Is there any such thing as a bad sounding DAC these days?


I think the problem of DAC for quality audio has been pretty much universally solved.  Not to say all DACs are equal, they aren’t, but do any that really matter these days not sound “good”?

128x128mapman

My subjective observation is yes, but...

Around 2000 DAC's universally improved how well they played Redbook.  The days of big jumps in sound quality between a 44.1/16 bit recording and 96/24 have all but vanished with only very small differences probably brought on by the digital filters.

Can you still make a terrible DAC?  Not sure, but while the Topping D90 (or whatever I have in a box) measures great I don't listen to it for long. 

I am of the opinion that competently designed DACs have been sounding the same for over 10 years (provided the design goal is total linearity).
If a user prefers a certain coloration, a certain design, or certain features - hey, all the power to them and that’s also why there are many choices.
My last DAC acquisition was in 2023 or so, a JDS Labs Element 3 for my home office workstation. It has all sorts of filter tuning and you can do things like EQ or add H2/H3 harmonics... but I simply haven’t touched anything after the novelty of having those choices wore off.

The sound-quality range, if you will, of digital audio is far more narrow than analog audio's, and it continues to narrow down.

 

I agree with the Benchmark comments. Owned the DAC 3 and found it cold and clinical. More than the D to A conversion the DAC needs a clean Analog output. That’s what separates the best from the good.