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DAC or DAC/preamp


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@nikolaos1969 Another DAC-pre to consider is the new iFi Neo iDSD ~ $700 - it's one of those swiss army knife products and has a headphone amp, too. 

 

Regarding separate DAC + preamp vs DAC-pre, I think it comes down to cost (separates being more expensive), how fussy your power amp is, and the specific volume-control implementation of the DAC-pre (a lot of the Sabre DACs use the chip's built-in volume control). I guess a lot of Lumin users are happy with the volume control in the Lumin App, so perhaps the need for a DAC-pre is less; then again, if the DAC-pre sounds good anyway, then you will have the option to compare and switch between both. Personally, I find it convenient and cost-effective to dispense with a separate preamp.

 

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14 hours ago, motoko_K said:

@nikolaos1969 Another DAC-pre to consider is the new iFi Neo iDSD ~ $700 - it's one of those swiss army knife products and has a headphone amp, too. 

 

Regarding separate DAC + preamp vs DAC-pre, I think it comes down to cost (separates being more expensive), how fussy your power amp is, and the specific volume-control implementation of the DAC-pre (a lot of the Sabre DACs use the chip's built-in volume control). I guess a lot of Lumin users are happy with the volume control in the Lumin App, so perhaps the need for a DAC-pre is less; then again, if the DAC-pre sounds good anyway, then you will have the option to compare and switch between both. Personally, I find it convenient and cost-effective to dispense with a separate preamp.

 

Now, although CXA81 is integrated I can not control the volume in the lumin app either have to purchase a DAC/preamp or DAC +preamp

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15 hours ago, motoko_K said:

 Another DAC-pre to consider is the new iFi Neo iDSD ~ $700 - it's one of those swiss army knife products and has a headphone amp, too

I'd advise against the Neo iDSD, the single GTO filter is killing MQAlike the sound of music.

And the headphone amp is far away from the qualities you find with the iDSD micro series.

 

 

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37 minutes ago, nikolaos1969 said:

Now, although CXA81 is integrated I can not control the volume in the lumin app either have to purchase a DAC/preamp or DAC +preamp

 

If you wish to control the volume in Lumin app, simply turn on the Volume Control and Leedh Processing Volume functions in Lumin app for the U1 MINI you are using.  Note that DSD will be converted to PCM.

Peter Lie

LUMIN Firmware Lead

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