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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.
128x128verdantaudio
melm
1,057 posts
 
@georgehifi

I have no idea what you are talking about.  Don't know how you can find sibilance distortion without sibilance.  

I have 4 or 5 Scheherazades on my hard disk, so not looking for a new one.  Beautiful violin sounds can be found in a great number of places.  Try Ehnes playing the Spring Sonata, for ex.  
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verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,469 posts
 
@melm I started this whole thread because it recently occurred to me how much compromise there actually is at this ~$5K level of DAC.  The reality is (and I will offer a POV on the Hugo 2 and AVM along with a Wyred4Sound DAC that is coming in) these four are better than these lower end DACs in every way.  

That being said, there is still compromise and it is largely a trade between detail and imaging vs. DACs one level up.  Additionally, there is most definitely still some distortion at this level.  Again, it is all relative and I am being HIGHLY critical and nitpicking in tiny areas.  

Secondarily, I did not pick these tracks by accident. I know that all 5 are extremely difficult to reproduce flawlessly and the goal is to highlight broad differences in profile and how they perform in these extremes.  99% of the time, sibilance is not an issue for these DACs but there are places where it can rise up.  


vinylvalet
841 posts
 
Very well done. Thanks.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Don’t know how you can find sibilance distortion without sibilance.

Very simple.
Sibilance is a very complex waveform and hard to reproduce exactly with nothing added or removed.
There is natural sibilance and that’s listenable, when it’s emphasised it’s added distortion that’s created trying to produce the natural sibilance, when there’s no sibilance, usually means the amp has rolled off or masked it with bandwidth limitations

Wide bandwidth SS Class-A done right is usually the best at doing it perfect, nothing added nothing removed, and violin piano high notes are a good indicator also.

Cheers George
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