I have been trying the Emotiva XDA-1 DAC in various systems at home from sourcing a Logitech Squeezebox Touch to the Transporter.
Here it is in my main system feeding a ML380S with the Transporter as the sourec both using the Transporter internal DAC output to the ML380S using balanced cables. The XDA-1 out it also balanced XLR nito the pre-amp. Cables used to the pre are Madrigal CZ-Gel. First impressions is that the XDA-1 at the current price of $349.00 plaus VAT, Duties, Courier charges is worth it but initial session shows that it makes a big difference at the lower end of the scale equipment.
The 24/192kHz up-conversion can clearly be heard in the presentation. Lots more information in the upper registers. One real positive boon is the digital volume control which is not digital (discarding bits when volume is lowered) but a stepped resistor so actually in the analog domain.
I was curios to see how this compares to the Mark Levinson (top of the range a few years ago) and it is clear that it is NOT in the same reference camp, but it should be expected.
I will give a few days of playing time to allow the device to 'settle' in and then listen in detail.
Here it is in my main system feeding a ML380S with the Transporter as the sourec both using the Transporter internal DAC output to the ML380S using balanced cables. The XDA-1 out it also balanced XLR nito the pre-amp. Cables used to the pre are Madrigal CZ-Gel. First impressions is that the XDA-1 at the current price of $349.00 plaus VAT, Duties, Courier charges is worth it but initial session shows that it makes a big difference at the lower end of the scale equipment.
The 24/192kHz up-conversion can clearly be heard in the presentation. Lots more information in the upper registers. One real positive boon is the digital volume control which is not digital (discarding bits when volume is lowered) but a stepped resistor so actually in the analog domain.
I was curios to see how this compares to the Mark Levinson (top of the range a few years ago) and it is clear that it is NOT in the same reference camp, but it should be expected.
I will give a few days of playing time to allow the device to 'settle' in and then listen in detail.
