I have now confirmed it at least using my ears!

A good DAC should not degrade sound when using digital volume control. It also should not degrade the sound even when first converting to analog and then back to digital. That's not true of all DACs but hopefully anybody who is posting here is buying one of sufficient quality based on the reviews. If you are using a preamp, the reason that the DAC's volume control should be bypassed (or at least set fairly high and forgotten) is because you want to control the volume using the preamp and you want multiple sources to play at approximately the same volume. If you turn the volume down on the DAC and then up on the preamp, that's unpleasant when switching sources! Also the sound will be measurably (if not audibly) better if the DAC is putting out good voltage. Equipment is so good these days you can "get away" with stuff. But it's probably still worth the effort to setup proper gain structure.

I can't speak to what is or is not enjoyable for others and it's not my place to criticize anybody's hobbies. Enjoyment is personal and subjective and the last thing anyone would want to do (hopefully) is take another's joy.

But when it comes to audio equipment that measures well and is good value for the money, that's why Amir has the review index!
 

Pep2020

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I'm confused. I thought you had a Phono A2D pre-amp? If so, any digital output that it produces can go right to the DAC. There aren't "line" and "phono" level Optical/Toslink. Digital signals are not like analog! Maybe I am misunderstanding?
Is this correct? I want to connect USB port from Rega Fono Mini A2Dto my DAC, but this post contradicts earlier post?
 

voodooless

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Is this correct? I want to connect USB port from Rega Fono Mini A2Dto my DAC, but this post contradicts earlier post?
You cannot connect one USB device to another without some host device in between, like a PC or a Pi. The device also needs to do sample rate conversion because the two clock domains (or ADC and DAC) are not the same.
 

Chester

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OK so I could have bought a std preamp with a built in phono stage but the turntable bit is just for fun and now with the Behringer unit and the A2D I have what I need for £27!!

How did this setup work out for you in the end?

I’m curious about the A2D quality as I’m looking to do something similar.
 
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