Have had the XDA-1 for less than a week. My Sony DVD feeds it via Tosklink cable and the DAC runs via RCA connectors into my DIY Hypex ST180 Amp running into my DIY SEAS 2-way monitors. For a $249 unit I am very impressed by the sound quality. I will try with balanced conncections when I get cables next week. Emotiva on their website indicates that the XDA-1 volume control is digital, and thus is not lossless, so anything less than full volume results in the lose of some bits and one must presume some musical detail. I cannot get close to 80 withouth blowing my walls out from a volume perspective, but at about 65 on the volume meter. it sounds pretty damn good. Eventually I will have a Pass DIY B1 Buffer/preamp and run the Emotiva at full output. For $249 (got mine never used from a gent on Ebay for $200) the Emotiva clearly demonstrates how far digital has come in recent years and how much you now can get for your money. Doubt you can find a better deal than the Emotiva for 249 clams. Recommended.
