Quote:
Originally Posted by
fastgt79 
What is a better sounding multi channel DAC between Cirrus Logic CS42528 or Burr-Brown PCM5102? My HK 3600 receiver has the Cirrus Logic CS42528 and a higher end blu ray player has the Burr-Brown PCM5102 for analog outs. If they are comparable then I can save money on buy a lower model blu ray player and use the DAC in the receiver.
cirrus-logic-cs42528
http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/proDatasheet/CS42528_F1.pdf
Cirrus-logic-cs42528
114 dB, 192 kHz 8-Ch Codec with S/PDIF Receiver
Features
Eight 24-bit D/A, two 24-bit A/D Converters
114 dB DAC / 114 dB ADC Dynamic Range
-100 dB THD+N
burr-brown-pcm5102
http://www.ti.com/general/docs/lit/getliterature.tsp?genericPartNumber=pcm5102&fileType=pdf
112dB Audio Stereo DAC
SNR 112 / 106 / 100dB
Dynamic Range 112 / 106 / 100dB
THD+N @ - 1dBFS –93 / –92 / –90dB
IME DAC suppliers don't lie too much about their products because their customers generally have the equipment to confirm or deny any specs they provide.
That all said, the Cirrus part seems to be generally superior, but not enough so that it would be audible.
I always favor leaving signals in the digital domain as close to the speaker terminals as possible, and that generally means buying a simple digital player with just digital outs and doing the conversion in the AVR. In many cases the AVR lacks a useful signal path that avoids its DACs, so you are stuck when them anyways. Most AVRs seem to have converters that are as good if not better than its amplifiers, anyhow so its not the DACs that set its performance limits anyway.
