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The sound quality from DACs - is it all the same?

I've been talking to my cousin brother about sound quality. He is a self-proclaimed expert audiophile. He says that Audio Science Review has all of the answers I will need regarding audio products.

In particular, he says an inexpensive DAC from any Chinese company will do better than the expensive stuff. He says fancy audio gear is a waste of money because the data is already bit-perfect.  All DAC chips sound the same. Am I being mislead? 

He also said that any DAC over $400 is a waste of money. Convincing marketing is at play here, he says.

He currently owns a Topping L30 headphone amplifier and D30 Pro DAC. He uses Sennheiser HD 569 headphones to listen to music.  I'm not sure what to think of them. I will report my findings after listening one day! (likely soon, once I get some free time)

- Jack 

 

 

jackhifiguy
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
12,745 posts
 

What were those characters in Ibsen's Peer Gynt called again?

 

"What is the difference between troll and man?"

None which is measurable......

pcrhkr's avatar
pcrhkr
261 posts
 

I saw advice in this thread and agree with it. Go to a dealer, compare and listen for yourself.

khughes
90 posts
 

Given that DACs contain an analog section, it's pretty clear that they can indeed sound quite different, if that's the intent of the designer. I mean you can tweak, or even omit, the reconstruction filter if you like the way out of band aliasing sounds.Wouldn't be the first time.

The question is, do you want one that *has* a distinct sound of it's own? Or one with the most accurate reproduction? The former will be a form of fixed tone control you may not want if you're an equipment junkie and change components frequently. Maybe it fits with the next gear iteration, maybe not. This type of "voicing" is one likely culprit for what I consider to be the "system synergy" canard.

Whichever floats your boat.

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,865 posts
 

Most new DACs are good and closer to sounding similar than in the past but surely not all sound the same. Good sounding ones are a dime a dozen though these days.  Almost hard to find a bad sounding DAC anymore.  Good times for music lovers.

tempest714's avatar
tempest714
29 posts
 

I'm about to find out what moving from a SMSL SU-9 to a Gustard X26 sounds like. It is the analog part of the DAC and its design that should/could/may make a difference.

More to discover