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Sonic Benefits of 8 Channel exaSound e38 DAC
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milt
800 Club - QQ All-Star
IMHO, Mac will never do an 8-channel DAC like the exaSound or even like an Oppo.
Not a large enough market.
It is a small market.
Nice to have choices like exaSound, Merging Technologies, and MSB Tech in the Multichannel DAC market.
And you can also include Mytek and Playback Designs if you are adventurous enough to link multiple Stereo DACs for Multichannel playback.
http://www.nativedsd.com/database
The miniDSP U-DIO8 permits one to use any three/four DACs of one's choosing.
https://www.minidsp.com/products/usb-audio-interface/u-dio8
https://www.stereophile.com/content/music-round-93-minidsp-ripping-sacds
milt
800 Club - QQ All-Star
To clarify my large market statement, imo the multi-channel DAC market for the MacIntosh buyer demographic is not large enough.
Mac buyers are like Naim buyers. Most don't buy a single Mac component and leave it at that.
At least for the pre-amp\amp segment their bread n butter.
I've seen a lot of all-Mac systems, TT, disc player, pre-amp, amp.
As far as the DAC market in general, it's stunning to me the number of DAC manufacturers & products.
But still, the single box multi-channel capable gear is rare.
Mac buyers are like Naim buyers. Most don't buy a single Mac component and leave it at that.
At least for the pre-amp\amp segment their bread n butter.
I've seen a lot of all-Mac systems, TT, disc player, pre-amp, amp.
As far as the DAC market in general, it's stunning to me the number of DAC manufacturers & products.
But still, the single box multi-channel capable gear is rare.
After reading the e38 instruction manual, it does indeed seem that replanning one's system is necessary.
For example, my computer is in the upstairs office and could not be any further from the audio system which is in the basement at the other end of the house. So relocating the Mac, or more likely getting another along with something like JRiver is in my equation.
Another matter then becomes how to scroll through music files remotely from the couch...which happens to be no big deal using the "Swiss Army Knife" Oppo 205.
For example, my computer is in the upstairs office and could not be any further from the audio system which is in the basement at the other end of the house. So relocating the Mac, or more likely getting another along with something like JRiver is in my equation.
Another matter then becomes how to scroll through music files remotely from the couch...which happens to be no big deal using the "Swiss Army Knife" Oppo 205.
JRiver apps for remote access work wonderful and are free with your registration. Either iPad or iPhone. I personally just use my laptop, JRiver, when sitting and listening in my living room
The Oppo works great when you don't have a large drive...but the larger the external drive the more songs you will have to scroll through...a 2 TB drive can hold over 10,000 songs...so that is a LOT of scrolling...just saying....
This is where the "page up/down" button on the OPPO remote comes in handy... you can scroll through artist folders quickly (but I still prefer connecting my hardrive to my laptop and playing everything through foobar)
I have purposely avoided having a computer involved in the audio chain....do you prefer using foobar for the ease of music selection or for its other uses?
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JediJoker
Audio Engineer/Enthusiast
If you can handle a professional product, and one with extra features (A-to-D), Mytek makes an 8-channel DAC.
I've never understood that.
I think it is essential, especially if you are interested in multichannel.
It has nothing to do with the Internet, imho.
milt
800 Club - QQ All-Star
The Naim owners I've talked to talk about the "synergy" of an all Naim system.
With MacIntosh I think it may as much of an appearance thing as performance but my experience there is more anecdotal
Naim is, in some ways, quirky and the existences of "synergy" is possible. In most cases, there is no evidence of such.
Esthetics are another matter.
I can easily see how one with a music collection as enormous as Kal's would need a computer to sort through all of the material rapidly. For my modest collection, the "Swiss Army Knife" (copyright Clint Eastwood) Oppo 205 is adequate at the moment.
I would love to have the highly regarded Exasound e38 DAC, but a number of other costly habits...
keep getting in the way!!! But one day perhaps...
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