What outboard DAC do you use with Squeezebox?

[buelligan]

Musical Fidelity X-DAC-V3+X-10 Tube Buffer+X-PSU (full Audiocom Mods)

Dear Phil,
I happen to have the v3 X-ponents as well. I have perused the Audiocom site a number of times and was interested in the superclock 4 and was wondering what mods you had installed and what you thought about them.

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks,
buelligan

[Daverz]

S/PDIF from my Squeezebox Duet player to a Cambridge 840C CDP/DAC. (The 840C has excellent sound and build quality, but as a CD player it doesn't the usuabilty of the el cheapo Sony players I've had. I mainly use it as just a DAC these days.) After that everything is balanced connections: 840C -> BAT 3iX -> Vandersteen high-pass filters -> Bryston 3B-SST -> Vandersteen Quatros.

[Phil Leigh]

Dear Phil,
I happen to have the v3 X-ponents as well. I have perused the Audiocom site a number of times and was interested in the superclock 4 and was wondering what mods you had installed and what you thought about them.

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks,
buelligan

Hi - I have the level 2 mods to DAC and to the X-10. Sound quality greatly enhanced to my ears. Doesn't sound "digital".

[kphinney]

I second the CI Audio gear. I just put my VDA•2 DAC with VAC•1 outboard linear power supply up on Audiogon. The pair cost under $800 and has had some of the best reviews. I'm sorry to have to part with mine, but sometimes you can't control what you bring and where you go. It's come down to bringing one system and I'm choosing the TP over a separate SB3 and DAC + PS.

Here's a fairly comprehensive article on it: http://tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_017.pdf

[buelligan]

Hi - I have the level 2 mods to DAC and to the X-10. Sound quality greatly enhanced to my ears. Doesn't sound "digital".

I'm getting excited about the prospect of modding my X-DAC v3. 468GBP (780 USD on our side of the pond) is rather dear but I'd probably do it in stages. Would you recommend the clock first (as Audiocom suggests on their site)?

Thanks,
buelligan

[Phil Leigh]

I'm getting excited about the prospect of modding my X-DAC v3. 468GBP (780 USD on our side of the pond) is rather dear but I'd probably do it in stages. Would you recommend the clock first (as Audiocom suggests on their site)?

Thanks,
buelligan

Yes I would

[ajayrav]

So you folks who use the MF-XDAC-v3. Has the bug where the DAC would still sense a signal when the receiver was off preventing automatic input switching been fixed?

Thanks,
Ajay

[avr300]

Twisted Pear, Buffalo ESS ES9008 Sabre24, aka Buffalo24.

[milosz]

My main setup uses a DEQX / triamped Magnepan 3.6r. The DEQX does all the DSP as well as 3 D/A's per channel.

In another rooms I use a Cambridge DAC Magic for my Quad ESL-57's, and in another room a Musical Fidelity VDAC on Red Rose Music "Classic" speakers. Various tube, hybrid, and class-A solid state amps used- depending.

I also have two DAC/ headphone amp / preamps from Audio_GD- the COMPASS and the FUN, but I have not used these with speakers. Their A/D's are quite good and use all-discrete analog sections (no IC opamps) as well as fantastic power supplies. They might be excellent as DAC/pre's but I've just never tried them. Build quality on the Audio_GD line is fantastic. I'll get around to it some day. The Audio_GD gear is very reasonably priced, too.

[nelamvr6]

Cambridge Audio DACMagic.