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Comparison of latest DAC chips

I own a Bluesound Node 2i which greatly improved sound after I added the Cat 6 cable.  I do not own a separate DAC but am told it would be the next step improvement.  I have done enough reading that it appears the two latest chips are the Sabre or ESS ES9038PRO and the AK4499.  The brands I have looked at are Sabaj d5($469) and a Topping D90($699).  I saw a great review on Audiocircle of the Sabaj D5 which is now a year old.  The Topping D90 is newer and I hear the build quality of the Topping as well as customer service are both better.   Other brands cost more and most don't use these new chips. 

Is there a difference in how these chips sound?  I would appreciate any comments. 
128x128daledeee1
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,992 posts
 
That is completely incorrect. As I said, I have owned a very good R2R dac and a number of ESS dacs and compared them. I only listen to PCM. The R2R dac was okay on its own terms but I much preferred dacs using the current generation of ESS chips.

+1

You are also making ridiculous generalisations about "R2R detractors". How can you possibly know whether "R2R detractors" have compared R2R and ESS dacs. As, I said, I have done such a comparison and I am sure that many others have as well.

+1

And no one is suggesting that there are no good R2R dacs. Just rejecting your preposterous statement that all R2R dacs are inherently better than all ESS dacs merely because of the dac chip architecture, which is patently absurd.

+1
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Just rejecting your preposterous statement that all R2R dacs are inherently better
Didn’t say "all" sunshine, I said the better hi-end ones, now your generalizing, with that "preposterous statement".


For those interested in what the better hi-end ones are that are R2R Multibit here is a list, it’s about a year old now, there are even more now and even better ones to add to it.
Trinity Dac
Ypsilon Cdt-100
Phasure
MSB Platinum
Total Dac
Audial (Peja Rodgic)
AMR top dac and cdp (Thorsten Loschec)
Exasound
Reimyo
CH precision
Holo
Denafrips

This is the reason why R2R is better, Delta Sigma can only give you a facsimile of PCM, where R2R Multibit is bit perfect.

MoJo Music quote:

" When a PCM (redbook) file is played on a dsd, sacd or Bit Stream converter, the DAC chip has to convert the PCM to DSD in real time. This is one of the major reasons people claim DSD sounds better than PCM, when in fact, it is just that the chip in most modern single-bit delta sigma DACs do a poor job of decoding PCM.


Cheers George
abraxalito
93 posts
 
@georgehifi : which Exasound DAC is R2R? I've never seen one, they're all ESS.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Don’t know abraxalito, got that list from someone else they sent me, didn’t bother to check all of them.

Also can say all the MSB’s are R2R Multibit save for the very first 1999-2000 LinkDac models that used bit stream Delta Sigma PCM1738-32’s then went discrete R2R in 2003 with the Platinum LinkPlus and never looked back at Delta Sigma again.

Cheers George
rossb
185 posts
 
Didn’t say "all" sunshine, I said the better hi-end ones, now your generalizing, with that "preposterous statement".
So the better ones are ... better. Can't argue with that logic.
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