Schu Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) I have very happy with my current DAC running inside my OPPO 93, but I have a chance to get a better stand alone DAC for a really good price. What the hell are the differences besides samle rate and bit depth? Will I actually see and hear SIGNIFICANT. improvemnt in performance if I get spendy on a stand alone DAC or is my current cyrus DAC more than good enough? I bring this up because I see DAC's that are literally thousands and tens of thousands of dollars... is there that much difference in them? I can read specs and make judgements based on that, but I am looking for someone that really can explain this stuff in techo detail (yes, I know what a DAC does) The new unit I am considering originally retailed for more than $2500 and is a 24/192 with master clock and a proprietary power and input stage. The am considering this because I find myself REALLY enjoying digital music lately even though I NEVER play music from a computer, just digital media/cd/sacd/dvda etc. Edited August 23, 2014 by Schu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) http://www.totaldac.com/ Just buy this and your done , no second guessing yourself Edited August 23, 2014 by A1UC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minermark Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 For 10K i can buy 10 DACs, the french have nothing on American design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) the unit I am looking at is AMERICAN and I can pick it up for well under a grand and I don't need any USB capability. Edited August 23, 2014 by Schu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Here is a very highly reviewed one for $350 that is also made in the U.S.A. - Chances are it performs better than the one you are thinking about. http://schiit.com/products/bifrost Can you tell us what you are thinking of buying? Maybe someone has compared it with others?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) out perform? well the unit i am looking at has a dynamic range of 126db, max output of 5.5 Vrms balanced XLR/2.5 Vrms RCA, Master Clock jitter 2picosecond RMS, and THD+N <0.0015%... I guess I am wondering, will I be able to hear the difference though... or is it more cerebral and marketing. also, from what I have been reading... limited reading... is that bit depths higher than 24bits, induces distortion because of the algorithm used in encoding. Edited August 23, 2014 by Schu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 eh... maybe for get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 If your system sound real good, which I have a feeling is the case, you may not see much difference. I think source quality, room setup and treatments will make a bigger difference. I know some don't like using EQ for two channel but, I think it makes up for room imperfections. Maybe I stand alone on this one, that's OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 out perform? well the unit i am looking at has a dynamic range of 126db, max output of 5.5 Vrms balanced XLR/2.5 Vrms RCA, Master Clock jitter 2picosecond RMS, and THD+N <0.0015%... I guess I am wondering, will I be able to hear the difference though... or is it more cerebral and marketing. also, from what I have been reading... limited reading... is that bit depths higher than 24bits, induces distortion because of the algorithm used in encoding. Why are you keeping the Brand and Model of the Dac such a secret. You would probably get better responses if you told us what you were actually considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 If your system sound real good, which I have a feeling is the case, you may not see much difference. I think source quality, room setup and treatments will make a bigger difference. I know some don't like using EQ for two channel but, I think it makes up for room imperfections. Maybe I stand alone on this one, that's OK. I think this make a trendous amount of good sense. Save the monies and put it to use elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) out perform? well the unit i am looking at has a dynamic range of 126db, max output of 5.5 Vrms balanced XLR/2.5 Vrms RCA, Master Clock jitter 2picosecond RMS, and THD+N <0.0015%... I guess I am wondering, will I be able to hear the difference though... or is it more cerebral and marketing. also, from what I have been reading... limited reading... is that bit depths higher than 24bits, induces distortion because of the algorithm used in encoding. Why are you keeping the Brand and Model of the Dac such a secret. You would probably get better responses if you told us what you were actually considering. Not at all... there is a Bel Canto V3 dac for sale and the owner just wants to move it for a very reasonable price... around 700 shipped... 2500$ new.They aren't really discounted new because production from bel canto is fairly low and quite boutiquey Edited August 23, 2014 by Schu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Holy crap!!! Buy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 There are real differences in DACs. But don't get hung up on specs, you are not listening to sine waves, you are listening to music. The real question is whether the one in question "sounds" better than your Oppo. Only real way to know is to listen. Shakey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 For 10K i can buy 10 DACs, the french have nothing on American design. Yep, and you can also buy the Totaldac. Point of this comment is?? Oh, it's not American, and it's not cheap. Well, I guess that's something. You obviously haven't heard one, so try that.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 a Bel Canto V3 dac for sale and the owner just wants to move it for a very reasonable price... around 700 shipped... 2500$ new. Absolutely buy it if you can afford it. When I added my Cambridge Audio 840C CD player/DAC to my main HT system, the improvements were immediately noticeable. I was streaming Pandora from my SMART TV via optical to my NAD pre/pro and it sounding pretty darn good. I added the 840C to the mix and have it upsample from 16 bit/48kHz to 24 bit/384kHz and the sound quality jumps. The DAC's in the Oppo 93 are quality but of the mid level variety. The Bel Canto could very easily bring your system to the next level. Worth a shot for the $$$. Another nice thing about an outboard DAC is the ability to use multiple digital sources with it. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 All good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeFord Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 While not convinced any properly functioning DAC has a "sound", I do really like the idea of going all digital to the output stage with something like the ICE amps. My old Sony STR DA3000ES uses a similar Direct Digital Drive a few generations older, but its no weak link in the sonic chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 While not convinced any properly functioning DAC has a "sound", I find it hard to understand why anyone could think otherwise. If it were not so, why wouldn't you just buy any off the shelf cdp and be happy? Everything has it's own sound, amps, preamps, cables (shudder the thought), etc. It's the raison d'etre that this hobby exists. Otherwise we would all be shopping for rack systems at Best Buy...... Off my soapbox now....... Shakey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Everything has it's own sound, amps, preamps, cables (shudder the thought), etc. It's the raison d'etre that this hobby exists. Otherwise we would all be shopping for rack systems at Best Buy...... Shakey, Agreed. The different sound could be dynamics, detail, tone, etc. or all of the above. No point in buying different gear if all "sounds" the same. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 No point in buying different gear if all "sounds" the same Exactly. But the "it all sounds the same" crowd will argue that they make their purchases based on features and specs. I have never once sat down to listen to a "specification". But my emotional connection to the music does vary depending on what equipment is in the chain. Hard to believe, I know, but there it is. Shakey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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