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Why do I always like a source with Burr Brown DAC?

I have always been pretty finicky about picking up the source component. Like most audiophiles I ask for everything from detail, dynamics, transparency, PRAT etc..but most importantly I look for accurate tonality. It is pretty surprising that while many CD players try to sound like analog and many others try to sound nice and romantic....basically there are many CDPs designed and aimed to sound nice to the ears, however most of them try to achieve it by trying to sound rich, sometimes rolled off, sometimes too warm etc. Very few retain the tonality intact and almost every time I notice them instantly and develop a liking for them pretty soon. Interestingly almost every time I have liked a source for its accurate tonality it has turned out that it contains one or the other version of Burr Brown DACs. I dont know what they do but somehow they always sound "right" tonally. I know a DAC contains many other stages which can affect the sound but as a non-techie all I can do is relate to this as a pattern.

I would like to know from you guys, if any of you have any opinion on Burr Brown DACs Vs other DACs ?

There is also this debate on Multibit Vs Delta-Sigma DACs which I would like to understand.
pani

Showing 2 responses by muralman1

muralman1
1,527 posts
 
I'll bite. Burr Brown DACs are used in conjunction with oversampling and digital filtering. This gives the music a nice clean cut sound. And, there lies the problem with Burr Brown. While cutting the measurable distortion, it also cuts all the little details that bring on the real sound.

A DAC that lets all the music through without any manipulation arrives at your ears in it's whole. These are the non-oversampling DACs. Not having oversampling, they do without the filters as well.

Not all NOS DACs are equal. Some sound romantic, like you noted. There are folks that like it that way. Other DACs do it all, from hair raising attacks, to sweet naturally warm female voices. They can rock, and they can serenade. They just do it all without a hint of distortion.
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
Sgr and Pani, The receiver chip is a CS8414 connected via i2S tp a non oversampled unfiltered DAC Analog Devices AD 1865.

That chip arrangement is ubiquitous to all Audio Note DACs. The big difference in my DAC lies in my diode choice. Four diodes are fitted to the digital supply board. I replaced these with wickedly faster recovering diodes. This makes an emphatic difference in the resulting sound.

Hope that helps.
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