Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

audioengr2,905 posts04-21-2018 1:02pm

Did they even use the same interface? 

??? Of course we did.

So, which one was used??

The devil is in the details here. I recently asked a reviewer that did a DAC shootout what interface was used to make the comparison and he refused to tell me. What kind of a reviewer does that?

Did you really only use a passive preamp or direct to DAC for this DAC comparison?

This would give the Total DAC a big advantage, as its output is 6.4 Vrms max, compared to the Briscasti's 2 Vrms.

Another detail that could easily skew the results.

These types of shootouts must be carefully thought-out so a fair comparison can be made.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

What reviewer does that? One who has no clue as to what a reviewer does or what a legit review is.  That's pretty sad if you ask me (which you didn't).  Teh problem I have with audio reviews now days is lack of transparency by many/most.  There are just too many folks who get gear for free or at material's cost and then sell it without paying taxes to supplement their income.  I also used to love folks like Tom Gillet who also used his last name backwards to do The Cheapskate Audiophile, Sam Tellig.  I get pen names and all (was a journalism major in college), but he was never on the up and up based on what many dealers and manufacturer's would say back in teh day.  That's why I stopped reading Stereophile on a regular basis.  JMHO

You know very well as I do that the output impedance on both are very similar with discrete transistor direct coupled outputs at 40ohms Bricasti and 32ohms Total, and clipping or drive is not the issue for either direct into 100kohm of the Gryphone, nor into the 10kohms of the Lightspeed Attenuator.

Cheers George

Steve and George (nice to discuss something of audiophile significance besides R2R with you finally), the gain/impedance matching between preamp and amps is a HUGE point and can’t be over stated. Personally, I have tried running many of the DAC’s I have auditioned direct to my amp and I have tried using Steve’s Final Drive. I have ALWAYS preferred a preamp in between the DAC and amp.... always. In fact, I have pretty much always preferred using a same company preamp and amp for the same broad reason; the preamp is specifically designed to output the correct gain and impedance to best match the amps input stage. The only situations where I see bypassing the preamp as possibly the same or better would be the using a DAC and amp of the same brand where the DAC is also specifically designed to output directly to the amps. Jeff Rowland’s Aeris DAC is a good example of this. Of course, this is a personal opinion and many mix preamps and amps of different brands with good success, but I chose to always keep amps and preamp of same manufacturer to get the most out of a system.

I have had several Bricasti dacs in my room and have always preferred my preamp in between. I also had an MSB DAC IV and it also sounded best with my preamp in the signal path. I look forward to auditioning the TotalDAC system and will absolutely try it with and without.