Hello folks, i'm new here. I have been using a chromecast audio for several years plugged into my vintage late 80s harman kardon integrated ampand streaming a 400 gig collection of music from my latop.. I have been wondering if a DAC (have the topping e30 in mind) would improve the sound? Also, what would the logistics of connecting the chromecast audio and the e30 together into my vintage amp entail? Thanks!
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>Looking to get better sound out of my chromecast audio..is a DAC the answer?
- Thread starter JBD
- Start date
The way to connect your CCA to the DAC is with a 3.5mm Toslink cable. Apparently the native casting protocol to send music to the CCA isn’t very good, but the method that Roon uses to send music to the CCA can be very good.
You might like to think about your speakers, and how they're placed in their room (or your headphones). I'd expect those things to make far far more difference to your sound than anything you can improve in your electronics.
BillG
Major Contributor
I don't know where you're getting that idea from. However, I've used Chromecasts for several years now, both the audio and video varieties, and I've never had a serious issue with Google Cast. It's far easier to deal with than DLNA/UPnP, and even Bluetooth on occasion, once one goes through a very simple configuration process.
There was a bug with sending 24/96 content to CCA - it would stutter intermittently - but that's been resolved for, at least, over a year now.
BillG
Major Contributor
CCA will handle content up to and including 24/96 uncompressed *.wav. Paid streaming services usually offer 320 kbps MP3 at a minimum, which is CD transparent to the vast majority users.
Keyword "paid", the amount of data being streamed by free services dwarf paid services by a large margin.
Even if most paid services stream 320kbps at the minimum, you have no idea which mastering they used, which can often affect SQ significantly.
BillG
Major Contributor
No, and I'm not one to spend money unnecessarily on equipment that offers no real benefit. The analog output of the CCA is already transparent to Redbook (CD) standard as shown by performance analysis conducted here on Audio Science Review.
By the way, I've run my own CCA both optical and analog into an integrated amp and there was no preceived difference in sound quality to me.
BillG
Major Contributor
I don't care about the mastering. As for paid versus free, you're the one who made the unqualified statement initially. Are you trying to save face now?
The inbuilt DAC of the CCA is really very good. It is nonsense that there is something wrong with the protocol. The only sound quality problem is if you stream from your Chrome browser. Just stream directly from your router or from your nas and you should be fine.
There may be a sensitivity mismatch between the output of the cca and your older amplifier. You may want to avoid the so called high dynamic range setting of the cca. It has nothing to do with dynamic range and only produces a modern 2 volt output level that may be too much for your amplifier from an age with a different standard.
There may be a sensitivity mismatch between the output of the cca and your older amplifier. You may want to avoid the so called high dynamic range setting of the cca. It has nothing to do with dynamic range and only produces a modern 2 volt output level that may be too much for your amplifier from an age with a different standard.
Unqualified? Couldn't even Google search?
https://musically.com/2020/02/19/spotify-apple-how-many-users-big-music-streaming-services/
BillG
Major Contributor
Perhaps English isn't your first language. However, forum arguments over something as trivial as this are of little interest to me and everyone else.
I simply stated the odds of poor sources dwarf the possibility of hardware limitations, when chasing SQ issues on CCA.
You're the one who decided this was Twitter, got nasty, and used the term "save face" (a Chinese saying). Then go and accuse me of poor English?
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BillG
Major Contributor
Riiight! OK, well I'm not interested in dealing with your personality disorder, either. We won't encounter each other thanks to the ignore function...
Riiight! OK, well I'm not interested in dealing with your personality disorder, either. We won't encounter each other thanks to the ignore function...
Wow, textbook case...
Psychological projection is “a psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, usually to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others originate those feelings.”
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