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How Can Two DACs Sound Different?


Jim Naseum

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My current DAC is the only DAC that I have listened to that made me get out of Vinyl , one also needs to consider other gear in the chain which will have a great effect on the sound of the DAC . Power Supply's IC Cables Power Cable etc . Also the system as a whole

You dont change the sound of the dac, you change the sound of the final product leaving the speakers / cans.....................Which dac do you have now ??

Edited by joessportster
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I can change the sound of my DAC through psu and cables

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you can have an effect on the overall sound but cannot change the sound of the "DAC" semantics I know :D  Very nice DAC by the way 

 

Sometimes I like to play the DEVILS ADVOCATE  :emotion-14:

Edited by joessportster
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It seems like DACs have come a long way in just a few years and there are a lot of good ones even at low price points.

Another fly in the ointment is interaction between a computer and the DAC. Which output codec you use also affects sound. I have not had a chance (or available funds) to try a Sabre chipped DAC yet, it seems that most think it is a step forward in the technology.

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Sound Source--->Microphone---->Analog Fun and Magic and Mystery --->Some Generic Digital Chips---->More Analog Fun and Magic and Mystery----->Your Speakers

And we get right back to fully subjective words like resolution and harshness and transparency and smoothness, which mean absolutely nothing, except to the ONE person using the word to describe sounds he is hearing. The audiophile world didn't lose a single lever over our sound systems. Still as irrational as they were in 1948! Love it.

EDIT: I hope I didn't offend anyone. It wasn't my goal. I just got fascinated when I read a couple posts and realized that digital chips, which are incontrovertibly measureable, didn't change anything about how we choose audio gear! In other words, there was no subjective advantage to go digital.

Convenience, I can hold 10,000 albums in the palm of 1 hand, Try that with Vinyl or tape :rolleyes:
Right. That's the essential advantage of digital music. It's like comparing the internet to the old telephone as a comms channel. No contest on that feature. But, then you are stuck listening to it. It's like it has a built in punishment.

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Here is some info on the Totaldac

R2R DAC technology using 0.01% VAR Bulk Metal Foil resistors Vishay Foil Resistors, 200 resistors per stereo channel.

My DAC has 2 DAC's per CH

 

VERY NICE

My next dac will be R2R but it wont be the total dac unless someone wills me one and I am the only person in my family that is into audio

Edited by joessportster
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Since/if DACs all sound different, and carefully crafted DACs sound best, shouldn't there be more difference in the sound of all inexpensive DACS?

 

I can't really hear the difference between a CD played back on the analog output of my Rotel RCD-02 CD player or its digital output fed into my AVR's DAC.  Both sound the same; both image the same... to me.

 

So... since I want to use a subwoofer, I use the AVR DACs because it does bass management.

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Since/if DACs all sound different, and carefully crafted DACs sound best, shouldn't there be more difference in the sound of all inexpensive DACS?

 

Maybe. But what's more interesting to me is this principle: If the difference in sound is "magic" and so far that's what we have concluded, then it very well could happen that the "best sounding" one could just as easily cost $100 as $5000, because magic could happen in any  of the billions of combinations. 

 

This is exactly like the old world of audiophilia in the 1970s and 80s. A $100 speaker would suddenly be pronounced as the dragon slayer they could best speakers costing $5000. Remember the old "Fulton FMI 80?" LOL!

 

I think many people predicted that digital would eliminate this magic world. It didn't. Not at all. I find that very interesting. And, I think it is the strongest evidence possible that there is no reference! All that counts is that your ears enjoy some certain kind of sound that is only known to YOU! No references exist, no standards, no rules. It's 100% subjective.

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Here is some info on the Totaldac

R2R DAC technology using 0.01% VAR Bulk Metal Foil resistors Vishay Foil Resistors, 200 resistors per stereo channel.

My DAC has 2 DAC's per CH

 

The Benchmark DAC2 has 4 32-bit Sabre DACs per channel and runs around $2K.  But it is also a preamp.

 

I know there are other units that do as much and more (DVDs+), have the same Sabre combination, and cost around $1K.

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Totaldac is also a preamp , and Totaldac said one would have to spend 10k plus to best the preamp section in the Totaldac

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What else would totaldac say, Uh our pre-amp section is kinda good  :emotion-41: ........................I am not knocking totaldac nor there prices but if you pay what they sell for the builder better damn well say the thing is like liquid platinum in every respect  :smile:

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Here is some info on the Totaldac

R2R DAC technology using 0.01% VAR Bulk Metal Foil resistors Vishay Foil Resistors, 200 resistors per stereo channel.

My DAC has 2 DAC's per CH

 

 

I'm just not seeing 12k worth of effort there...

 

FWIW, Total DAC isn't the only player in the game using the very great  Vishay resistors and multiple DACS per channel.

Edited by Schu
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But Totaldac IS the only player that is making the actual DAC's out of these resistors. There are no off the shelf DAC chips in the Totaldac's. These resistors ARE the DAC's.... The D1 Dual uses over 200 of them, at about $20 a piece, it is pretty easy to see where the money is. Like crystal clear. Then you got casework, Premium Clocks, Inputs, outputs, circuit boards, supplies, packaging, audio shows, overhead, profit......

 

Don't matter, just stick with your W4S. If it makes you happy, so be it. That's what this is all about. Your blinders save you money ;)

Edited by paul79
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