DACs and bass response?

I'm auditioning dacs in my system. One (COS) was way to analytical, overall, but had very tight bass. Another (Aqua La Voce) is what some would describe as "musical" and sounds terrific in all aspects except bass. My cdp alone does better in that regard. I have monitors and no subs. Can I expect that dacs that are hyper-detailed will also offer tighter bass as a rule?

stuartk12-19-2017 4:53pm

...
107 posts total
View entire discussion

maplegrovemusic Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 1,113 posts 12-23-2017 at 01:54am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Empirical , what do you use as a digital source if you don’t mind my asking ?
goofyfoot Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 1,376 posts 12-23-2017 at 02:54am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete It’s hard to believe that a DAC designer wouldn’t use effective caps in their design. Before changing out caps, why not try a signal re-clocker and a high end fuse and maybe, up sampling? I’m not trying to over simplify this but most audio enthusiasts lack the ability to evaluate equipment via scientific measures. Some may have higher standards but I’ve always trusted my ears.
charles1dad Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 10,250 posts 12-23-2017 at 06:36am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete That Arte Forma SET amplifier seems like a very high tier no nonsense effort. No doubt that it is exceptionally honest, open, transparent and natural in its sonic character. I suspect it is quite capable of revealing the fine nuances of the various upstream DACs and sources. Charles
shadorne Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 7,477 posts 12-23-2017 at 08:40am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @audioengr Oh yes I absolutely agree that the J-test is not diagnostic. If there are spuriae then it is unknown where the jitter came from. All it says is that the DAC failed to produce the digital test signal properly - it could be jitter or it coyld intermodulation distortion or both. However, if a device passes the J-test with perfect results then one can only conclude that all distortion spuriae including any jitter of any sort are all below the noise floor. Devices that pass this test perfectly are indeed rare which is why I agree that most DACs need a reclocker.
instlouis Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 91 posts 12-23-2017 at 05:13pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Stuartk - I haven't seen any references to Bel Canto here so I'll put in my 2 cents worth since I just upgraded from a 1.5 w/ LNS1 to 3.75 w/ VBS Bel Canto DAC and everything including the bass is clean and tight through all the instruments. Although you can use the Bel Canto DAC to replace the Pre-Amp also, I still use it as DAC only. And for the techno and sales boys, the jitter is 70 femtosecs (fs ) ( aka .07 picosecs (ps ) ) ! FYI - My 1.5 Bel Canto was 2 psec on the jitter scale. The interconnects DO make an overall sound dif also, but I think you should lend an ear to a Bel Canto 1.5 or higher and put the excess monies saved in other upgrades you might want. Happy listening ...