Non-Oversampling (NOS) vs,


I am curious. Is a Non-Oversampling (NOS) DAC sound better than a DAC that upsamples the original signal? Or, in other words, is it better to maintain the “original signal” and not add mathematical calculated extra bits?

I also understand that a DAC’s implementation makes a huge different in the resulting sound quality and so does the analog section. I am just trying to better understand a NOS DAC vs one that upsamples.



hgeifman
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No it is all about several factors , the dac type and implementation, will have some influence of the sound  but also  the quality of the Word clocks, thePower supplies  , parts quality layout, isolation all 
contribute to the final outcome. I have had many dacs in my day ,
pits not allways the most detailed  that sounds the best.
I had 2 ofSchiits top 2 dacs ,as well as ps audio best , and in my system my Bel Canto Dac was the most musical . In other systems
the other  dacs are better suited .your amp And cabling too dictate the tonal balance and ultimate musicality. Tradeoffs in everything 
nothingis perfect, and-everyone has their own likes and dislikes. 

You cannot compare different DACs such as one that is NOS and another that does OS.  In my DAC, the NOS setting is way more musical, I built it that was for my own preference.  The OS has its benefits also on my DAC.  The soundstage gets wider, you hear more detail and more clarity.  Nothing to me that makes me want to give up the musical (emotional) sound that the NOS provides.  But people who have purchased my DAC prefer more details.  Kid of like the tube vs. SS camps.  As someone else mentioned above, always tradeoffs in this hobby.

Happy Listening.  
Kid of like the tube vs. SS camps. As someone else mentioned above, always tradeoffs in this hobby.

@bigkidz -- I was just about to write the same thing. BTW, what DAC do you make?


You just need to listen to Redbook on a "good" R2R dac/cdp that you switch from NOS to OS while listening on the fly, like you can with the Holo Spring.
NOS is far more enjoyable, it has more body to the mids, it seems to extend both the bass and the highs, you can definitely hear the decay (harmonic structure) of piano and cymbals down into silence far better than you can with OS. OS seems to chop it off, a little like Class-D amps also do for me.

Cheers George