Ways to improve DAC performance???


Hello fellow A'goners,

I recently changed my system by selling my tube CD player and storing all of my CDs onto iTunes on my Macbook Pro laptop. I also subscribe to premium Spotify and really enjoy the quality of the sound.

I'm using a fairly inexpensive Ross Martin DAC, and the noise floor and detail are really excellent.

I'm new to this "music server" approach and I was wondering if there is additional software that would improve the quality of this setup.
It has to be Apple, not PC.

I've read of various programs and downloads that help, but I'm not sure if they are a substitute for a good DAC or something that can enhance a DAC's performance?

Any suggestions or advice is much appreciated, as I am a newbie in this new digital realm.

Thanks! Lincoln
lincnabby

Showing 1 response by williewonka

Install Audirvana - it bypasses the apple processing and delivers the raw data from the file to the dac. - it can also play flac if you desire.

It pre-loads tracks - so there is less of an issue using wireless, which can lead to dropouts with itunes alone

It also integrates with iTunes, which I use with a droid app called Retune to control from my tablet

I was very surprised at the difference it made - better imaging and dynamics

Get a half decent cable - I use DH Labs for USB and optical- they've so far proved to be better than other brands I have tried - like Chord. They do affect the sound, because some cables drop data when streaming and the dac just fills in the missing data best it can.

Also, make sure you either backup your tunes frequently - or get a drive (NAS or usb) with dual drives that support RAID - I've now reloaded my cd's a couple of times due to hard disk failure

Hope this helps