Squeezebox Touch to Transporter - sound quality

[tank121]

Currently my Squeezebox Touch feeds via a digital connection into my Arcam SA10 amp which has the built in Sabre 9018 DAC.

If I was to replace the Touch with a 2nd hand Transporter would there be a considerable improvement in sound quality?

My speakers are Dali Mentor Menuets.

TIA Happy New Year 2021

[Apesbrain]

"Sound quality" is an individual experience; only you can be the judge of this. Both are worthy solutions and, under controlled conditions, I doubt you'd be able to tell one from the other. It's been repeatedly demonstrated, however, that "sound" quality is influenced by more than sound waves hitting the eardrum. If you like the look of the Transporter, or it provides you a certain pride of ownership, it may indeed "sound" better to you.

If you're asking is the data somehow different as rendered to the DAC via Touch or Transporter, the answer is no.

Happy new year to you, too.

P.S. If you had a Transporter, you might try taking its analog out to your amp. It has an excellent DAC section.

[garym]

I agree with @apesbrain. For feeding same DAC, likelihood of differing sound quality is zero. You may or may not like the DAC in the Transporter vs your current DAC, assuming you use the analog out of the Transporter. I use a Transporter, balanced analog out to my pre-amp (so using the Transporter's built in DAC). I'm very fond of the Transporter, and in fact bought an extra one just to have as a backup in case my first one dies.

[tank121]

Sorry forgot to mention, yes the analogue out from the transporter into the amp against the Sabre 9018 DAC in the amp?

Is there a Raspberry Pi kit with DAC that would exceed the 9018 DAC & SB touch combo?

[garym]

Sorry forgot to mention, yes the analogue out from the transporter into the amp against the Sabre 9018 DAC in the amp?

Is there a Raspberry Pi kit with DAC that would exceed the 9018 DAC & SB touch combo?

lots of different rPi DAC hats that get good reviews. Not sure which, but google should help here. I use a hifiberry DAC+ pro, on an rPi3B+, but it's in a small system that is not meant to be particularly good. It does sound great however. Of course you can also have a digi hat. I have one of those, hifiberry Digi+ (I think), that I feed SPDIF output into a separate DAC.

[tank121]

Would using the analogue out of a Transporter be superior to using the Sabre 9018 DAC in the Arcam amp?

[garym]

Would using the analogue out of a Transporter be superior to using the Sabre 9018 DAC in the Arcam amp?

no way of me saying, as I don't know anything about the Sabre DAC. The transporter was ahead of its time and considered good. But compared to other things, I have no idea.