Six DAC Comparison

Moving along with the DAC comparisons, I have provided a (rather long) summary of my digital audio background below.

Background

My background in digital audio started with CD players by Dennon, Theta, Pioneer, and others, and then later the top players from Lector, Ayre, and Muse.  The next step was to use a CD transport into a separate DAC (Assemblage 3.1) and then later a modified Mac mini serving digital files to a DAC.  I remember the Assemblage 3.1 (along with their D2D-1 converter) sounding relatively musical and looking back, there seemed to be a lot of attention to the power supply as well as using a Burr-Brown DF1704 24/96 digital filter and a pair of the Burr-Brown PCM 1704 24/96 DAC chips per channel.  One of my Lector players used a BB PCM63 DAC chip and I remember how musical that player sounded, as well as perceiving a more detailed but somehow less organically musical sound after “upgrading” to their newer model that used the PCM1704 chip.

Next, I moved to a couple of mid-priced DACs such as Ayre’s QB-9 DSD but still found the sound somewhat “digital” compared to my Lector and Muse CD players.  After reading Srajan Ebaen’s 6moons review of the Metrum Acoustics NOS R2R mini Octave DAC, I purchased the Metrum Octave, then their Hex, and then moved up to their flagship Pavane and later Adagio.  I enjoyed those Metrum Acoustics DACs, and particularly the Pavane, and perceived R2R DACs as having a more realistic and less electronic sounding presentation compared to others, like the Ayre, but I wanted something with a bit more meat on the bone, or maybe a bit richer tonality.  Benjamin Zwickel, proprietor/designer at Mojo Audio, had tricked out my Mac mini as a music server so, after reading a very positive review by Jeremy Kipnis at Enjoy the Music about Mojo Audio’s Mystique v3, with its five choke input power supplies and AD1862N DAC chips, I decided to give it a try.  Kipnis said this about the v3,

“A rare and breathtakingly seamless emotional connection with the music and sounds being produced.  It repeatedly allowed me to feel the sound in a tactile, visceral, and meaningful way, that is both alive and reminiscent of the best analog sources I have had the pleasure of hearing and working with.”

My time with the Mojo Audio Mystique v3 convinced me that I could indeed be satisfied with the sound I was hearing from my digital source.  However, Benjamin does not sit still so to keep up I moved up the Mojo Audio line to the Mystique B4B21 and then the (previous) flagship Mystique EVO Pro, which IMO is the pinnacle of the design that began with the v3.

A short time later, Mojo Audio came out with a similar but somewhat new design, predicated at least in part by their need to change the casework on their DACs.  They christened the new DAC the Mystique X (for extruded case).   After reading another round of positive reviews for that newest Mojo Audio DAC, I purchased a Mystique X SE.  In short, I still preferred the sound of the EVO Pro over the X SE, and so I sold my X SE.  After discussing this with Benjamin, I learned about limited edition Z-chips that Benjamin was putting into some of his DACs as a premium offering (AD1862N-Z chips were originally used in higher end Dennon CD players), and so I opened up the EVO Pro and sure enough, I found Z-chips. 

I have been happy to sit tight with the Mystique EVO Pro and enjoy the music.  However, I sometimes like to try new stuff so I took an opportunity to purchase a Mola Mola Tambaqui, which I owned for a couple of months over the holidays.  Even compared to the Tambaqui, I still liked the natural sound of the Mojo Audio EVO Pro DAC better, so I sold the Tambaqui. 

More recent opportunities resulted in my accumulation of the DACs I am currently comparing:

• I purchased a Benchmark DAC3 HGC from a local seller to use in my outdoor system,
• Steve and Patrick at SMc Audio completed a long-running DAC project for me (that I had sort of forgotten about) and exceeded all expectations with the DAC-2 GT-24 that I received earlier this year,
• I purchased another Mystique X SE, when one became available for sale that included both Z-chips and Lundahl nanocrystalline core (NC) chokes,
• I was interested in what I had been reading about the Merason DAC and took an opportunity to purchase a Merason DAC1 MkII, and
• After reading Terry London’s very positive review of the Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC, his posts on the LTA Aero thread on this site, and looking into the LTA trial policies, I decided to give one a try so I currently have one here on trial.

Sorry for such a long-winded background write-up but hopefully it provides context regarding my digital source and DAC journey up to this point.

Thanks for all the great info and follow up, but this is such a tease! 😜  Really looking forward to your thoughts, and Mojo is now back on the short list for my next DAC upgrade — very interesting about the choke power supply.  My main concern with Mojo is I’m a stickler for upper octave detail/air, sound of stick hitting the cymbal, etc. and was concerned their DACs might be a little soft sounding up there for my tastes, but I guess we’ll see…

@soix - Sorry to drag this out but comparing six different DACs takes more time than I allotted!  It might have been better (certainly easier) to compare two of them and then two more, and then two more, and then the three that I liked most and then the three I liked least.  However, unlike a playoff, the goal is not to pick a "winner," but rather to simply report observations.  I did post a picture of five of the DACs on my system page.  The Mojo Audio Mystique X SE NCZ is not in my system right now as I do not have room, so I will move it in later. 

A couple of early observations would include that they all sound good, just different.  There is not a single one of the six that I couldn't live with in my system, but I do like several better than the others.  My preferences are most likely related to the music I listen to and the sonic preferences I prefer from my system.  In my previous post, when I talked about liking a richer tone than I was getting from the Metrum Acoustics DACs, in general, the six DACs here do provide that.

Another observation is that IMO the professional reviews of these DACs accurately portray what I am hearing - mostly.  I would say there are embellishments and, as well, there are times you must read between the lines or pick-up on subtleties within the review but, in general, I would say the reviews are accurate.  The specific SMc Audio DAC-2 that I have here has not actually been reviewed, but the previous "Ultra DAC" iteration received an extremely positive (almost too much so) review years ago at 6moons.  While constructed from the same platform, the DAC-2 that I have here is different, and is supposed to sound better.

When I get down to discussing my specific observations and comparisons, I do not intend to reinvent the wheel and will probably quote some of those existing reviews.

I will also share that I really wanted to like the Merason but didn't like it so well at first.  However, the more I listened, the more I liked it and now, even if it doesn't turn out to be my favorite, I do find it hard to switch to something else.  It is just so easy to listen to and displays this rich sounding musicality on just about every type of music I throw its way.  It is also absolutely unflappable, regardless of how hard you push it.

Great info. As a former reviewer I’d make two observations FWIW:

1. We as humans are inherently awful at judging a piece of equipment on its own, which is why I regard reviews that don’t include comparisons to anything else (looking at you TAS) as next to useless and likely inaccurate or at least potentially misleading.
2. We are likewise awful at trying to compare more than two variables at once, and IME this is especially true with audio equipment.

So the takeaways would be that you doing these comparisons is hugely useful for relative perspective and why so many here are so eagerly awaiting your thoughts/impressions, and take the time to compare each DAC directly to the other because trying to infer firm conclusions from indirect comparisons could easily lead to erroneous findings (been there, done that). Again, FWIW.

Hello everyone, 

I would like to chime in as audiophile and manufacturer. I've been audiophile for over 40 yrs. I started building audio equipment in 1984. Everything I build, I build it for myself first. If I like it(if passes my taste - listening test), it becomes a product I sell. So

I would like to give my two cents. DAC chips make difference. Output section and power supply too. Parts quality also. If I have to define which one does what:

DAC chip - tonality, musicality and 20-25% of the sound

Output section - clarity, resolution, soundstage, dynamics, coloration and 40-50% of the sound

Power supply(mostly on the digital part) and parts quality - transparency, resolution, liquid and easy flowing sound, less harshness and 20-30% of the sound.

I would love to have you guys audition and  evaluate my Audio Mirror - Tubadour V DAC.

Vlad