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DAC Shootout Starts This Weekend

Okay...in another thread I promised to do a side-by-side evaluation of the Audiobyte HydraVox/Zap vs the Rockna Wavelight. Due to the astonishing incompetence of DHL this has been delayed. At the moment, I have a plethora of DACs here and am going to do a broader comparison.

I am going to do a compare of the Rockna Wavelight, Rockna Wavedream Signature, Audiobyte HydraVox/Zap, Chord Hugo 2, Chord Hugo TT2, Bricasti M3, Bricasti M1 Special Edition, Weiss 501 and the internal DAC card for an AVM A 5.2 Integrated amp as a baseline.

For sake of consistency, I am going to use that same AVM integrated amp driving Vivid Kaya 45s. I may branch out and do some listening on other speakers (Verdant Nightshade of Blackthorn and/or Wilson Benesch Vertexes) but want to use the Vivids for every compare as they are the fullest range speakers I have here. For sake of consistency I will use a Chord 2Go/2Yu connected via an Audioquest Diamond USB as a renderer. The only exception is the Hugo 2 which has a 2Go directly attached to it. I will use a Roon Nucleus+ as a server in all cases.

My plan is to use the same five songs on every DAC; In a Sentimental Mood from Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, Be Still My Beating Heart from Sting, Liberty from Anette Askvik, Duende from Bozzio Levin Stevens and Part 1 of Mozart String Quartet No 14 in G Major from the Alban Berg Quartet. The intent is to touch on different music types without going crazy.

I will take extensive notes on each listening session and write up a POV on the strengths of each unit. I am going to start this this Friday/Saturday and will be writing things up over the next month or so. If you have thoughts, comments or requests, I will be happy to try and accommodate. The one thing I am not going to do is make the list of songs longer as that has an exponential impact on this and make everything much harder. If and when other DACs come in on trade I may add to the list through time.
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verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,469 posts
 
tvad - let's call it poor phrasing.  A good reminder that I need to be more exact in my language. 

I checked my notes and Duende did not distort on the M3 (it did on others) but it is a bit muddy relative to the M1 SE and Rockna Wavedream.  This I went back and checked several times on all the DACs.  It proved to be one of the most obvious moments among these five songs hat highlight differences between units.  

The portion in question is the bass solo that starts at around 21 seconds with the hardest part to reproduce at about 31 seconds.  This does not sound bad on the M3 and without having the luxury of swapping in the M1 SE and or Rockna Wavedream Signature, you would not know that there is a lack of precision.  
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jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,610 posts
 
cool stuff

when do you expect to get the weiss unit back scott?

thank goodness for wedding showers 😂😂
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,469 posts
 
Weiss will be back this week.  I am very curious how it will perform vs. the M1 SE.  I will likely connect both via Ethernet as this will show both off at their very best.  
pindac's avatar
pindac
2,440 posts
 
I do a lot of comparative listening and totally agree it is a worthwhile undertaking, if all goes well, there is a good possibility a Device will be discovered that is very pleasing to the individual doing the listening, and also one that interfaces within the used system in a manner that makes it standout against the other devices in the line up.

Swapping out devices and allowing a short play time will again be most likely to create a change in how the SQ and Presentation is perceived, the Demonstrations IME can develop into the changes being heard and not the qualities of the device in use. I myself take notes and have in the past recorded the differences, but not the impression the overall performance has made. To counteract this today, I will compare with short term replay times allocated as per the usual method , and then separately allow each device to run on and play in a non comparative listening to see how the device attracts to myself and my preferences.
The outcome of the extended playtimes are usually much harder to be critical about as the devices are usually capable of creating an experience that shows attractors.   

My Experience is that as the listening pool of individuals increase, the hierarchy of each individuals attractors and preferences starts to come into play, 'One persons punchy Bass Line is another persons nemesis'.

As said a lot can be gained in broadening an experience, learning where ones preferences lean toward and the learning of certain Brands Sonic Signatures.
How the results can be used are pretty much a personal thing, but it is quite nice when a group in attendance and there are unanimous agreements about a particular device in the system being used.    
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