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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
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
So, a case of:  Accuracy is Dead, Long Live Accuracy!  : )

i suppose in the end, which version is most accurate becomes unimportant

So, as with (most) current mainstream music a move from mastery of musical elements to purely entertainment values (?)

what matters is what pleases a particular user in their system, their room

Subjective (dystopian) reductionism to 'n' as absolute 1 (?)  

I (have faith) expect that there is an emergent, higher ordered structure that we can have relative agreement on/around.  Otherwise, the OP's efforts lack purpose for anyone other than himself.
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,610 posts
 
@david_ten

i am not sure where you are coming from in your latest comments regarding ’purpose’ (or at least i am in the minority here in missing your point, which seems somewhat intellectual and existential in its nature...)

scott/@verdantaudio and i, over some time, and on opposite coasts, have been working our way through a number of reasonably expensive ($5000-10,000) well reputed dacs to understand how they present the music, and then we have tried to present/share our findings as our comparative processes progress, we try to find the words to describe how they sound, in absolute and relative terms...

... the purpose of which is to hopefully benefit others on this discussion forum who may be considering upgrading into this tier of dac, so they can pursue the one(s) that might work well in their systems, for their needs and tastes
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@jjss49 My posts are not to challenge what you and verdantaudio are doing. I’m supportive of your efforts and find them valuable.

This thread has been healthy and and productive. I don’t want to detract from that.

The points in the two posts (I tried to make) are probably better served in a thread dedicated to tackling the chimera of accuracy v. the ascendancy of experience.

"Chimera: a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve

Not: a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail."

: )

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,234 posts
 
"Chimera" excellent choice of term in this context.😊
Charles 
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,469 posts
 
I had an interesting conversation last night on the topic of "accuracy" with a gentleman who is both and audiophile and a professional musician.

When discussing the concept of "accuracy" his concern is tonal exclusively.  Does the instrument sound like the instrument in question?  Can it reproduce the difference between say a Steinway and Yamaha piano.  

Beyond that, "accuracy" has no meaning.  Most studio recording are not recorded live.  More often than not, each artist is recorded individually and the tracks are merged.  If it is recorded live, it is in a weird space (studio) and not reflective of anyone's listening experience.  

If it is a live performance and it is electric, then reproduction of sound is not where the musician is but where the amps are and microphones capturing crowd noise.  If it is an acoustic, live recording in a venue rather than a studio, then you could discuss accuracy, but to whom?  Microphones are on-stage, often near the musicians.  Not in the crowd.   

You get the point.  Imaging and the experiential nature of a recording is all fictional and driven by the engineer and record company,  This can even be at odds with the preference of the artists.  Unless you have the engineer available to tell you exactly what they were trying to accomplish, we are all guessing at what image they were trying for.  

I spend a lot of time talking about imaging and I definitely have preferences in this space.  Others may disagree which is why I have tried (not always successfully) to simply state what the experience is and not whether it is good or bad.  My preferences are mine alone and are not more or less valid than anyone else's in defining good.  

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