Using a DAC with my Smart TV - a very happy update!
Those of you who read/responded to my earlier post on this forum re the above will be interested to learn that my reported dilemma has been solved.
I received many pieces of solid advice from responders to my earlier post, for which sincere thanks, but it was Malcolm (themak) who put me in touch with a company by the name of Future Shop , albeit only to let me know he was planning to upgrade his own Toslink cable and was buying it from them. I had a look at their website and emailed them to ask if they might have a solution to the problem mentioned in my OP. Since I wasn't even a customer at that stage, frankly I wasn't expecting much, but, lo and behold, one of their senior technical service chaps picked up my message and replied to it. He said he was familiar with the problem I'd described and recommended the Blustream DAC12AU with an AudioQuest Pearl Toslink cable as being more than likely to solve it.
The new DAC/cable kit arrived today and it works exactly as Future Shop said it would – brilliantly! So, problem solved: no more faffing about with volume controls; no more remembering to turn down the amp volume before switching inputs; no more potential ear damage by failing to observe the latter! All volume levels are now matched and manageable.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to something half-decent (eg a Blu-ray soundtrack) but from what I can hear just by listening to the sound coming straight from the TV to my amp/B&W DW602 speakers I can’t envisage there’ll be any problems on that front.
So, all in all, I'm one very happy customer and a Future Shop convert. It just goes to prove, too, that if, as I did, you buy a cheap (Amazon Basics) DAC with its own skinny little Toslink, such penny-pinching will almost always create a ‘weakest link in the chain’ scenario, no matter how sophisticated the rest of your system. As is so often said, you only get what you pay for.
I am so glad I contacted Future Shop in the hope that someone would get back to me eventually. My sincerest gratitude to Adam and his colleagues for deciding to pick up my query and run with it. And if I ever have any cabling/connection issues in future, I’ll certainly know where to come.
Sorry for the long tale, but hope it's of interest.
I received many pieces of solid advice from responders to my earlier post, for which sincere thanks, but it was Malcolm (themak) who put me in touch with a company by the name of Future Shop , albeit only to let me know he was planning to upgrade his own Toslink cable and was buying it from them. I had a look at their website and emailed them to ask if they might have a solution to the problem mentioned in my OP. Since I wasn't even a customer at that stage, frankly I wasn't expecting much, but, lo and behold, one of their senior technical service chaps picked up my message and replied to it. He said he was familiar with the problem I'd described and recommended the Blustream DAC12AU with an AudioQuest Pearl Toslink cable as being more than likely to solve it.
The new DAC/cable kit arrived today and it works exactly as Future Shop said it would – brilliantly! So, problem solved: no more faffing about with volume controls; no more remembering to turn down the amp volume before switching inputs; no more potential ear damage by failing to observe the latter! All volume levels are now matched and manageable.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to something half-decent (eg a Blu-ray soundtrack) but from what I can hear just by listening to the sound coming straight from the TV to my amp/B&W DW602 speakers I can’t envisage there’ll be any problems on that front.
So, all in all, I'm one very happy customer and a Future Shop convert. It just goes to prove, too, that if, as I did, you buy a cheap (Amazon Basics) DAC with its own skinny little Toslink, such penny-pinching will almost always create a ‘weakest link in the chain’ scenario, no matter how sophisticated the rest of your system. As is so often said, you only get what you pay for.
I am so glad I contacted Future Shop in the hope that someone would get back to me eventually. My sincerest gratitude to Adam and his colleagues for deciding to pick up my query and run with it. And if I ever have any cabling/connection issues in future, I’ll certainly know where to come.
Sorry for the long tale, but hope it's of interest.
