by deepee99 Sun Feb 03, 2019 6:43 pm
audiobill wrote:Most dacs are a power supply, digital circuitry and an output stage.
Why not build an excellent preamp, like Roy's SP14 and add this R2R AD1865 multibit board? And, please avoid screechy Sabre dacs!
https://www.ebay.com/i/273502493226?chn=ps
That's very sage advice from a guy who knows almost as much about the VTA/Tubes4HiFi gear than Bob or Roy. (Sorry, Bob and Roy, but Bill's a keeper.)
DAC technology is still in its infancy and prices likewise are all over the board. Wanna drop $15,000 on a stand-alone DAC that some new $2 chip might render obsolete tomorrow or next year? Easy to do.
I'd put my emphasis on the SP-14. You'll still be using it 5, 10, 20 years down the road while DAC technology and (hopefully) pricing mature. On somewhat of a related note, put as much of your money as you can squeeze into the SP-14's multitude of options up front.
XLR inputs, the volume /or source selector remote, the pots and some of the caps are easier (read "cheaper") to install while the critter's being built. But these are either difficult or nigh impossible to retro-fit.
Even if you just are thinking about a remote volume control "down the road," do it now before the chassis holes are cut or the pots are wired in. Better that way and leave future finessing for your tubes and other consumables. This advice obviously applies to Roy's SP-14 and equivalents produced by Don Sachs, & etc.
My two-bits' worth this rainy Sunday, at any rate.
Last edited by tubes4hifi on Sun Feb 03, 2019 10:05 pm; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : Diction and grandma)
