Six DAC Comparison

@debjit_g 

Yes, you are correct. The X-SE is identical to the X-24AM.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the NC chokes are a better quality choke.  They are simply made with different materials and cost more.  Due to the different materials being used, they offer a different sonic flavor.  Which one is better between the AM and the NC will depend on the rest of one's system/room acoustics, etc.

Mitch is also correct.  The last time that I had spoken with Benjamin regarding the Z-Chips... he was out of stock, so "upgrading" your existing dac is not an option.

It seems that there may be a lot of Mystery behind the "Z-chips"  I believe that both chips are basically the same chip, but that the "Z-chip" might have tighter tolerances.  Whether those tighter tolerances of the Z-Chip alone can be heard in a reliable and consistently blind test method - I have no idea.  

I think hearing a sonic difference between the AM and NC chokes would be much more easily heard.  Whether those sonic differences are a plus or a minus would depend on the rest of your system - the whole system synergy idea.

I agree with Mitch that the X-SE; X- 24AM (both of which are the same), and the X-NCZ would all be excellent dacs.  It's just a matter of getting the correct flavor of sound to gel with your system/room.

Best wishes,

Don

@brbrock yes, that's correct. I have been using the 005 for sometime now and as many here, I have gone through a fair share of DACs along the way but 005 has stayed the longest. When time comes, I will try to write sometime up though I am not an expert in the ways other writes here but right now my system had several mods which takes a while to settle down. What I can tell you right now is both are very good dacs in their own ways.

@no_regrets agreed on all fronts :-) I am very familiar with chokes and how the quality matters or not. I have employed them in several diy power supplies powering digital things like servers, switches, JCAT USB card, Clocks etc - started with off the self Hammond, then moved to custom order Mundrof and then again to another custom order from the boutique manufacturer in EU and every time it has added more to the music. In almost all cases, a better chokes helps, weather the resulting flavor is to your taste is a different matter. As a proponent of better chokes, I am mostly sure that at some point, I would like to try the NC version (assuming Benjamin can ship me a pair).

@mitch2 I previously owned Singxer SU6, this with Musetec 005, preferred usb over my OpticalRendu vs I2S with the Singxer. Now have Denafrips Gaia with Tubulus Ximius .5M cable, prefer I2S  vs usb for both Laiv Harmony and Musetec 006. This with a much improved usb board in 006 vs the Amamero in 005, Harmony usb nothing special.

Gaia superior to Singxer in usb isolation on input and implementation of OXCO clock on I2S. Singxer SU6 as good as it is, simply doesn't play in same universe, build quality, design, parts quality in Gaia all far superior. Meaningful improvement in sound quality reflects this superiority, and the Tubulus cable I'm using provides another substantial and meaningful improvement. A lesser optimization of I2S than this may change equation of which interface superior.

@debjit_g You mentioned the Musetec and Mojo DAC's are different.  Can you explain how they are different.  Can you mention some of the DAC's you have had in the past?