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Would a budget recording interface be good enough to test for audible DAC issues?

audiophool

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Would a budget recording interface be good enough to test for audible DAC issues? Are there any that you would recommend? My miniDSP SHD has ADC.

I'm planning to replace my miniDSP SHD with an NAD 758 V3 for surround sound. However, no specs are published online for the pre outs.
 
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SIY

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Which one did you have in mind (I assume you're asking about one you already have)? Some are excellent for that purpose, some aren't. If my assumption is wrong and you want to buy a good cheap one, I can personally attest to good results using a Scarlett 2i2 and a Behringer UMC404HD.

Of course, there's disagreement about what's an audible defect...
 
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audiophool

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Just wanted to mention that the miniDSP SHD has ADC in case it would be viable option. The Scarlett (or Audient) is what I had in mind, but I originally wasn't sure if the results would be useful. Based on my light reading on AVS Forum, it seems like receiver manufacturers manage to screw up even basic functionality. So maybe I don't need to make a determination if something is audible or not, but detecting defects would be good enough. For example this review of the Emotiva UMC200 https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...d-measurement-of-emotiva-umc200-pre-pro.3504/ or the famous Schiit measurements.
 

Blumlein 88

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For your stated purposes the 2i2 or Audient would do fine. Audient quotes better specs though it may or may not achieve them.

The SHD I think uses the same ADC chip as the RME ADI-2 Pro. So it has the potential to be very good itself.

I'd say try some with the SHD and see what kind of results you get. Even something simple like RMAA will give a fair idea of how good it is.
 

Blumlein 88

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Looking at the manul for the SHD miniDSP unit, the ADC specs look very, very good. It should be plenty for your purposes if it gets close to the claimed specs.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...nts-of-minidsp-shd-dac-dsp-and-streamer.4286/

Amir only tested the DAC section. If you can do a loopback measuring output of the DAC feeding input to the ADC, you should be able to get a good idea how well the ADC performs. You can compare the results with Amir measuring the DAC with the AP unit.
 
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