tlin
Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2021
- Messages
- 37
- Likes
- 12
Big Title there....sorry if it's a bit tacky but here you are. In my basement theater, duties are pretty close to 50/50 between HT (family movie nights) and music (me, occasionally joined by friends).
Current equipment is in my signature (speakers and Chromecast Audio (CCA) are staying, AVR will eventually be replaced).
On the HT side - I want to get to Auro 3D and the Auro upmixer (to be used for both HT and music). To this end, equipment options (AVR or pre-pro) are fairly well understood (Denon X4700H and up currently rule the roost). I'm not in a huge hurry to get this piece done, FYI, but it does play in with the overall upgrade plans.
Over to the music side:
CCA mini Toslink out --> DAC analog out --> AVR or pre-pro pre-out --> external amp(s) --> Klipsch
HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN! I'm probably overthinking some of this.....
DACS:
Thanks in advance......cheers!!!
Current equipment is in my signature (speakers and Chromecast Audio (CCA) are staying, AVR will eventually be replaced).
On the HT side - I want to get to Auro 3D and the Auro upmixer (to be used for both HT and music). To this end, equipment options (AVR or pre-pro) are fairly well understood (Denon X4700H and up currently rule the roost). I'm not in a huge hurry to get this piece done, FYI, but it does play in with the overall upgrade plans.
Over to the music side:
- Audio Chain #1 - All CDs ripped to FLAC (via Windows Media Player) --> Plex Media Server --> PlexAmp (Android phone app) Cast --> CCA analog out --> AVR --> Klipsch
- Audio Chain #2 - Pandora Cast --> CCA analog out --> AVR --> Klipsch
- Audio Chain #3 - whatever friends use (e.g. Spotify Cast) --> CCA......you get the picture
CCA mini Toslink out --> DAC analog out --> AVR or pre-pro pre-out --> external amp(s) --> Klipsch
HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN! I'm probably overthinking some of this.....
DACS:
- There are obviously a lot of great measuring DACs to be found here. I'm currently very fond of the Topping E50 but am absolutely open to other suggestions.
- What are the differences in the Topping lineup? Some start with D while others start with E.
- I don't ever use headphones in this room, FYI.
- I routinely see mention of "desktop" in relation to DACs reviewed here. Are there types of DACs I should steer clear of since I'm putting this in an equipment cabinet and really only want it to be a plug-and-play device (i.e. I don't need/want volume control here)?
- I like to bounce around with Logic 7, DTS NEO6, 7-Channel Stereo with concert material. For that reason, my center channel is often in the mix for music playback. So.....does a stereo DAC only help improve the L and R speakers? If so, do I need a multichannel DAC? This piece admittedly confuses me....I want music from the center to benefit from a DAC as much as the L and R speakers will (surround speakers are just there to help with the outdoor/concert feel, a DAC seems like overkill here).
- Can DACs be left ON? I'd prefer not to have to go into my equipment cabinet every time I want to listen to music and manually turn it on.
- Based on my listed Audio Chains, is the 120dB SINAD of the E50 just TOO CLEAN? I'm trying to understand how to determine if equipment I'm considering is "overkill" from a performance standpoint.
- Class D is what I'm thinking (Buckeye or VTV - Hypex or Purifi). If Benchmark had a 3-channel amp, I'd have bought it yesterday.
- Buckeye - I'm leaning towards bridged 6-channel NC252MP (3 x NC252MP modules powering my L-C-R speakers). Thoughts?
Thanks in advance......cheers!!!