I was using cheapo optical in, plus Stereovox HDVX coaxial in and nice quality (but not "audiofool") XLR cables out made from Van Damme/Neutrik bits.
It is possible that the characteristic colorations of the 'briks are making it hard to notice the differences. In which case you shouldn't worry about the external DAC... I used to own a 52 and it is a great preamp. The 250 (which I also used to own) is fine too but the 'briks like lots of power and they are going to give you less distortion and better dynamics run active. But you would need two more stereo amps plus the Aktiv (sic) crossover. The arguments in favour of active operation are set out nicely on page 2 of the Aktiv manual: pdf: http://tinyurl.com/rewcr Andrew -- Andrew B. ========================================================= SB3-> Benchmark DAC1 -> ATC CA2 pre -> ATC SCM50ASL active speakers... nice! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Andrew B.'s Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2619 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=17948 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
