Most fun I have had with my Terminator lately is fabricating various brass "drains" of the pointy and sometimes not so pointy varieties to replace the rubberized feet that came with it. I am astonished at the different ways a DAC can be made to dance by modifying its supports.
How much does a DAC do the more expensive it is?
Having spun an Oppo 105 for many years on its own before adding a Schiit Gungnir (bought for a generous steal from a wonderful seller here), I was immediately struck with how much more presence and detail the Schiit added to the Oppo's presentation.
That Gungnir, even new, pales in comparison pricewise with 4 and 5 figure DACs I see for sale here.
So what do those much more expensive DACS do for sound? I mean, how much more information can be dug out of the digital files? Is it akin to what a good phono stage can do for a cartridge?
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I bought a D90SE soon after it first came out. I think it's still the highest measured DAC on ASR but I haven't been on there in a while to verify. Anyway, I was looking for a new DAC for my PC setup. I had an older Ayre Codex and my PS Audio Stellar DAC was away for warranty issues. Bottom line, I sent it back. It sounded low-fi and cheap, probably on par - or maybe a tad better than my Schiit Modi Multi-bit 2 DAC. I put up a more descriptive review on Amazon at that time. I gave it 3 stars, which surprises me. I must've been in a great mood that day.
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Interesting thread. I’m an audiophile voyeur but a mid-fi owner…and think my hobby benefits measurably from many threads here. From the perspective of available time, budget and living space size, I’m locked into making the most from digital sources, so DAC talk matters to me…followed by cable info :)
FWIW, the quality of my listening has gone up a lot by using the Auris Audifi WiFi Receiver, an amazing device for micro-dollars. The interface is phone based and can handle many hi-res music services at lossless file size. The ESS Sabre DAC inside seems to push a dynamic range that matches the potential of my AE Techron serviced 1984 Crown PS 200 (155 WPC into 4 ohm Wharfedale Lintons and a REL T5i with Mogami cables and interconnects.)
Thanks all for helping our household “listen way above our budget.” |
Much of what is praised over at ASR is mediocre Chi Fi . My former DAC , the RME adi2 was the darling of ASR until some cheap Chi Fi DAC bettered it's specs....and then that was the favorite of ASR My current DAC is completely void of features , the only thing it does better than the adi2 is sound better. That RME is good but the excellent sounding LAB 12 DAC is much more engaging to listen to. |
Understood. However, for some, it seems that sound quality and listening engagement/enjoyment are secondary concerns. Charles |
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