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Most noticeable DAC upgrade over a Chromecast Audio

gvl said:
The CCA is pretty good already, so yes the meh reaction is possible. Start small. Get a Schiit Modi3+ and connect it via optical to the CCA. It's a very good performing DAC, spending more money is unlikely to yield audible improvements, so by this you'll get a sense how other uncolored DACs stack up compared to the CCA.
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Your post echoes how I think about this stuff. Also the Bifrost was recommended- I'm all good buying used. Either one equally groovy? Both a noticeable step up?
 
tlite said:
Your post echoes how I think about this stuff. Also the Bifrost was recommended- I'm all good buying used. Either one equally groovy? Both a noticeable step up?
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The original Bifrost is worse than the Modi3+, technically, I'd stay away. I'd also stay away from the Schiit multibit DACs, but I'm sure there will be other opinions on this.
 
tlite said:
I'm pretty open on budget, but tend to go for the "most improvement for the money" options. I.e. once I get to the point where the incremental perceived improvement for spending additional money really becomes kinda small, I'd rather go for the "good" option versus the "perfection" option if that makes sense?

Also FWIW I plan on feeding this all ultimately into a Marantz 2235 with Triangle BRO8's.
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To answer the OP's question, a budget friendly Schiit Modi is a good way to start. Some folks like the Topping D50. You can plug the TOSLINK optical output from the Chromecast into the Modi and improve your sound quality. I tried a chromecast for a while and was able to notice a significant improvement when I used a DAC (it was the Schiit Bifrost at that time.)
 
So... it happens I have an old M-Audio Profire 610 (replaced by a MOTU M4) that I use(d) for home recording. Didn't know until now that audio interfaces can be used as DAC's... I've Googled a bit- think the Profire could work here at least to get the flavor of the CCA into a DAC or is it too old to really get there?

Regardless, I'm going to try to figure out how to hook it up and see what it sounds like. It's otherwise just gathering dust at this point...
 
The specs look decent. You will need an optical to coax SPDIF converter and a mini Toslink adapter for the CCA. Also if your amp doesn't have balanced inputs you will need a balanced TRS to RCA adapter. Make sure to get one which floats the unused balanced leg instead of shorting it to ground as many do.
 
gvl said:
The specs look decent. You will need an optical to coax SPDIF converter and a mini Toslink adapter for the CCA. Also if your amp doesn't have balanced inputs you will need a balanced TRS to RCA adapter. Make sure to get one which floats the unused balanced leg instead of shorting it to ground as many do.
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Thanks so much. Does the interface need to be plugged into a pc to work properly in this scenario or can it work standalone with the proper cables and converter?
 
tlite said:
Thanks so much. Does the interface need to be plugged into a pc to work properly in this scenario or can it work standalone with the proper cables and converter?
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As far as I understand no PC is needed in this case. It has a bunch of outputs, not sure which ones will be active, perhaps all? Maybe you need to use a PC to set the outputs?
 
gvl said:
As far as I understand no PC is needed in this case. It has a bunch of outputs, not sure which ones will be active, perhaps all? Maybe you need to use a PC to set the outputs?
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That's how I've always used it (i.e. the PC software sets the outputs), but the headphone output always is on. Is that the way I should run this (into a Marantz 2235)? TRS from the headphone out jack to Aux Input of the receiver (RCA) via a floating ground adapter/cable?

Thanks- never done this fancy DAC stuff before...
 
tlite said:
That's how I've always used it (i.e. the PC software sets the outputs), but the headphone output always is on. Is that the way I should run this (into a Marantz 2235)? TRS from the headphone out jack to Aux Input of the receiver (RCA) via a floating ground adapter/cable?

Thanks- never done this fancy DAC stuff before...
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I suggest you run it from the line-level outputs on the back as they should be cleaner than the headphone ones. I have no experience with this unit, but perhaps you can can configure the active outputs on the PC and then it remembers which ones remain active and you don't need to have the PC connected from that point on. Or perhaps by default half of the outputs is set to the left channel, and the other half is set to the right channel. Consult the manual.

The outputs on the back are balanced outputs, so you get one channel per plug, unlike the headphones where you get 2 channels per plug. Something like this adapter should work for both the headphones in the front and line outputs on the back. You will need 2 of these for the back connections, leave the right (red) in the air for both and connect your amp's L/R to the white connector (or black on this particular one) on each. For the headphone output just use one adapter and connect amp L/R to White-Black/Red as usual.

Of course if your amp has balanced inputs you could just use those with TRS to XLR cables from the rear line outputs, this would be ideal.
 
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Another thought, Marantz 2235 is likely the bottleneck here, any DAC improvements will most likely be masked by the relatively high THD and noise levels of this unit.
 
gvl said:
Another thought, Marantz 2235 is likely the bottleneck here, any DAC improvements will most likely be masked by the relatively high THD and noise levels of this unit.
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Bummer! Thinking I had this fancy old vintage unit that would sound great with a DAC. I basically just got it and that's what Sent me down this path.


gvl said:
I suggest you run it from the line-level outputs on the back as they should be cleaner than the headphone ones. I have no experience with this unit, but perhaps you can can configure the active outputs on the PC and then it remembers which ones remain active and you don't need to have the PC connected from that point on. Or perhaps by default half of the outputs is set to the left channel, and the other half is set to the right channel. Consult the manual.

The outputs on the back are balanced outputs, so you get one channel per plug, unlike the headphones where you get 2 channels per plug. Something like this adapter should work for both the headphones in the front and line outputs on the back. You will need 2 of these for the back connections, leave the right (red) in the air for both and connect your amp's L/R to the white connector (or black on this particular one) on each. For the headphone output just use one adapter and connect amp L/R to White-Black/Red as usual.

Of course if your amp has balanced inputs you could just use those with TRS to XLR cables from the rear line outputs, this would be ideal.
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This is super helpful. Thanks!
 
tlite said:
Bummer! Thinking I had this fancy old vintage unit that would sound great with a DAC. I basically just got it and that's what Sent me down this path.
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Don't get discouraged, you're like $20 away from trying it with your audio interface. It may sound better still to your ears :) Just maybe lower your expectations a bit.
 
gvl said:
As far as I understand no PC is needed in this case. It has a bunch of outputs, not sure which ones will be active, perhaps all? Maybe you need to use a PC to set the outputs?
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FYI- you were correct. Just reviewed the manual.

"In addition to operating as an audio interface for your computer, ProFire 610 can also operate without a computer
in “standalone mode.”

In Standalone mode, ProFire 610 functions as an analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converter.
Analog inputs 1-2 are “passed through” to analog outputs 1-2 while simultaneously being converted to digital
and sent out of the S/PDIF output. The S/PDIF input is converted to analog and sent out of analog outputs 3-4.
To enter Standalone Mode, power down your computer and the ProFire 610 interface, disconnect any FireWire
cables attached to the FireWire Connectors 11 , and switch on the interface. Keep in mind that all Standalone
Mode settings must be made while the interface is still connected to a computer (i.e., ProFire 610 settings cannot
be modified while the unit is operating in Standalone Mode). The parameters in the “Standalone Mode” section
of the Settings tab of the Control Panel determine how ProFire 610 will function while the interface is operating
in Standalone Mode. This is a useful feature as it allows you to set the Standalone Mode settings independently
from the hosted settings. This saves you from having to reconfigure the Control Panel each time before you use
the interface in Standalone Mode."

So now I'm just awaiting my $20 worth of hookup stuff so I can try it all out and compare. I also have an Onkyo TX-NR808 that has a built-in DAC that I plan to A/B with. Man, if I can get music sounding great with this old (but good) interface I'll be psyched!
 
Connecting the CCA into the Onkyos optical input would have been the easiest. If the Onkyo has "direct" mode use it, it should disable additional precessing of the signal for surround sound and what not. You could also try connecting the Onkyos analog inputs to your interface, but AVRs often digitize analog inputs and then send the signal through the onboard DACs, so you'd effectively have 2 DACs on the way to speakers.
 
gvl said:
Connecting the CCA into the Onkyos optical input would have been the easiest. If the Onkyo has "direct" mode use it, it should disable additional precessing of the signal for surround sound and what not. You could also try connecting the Onkyos analog inputs to your interface, but AVRs often digitize analog inputs and then send the signal through the onboard DACs, so you'd effectively have 2 DACs on the way to speakers.
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So... yes. BUT, for whatever reason, my impression from all the Hi-Fi audiophile forum reading I have done thus far is that the Onkyo internal DACs aren't supposed to sound good [all I know about it is the manual states it's "Burr-Brown192 kHz/24-bit (PCM1690)"], and that playing the CCA through a decent vintage receiver would likely provide the overall better sound.

Of course, I could verify any of this with my own ears, but without anything to compare with I figured I'd have some experimentation to invest in to see what's worthwhile. Also, given that this is the internet- I take all forum opinions as fact...
 
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gvl said:
Connecting the CCA into the Onkyos optical input would have been the easiest.
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Oh- one other issue I had with the Onkyo was the CCA optical didn't work with Zones 2&3 for my whole house audio, the NR808 can only do this with analog inputs.

Of course, neither does the Marantz. That said I mostly have wanted to figure out the best way to listen on the vintage Marantz with the perhaps irrational perception that "Vintage 70's Marantz > 2012 Onkyo".
 
botrytis said:
If people point to ASR as being a good source of measurements, I will say that them banning Andrew Jones because he disagreed with Amir on how he measured one set of his speakers, just shows that what they do is not objectivist but subjective as data is data and if wrong people should admit it.
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I'm not a scientist but it seems like one of the fundamentals of science is that your data is only as good as your methods. I think it would be standard to have other people go over and question your methods to either prove that they are solid or find ways to improve them. I've seen multiple instances of those questions not being allowed there.
If you can't properly defend your methods than all of your data comes into question.
 
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