DAC Output Voltage

[Summit]

On 12/13/2019 at 5:08 AM, The Computer Audiophile said:

Hi Guys, I get many DACs in for review every year and many have different output voltages. Some have 2Vrms, 4Vrms, 6Vrms, and I have one now with 7Vrms. 
 

I’m a fan of more voltage for sound quality reasons and I believe it’s necessary when using convolution filters. 
 

Question 1: Why are the voltages set at 2,4,6 etc...?

 

Question 2: Given how many DACs are driving amps directly now days, doesn’t it make sense to have higher output voltages?

 

Question 3: Is there a different option other than increased output voltage from the DAC?

 

Question 4: Is it true that a higher output voltage means more signal in the signal to noise ratio, thus can equate to better sound?

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. 

 

Before it was more or less standard that SE out was 2v max and balanced 4v. Nowadays when many DACs have some preamp functions a stronger signal* can be better. I would say that a stronger signal is normally better, as long as it don’t overload the input of the amp, and not all amps are equal in this regard. Many amps will start clipping at higher voltage levels while other don’t.

To get higher output signal from a DAC can result in some disadvantage though, and to put in a bigger output stage cost more needs bigger PSU etc.

 

*A stronger signal is less sensitive to external noise than a weaker signal, everything else hold equal.

[Summit]

On 12/18/2019 at 7:48 PM, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

Yes, I will test to see what's going on. 

 

 

 

Never a problem for HiFi manufacturers :~)

 

The thing I liked to say is that the cost and complexity can grow exponential with higher output, but much depends on DAC design. To get significant higher output with a SOTA class A circuit, the output transformers has to be bigger which generates more heat and EMI, so you will maybe be require to build a bigger case with better separation between the digital, analogue and PSU sections. The difference in cost to make a DAC that can output 2v and one that can output 6v can therefore be huge and not all HiFi manufacturers consider the advantage of higher output (to eliminate the need of a preamp) worth the cost and trouble. This is how I have interpreted it to be 🙂.