The sound of all Dac differ like differ any system sound where we introduce new piece of gear...
Easy to hear...
The sound we hear is not a bunch of frequencies spectrum added one to another...Sorry psycho-acoustic is not simple matter...
We also hear change in phase... And we hear through the timbre experience some information related to the acoustic condition of the recording theater or room...And this recorded timbre will changed accordingly in our own room acoustic...
Timbre perception change from the musician who play the instrument to any location near him around him and far from him and the room where he play will affect the timbre also...Timbre is not reducible to an objective resonant sound source you must add the environment information in the spectral envelope and in the time envelope and you must add the specific structure of our own ears/brain...
I am happy then with a dac which have a minimalistic design and without oversampling...Because say Christophe Mariac the dac designer :
«Let me give you a simple example: it is generally assumed we hear the spectrum of sounds, but can’t hear the phase.
Now try "binaural beats" on Google and listen for yourself. These clearly show the phase information IS sensed, AND remains present far inside the brain.
So maybe the spectrum-only approach to DAC design is not telling the whole story...Traditional non-oversampling DACs from the past did not make any assumptions about hearing mechanisms, they just tried to replicate in analog what you fed them digitally as closely as possible...»
I prefer a natural lived timbre sound to my ears instead of a " microscope" with unnatural aura of detailed " planktons "...
In particular in low cost audio system it is the better why? there exist probably not oversamplig good dac at cheap price...
Then i am more than happy with my dac because in my acoustically controlled room i cannot attribute to it any defect at all...
The last time Christophe Mariac sell it new his price was near 500 bucks... I pay it 20 bucks new on Ebay...
And i forgot about any other dac...
"microscope" at high cost have no appeal to me, and other NOS design will cost pricier and i doubt that they can beat it really...
His minimalistic design and low noise is remarkable... I connect it to a non linear power supply then the internal battery are always charged and powered it very well for 6 years now 12 hours a day...I listen music even sometimes reading... 😁😊
it is the greatest luck in all my audio purchase and it is irreplaceable at this S.Q./price ratio...More a deal than my Mission Cyrus speakers at 50 bucks and my marvellous Sansui Au 7700 at 150 bucks...
I consider my system in my acoustically controlled and treated room Hi-FI or not too far from anything i listen to in my life... because of acoustic method not because t my gear is well chosen, any other well chosen piece of gear would have been good IF THE ACOUSTIC OF THE ROOM IS TAILORED FOR THE GEAR...
