DAC advice

[olki]

Hi all,

I am looking to simplify my current near-field PC setup.

I currently have the following fully balanced setup:

PC -> SPDIF -> Audiophonics EVO-SABRE DAC -> Topping A90 Discrete -> boXem Arthur 4215/E2 amp -> KEF LS50 Meta speakers
                                                                  |-> SVS SB-1000 Pro Sub
                                                                  |-> Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones

Notes:
- Amp and speakers are absolutely overkill for this setup. I am thinking of eventually using them somewhere else in the house and downgrading to the KEF Q1 or Q3 Meta. I used to have the Q150 and they were perfectly adequate for near-field. No rush though.
- I have hacked a home-made USB to 3.5mm mono jack to compensate for the lack of a trigger-out on the Audiophonics DAC. To start the setup, I only need to switch on the DAC and the A90 starts automatically. The boXem amp and the SVS sub have audio-sense, so no need to worry about them.
- Volume is only controlled by the A90. PC and DAC are set to 100% volume.

The current situation is that I no longer use the Raspberry Pi that is inside the Audiophonics DAC. I am also fed up of forgetting to turn off the DAC when I switch off my computer. I am hence thinking of changing the DAC to something simpler, which I could get to turn on and off automatically via audio-sense or USB (I am currently using the SPDIF interface from the PC to isolate the electric noise of the PC from the audio setup. I believe modern DAC USB implementations no longer have that issue, so I would be open to replacing the SPDIF as an alternative).

Are you aware of any (well implemented) DAC with balanced outputs that would tick the boxes? The Topping D10 Balanced comes close, but there is no trigger out to feed the A90.

 

[staticV3]

Hi @olki! Welcome to ASR.

I am currently using the SPDIF interface from the PC to isolate the electric noise of the PC from the audio setup. I believe modern DAC USB implementations no longer have that issue

Sadly, this can still happen. Even with moderns PCs and DACs.

If your setup is affected, either Toslink or a USB isolator is an effective solution.

Are you aware of any (well implemented) DAC with balanced outputs that would tick the boxes?

This one has Trigger out and Auto standby:

Topping E70 Stereo DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Topping E70 stereo USB DAC with Bluetooth. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $349. I really like the new white multi-segment display with its large volume level indicator. Response is excellent as you rotate the encoder. A select...

www.audiosciencereview.com

There's an AKM version as well, called E70 Velvet.

Edit:
Here's one that's USB-powered

Topping D50 III Balanced DAC with EQ Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Topping D50 III balanced stereo DAC with support for parametric equalization. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $229. Sorry for the quality of the picture/display. It is quite dim compared to my photography light and when I tried to...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[olki]

Hi @staticV3

Thanks for the great suggestions.

The Velvet has not been reviewed on ASR, but I assume all the 3 DACs are completely acoustically transparent. The E70 review does not mention any ESS hump, but I doubt that it is audible anyway. I have never noticed it on my Audiophonics.

So it comes down to a question of price and features, where in my case, less is probably more what features are concerned. I like the audio-sense and the internal power supply on the E70. I am not sure that the D50 III would work, as I believe my USB ports continue to deliver power when my PC is off and I do not see any mention of audio-sense.

Are there any alternatives without Bluetooth and volume control?

 

[staticV3]

I am not sure that the D50 III would work, as I believe my USB ports continue to deliver power when my PC is off and I do not see any mention of audio-sense.

The D50III User mnual mentions the same Auto standby with signal sense, that the E70 has.

Even if your PC's USB ports stay powered on, as long as the audio signal stops, the DAC should go into Standby all the same.

Are there any alternatives without Bluetooth and volume control?

Not that I know of. That'd be a very specific combination of requirements which I doubt you'll find on the market.

 

[AnalogSteph]

That is a very #firstworldproblems setup in general. The A90 Discrete alone costs 3 times as much as the HD6XX, a rather easy to drive headphone.

May I suggest some heresy?
1. New DAC-amp for the cans: Topping DX1 or similar. It can dish out like 3.5 Vrms, that's at least 113 dB SPL peak in this case. Plenty. And it's bus-powered, so you can't forget to turn it off.
2. Enable "ErP ready" or whatever the corresponding BIOS option is to make the USB shut off when powered down. Sometimes it takes another "S4 like S5" option as well. (Windows with quick boot enabled - which you should turn off - means "power off" is actually S4, like hibernation.)
3. Get a little bus-powered audio interface for speaker duties with the required knobbishness. If you actually don't mind using PC volume control, you could run the lowly onboard audio ( ) through a Behringer HD400 with some cables (3.5 mm stereo to 2x 1/4" TS, 2 pcs. TRS to XLRm). Works for me with few issues, costs very little.
4. Check out some active speakers with near enough full-range capability. The Kali IN-5 would be good candidates, being a 3-way design and a coax (if not entirely at the same level of refinement as a KEF). Unfortunately they are lacking an auto-standby feature, which has otherwise become a fairly common sight in the last decade (especially among European brands). The Neumann KH120 II should also do the job (a 2 way but they can really take a beating), but price may be an issue unless you can reclaim some funds e.g. from the A90 and there have been reports of unreliable auto-standby wakeup when using the digital input (which btw is an AES3 which can be adapted from coax which in turn can be converted from Toslink; a regular old XLR cable then provides the link between left and right monitors). You can always do what I did for my oldschool monitors and mount a decent-quality switched power strip under (or on) the desk within easy reach - inexpensive and long-lasting with zero off-state power draw. The monitors' visible power indicator LEDs should make sure that you don't easily forget to turn them off.

I will admit that my approach to things can be a but rustic but it should at least give you something to think about.