Dac for s2000mkIII, is it worth it?

[Gandalf 04]

Hello, I am new to this forum and I have only been in the world of audio for a short time.
I tell you that I made the jump from the Edifier R2000DB to the Edifier S2000MKIII, I used both connected to my PC via Toslink (MSI B790 tomahawk motherboard with an ALC 897 codec).
With this configuration I achieved 192kHz and 24bits, which is the maximum according to the specifications of the S2000MKIII.
My question is: Will I feel a difference by adding a DAC like the Ifi UNO or the Ifi zen dac v2? If I can get some specific answer on how I could improve that would be great for me.

 

[Nikhil]

Welcome to the forum!

Going with a higher resolution alone does not guarantee better sound. Personally I still think you need a serious system to fully take advantage of 16/44.1 PCM. The file is only a container and does not by itself give you better sound quality. This is a very log discussion but look for getting good quality recordings first.

Having said that I think in your case you might get some gains with an external DAC. Computers have some known issues that affect sound. Using an external DAC like the Ifi Zen will help isolate the PC from your Edifiers. Very good chance that you will have better sound.

Good luck with your setup!



.

 

[mbhangui]

Hello, I am new to this forum and I have only been in the world of audio for a short time.
I tell you that I made the jump from the Edifier R2000DB to the Edifier S2000MKIII, I used both connected to my PC via Toslink (MSI B790 tomahawk motherboard with an ALC 897 codec).
With this configuration I achieved 192kHz and 24bits, which is the maximum according to the specifications of the S2000MKIII.
My question is: Will I feel a difference by adding a DAC like the Ifi UNO or the Ifi zen dac v2? If I can get some specific answer on how I could improve that would be great for me.

Your Edifier S2000MKIII has four inputs. Two analog inputs and digital inputs 1 optical and 1 coaxial. When you use the digital inputs, you are using the internal DAC of S2000MKIII. These speakers are built to a price point and may not have the DAC as good as an external DAC like the ifi zen, etc. If you decide to get an external DAC you will have to use the analog out of the external dac and connect it to one of the analog inputs on the speaker. In this case the Digitlal to Analog conversion will be done by the external dac. The sound signature will be decided by the preamp stage inside your external dac. Another use for an external dac could be if it has an in-built headphone amplifier. So you will have a choice to listen to either headphone or the speaker.

Having said that you should know that most dacs are almost similar and you may not find the improvement for the price you pay for the external dac. Also remember that better dacs will make more difference with better speakers. If you can borrow a dac and hear it yourself you will get an idea if it is worth it. Never go by reviews by both reviewers and users on the internet. You will rarely find a DAC that is heavily criticized for flaws if any.

 

[Gandalf 04]

Your Edifier S2000MKIII has four inputs. Two analog inputs and digital inputs 1 optical and 1 coaxial. When you use the digital inputs, you are using the internal DAC of S2000MKIII. These speakers are built to a price point and may not have the DAC as good as an external DAC like the ifi zen, etc. If you decide to get an external DAC you will have to use the analog out of the external dac and connect it to one of the analog inputs on the speaker. In this case the Digitlal to Analog conversion will be done by the external dac. The sound signature will be decided by the preamp stage inside your external dac. Another use for an external dac could be if it has an in-built headphone amplifier. So you will have a choice to listen to either headphone or the speaker.

Having said that you should know that most dacs are almost similar and you may not find the improvement for the price you pay for the external dac. Also remember that better dacs will make more difference with better speakers. If you can borrow a dac and hear it yourself you will get an idea if it is worth it. Never go by reviews by both reviewers and users on the internet. You will rarely find a DAC that is heavily criticized for flaws if any.

Thank you for your answer, it is clear to me that the difference will not be very big in terms of quality but perhaps in the sound signature, it is a bit complicated to borrow a DAC for testing, I am waiting for the IFI ZEN DAC 2, When it arrives I will leave my comments

 

[DB1989]

Having said that I think in your case you might get some gains with an external DAC. Computers have some known issues that affect sound. Using an external DAC like the Ifi Zen will help isolate the PC from your Edifiers. Very good chance that you will have better sound.

Your Edifier S2000MKIII has four inputs. Two analog inputs and digital inputs 1 optical and 1 coaxial. When you use the digital inputs, you are using the internal DAC of S2000MKIII. These speakers are built to a price point and may not have the DAC as good as an external DAC like the ifi zen, etc. If you decide to get an external DAC you will have to use the analog out of the external dac and connect it to one of the analog inputs on the speaker. In this case the Digitlal to Analog conversion will be done by the external dac. The sound signature will be decided by the preamp stage inside your external dac. Another use for an external dac could be if it has an in-built headphone amplifier. So you will have a choice to listen to either headphone or the speaker.

Having said that you should know that most dacs are almost similar and you may not find the improvement for the price you pay for the external dac. Also remember that better dacs will make more difference with better speakers. If you can borrow a dac and hear it yourself you will get an idea if it is worth it. Never go by reviews by both reviewers and users on the internet. You will rarely find a DAC that is heavily criticized for flaws if any.

won't the Edifier S2000mkiii be limited by its internal DAC even when fed through its analog/ line inputs since it has to go through an A to D conversion first and then back again from digital to analog using its own internal DAC chip or am i missing something?

 

[mbhangui]

won't the Edifier S2000mkiii be limited by its internal DAC even when fed through its analog/ line inputs since it has to go through an A to D conversion first and then back again from digital to analog using its own internal DAC chip or am i missing something?

You are right. The speaker does DSP and and analog inputs are selected from the ADC/DAC PCM1802 chip

 

[Gandalf 04]

Tienes razón. El altavoz hace DSP y las entradas analógicas se seleccionan desde el chip PCM1802 ADC/DAC

That is, no DAC will make a difference due to the internal circuitry of the Edifier S2000MKIII or even in the sound signature?

 

[mbhangui]

That is, no DAC will make a difference due to the internal circuitry of the Edifier S2000MKIII or even in the sound signature?

I feel that the difference will be minimal.

 

[DB1989]

That is, no DAC will make a difference due to the internal circuitry of the Edifier S2000MKIII or even in the sound signature?

there will be a slight change in the sound signature because the initial D to A conversion by an external DAC will leave an imprint of its tonality on the analog signal coming into the S2000 mkiii - before being converted to digital again. However, you won't get better resolution and other improvements that come with an external more competent DAC.