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DAC-Preamp having these specifications?

Rather than asking for feedback about specific products, I thought I instead would ask for your recommendations of a DAC-Preamp product(s) having a desired set of following specifications:

Output Impedance: < 300 Ohms
Balanced outputs (XLR)
Unbalanced outputs (RCA)
2 or more analog inputs (RCA or XLR)
2 or more digital inputs (coaxial + optical or USB)
DAC section preferably uses discrete components over op-amps
DAC signal processing capabilities should the usual fare though need not include every conceivable format
Price: ~$2,500 or less




128x128celander
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georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
celander
@georgehifi My ATC active monitors have a 10-kOhm input impedance, so I need something having an output impedance lower than 1-kOhm.
Yes generally as 1:10 rule I use it, "if" your interconnects are low capacitance and around 1mt long, source to amp.

But your going from dac to speakers with these interconnects, probably around 4mts, so I would err on the side of caution and have the dac’s output impedance 100 or 200ohms.

Cheers George
celander's avatar
celander OP
1,502 posts
 
@georgehifi I thought I deleted my errant post regarding my misread of your suggested “1000-Ohms”. I read your post again and realized you wrote “100Ohms” rather than “1000Ohms”. My bad.

The ATC (analog) preamps have a rated output impedance of 10-Ohms. But I don’t have one of those, opting instead to explore a DAC-preamp. 

Thanks for your advice. 
celander's avatar
celander OP
1,502 posts
 
@georgehifi If a DAC-preamp manufacturer uses only an analog volume pot, then can one assume the digital domain is set for 100% output, thereby ensuring no bit-stripping arises? I’m thinking here of the Benchmark DAC3. 
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
If a DAC-preamp manufacturer uses only an analog volume pot, then can one assume the digital domain is set for 100% output, thereby ensuring no bit-stripping arises? I’m thinking here of the Benchmark DAC3.
Yes, no "bit stripping" if the volume is done in the analogue domain after the d to a converter. But I haven't seen this done since the old days, maybe the Dac3 is I'll look to see if it is.

Cheers George
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