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The sound quality from DACs - is it all the same?

I've been talking to my cousin brother about sound quality. He is a self-proclaimed expert audiophile. He says that Audio Science Review has all of the answers I will need regarding audio products.

In particular, he says an inexpensive DAC from any Chinese company will do better than the expensive stuff. He says fancy audio gear is a waste of money because the data is already bit-perfect.  All DAC chips sound the same. Am I being mislead? 

He also said that any DAC over $400 is a waste of money. Convincing marketing is at play here, he says.

He currently owns a Topping L30 headphone amplifier and D30 Pro DAC. He uses Sennheiser HD 569 headphones to listen to music.  I'm not sure what to think of them. I will report my findings after listening one day! (likely soon, once I get some free time)

- Jack 

 

 

jackhifiguy
tony1954's avatar
tony1954
1,028 posts
 

"Are your brothers cousins eyes really close together or really far apart?"

The two on the right are very close together. The one on the left is in the middle.

clustrocasual
97 posts
 

If you look up the definition of a religion, ASR fits 100%. 

andrei_nz
192 posts
 

Dacs do sound different.  Those who say otherwise have some combination of poor ears, poor amplification, poor setup and especially poor speakers.  

fatdaddy2
375 posts
 

All DACs sound the same, a cactus needle works as well as a moving coil stylus, all turntables go around and around, all amplifiers sound the same, tube preamps are just the same as solid state, and Bose makes the best speakers.  Have I missed anything?

milpai's avatar
milpai
2,367 posts
 

To the folks who believe that we ALL hear the same, I am posting a link to a scientific study. There are other scientific articles, if you keep your minds open, that are available on the net, if you search:

We're All Hearing Differently, and Here's the Proof

There are so many differences when it comes to different humans. Hence one should not assume that what one hears, the next person hears the same. Maybe it our "hearing" that makes us audiophiles - that our family/friends and acquaintances do not have. Rely on your own "hearing" senses, rather than checking out the measurements. Finally, if it does not make it a difference to you, then good for you - save that money instead of upgrading the components and buy music or spend on something that you find worthwhile spending on. But folks should stop preaching that people should rely on measurements to know the difference.

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