Looking for DAC for Focal Alpha 65

[andreasmaaan]

I think I agree with @andreasmaaan on this one, it is quite possible that it might be an isolated case and the DX3pro works fine. It is certainly the best all-in-one in the price range. Worth a shot.

Also just wondering, which DAC were you using when you found this hum present with your monitors?

The only thing I can think of other than equipment fault would be a gain structure issue, for example if the Alphas single-ended inputs were very sensitive and the DAC therefore had to be turned down to output well below max level to avoid clipping the monitors, thus raising the noise floor (and thus DC hum).

Focal doesn't publish the input sensitivity for either input in its specs. There may therefore be a huge difference in input sensitivity between the balanced and single-ended inputs.

If this were the case, there would be easy options to try that would improve the gain structure in @Raice's situation.

 

[BurritoJustice]

Also just wondering, which DAC were you using when you found this hum present with your monitors?

Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 1st gen SE outputs (one of the balanced outs was like 6dB quieter than the other), Magni/Modi, and straight from my S9+

The hum is audible only when there is no music playing, but just loud enough to be irritating.

No hum with the 2i4 balanced outs (ignoring the quieter side) or the 6i6 2nd gen that replaced it. Obviously no issues with the RME ADI-2 Pro

 

[andreasmaaan]

Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 1st gen SE outputs (one of the balanced outs was like 6dB quieter than the other), Magni/Modi, and straight from my S9+

The hum is audible only when there is no music playing, but just loud enough to be irritating.

No hum with the 2i4 balanced outs (ignoring the quieter side) or the 6i6 2nd gen that replaced it. Obviously no issues with the RME ADI-2 Pro

Thanks

Tbh, there shouldn't be noise with the other DACs either

Hope you don't experience this problem @Raice, and confident that if you do it will be easily fixed.

One last question @BurritoJustice: were the Schiit and Focusrite DACs outputting at max in these cases or were you forced to turn down the levels significantly to avoid clipping the Focals' inputs?

 

[BurritoJustice]

Thanks

Tbh, there shouldn't be noise with the other DACs either

Hope you don't experience this problem @Raice, and confident that if you do it will be easily fixed.

One last question @BurritoJustice: were the Schiit and Focusrite DACs outputting at max in these cases or were you forced to turn down the levels significantly to avoid clipping the Focals' inputs?

They are active and lack a volume control so they have to be controlled by the line level. The max output of the 2i4 is 4.4v, and the Alphas are extremely loud so I had to put it at the lowest level that did not cut out one channel and then use digital volume control. The S9+ at minimum volume was enough to cause pain to both me near the speaker and my partner in the same room. We are both very low volume listeners however.

Now that I have the RME I can comfortably put them on -80dBr to -70dBr for everyday listening, so they are extremely sensitive. I have the 80s which have a larger amp versus the 65s.

The real killer for my ears is my 123dB maximum sub, but that is another story

 

[andreasmaaan]

They are active and lack a volume control so they have to be controlled by the line level. The max output of the 2i4 is 4.4v, and the Alphas are extremely loud so I had to put it at the lowest level that did not cut out one channel and then use digital volume control. The S9+ at minimum volume was enough to cause pain to both me near the speaker and my partner in the same room. We are both very low volume listeners however.

Now that I have the RME I can comfortably put them on -80dBr to -70dBr for everyday listening, so they are extremely sensitive. I have the 80s which have a larger amp versus the 65s.

The real killer for my ears is my 123dB maximum sub, but that is another story

Ok thanks. This sounds very much like a gain structure issue caused mostly by the high input sensitivity of the Alphas and the high output voltage (by home audio standards) of the Focusrite. With the 2i4 so heavily attenuated, the noise/hum was raised in relation to the signal, making it more audible.

The DX3 Pro has an output voltage of 2V, which should help.

It also suggests that this is not a problem with the single-ended inputs of the Alphas, but just a gain structure issue.

@Raice if you experience this problem it will be easily fixed.

Given the lower output voltage of the DX3, however, you might not have this issue in the first place.

 

[watchnerd]

Hi!

Just ordered a pair of Focal Alphas 65 and now looking for a DAC to replace an old one.

My current setup is a pair of old Edifier R2000 connected to Breeze Audio SU4 DAC (XMOS)
DAC is connected via USB to MINIX U9-H with LibreELEC installed, coax input connected to TV and optical is connected to XBOX

My budget for DAC is 200-300USD (I prefer 200 than 300).
I live in China, so I have an access to all Taobao shops and Chinese DAC manufacturers.

Done some googling, looks like Topping DX7s is what I need, but is there any decent DAC with bluetooth/AirPlay option so my friends can stream music from their iPhones?
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

RME ADI-2, either "Pro" or regular depending upon if you need an ADC, too.

Balanced XLR and TRS out, designed to be used with active monitor speakers like the Alpha 65.

[Full disclosure, I have the RME ADI-2 Pro and am using them with Dynaudio active monitors]

 

[andreasmaaan]

RME ADI-2, either "Pro" or regular depending upon if you need an ADC, too.

Balanced XLR and TRS out, designed to be used with active monitor speakers like the Alpha 65.

[Full disclosure, I have the RME ADI-2 Pro and am using them with Dynaudio active monitors]

Seems a poor allocation of investment to have a DAC that costs 5x the price of the monitors is all...

 

[watchnerd]

Seems a poor allocation of investment to have a DAC that costs 5x the price of the monitors is all...

Well...

1) It will survive monitor upgrades
2) Has a very good headphone amp, too
3) It's not 5x. If you get the basic, ADC-less version, it's almost the same price ($999 vs $399 *each* for the Alpha 65 = $798)

 

[andreasmaaan]

Well...

1) It will survive monitor upgrades
2) Has a very good headphone amp, too
3) It's not 5x. If you get the basic, ADC-less version, it's almost the same price ($999 vs $399 *each* for the Alpha 65 = $798)

Ok, the Alphas are cheaper here in Europe and the Adi-2 DAC is more expensive.

But still I was wrong, the RME is 4x the price here (or double the price of a pair), so I stand corrected (should have checked before posting).

Still, I would never recommend anyone spend less than 50% of their budget on speakers, and an even higher proportion if those speakers are active monitors.

It's really not clear there could be any audible difference between the ADI-2 DAC and DACs that cost 10x less.

 

[Raice]

 

[Raice]

Prices for this setup:
Alphas - 375usd each
Isoacoustics L8R200 - 167 a pair
D3X Pro - 188
Pair of RCA cables - 5usd

Thanks everyone for help and support! I will write a report after a few days of listening