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Emotiva XDA-1

cubdog said:
Yeah let us know what you think. I'd buy another one for my computer but I'm kind of into headphones at the moment. Dollars only stretch so far.

cubdog
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IMO, for less than a 1/4 amount of money, a pair of headphones beats any speakers - for stereo music.
The only time whan I listen to speakers now is with surround programs.
 
SoNic67 said:
IMO, for less than a 1/4 amount of money, a pair of headphones beats any speakers - for stereo music.
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:no:

Headphone have their place (portable devices, private listening etc.) but are no substitute for a great pair of speakers.
 
burmashave said:
Definitely. Will be able to give my impressions of an HRT Streamer II+, a Dacit, an Emotiva XDA-1, and a Maverick D1.
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Hey Burma,
Do you have those impressions yet? I am still undecided on a main DAC.
Wish I could afford a Peachtree. :tears:

Tyler
 
Well, I've had it for a couple days now and I'm really liking it. To me it has a very warm presentation, but then again, my amp, as well as speakers both are known to be warm and non-fatiguing. So I really can't tell if it's the DAC itself or the whole system as a whole. I do enjoy it's sound as ever since I hooked it up I've been ripped away from critical listening and have just enjoyed listening to music. Take that how you want it, but for me that's a huge plus.

So, would I recommend it? Yes, definitely. At the price they're selling it for right now, it's a steal. The machined remote is very sturdy and has a solid feel to it which I like a lot. Couple that with Emotiva's great warranty and customer service and you have a product that will take care of you for a while.

One thing that I did notice is that it's output via single ended is only 1v max. So if you have hard to drive amplifiers this may not exactly work for you. Or if you have a high gain amp and relatively efficient speakers you may find that the minimum volume setting is pretty close to background listening levels. Some people have complained about this but I actually don't have a problem with it. The amp I'm currently using has adjustable gain so I can match it with pretty much any preamp out there. If you find that even on the highest volume setting you're still not getting the output levels you need, you might need an external preamp and just set the volume to 80 (max).

Another thing you should know is that unlike more of the common DACs on the market, the XDA-1 only accepts sample rates up to 24/48Khz via usb, whereas the standard usb rate extends up to 24/96Khz. Again, not a problem for me since I don't have any super high res files, but if you do, you may want to think about running a Musical Fidelity V-link out from your computer and then into this DAC to take advantage of it's 24/196Khz via digital coax and optical inputs.

Well, that's about all I can think of right now. Emotiva has beautiful pieces of equipment that perform far beyond their price point. Along with their customer support they are definitely a company I can suggest to those wanting high performance audio gear on a limited budget. They aren't the last word in hi-fi but get you pretty damn close and for a fraction of the cost.

Cheers,
Steven


P.S. I just picked up their ERC-2 transport and am in love with it's sound. The ERC-2 and XDA-1 were made to be together. Another Emotiva steal of a deal if you need a one trick pony transport.
 
burmashave said:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=444256

I reviewed them all in this thread a couple days ago bro.
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Nice write-up, thanks!

I'm currently burning in my ERC-2 and XDA-1 with a electronics burn-in cd and will report any differences that may appear. I don't want to start a flame war as some people do and some people don't believe in burn-in cd's but this one was free and I figured I may as well give it a shot since I have nothing to lose. So please don't comment saying that it's B.S., I really don't care.
 
Hi Steven. I've got an XDA-1 also and absolutely love it too. I use mine in a 2 channel McIntosh rig with a V-link. My sources are played from a dedicated laptop running everything from standard 44.1 CD rips all the way up to 24/192 hi Res files. It handles them all just like you said - with warmth and detail. I've found that a dac must have synergy with the rest of the gear. It shouldn't be treated like a source or some may be disappointed. But when you pair it to the right gear......man, you will be blown away.

Enjoy. Jimmy
 
Hey guys, I misquoted the single ended output for the XDA-1. It is not 1v Max, it's 1v nominal, 7v peak.
 
StevenZ said:
Another thing you should know is that unlike more of the common DACs on the market, the XDA-1 only accepts sample rates up to 24/48Khz via usb, whereas the standard usb rate extends up to 24/96Khz.
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Don't worry, MOST of the USB devices are in the same boat. For more than that, you NEED dedicated drivers, provided by DAC manufacturer. Sometimes the cips used don't go past 16bit/48kHz (native USB1.1 audio in Windows).
 
SoNic67 said:
Don't worry, MOST of the USB devices are in the same boat. For more than that, you NEED dedicated drivers, provided by DAC manufacturer. Sometimes the cips used don't go past 16bit/48kHz (native USB1.1 audio in Windows).
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That's actually been changing over the last year or so. USB is still not as ideal as an S/PDIF hookup, but the technology is getting better... and less-expensive. 2 years ago there weren't any sub-$200 DAC's that could properly-handle 24/96 through a USB connection, but now I believe there are several good ones. In another year or two, the market will probably be flooded with them.
 
"Another thing you should know is that unlike more of the common DACs on the market, the XDA-1 only accepts sample rates up to 24/48Khz via usb, whereas the standard usb rate extends up to 24/96Khz. Again, not a problem for me since I don't have any super high res files, but if you do, you may want to think about running a Musical Fidelity V-link out from your computer and then into this DAC to take advantage of it's 24/196Khz via digital coax and optical inputs."

That was an "aw ****" moment for me too....

BUT!! I had a little idea... I ran the audio stream out of my little Nettop computer over HDMI in to my Emo UMC-1 that nicely handed off full 24/196 over coaxial digital cable (and displays the bitrate) to my XDA-1. Now we're cookin!
 
jeffe said:
"Another thing you should know is that unlike more of the common DACs on the market, the XDA-1 only accepts sample rates up to 24/48Khz via usb, whereas the standard usb rate extends up to 24/96Khz. Again, not a problem for me since I don't have any super high res files, but if you do, you may want to think about running a Musical Fidelity V-link out from your computer and then into this DAC to take advantage of it's 24/196Khz via digital coax and optical inputs."

That was an "aw ****" moment for me too....

BUT!! I had a little idea... I ran the audio stream out of my little Nettop computer over HDMI in to my Emo UMC-1 that nicely handed off full 24/196 over coaxial digital cable (and displays the bitrate) to my XDA-1. Now we're cookin!
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That's where I didn't have much of a choice. My laptop is USB-only, and it's my only working computer at the moment, so this would've been an issue. But for someone who has more connection options, there are plenty of good DAC's out there for great prices.

So, what exactly does the Emo UMC-1 do? Is that similar to a V-Link? I'm fairly-new to this stuff. Oh well, Google is my friend... Wow, that UMC-1 is NOT cheap. The XDA-1 certainly-is though. I bet the updated version will have 24/96 support through USB. That would make sense.
 
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I think I'm gonna pull the trigger..........I'll replace the 20 year old Theta DAC with the XDA-1 and hopefully gain a remote volume control.

Right now, I'm running a music server > Apple AE Toslink > Theta > MC30s. Alternately, I run CD > Coaxial > Theta >MC30s.

I hope to run USB from the server and free up the AE and Theta DAC for a whole house audio system I'm putting together. Eventually, I'd like to replace my Dell with a Mac Mini.............

I hope the XDA-1 sounds as good or better than the 20 year old Theta..............
 
Mine came in today and I have been listening for a little while.

Right out of the box,cold it is fairly impressive for $200.00 to me.

It has a few annoying quirks so far but I just can not believe what it does and how it performs for the money,a "No Brainer" if you are looking for a cheapo DAC!

Ed
 
AVService said:
Mine came in today and I have been listening for a little while.

Right out of the box,cold it is fairly impressive for $200.00 to me.

It has a few annoying quirks so far but I just can not believe what it does and how it performs for the money,a "No Brainer" if you are looking for a cheapo DAC!

Ed
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Which quirks do you not like?
 
StevenZ said:
Which quirks do you not like?
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My least favorite so far is when trying to lock onto the bitstream on Music DVD there is a horrible loud noise that will last until it understands the format I guess and then all is well.

It is very loud and annoying.

No other DAC that I have or have seen has done this other than momentarily and not often.

I also wish it displayed the info it is seeing but.....
Also the display will dim but not to off which it says it will do in the manual.
 
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