T+A DAC 200 Burn-in

@milpai 

Thanks for the link to Audiophilestyle.  It will take some time to get through all of those conversations. 

I noticed that OE333 believes it best to use the DAC200 at line level if using an external preamp because the DAC200 as a DAC-only bypasses the preamp stage for the fixed output.  While you were writing your comment, I was writing to the service group at T+A to ask them what output level would correspond to 2.0V if using the variable output.  I could play with this by ear, but I may wait another day to get their answer.  I wrote to them about a separate question on Thursday and received a response in about an hour (pretty amazing).  

If I decide to keep the DAC200, I will likely try HQPlayer some time in the future.  I have a thing about subscription services invading our day-to-day living.  It’s not that I can’t afford them, I am just rebelling against them.  But I may consider going there for one service like Qobuz after I’ve had enough time covering my CD collection.  GoldenSound reviewed the DAC200 a while back and was quite impressed with the quality of sound when fed DSD signals through HQP.  The DAC200 has a separate DSD circuitry which he said was outstanding.

If you haven’t heard Moving Pictures, give it a listen. That’s my gift back to those of you who have been so helpful.  It is the first disc I play in stereo stores when testing equipment.  Whenever I am having it played, slowly I’ll notice several people stopping in to listen.  I once told Russ that I may have sold more copies of that album than he has.  A great follow-up to Moving Pictures is Skip, Hop, and Wobble by Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenberg, and Edgar Meyer.  

@sealegs 

The DAC200 has a separate DSD circuitry which he said was outstanding. 

Yes, that is what we have been telling you. 

PGGB is another option to rip all your cd’s in DSD form, which is what I used with the T+A and now with my new DAC. It can be used in conjunction with HQ Player, but I didn't use HQ Player, It is not a subscription, you just buy the licence. The disadvantage is it does require a decent computer with some storage. 

Another Audiophilestyle thread for perusal: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/62699-a-toast-to-pggb-a-heady-brew-of-math-and-magic/#comments

@milpai ​​@audphile1 ​​@mclinnguy ​​@benzman ​​@mgrif104 

I have not posted since Sunday, but the journey evaluating the T+A DAC200 continued.  Since Sunday, the performance of the DAC200 has improved substantially.  I have been using the DAC200 as both DAC and preamp.  I previously mentioned better presentation of upper midrange frequencies with that arrangement.  Since then, bass frequencies have also improved substantially.  Overall, I am quite happy with the unit and decided to keep it.  

I previously mentioned that I intended to move the Rowland preamp back into the digital signal path and try to cut back on the output relative to fixed output I had been using before.  The engineers at T+A said that using its preamp capabilities to feed my Rowland preamp would put two preamps in the signal path and should be avoided. The fixed output does not go through the internal preamp.   They said the fixed output on the T+A was actually 2.0V and not the 2.5V I believed.  So, I have not yet reexamined putting the Rowland preamp back in the signal path for CD music but I will some day.  

My current explanation for the varied experiences I had with the DAC200 gets back to the original question that started this thread.  I believe that the DAC200 needed 300 hours of break-in time to evaluate it against the older DAC I owned.  

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions.  If I have additional insights in the future, I’ll be sure to report back.  

@sealegs that’s great news! Giving a component sufficient time to break in is key. The old Rowland preamp may or may not be a bottleneck. You’ll know it when you try it. I’m suspecting the preamp might get in a way of the DAC’s transparency and you’re most likely going to start shopping for a new preamp unless you run your CDs thru the DAC 200. 

@sealegs 

The engineers at T+A said that using its preamp capabilities to feed my Rowland preamp would put two preamps in the signal path and should be avoided. The fixed output does not go through the internal preamp.

I have to thank you for making me reconsider how I was using the DAC200 in my system. When I initially inserted it in my system, I was using Foobar2000 and did not have the option to play with software volume. Hence I had set it to -15dB and used it in “Variable” mode. Later I switched to HQ Player but never thought of switching the DAC 200 back to “Line” and experiment with volume control in HQ Player. After your response on 4/19, I decided to set the DAC 200 as “Line” and manipulate the volume control in HQP. Jussi from HQP confirmed that there will be absolutely no resolution loss even till -30dB. I found the sweet spot at -10dB in HQ Player. I gained a slightly expanded sound stage and a bit of clarity/openness. Love the improvement.

Congratulations on reaching a decision. I am glad that you gave enough burn-in hours to the DAC200. It is a gem that never ceases to amaze me. My next experiment will be to upgrade the power cable, at some point.