Hi all. I've been investigating dedicted DACs with a view to improving my sound. I wondered if you knowledgeable folk could suggest whether I can actually gain any benefits by investing in a dedicated DAC.
I warn you..... I'm at the lower end of expenditure on audio equipment and therefore, compared to you lot, audio quality, but I'd welcome comments anyway.
I use an Onkyo CD player for my 'A' audio collection of 600 CDs and am happy with the sound. For my 'B' colleciton I download audio mostly in 16 bit 44.1kHz and play via the following chain:
Sony Xperia 10 iv phone -> USB Audio Player Pro -> Moondrop Dawn Pro -> 3.5mm audio cable -> Cambridge Audio AXA35 amp (which has a useful 3.5mm input on the front) -> Polk ES15 speakers.
The speakers are not ideally positioned - they are a little too low, a little too close to the wall, a little too close together and a little too close to a corner of the room but, hey, I've gotta live in the room! So I need to control the bass. I certainly don't want any more than I currently get. I listen to classic rock (Zep, Quo, Rush, early Whitesnake, Purple, Thin Lizzy, Motorhead, etc.)
I DON'T want bluetooth or a headphone amp, just to get the sound from the phone into the amp via USB. I THOUGHT a Schiit Modi+ would do me well but, interestingly and very honestly, the sales guy at Schiit UK suggested that I wouldn't get much benefit using their DAC and I should concentrate on the source (I'm afraid the phone and UAPP is all I've got) or the speakers (still new!)
So what do you think?
1) Would a budget dedicated DAC help me here? And if so, which one would you suggest for rock?
2) Or is the Moondrop Dawn Pro adequate in this setup?
Many thanks in advance for any help on this
Ant
I warn you..... I'm at the lower end of expenditure on audio equipment and therefore, compared to you lot, audio quality, but I'd welcome comments anyway.
I use an Onkyo CD player for my 'A' audio collection of 600 CDs and am happy with the sound. For my 'B' colleciton I download audio mostly in 16 bit 44.1kHz and play via the following chain:
Sony Xperia 10 iv phone -> USB Audio Player Pro -> Moondrop Dawn Pro -> 3.5mm audio cable -> Cambridge Audio AXA35 amp (which has a useful 3.5mm input on the front) -> Polk ES15 speakers.
The speakers are not ideally positioned - they are a little too low, a little too close to the wall, a little too close together and a little too close to a corner of the room but, hey, I've gotta live in the room! So I need to control the bass. I certainly don't want any more than I currently get. I listen to classic rock (Zep, Quo, Rush, early Whitesnake, Purple, Thin Lizzy, Motorhead, etc.)
I DON'T want bluetooth or a headphone amp, just to get the sound from the phone into the amp via USB. I THOUGHT a Schiit Modi+ would do me well but, interestingly and very honestly, the sales guy at Schiit UK suggested that I wouldn't get much benefit using their DAC and I should concentrate on the source (I'm afraid the phone and UAPP is all I've got) or the speakers (still new!)
So what do you think?
1) Would a budget dedicated DAC help me here? And if so, which one would you suggest for rock?
2) Or is the Moondrop Dawn Pro adequate in this setup?
Many thanks in advance for any help on this
Ant
