david_ten > If it's only about one's opinion, which you state "only one opinion matters" ...why go through this exercise? …. Opinions do matter and is why we seek them out.
Blindjim > Hi david_ten sorry for the confusion. I believe my statement “… paying the cost to be the boss” is being taken out of contexst. Or at least its intended context, or reference.
The short answer: and I hope I’m not missing your point
You are right. Other people’s appropriate input and opinions do matter.
Here’s my inference… another person’s input, concerns, experiences, etc., are not paying for the device, nor will they suffer either benefit or consequence from my selection.
But, I will. I’ll be paying and living with ‘whatever comes later. Elation or regret. It is my province in the end.
I read or generate threads only because I do not know it all.
I’ve no argument regarding the validity of another’s experiences, product knowledge, or technical expertise which has a specific bareing on a given topic. Indeed very often a good choice follows from gaining more germaine knowledge and outside opinions doing exactly that.
I had never heard of the Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC among others, prior to this thread, and now it is a very viable option.
In replying to Nordicnorm I wanted to make the point that ‘synergy’ was a result and not a compromise, or at least should not be a compromise, especially in a source device if at all possible.
Too often we are forced to fit this or that into a system because some component’s sonic attributes can not stand alone and need enhancement or ameiliaration.
My point was or is, that a solid, refined, excellently performing DAC (in this instance) should be ‘synergistic’ in any system. This is of course, If all else in the outfit is on a commensurate level of performance.
To that end, and as reality is the key topic herein, I could not dismiss the fact, far too often reality gets defined by subjectivity and not purely on its actual merits.
Since we are not all able to drop six digit money on our stereo’s we often find ourselves forced to mix in an appliance that is not nearly perfect now and then and as we add more and more less than outstanding things into the array, we do two things. Compensate, and use our best judgement which necessitates a subjective assessment at each interval of adding in or taking out this or that link from a audio rig.
Sadly, due predominately to costs, each of the decisions we make on the devices we buy and what we feel is important in the audio presentation that butters our bread, floats our boat, or simpler put, makes .us happy, is all too often a personal preference fuled by means and not solely based on sonic purity, integrity, and candor of the component itself.
Despite the facts based on the concensus of any thread asking for experiences, it will inevitably come to what a person can afford and the sonic qualities they are trying to maintain or develop.
Consequently, with that ‘subjective’ icon so glaringly affixed to so many audio systems, I said, ‘at the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is the one whose interests are being served for it is ‘they’ you or ‘me’ that will pull the trigger on this one or that one, regardless the instructions, experiences and feedback from other interested parties to the contrary.
50 members could all say get the XYZ DAC!!! 50 more might say get the ABC DAC!!! 40 could say something else. Or it could be a very mixed bag with one or two items, often the less costly ones getting a few more votes amidst a list of other votes for different DACS as is the case here.
So far the few I have on my list have not yet been mentioned by anyone except by me.
Then what does a person do?
IMHO Be completely humbled by the influx of feedback by other members, and remain ever grateful for it, aspiring thereafter to give back in likewise fashion whenever possible.
Yet, as in this instance, ‘I’ll’ do what I feel is best for me and the outfit I want to build, because… I’m paying the cost to be the boss. Lol
Despite this particular decision more opportunities for other concerns will get posted and read, and choices made. Way too often if you look at the threads and the end result, you’ll chuckle about the final selection of the OP in the thread and how it differs so vastly from its generated concensus, if in fact there was one, and the OP follows up.
