What the benifit of using a separate dac?

Blindjim,

Interesting thoughts. Perhaps modding is partly based on a desire to differentiate - to have something better than or at least different from the next guy. To enhance the feeling of ownership pride by an extra level of customization. Audible benefits may be quite small but kudos is high in the mind of the owner. This is where the value comes - like the guy with the Honda all kitted out with various customized items - he wants his Honda to stand out from the other Honda's - it isn't only about improving the performance.

Shadorne
Hmmm. I never even considered that part.

Your analogy is eirily on target for me though. I had several scooters and had two of them modified, one Honda and one Kawasaki. Both were done through primier after market companies that had gained their reps by virtue of consistent results at the race track. Both Yoshimura Racing and Russ Collins Engineering, (respectively) recieved a lot of press not only on their build alterations, but from actual trials from the two wheel mags.

These full on or partial refits, or even their kits for the DIY'ers, were not inexpensive. Neither were the results subjective. The ride and the feel indicated the improvement, but it was the clock that truly told the story in that arena.

cosmetic changes too were made but mostly they were an afterthought and not the main thrust. I've always been more about the dash than the splash.

Value of the end product was seldom ever a consideration then. It was strickly all about performance and reliability. Getting there first without blowing up.

I got there first a lot... and yeah... I blew up too... once or twice. The explosions though were my bad not the modders.

Mo press is needed. As subjective as it may wind up being spent, if it could gain some modicom of objectivity via folks who do not have some vested interest would go a long way to further fill the voids in the minds of the prospective buyers, and the pockets of the professionals doing the alterations. IMHO

Blindjim - I don't get the connection to motorcycle performance mods aimed at boosting torque and HP for faster lap times. Those are mods easily measured by a mechanical (objective) device. Humans are not objective. Music is emotional. You can chart brainwaves, pulse rate, skin temp, finger movements, etc. But what all that actually translates to an individual cannot be quantified or experienced by anyone else. If you wanted to find a parallel in motorcyle performance mods, I would say it is more akin to mods to suspension, chassis, rubber, frame geometry - those things that are specifically tailored to an individuals preferences and riding style. If you ride you know that dyno charts do not tell you the whole story about how a bike will take you around a course. Even with the closer metaphor I would still say that the reproduction of music in your home is an emotionally charged experience and cannot be quantified by charts and numbers.

Isn't there a book about this - something like "Zen and the Art of Audio Equipment Maintenance"?

Why mod?? I think it only makes sense when you have a well made and properly designed circuit where the manufacturer used sufficent components. Impovement can be made substituting better sonic quality components. Of course this is a topic with all kinds of qualifiers....but in my experience it has been a good one and well worth it.