In the attached review he tests a variety of dacs moving from least expensive. Ill think you'll find it very informative
Do hi-end DACs offer true value or diminishing return...
These two hi-fedelity recordings posted on Youtube allow one to audition the state-of-the-art, highly raved R2R DACs with values ranging from $850 all the way to $6,500. Please use headphone or, play back to your stereo system if you think your system is revealing enough. The question to ask to yourself is that the true hi-end (w/ high price tag) gears offer you true values or just a diminishing-return foolproof. In my system, I do hear the differences but, to me, the differences might not be that significant to justify the luxious spending. Maybe my system is not revealing enough. Maybe the recording quality through the on-line broadcasting degrades. How about you? Do you hear major differences?
Terminator Plus ($6.5k), Venus II ($3k)
Terminator $4.5k, Ares II ($850)
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I don’t wish to offend anyone, but in the case of DACs, I would have to say that there is certainly a point of diminishing returns. I’ve heard some epic sounding systems with rather modest DACs. But it is all a personal choice. Those with unlimited disposable income will swear up and down that the über expensive components generally sound ‘night and day’ better. That has not been my experience at all, especially with respect to DACs. After around 10k let’s say, you can spend 40k and that DAC may show very slight differences that one has to really listen for. |
@mahgister +1! A DAC is essentially a sound card. That’s all! Put it in a fancy machined-from-a-solid-billet case and you can charge $50K for the same parts as the $100 KTB DAC. Nobody will be able to tell the difference from, say, the real expensive Audio Note DAC! Because Hi-End DAC’s are a good example of confirmation bias! |
I am not an " objectivist", but in spite of some difference in sound between all dacs, the industry being mature now, the diminushing point is here very soon... My low cost dac can be upgraded but what it gives already to me : a battery low noise working then no connection to the grid, an equalizer i need, a big files bank, and decent good dac operation if i trust my highly sensitve AKG K 340, then any real upgrade, not a marginal change in sound with a tube dac or whatever, will cost me 50 times his price at the least ...I can live with " the out of the head", clear three-D speaker like soundfield from my headphone i enjoy now without any upgrade of the basic dac payed 200 bucks ...
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