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  3. 140110-20253

DAC's : The missing feature: Signal quality

One thing I wish DAC's would provide is some idea of how much jitter and noise a particular input provides. This is something which I think with a little work could be gleaned from the input circuits.

I want something that tells me "woah, that's a really dirty signal coming in, but i"ll do the best I can with it."

One common source of noise is ground loops. Another may be high jitter from a source like Apple TV. This would also help us evaluate the benefits (if any) of various signal cleaners and reclockers.

Best,
E
erik_squires
colin44ct357's avatar
colin44ct357
122 posts
 
S/N 110dB, THD 0.0025%.
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,190 posts
 
Depending on your budget Ifi Audio has a Usb -3 purifier$129 a steal,  that 
removes 40 dB of noise , plus regenerates a totally new signal 
parts qualityexcellent , they also have  productcalled the defender buy 1-2 removes crap associated with computer noise $59 computer switching  tons of High frequencygsrbage  both come with full
money back satisfaction , also there AC purifiers at $99 I have 3 
i have great isolation dedicated lines, Copper audio outlets 
good line conditioning and these AC purifiers are cumulative. 
Plugin line conditioner , and AC outlets . Many people usethem
Abbington music - UK is the mother company.
they have a headquarters in theUS. No risk ,Results or full money back . I am a Amazon prime member shipping is -0  even on returns something to consider if buying .  Go to IFi audio cite 
best bang for the $$ out there IMO.
erik_squires OP
16,185 posts
 
Todd -
I didn't know they had that! That's pretty awesome.

E
erik_squires OP
16,185 posts
 
audioman -

The issue there is the same. I’ve read technical reviews on iFi purifiers that show them to be a really mixed bag. They don’t do enough to control power supply noise, and end up just moving noise from one area to another. See if you can find it on google. Lots of charts and measurements in it.

The problem for us consumers is if there is an audible change, we don't really know which is better. What if the purifier, or digital cable is actually awful, but we buy it because it sounds different?

I'd rather have some way, built into my DAC, that tells me. Like signal strength meters or tuning centering meters on old FM tuners.

Best,
Erik
decooney
2,087 posts
 
I just returned a very highly regarded high-end low noise DAC. It has some of the best specs in the industry, lowest distortion, lowest jitter, super quiet dark background. It produced super clean, open, two dimensional "sound". Not "MUSIC".

While the digital designers were seeking absolute perfection, they also managed to completely eliminate the three dimensional and sweet sound of music right out of the equation. Could not wait to get back to my older distorted imperfect DAC. Once I did, real music returned.

Seems perfect digital specs on paper don’t always make for good music and maybe some of the good stuff gets filtered out of the "signal quality" to achieve sound perfection, not musicality. 


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