Mitch2 I am following up on your findings. I am very curious of the outcome.
Simple device for downsampling?
Is there a device such as a DDC or something else that can be placed in the digital path prior to the DAC and set up to downsample all higher resolution digital music files from Tidal, Qobuz, and local storage (all played through Roon) to a maximum 16-bit and 44.1 or 48 kHz, to facilitate a DAC with those playback limitations?
Many Tidal/Qobuz files are already 16-bit, 44.1 kHz but almost as many are higher resolution files and I am unaware of any options within Roon to limit file resolution sent to the DAC. Back when I used a Mac mini and one of the player programs, I believe we were able to select the output sample rate but now that I solely stream stuff thorough Roon, I am not sure how I would do that. Thanks for any helpful suggestions.
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@brbrock - I will let you know which I like better when I decide to put one of them back in its box. I did sell the Tambaqui but still have the Mystique EVO Pro and the SMc DAC-2 set up in my main system. They each have strengths and regardless of whichever one I am listening to, I never feel short-changed. The comparison is not exactly straight-forward as the DAC-2 only accepts a S/PDIF input while the EVO Pro arguably sounds best through its USB input, which I am currently feeding through a Sonore Signature Rendu SE Optical streamer, while the S/PDIF connection to the DAC-2 is coming through a Metrum Ambre streamer. I also occasionally compare them on a more equal basis using the S/PDIF input on the EVO Pro, although similar characteristics and differences are still observed. Tone is very nice on both as are dynamics. The EVO Pro has a bit more of that organic/smooth/musical presentation that R2R DACs are known for and it has the special "Z" version of the two AD1862R DAC chips, which the designer believes improves on the standard version and previously offered for an additional $1K each, when he could get them. The presentation and soundstaging on both is realistic and not overblown, although the EVO Pro may portray a touch more dimensionality. Another consideration is that the price of the EVO Pro is over 2x the price of the DAC-2. As a benchmark, I would definitely take the DAC-2 over the (slightly lower priced) Metrum Jade that I have in my outdoor system. If I had to choose only one of them today, I would probably pick the EVO Pro but that choice may be more related to subjective musical preference than objective performance, and could also indicate my preference for R2R DACs. |
- 30 posts total