DAC diminishing returns


Looking for some experienced input on the diminishing return as you go up the the DAC ladder. I mostly stream music and occasionally listen to CDs.  Currently, I’m using a Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC.  It’s connected to my Naim Nait 5Si and that drives Zu Omen ii speakers. In my limited experience, I have not heard any substantial differences when changing DACs.  I’m considering a Denafrips Pontus DAC.  Does the significantly higher cost justify what might be a marginal increase in sound quality?  Is buying a more expensive DAC for better sound just splitting hairs, and making you feel better about your system?  Are different DACs just different coloration of the sound?

I don’t want to be duped into buying something I don’t really need. Thanks.

dsfreeh

Does the significantly higher cost justify what might be a marginal increase in sound quality?

Do this test and see if you get it right 100%. If not ... no need to spend more money.

https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality

Of course if you just feel this itch to pamper yourself and get some nice new gear, that can be satisfactory all by itself.

 

What is your budget?  I would recomed you buy a DAC from a dealer with a return exchange policy and try for yourself.  

With Denafrips dacs I own 2 currently and in the mk2 version there is no micro skipping issue ,idont even know what that means.   Look up pontus mk2 , or Terminator 2 dacs read some reviews ,  if going to buy state what is your Max budget  this helps , as I mentioned the$4500-$6500 isthe sweet spot 

and they are made over seas Holo springs, and Denafrips  you would have to pay much more to = this   And both nowhave repair centers inthe U.S

 but are very dependable , they all sound different abit Multibit - R2R dacs are the original type dac chips and sound a bit smoother , going up the chain mola mola dac is great at$14 k  ,and of course DCS dacs but are $$ ,which have their own custom architecture.

Well a basic  thing about hi fi. Each step up cost proportionately  more for a smaller increase  in  sound quality. So it becomes  at what level are you happy with your system? The best sounding  system  for the money spent is one that is balanced. Nothing to high up the food chain for the rest of the system.  

 

Also another question  a friend of  mine has a Naim system and it likely is the system  I have heard that makes the biggest difference  if it it left on of any system  I have heard do you leave your Naim on? If not give that a try and see what you think after it has been on a couple of weeks. 

 

Regards

With Denafrips dacs I own 2 currently and in the mk2 version there is no micro skipping issue ,idont even know what that means. 

@audioman58 

I'm glad to hear that you haven't had any issues, but it is wrong to imply that the mk2 is immune to such issues. My Pontus was a mk2, and there have been plenty of other reports. As to you not knowing what it means, well, you apparently haven't researched the topic.

Here is Denafrips' primary hypothesis, as articulated by Alvin himself:

Denafrips DACs use an internal reclocker when the DAC is connected using SPDIF or AES, which uses a small FIFO to buffer the PCM samples before they are clocked out using the internal clock to the R2R DAC. 

SPDIF (and AES/EBU) assume that the source controls the clock, but as we all know this can introduce jitter resulting in poor performance. By buffering the data and reclocking it, the DAC can all but eliminate the issues with jitter, but this only works well if the source clock is close enough in frequency to the DACs reference clock such that the FIFO can handle the timing differences for the duration of the stream.

If the source clock is operating at a significantly different frequency from DAC clock, or the time between resetting the buffer is too long, the FIFO will either overflow or run out of samples and you'll get a drop out or stutter.