Feels good knowing that Apple makes the best sounding DAC in the world.
They make a DAC that sounds identical to all other competently engineered DACs.
Feels good knowing that Apple makes the best sounding DAC in the world.
Yes, by the transitive property they make the best sounding DAC in the world. Pretty neat to do that for $9.They make a DAC that sounds identical to all other competently engineered DACs.
Pretty neat to do that for $9.
Don't mix linear (FR in room) with nonlinear (THD, IMD, ..., in equipment) distortion. The former can be fixed with room EQ and other means.Isn’t it true, that any listening room has its own sound signature and terribly distorts the sound, 10-100x more than any DAC? What’s the point of looking for transparency if it’s impossible to achieve outside anechoic chamber?
Well it does depend.Hi,
Do I get you correctly when I understand that you are saying that no matter what DAC I take, they will all sound equal, no matter the made, chip or power supply ?
If so, does it mean that when Amir does measure the output of DACs, if there are differences in those measurements, they are not at all audible in any way ?
If so, I must say that I am a little confused...
I thought that if there are differences in measurements, it COULD BE that those differences would have be reflected in the sound produced...
But mayber I get all this totally wrong :-(
Well it does depend.
Certainly an electronic device can produce audible levels of noise and distortion.
Personally I mainly listen to classical music and have made quite a lot of recordings, originally to reel-to-reel tape, later to DAT and other digital recorders.
Having a noise level lower than the background noise of the audience and auditorium noise in a live music recording is fairly easy. Tape recorder hiss is generally audible between songs, if the audience don't cough too much, but I have never heard any noise whatever from a digital device at listening volume.
Theoretically a recording of sound effects for a film, made in a special super quiet studio, may use all the dynamic range of readily available inexpensive DACs (though personally I doubt it).
I don't seem to be able to hear distortion of 0.1% on music (that is -60dB) but would want the noise to be 90dB down to be 100% sure I would never notice it.
Based on this it is very unlikely that I could hear the difference between the huge majority of DACs Amir has tested.
Personally I want distortion less than 0.1% for music listening (I don't watch many films) so for me, certainly, there is no indication that the huge majority of DACs tested here would sound different to each other listening to music.
That is just me though.
To sum it up : difference may be mesurable but, unless it is reall y huge, will probably not be audible ?
I can take that... Like people saying "my smartphone's camera has 108 dXO mark when your's only have 106"... Not sure I'd be able to tell which one produces better photos :-(
So I got Amir totally wrong when he writes that the ESS Sabre DAC's have the same "flaw" or that the Burr-Brown/TI are now old models that are outperformed by newer ESS or AKM DAC's...
But can I take it that if a device has better power supply, better capacitors (or whatever the names...) and better "circuitry (I am a noob :-(...) it may sound better, but that the better sound is not because of the DAC chip, but to all the surroundings of that DAC Chip ?
But can I take it that if a device has better power supply, better capacitors (or whatever the names...) and better "circuitry (I am a noob :-(...) it may sound better, but that the better sound is not because of the DAC chip, but to all the surroundings of that DAC Chip ?
Hi,Better as long as it is objectively better. You can have all that branded capacitors and whatnot but if it’s objectively inferior then it’s not better
It is not the chip you are listening to but the whole device.Hi guys,
thanks a lot for your answers... Helps me to get my way through this DAC Jungle
So, ESS or AKM or Wolfson (if they still exist) should basically sound about the same.
But can I take it that if a device has better power supply, better capacitors (or whatever the names...) and better "circuitry (I am a noob :-(...) it may sound better, but that the better sound is not because of the DAC chip, but to all the surroundings of that DAC Chip ?
Or does all that stuff not matter at all ?
It is not the chip you are listening to but the whole device.
This means shielding, board layout and the analogue stage probably make more difference to the output of the box than which DAC chip is being used.
As far as boutique expensive components and power supplies are concerned they may make a difference, better or worse, but since the only thing connecting the box to the outside world are the output connectors any change to the amplitude, frequency and phase here are measurable, there is nothing else.
If there is no change to the output the fancy components can not be changing the actual sound, though if they are reassuringly expensive one may well imagine an improvement.
Ok, so there may be a differnece between DAC (device) but that won't be the DAC (chip) itself.
I can understand that.
What I find hard to deal with is 24 pages of responses devoted to one person’s inability to accept that some folks hear things he says they ought not to hear.
f I get you right, you are writing that every device that is used as a DAC will give more or les the same output, with no consideration of the rest of the components besides the DAC chip itself. Is that right ?