"Chimera" excellent choice of term in this context.😊
Charles
Charles
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.
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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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. |
Questyle CMA 12 is in and has been tested. This is the least expensive unit tested so far other than the internal DAC of the AVM. This is an extremely impressive unit for the money if you ignore the headphone amp. With the headphone amp and overall versatility, it is insane. First off, not the be all, end all in terms of detail. It is a step down from the ~$5K DAC but this is not alarming since it is $1500. The overall experience is that the DAC is neutral with a wide but relatively shallow soundstage. There is no emphasis on treble of bass. Tonally, reminds me a bit of Bricasti but the central image is lacking vs. the much larger units. There is sparkle in the piano. There is good, not great separation in the drum rolls in In a Sentimental Mood. The soundstage in Be Still My Beating Heart is wide. Bells and most of the detail is there but not as clean and well separated as with the higher end models. Effects were obvious and came from where they should during liberty and the opening of Duende was a hair muddy. The Berg piece sounds a hair bigger than is ideal and string seemed a hair massed in certain places. Compared to the more logical price comparison of the Hugo 2 and the AVM Internal, the Hugo 2 offers more in terms of detail but the soundstage on the Questyle is much wider and bass extension is deeper. Vs the AVM, it is more detailed than this internal DAC but lacks the deep central image that the AVM has. Very simply, if you are looking for a DAC in the sub $2K range and are looking for a good all around performer, this should be on your list whether you are a headphone user or not. Take away the headphone amp and the price on this unit is fair. Add in the headphone amp and it is an incredible value. |
@verdantaudio I agree generally with you and your musician friend to the extent that there is no reality and hence accuracy in conncection with electronicly produced music. No base line exists. The recording is an artifact made by the musicians and especially the recording engineer. There is no natural event in the real world. This is not so in the realm of natural unamplified acoustic music. The base line is what it would sound like if you were at the live performance. Yes, there is no absolute single correct sound, because the sound changes according to your seat in the venue. The recording engineer’s job is to take the multiple tracks and mix them down to approximate a live concert from the perspective of a real location in the venue. Accuracy has meaning in this context. It has none when the music is electronically processed in the first instance. To the minority of music lovers who enjoy live unamplified concerts (classical, opera, etc.) "accuracy" has real, if not precisely exact, meaning. |
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