2. digital
  3. 158509-95184

DAC Measurements vs Actual Experience

I have spent the last two days evaluating which of these two DACs I will be keeping:
1) Benchmark DAC3
2) PS Audio DirectStream

I'm foregoing the use of a dedicated preamp; the chosen DAC will serve that purpose.* 

I had read up on the technical side of each of these exhaustively before purchase. For those of you who aren't familiar, the Benchmark DAC3 measures quite well in every category. The PS Audio DirectStream, on the other hand, not so much. In fact, Audio Science Review places these two near opposite ends of its SINAD (signal-to-noise-and-distortion) list with the PS Audio being positioned near the bottom. Stereophile also provided measurements in their review that painted the PS Audio in an unfavorable light. 

And yet the DirectStream is proving to provide a sound that is more, dare I say, musical. It's a bit more relaxed, sounding a tad reserved in comparison to the DAC3, and the presentation of 100 Hz and lower seems to be slightly vague, but it's also less edgy, possessing a better soundstage, and is overall ever-so-slightly more enjoyable. So what am I doing wrong?

* Is it worth considering putting a dedicated preamp downstream of the DAC3 in hopes of gaining a more favorable sound? 
sixfour3
djones51
4,947 posts
 
If I had dirty power I would hear noise on all recordings not just lousy mastered ones. I see no need to come on this thread just to insult me and offer nothing to the OP. Thanks for playing.
sixfour3 OP
21 posts
 
@djones51, I'm glad you brought up the issue of the source, too. Having little to no information about it, I've considered the 2014 Apple MacBook I'm using to feed the DACs as suspect. I use an AudioQuest Cinnamon USB cable as the interconnect. I stream using Tidal and play my collection of FLAC files using VOX. Could either the computer or the apps be another source of grain and/or edgy-ness? Of particular note, the output volume of each app is set to around the 40%-50% mark in order to be able to turn the DACs up to above the 12 o'clock position. Is this considered bad form? 

I've also heard that dirty power can be a limiting factor for DACs in particular, but for me it's just conjecture at this point. I have no real-world experience regenerating power in any of my systems to know definitively whether or not it's really beneficial, and if so, to what degree. I'm willing to take the word(s) of those who have gone to that length, however, with only the tiniest of grains of salt. 

I apologize to those of you following along if this thread is turning into a free-for-all of topics. But at the same time, so many of these issues are related, so please mention anything that is relevant to the core issue of these two DACs. Thanks! 
sixfour3 OP
21 posts
 
RE: "the 12 o'clock position of the volume control"

As the PS Audio DirectStream has no volume knob, let's call it 70%-90% of full volume for both DACs. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
The Benchmark has excellent USB implementation I don't think using the Mac would affect it not sure about the other DAC. If you had a ground loop or mains hum it should be pretty apparent.  Dirty power seems to be the most recent craze. Some might have problems with their power I've never noticed any. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I've never liked using volume in apps I set it to fixed and use the controls on the preamp or DAC or integrated depending on what I'm using. Obviously you can't do that with the DS. 
More to discover