honest answer based on some personal experiences and what I found around on the net: SB built-in DAC is rather good (or rather standard if you like) one, and buying comparably priced DAC to use it with SB3 would mostly be a vaste of money, unless it has some other features you need. I can't talk for more expensive ones (like Benchmark or Lavry), but in sub $1000 range there won't be much difference (if any) in sound ... And, remember that the sound of the DAC isn't entirely defined by its chip.
At least, don't pay the money before you have a chance to listen to it and compare (preferably in BT). Make sure they are level matched. The most benefit I got with the external DAC was not direct sound improvement over SB bulit in, but the ability to go directly into the power amp, bypassing the preamp. -- slimkid The sound stage will open up, bass will tighten and the imaging will improve. DVD performance will also increase substantially. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ slimkid's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8881 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=41706 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
