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Easy to discriminate between DAC ??

do not have the possibility in making A/B tests so i need to plug-deplug every time.
So far tested 4 different DAc but not so easy to find the better.
The sound timbre is really very similar, what I found different is the following:
- The slightly darker/warmer is Theta Chroma
- The slightly more transparent is CEC DAC integrated in TL 51Z MKII
- The slightly more nuance devoted is Swissonic DA96
- The clearly more aggressive is Minprint DI-Port
So what??
Can it be that the oldest one of the group,Theta old fashion 16 bit still sound very modern ?
How to make a jump in quality ?
Or it will always been a question of the personal taste of sound to make the choice ??

I would love to exchange opinions about and sorry for the elaborated question
Tks.
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sc53
719 posts
 
Your question is a good one. I am surprised every time I listen and try to discriminate between DAC's. I found it so difficult to articulate any differences I (thought) I was hearing between different DAC's that I sold all I had and went back to one-box players. I have an old CAL Icon Mk II with an 18-bit DAC inside that sounds absolutely great. I have tried running a separate DAC with it, but really could tell no difference, certainly no improvement, so I'm back to the one-box model for now. My other player is a Marantz SA-1 and I do not use a DAC with this SACD player. I have owned Meridian DAC's in the past but had to go really far up their line to finally improve on the sound of a one-box player, to me. So yes, I think you can get great sound and satisfaction with old technology DAC's. But people rave about the latest upsampling DAC's too. It is always a question of personal preference, and what you can live with for the long term. Most A/B tests require spot decisions. Ideally, you should listen to a component for months before deciding. I don't think I've ever taken the time to do that, but I've certainly discovered how much I like or dislike something I've purchased after months of listening.
blueswan
211 posts
 
Sc53 last sentence is right on target! I might add my opinion for digital listening... real live musical instruments and voices do not have edges around them. The other unrealistic digital artifacts I have noticed are an unnaturally forward soundstage and unusually fast and aggressive transients (such as snare drum hits that sound like gunshots). I also try to listen to analog versus digitally mastered CDs, there should be a clear difference.
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
I think ABing can get confusing sometimes, and I don't think I can get a good feel for something without living with it for a few months. When I first replaced my Bel Canto DAC 1.1 with a Kora Hermes, a big difference didn't register with me immediately. But after listening to it for over two months I realized that there were very noticable differences.
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