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Thread: Burr-Brown DAC's |
    
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 19
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 01:12 am: |
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I bought my Elite DV-45a on a suggestion from a local dealer and after researching on the internet from reviews and forums like this. Comments like "It has the Burr-Brown DAC's" were found. The store also mentioned this. I wanted a good player, but also wanted it to be able to play both DVD-A and SACD. It does that very well, along with other features.
What I don't understand is what makes Burr-Brown DAC's so good? |
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Relevant Product Info
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Silver Member Username: Myrantz
Post Number: 734
Registered: Aug-04
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| Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 01:20 am: |
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Try Here Keith:
http://www.futurlec.com/News/TI/AcqBurrBrown.html
Cheers |
Bronze Member Username: Culp4684
Post Number: 53
Registered: Aug-04
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| Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 02:41 pm: |
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Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but the Burr-Brown DAC's have absolutely nothing to do with DVD-A or SACD. They also have no effect if you connect the DV-45A to your receiver via the optical or coaxial digital inputs.
I've been looking at this unit as well. A local A/V store near me has it reduced to $399 from $700 MSRP. But I'm kind of leaning toward the new Yamaha DVD-S1500. It sells for exactly the same price, has no Burr-Brown DAC's, but supports a better video processor than the Pioneer. |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 25
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 12:55 am: |
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Robert,
I understand it was over $1200 when it first came out. Thats about what I payed also, about $399. They have a 2 or 3 year warranty. It will also play DVD-R,RW and VCD...which is mainly why it is so popular, and that it plays both Audio formats. I was unhappy that it does not play HDCD, when I thought and he said it would. He said I could return it, but I didn't .
I wasn't as concerned with the best video quality, not that it is bad. I think the picture quality is supurb. I've not even owned a DVD player that I was unhappy with the video quality. I've had two Toshiba DVD players. |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 26
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 01:17 am: |
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Robert,
Sorry, forgot to answer your question.
Yes the DAC's are for audio only. The 192khz signal, or mix on the DVD can only be carried through analog connections. See the below link.
DVD-Audio |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 27
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 01:35 am: |
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My Rantz,
Thank you for taking the time to post this link, but honestly it had nothing to do with my question. |
Silver Member Username: Myrantz
Post Number: 746
Registered: Aug-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 02:27 am: |
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Your question: "What I don't understand is what makes Burr-Brown DAC's so good?"
Info from link: "TI will integrate its advanced process technologies with Burr-Brown's design expertise to produce products for applications that require the highest levels of precision and performance."
So quality reputation has nothing to do with your question eh? Sorry then, I don't know what I could have been thinking! |
Gold Member Username: Kegger
MICHIGAN
Post Number: 1570
Registered: Dec-03
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 03:30 am: |
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ROBERT:
"Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but the Burr-Brown DAC's have absolutely nothing to do with DVD-A or SACD. They also have no effect if you connect the DV-45A to your receiver via the optical or coaxial digital inputs. "
it has everything to do with sacd and dvd-a because it does
use the dacs in the unit for the analog conversion process.
you can't go from the unit to your reciever through the digital
connection and play sacd or dvd-a it will only come
out the 5.1 analog outputs then to your reciever.
so it uses the dacs in the player not the reciever to convert
your digital dvd-a or sacd into analog to go the reciever.
yes if you use the digital out it bypasses the dacs
but because of copy protection laws you can't pass the
sacd or dvd-a signal digitally. it has to be converted in the player.
hopefully i explained it well enough!
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Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 30
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 04:16 am: |
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Yes it does, but what makes a reputation? It had to start somewhere. Sorry to ruffle your feathers. Word of mouth is the best advertising, but I'm just looking for what is it that makes Burr-Brown so good. Just like when eating some good food, and wanting the recipe. |
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Gold Member Username: Kegger
MICHIGAN
Post Number: 1572
Registered: Dec-03
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 04:34 am: |
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unfortunitly kieth i can't answer it technically.
but from my own experience and others oppinions.
burr-brown dacs generally sound smoother than lesser quality dacs.
less edgyness to the music/ more analog sounding.
kinda the difference between tube amps and solid state.
but not quite, just using it as an example.
there are also different/more expensive burr brown dac's.
and then thiers the other companies. many companies make
quality dac's that rival and some best the burr brown dac's.
burr brown had the lead in tech a while back but
many companies
have caught them.
that's not to say that burr brown is no good it's just
that other companies have closed the gap and in
some regards passed them.
theta digital is world renowned for their dacs but
you pay for it.
how they make the dac better you got me.
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Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 31
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 04:51 am: |
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kegger,
analog is good. its always nice to be able to compare, though in these days, its hard too.
i'd love to get a tube amp again someday.
thank you |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 32
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 05:05 am: |
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If your listening to a 192khz mix from the DVD, use the stereo analog RCA jacks out, from the player to your receiver. Set your player output to those jacks when listening to that mix from the DVD. |
Bronze Member Username: Culp4684
Post Number: 55
Registered: Aug-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 05:50 am: |
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Keith-
I think you are confusing the 45A with the 47A. The latter was about $1,200 when it first came out. I did the same thing because the two units look somewhat alike.
Kegger-
You are correct and I didn't mean to mislead.
Not to go to far OT here, but since Keith brought it up...just what is HDCD and what does a player have to have to decode it? |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 36
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 10:06 am: |
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Robert,
Yes, I was wrong about that. The dealer had originally told me that. He probably got mixed up too. I just saw last night in a article that the list was $700 for the 45A. I didn't bother posting a correction...I figured someone would catch that. LOL |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 37
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 10:37 am: |
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Robert,
HDCD is another format of a high resolution CD. It stands for High Definition Compatible Digital.
quote:they are encoded with 20 bits of real musical information as compared with 16 bits for all other CDs.
see this link: HDCD
The player would need a decoder. If the player has the decoder built in, it will have the HDCD logo on the front of the player, along with the DTS, Dolby Digital, etc. With my player a little HDCD light comes on if the disc is encoded.
These HDCD discs can play in any CD player. They are dual layer CDs. Only a HDCD player can 'see' the HDCD layer. The difference in audio quality is not that much greater as compared to DVD Audio or SACD. It is a definate improvement over standard CD quality. On a decent home system you will hear a definate difference in the sound quality. Lower lows, higher highs and more depth to the sound. I doubt you would notice the difference much on a average car system. To me it is worth the investment because of the amount of discs I have. Some discs are HDCD, but not labeled as such. I myself, have not found any yet that aren't marked with the HDCD logo on the CD case.
I've read that they even sound better on a regular CD player, compared to the original release of the CD. I have not compared it myself.
The band Yes released quite a few of their older albums on HDCD, but they are only available as imports. Grateful Dead releases most everything on HDCD now.
You do not need any special amp to hear them, unless your player does not have the encoder built in. In that case the amp would need to have the encoder built in.
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Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 38
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 10:49 am: |
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In my last comment regarding HDCD, I was wrong about the dual layer evidentally. Here is the case, from HDCD.com:
quote:You do not need an HDCD amplifier if you have an HDCD CD player. Just connect the analog outputs from an HDCD CD player to any amplifier or receiver. To decode an HDCD recording, an HDCD amplifier needs a digital signal from a CD player, which it decodes and then converts to analog.
Sorry for the confusion, if any.
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Silver Member Username: Arnold_layne
Madrid
Spain
Post Number: 154
Registered: Jun-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 07:26 pm: |
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As Kegger already stated, there are many different Burr-Brown DACs. During some digression on differences between Pioneer DV-565A and DV-578A, we learned that not all DACs handle DSD (SACD bitstream). If they don't, like those in DV578A, a previous chip downconverts DSD to PCM. Here's a link to BB chip specs:
http://focus.ti.com/analog/docs/analoghomepage.jsp?templateId=1&familyId=2
Cheers
AL |
Bronze Member Username: Claudermilk
Post Number: 40
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 08:57 pm: |
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Jumping in from another perspective. I am familiar with Burr-Brown through work. We use several of their DACs (as well as Analog Devices which I've also seen on some A/V equipment spec sheets). We manufacture automated test equipment where quality of components is paramount (avionics testing for example). I know if Burr-Brown were a low-quality part it would not be in my stock room. 
Knowing the high demands placed on the B-B parts in a different industry, for me using those parts tells me the manufacturer making a point of using good components on their circuit boards. |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 40
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 09:58 pm: |
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Arnold,
And I'm sure you don't like downconverts either.
I was looking at the TI site yesterday. Its a maze isn't it? I'm trying to find out what BB chip mine has.
Here is a interesting link I just stumbled on, that brings up discusion about DSD and BB.
http://forum.ecoustics.com/cgi-bin/bbs/show.pl?1/103998
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Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 42
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 10:47 pm: |
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Does anyone know which DAC's are in the Pioneer DV-45a? I'm guessing its the 1790 or the 1791. |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 53
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Monday, October 04, 2004 - 06:49 pm: |
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Oh boy, sorry for the bad link above. Thats not the one I meant to share. I've lost it now since I cleared my history. I'm not stupid, just was tired. :P |
Bronze Member Username: Kingfish
Post Number: 54
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Monday, October 04, 2004 - 06:56 pm: |
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Chris,
Thanks for your view from another perspective. I understand that to be true in your industry...I worked with a defense contractor years ago, so I understand this. Thank you. |
