I own three of the Dacs measured in ASR’s Best USB Dac Review. Regarding sound quality of each, their spot on the list reflects my view exactly. However, the high ranking SMSL Sanskrit ll lost function of it’s USB input soon after getting it, as did the remote. It is also the cheapest of the Dacs I own. It is the best sounding to my ear, but my other two have not had any problems. Very disappointing, but as said, "cheap is cheap"!
Analyzing DACs
As I am new to the hifi hobby, reading various product reviews and noting the details of the test environment have made me very confused. I understand Stereophile is the hifi bible. In the publication’s DAC published tests the reviewers almost always tested the DAC connected directly to the amplifier. I think I understand why—nothing in the chain influencing the DAC sound. Is that the correct assumption? If that’s the case why incorporate a preamp if the DAC has a preamp section that is a common feature even on high end DACs? I’m in the market for a new DAC. I’m trying to avoid unnecessary components if possible. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
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- 108 posts total
Without any advertising @carlsbad, can you tell me how much money @ASR makes per click? I go there for the Klippel speaker measurements. Other than the dipole measurement they screwed up, their measurements are accurate. |
- 108 posts total