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DAC Shootout Starts This Weekend

Okay...in another thread I promised to do a side-by-side evaluation of the Audiobyte HydraVox/Zap vs the Rockna Wavelight. Due to the astonishing incompetence of DHL this has been delayed. At the moment, I have a plethora of DACs here and am going to do a broader comparison.

I am going to do a compare of the Rockna Wavelight, Rockna Wavedream Signature, Audiobyte HydraVox/Zap, Chord Hugo 2, Chord Hugo TT2, Bricasti M3, Bricasti M1 Special Edition, Weiss 501 and the internal DAC card for an AVM A 5.2 Integrated amp as a baseline.

For sake of consistency, I am going to use that same AVM integrated amp driving Vivid Kaya 45s. I may branch out and do some listening on other speakers (Verdant Nightshade of Blackthorn and/or Wilson Benesch Vertexes) but want to use the Vivids for every compare as they are the fullest range speakers I have here. For sake of consistency I will use a Chord 2Go/2Yu connected via an Audioquest Diamond USB as a renderer. The only exception is the Hugo 2 which has a 2Go directly attached to it. I will use a Roon Nucleus+ as a server in all cases.

My plan is to use the same five songs on every DAC; In a Sentimental Mood from Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, Be Still My Beating Heart from Sting, Liberty from Anette Askvik, Duende from Bozzio Levin Stevens and Part 1 of Mozart String Quartet No 14 in G Major from the Alban Berg Quartet. The intent is to touch on different music types without going crazy.

I will take extensive notes on each listening session and write up a POV on the strengths of each unit. I am going to start this this Friday/Saturday and will be writing things up over the next month or so. If you have thoughts, comments or requests, I will be happy to try and accommodate. The one thing I am not going to do is make the list of songs longer as that has an exponential impact on this and make everything much harder. If and when other DACs come in on trade I may add to the list through time.
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verdantaudio OP
1,508 posts
 
tvad - bass is an area that saw a big uptick in resolution.  The M1 SE had much better separation on the very rapid bass notes during Duende. Like I said, it falls short of the much more expensive Rockna which sounded crystal clear, but better than the M3.   

Like the move from Chord TT2 to Dave or Wavelight to Wavedream, the M1 is a clear and noticeable step forward from what is a very good place to start with the M3.  
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jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
good stuff, scott, thanks again for your efforts to document and report your findings

as always, among well respected gear in higher price brackets from top makers, nothing will be downright poor ... the key is understanding the differences in presentation/sound quality so one can match components well in system building... this is where your results can help so many who dearly want to know

i have a great many dacs here, priced high and low, and for sheer pristine clarity, lack of coloration or electronic artifacts and timbral beauty, the chord scaler/tt2 duo is really exceptional, and unbeaten

other dacs, like the audio note 4.1 may sound more ’beautiful’, but you can tell it is from a carefully added sympathetic coloration, at the expense of ’hearing into the music’ that the upper chord gear enables one to do
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,508 posts
 
jjss49 - I don't disagree even a little.  The Chord is clean and clear.  The Mscaler helps clarify and boost inner detail.  The other three are just not as clean and clear.  This presents differently and is very appealing.  Part of why I equate and want the Chord for classical is that clean and clear sound is where I value that clarity the most.  

My hunch is that of all the DACs mentioned here in this thread, the one that would be closest to the Chords would be the Mola Mola.  But the price of the Tambaqui puts it up in Dave+ MScaler, Rockna Wavedream Signature, Bricasti M21territory.  And at that level, there is no trade between detail, clarity and soundstage.  It is how the DAC is designed and what its sound signature and image do to your system that matters.  Clarity is a price of entry to $12K+ DACs.

I am very much looking forward to the return of the Weiss to see how it does vs. the M1 SE.  My memory is that the Weiss is incredibly clear but with a warmer presentation.  The renderer and processor with room correction and all the other functions makes it pretty incredible.  
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,508 posts
 
Bricasti M3 vs. M1 SE - This is, in some ways tougher to describe than the the cross manufacturer competition.  

The M3 is brilliant.  It is insanely detailed compared to most DACs but is not the end all in terms of detail.    It sounds massive. .  It is the biggest soundstage I have ever heard in a DAC.  It is not warm, not bright.  It does have a slight emphasis on bass which makes it appealing for speakers that have less bass emphasis and makes it good for lower level listening.  

The M1 SE is the same flavor of DAC.  Tonally, very similar.  It simply is more refined.  You get a bit more detail.  Everything is more focused.  Details are there that aren't on the M3.  Notes are crisper.  Everything simply is technically better.  This led the a shallower central image but with more focus.  Definitely not a bad thing.  

Removed from the crazy A/B of the other test, it is very obvious that these DACs are great at everything.  They are an absolute pleasure to listen too on all 5 pieces. As I type this, I have simply let the Berg piece continue to play on the M3 and it is intoxicating.

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