@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!
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 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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Logically speaking (neither objectively nor subjectively), if a DAC is neutrally transparent without any particular "sound", its SQ can be assessed in several dimensions of criteria such as (1) high ends are open, ary and articulated without treads of edginess or digital glares; (2) midranges are rich / full without vocal sibilance; (3) bass is weighty and nimble; (4) width / depth / height of soundstage; and (5) separation of sound sources either vocals or instruments. I think most of audiophiles should have the caliber to differentiate the high-end DAC from average DACs in these dimensions. I believe the price point of deminishing return for these DACs will be high (like a few thousand dollars), depending on quality of components like capacitors, transformers, wires, casing and craftmanship. Beyond this price point, a DAC that costs $10k, $20k or close to $100k will most likely belong to the class of so-called premium pricing imho, i.e., setting a high price tag to yield an impression that a product should have remarkably high quality such that the product is well suited only in a premium stereo system. |
Your post is very good and for me right... But your criteria are met with some low cost dac... i know because my dac meet them at 200 bucks and so well i dont need to upgrade at all... People forget that the dac is one thing but his relation with the amplifier and speakers and acoustic or with the headphone , the synergy factor and the tweaking and optimizing part MATTER the most.. Dac technology is mature now... It is better to invest many thousand dollars in amp, speakers , headphone and optimization than to buy a new dac in many case.. But most people dont know what to do, in the embeddings controls and about optimization; then they think , i must buy another dac to improve my system ... Most of the times it is an error of money placement for a marginal upgrade at best... if not how can my low cost dac meet all your criteria?
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