Okto DAC 8 Stereo (Shout-out)

Good to know @audioman58 . Shows how people have different perspectives and listening preferences.

@milpai i’ll try to get some pictures uploaded to my page tonight or tomorrow. It seriously is the best unit I’ve ever had. It’s very lively and fun. I find it very musical. I think that the bass response is better than most. I like it better than my DCS Bartók. If anybody’s looking for one I’ve got a deal on one on US audiomart. I guess it must be because it’s summer, but I’m having a hard time selling things. I’ve lowered the price on the Bartók to 8750 and still no takers, I guess I’ll drop at another 250 

@raysmtb1 ,

Thank You for willing to take time to upload the pics.

It is very commendable on your part to accept the fact that a DAC like Okto can equal or better a DCS DAC. It is very hard for people to accept this fact. And I did check the ad you have on US Audiomart. For me, your recommendation on this DAC is most genuine because you not only own this DAC, but have presented the facts as they are. It takes a lot of guts on this forum to accept that something pricey you already own was bettered by a lower priced equipment.

Now I am starting to ask myself - why should I go with a higher priced DACs?!

@milpai Much of the general chatter about DACs is based on the Emperor's New Clothes.

Virtually every DAC out there is made as either an ESS 9038 Pro based DAC or a R2R Ladder DAC.

There was a very interesting discussion on WBF a little while back which maintained the point, what could you possibly do to turn a Wadax into a $240k DAC? Even a MBF R2R DAC into a $100k DAC?

They all use the same resistors, maybe they are closer matched? Certainly better power management but you're still dealing with the same core.

If you've got a good (real good) front end most DACs are going to sound excellent.

A recent fallacy is it's all down to the DAC. This is preposterous. Trash in, trash out. A DAC cannot reconfigure the signal it gets unless oversampling and up-sampling are employed, but it gets boring and lifeless after a while. It's like looking at your Rolex and knowing it's a fake.

Personally I prefer ESS DACs, I've had AKM and they sound muddy to me.

R2R can sound excellent but at the end of they day, maybe not this day, processing power will remain supreme.

Any digital based system needs a master clock more than a high priced DAC.

If you’ve got a good (real good) front end most DACs are going to sound excellent.

 

Agreed. I believe an upper-tier server/streamer paired with a mid-tier DAC will sound superior to a mid-tier server/streamer with a top-tier DAC.

Personally I prefer ESS DACs, I’ve had AKM and they sound muddy to me.

The Gustard A26 uses AKM and I’ve yet to come across any mention of them referred to as sounding "muddy". As with ESS, implementation is everything.

Any digital based system needs a master clock more than a high priced DAC.

 

Agree. Once again, a well designed and implemented mid-tier DAC strapped to a high quality 10Mhz reference clock can lift the performance envelope to a very high level.