You might want to ask sns about the Okto DAC8. He has one and thinks very highly of it.
AKM makes the best DACs
OK, before you flame a reply to my heading please read this section.
It is a terrible idea to judge a DAC based on the chip. I don't think consumer's should ever do that. I think there is a lot that goes into a good external DAC unit and the converter chip is just one of many factors that go into the final sound.
Having said that, it turns out I tend to like the sound of DACs with AKM chips over most others. A long time ago I would have said the same about Burr Brown.
For converters which use an all in one chip what is the brand you find yourfself more likely to like the sound of vs. not?
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I was away from my computer, and the Esoteric question has been answered. But for completeness, most of the higher end players (which function also as DACs) and dedicated DACs used AKM devices, many in a multiple dac chip configuration. It appears that Esoteric is now replacing its AKM based circuit design with the FPGA centred technology used in the Mastersound Discrete DAC. |
It might be important to remember that audio, high end audio... is not concerned with the 95-97% of the signal and associated qualities, that EVERYONE can obtain with their $1 for a dac chip or $$200 for a dac chip. Nobody cares about the +95%. it’s meaningless, in this context. The only thing the high end audio endeavor is concerned about, is those last few percentage points. This is the sublime part, the part the makes our juices flow. The difference between $1 bottle sherry and $300 a bottle scotch. It’s all in these few percentage points. Proximity to the sun. Icarian. So we end up in these little almost circular-like arguments where we talk past one another. To figure this out soonest and get there... and get to the enjoying of a proximity to a perfection we can’t really ever reach. Time. Time in life. Time spent in good spaces. |
To simply say what others have said differently, your statement is tantamount to stating "The GE 9X jet engine makes the best jet plane". I try my best to resist the "what I have is best" tendency so often demonstrated on this Board and all audio boards but be that as it may, I will put my SW1X DAC IIIB up against any DAC in existence. It uses a very "outdated" Philips 1541 chipset. But the secret is in the sauce;
SW1X Audio Design™ DAC III Balanced Features:
Tube Compliment: 2 x EL84, 1 x 6N6P, 1 x 5U5GYB/5R4GYB, 1 x E180F, 1 x EAA91
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