Benchmark DAC1 configuration


Hello all.
I've exhausted just about every possible avenue to try to figure out both the "best" way to hook up a Benchmark DAC1 (not PRE or USB version), and the "appropriate" way. What I mean is (please bear with me):
1. Has anyone out there had any experience having this unit perform as a preamp fed directly to an integrated tube amp? If so, can it be done with RCA interconnects (not balanced) going from the output to amp and another pair from CD player to amp (uncertain how/if this would work; I assume not?

2. If serving solely as a DAC fed into a CD player as transport, what is, in your opinion, the best cable to use (not so much brand, but cable type — though brands are welcome)?

Apologies if this is a bit newbie, but this is my first DAC, thus I am very unfamiliar with the logistics.

Thanks all.
jsawyer09

Showing 2 responses by almarg

JSawyer09 -- You're welcome!

As you probably realize, you would only be able to truly bypass the preamp stage in the integrated amp if it provides preamp-out and power amp-in jacks on its rear panel. These would normally be jumpered together, and to bypass the preamp stage you would remove those jumpers and connect the dac1 output to the power amp-in jacks. Many (most?) integrateds don't provide those jacks, though.

If you wish to do so, there would be no harm in trying the setup I described with cd player analog outputs and dac1 analog outputs both connected to line-level inputs of the amplifier. That will most probably work ok, as I indicated, and if hum problems resulted they would be immediately apparent.

Regards,
-- Al
Not sure what you mean by "perform as a preamp fed directly to an integrated amp." An integrated amp contains a preamp, by definition.

Also, re "if serving solely as a dac fed into a cd player as transport," the cd player or transport feeds the dac, not vice versa.

Basically, a dac (digital-to-analog converter) takes as inputs the digital outputs of a cd transport, or of a cd player used as a transport, converts its digital inputs into analog outputs, which are then fed into a preamplifier or integrated amplifier (or possibly directly into a power amplifier, if the dac provides a volume control function and sufficient output amplitude).

The dac has to have digital inputs provided to it or it will not do anything. If when you referred to connecting both the dac outputs and the cd player outputs to the integrated amplifier you meant that the cd player's digital outputs would be connected to the dac inputs, and the cd player's analog outputs (as well as the dac's outputs) would both be connected to the integrated amplifier (on separate amp inputs), that would probably work. But the only reason for doing that would be to facilitate switching between the DAC1 and the cd player's internal dac, perhaps for comparison purposes.

The reason I say "probably work" is that it seems conceivable (though unlikely) that having the components connected that way (cd player digital outputs to dac; cd player analog outputs to amp; dac analog outputs to amp) might introduce some amount of hum, due to ground-loop effects.

Regards,
-- Al