DAC Shootout Starts This Weekend

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.

Khadas Tone 2 - This is a $210 DAC on Amazon with an onboard headphone amp.  In what might be a test of the two tiniest external components in the history of audio, this paired with the 2Go/2Yu is amazing.  The Tone2 is about 3" wide by about 2" Deep.  Yet they have squeezed in a pair of RCA Outs, an digital coax in, a USB C in/out and and a USB C I2S out with a headphone amp that accepts standard mini plugs and has a 4.4MM balanced output.  

Sound is shockingly good.  It is miles from the $5000 units is closer to the Queststyle than I would have guessed when you consider the Queststyle is 7x the price.  

Compared to the Questyle the soundstage is narrow and the level of detail, particularly in terms of treble, is not in the same league.  Drum rolls on In a Sentimental Mood are a little muddy and the bass is a little underemphasized.  Tonaly though, the Piano has sparkle and the mids are thoroughly enjoyable.  

On Be still my beating heart, it is much narrower than the Questyle in terms of soundstage.  Especially the bells that you hear during the chorus in some cases are missing or are very quiet.  Yet tonally it is superb and there is no sibilance in Sting's voice.  

During Liberty, effects are too quiet and too close to the speakers.  Where they should be coming directly from my right or left, they are localized at the speaker.  But there is no sibilance in her voice.  Strings and horns are smooth.  Piano has sparkle.  

During Duende, precise detail is off just a touch at the highs.  Air around the strings and some of the detail between the drums is missing but detail in the bass was surprisingly good.  Good separation between Tony Levins notes in the opening.  A bit too much localization of the cymbals in the right speaker about 4:30 minutes in.  

In the Berg piece, sizing was very good.  The piece sounds intimate and tonally is is very good.  When they are playing together, there is some massing of strings but not as much as I expected.  

The thing to remember with this test is that I am trying to push these DACs too extremes and have picked songs that should highlight flaws.  As audiophiles, we tend to listen to music in more extreme circumstances and are more aware of these flaws.

I would not recommend this DAC to anyone in the $1500 budget or above as that would clearly go to Queststyle or Chord.  Under $1500....it seems pretty compelling.  On a tight budget...and you need an external and maybe a headphone amp for an easy to drive pair of headphones (will cover headphone performance separately), this thing is awesome.  

@verdantaudio
I agree with @dbb in that accuracy to the sound of real instruments is essential for an audio component to be recommendable.

You have written, "I had an interesting conversation last night on the topic of 'accuracy' with a gentleman who is both an 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." Exactly.

But what has audio reviewing become? The well known Goldensound on ebay raves about a $1500 DAC being the best in class though he says it cannot accurately reproduce the "timbre" of instruments.

Reviewing has too often become simply an expression of personal taste or an attempt to sell. Many people calling themselves reviewers have rarely heard a musical instrument except through a loudspeaker. I do not include you here as I respect what you have written and you do it with integrity, even including acoustic instruments as part of your listening and writing.

@melm You make a very interesting point and I think it raises a bigger question.  And that is, what is your actual preference.  

If a DAC can't accurately reproduce the timbre of instruments and that is your preference, great!  Alternatively, if you are looking for accuracy in reproduction and want to be able to tell the difference between a Yamaha and Steinway piano, great!  The key is being intellectually honest with yourself.  

An example - for years I wanted an "accurate, transparent system that simply let me hear what the artist and engineer intended."  I think I achieved this to my great dissatisfaction.  I got to a point where I didn't enjoy listening to my music on my system.  I engaged in a long thread with a few folks over in the Stereophile forum at that time and realized I was pursing the wrong thing. 

What I really wanted was accurate reproduction of the timbre of instruments with an augmented soundstage that helped correct the flatness and generally poor presentation one finds in a huge percentage of recordings.  Since then, my system has changed 100% and my approach and thinking has changed 100%. 

I have spent a lot of time talking about the differences between these DACs and very little time talking about the similarities.  One thing that is universal across all of these units including the tube based Vu Jade is that all of them are tonally pretty neutral.  The difference between the warmest (Rockna Wavelight) and brightest (Weiss 501) is a relatively small difference in high frequency extension.  All of them are reproducing instruments in a way that sounds realistic and are basically uncolored.  

There are definitely products out there that do not reproduce sound accurately but I have been fortunate enough not to bump into them recently.  

You are correct that reviewing has become a matter of persona taste and reviewers tend to pick products that they like to review.  That is even largely reflected here in that most of what I wrote about are products that I carry.  I only really carry products that I like which is why heavily colored DACs aren't making this list.    

My taste is not everyone's taste which is why I have been focusing on differences and was so clear about the gear I am using.  The ultimate goal is to help folks make a good choice.  These small differences across multiple pieces of equipment add up and can be the difference between being pretty happy with your system and being in audio nirvana. 

I know what audio nirvana is for me and it would be great to see others get there.