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Maybe it IS all in the DAC chips

I’ve often pushed back against the idea of purchasing any piece of audio gear based on the parts contained, especially DAC’s.  While the Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) itself is the key component, so much goes into making a good sounding product,  like stream buffers/jittter removal, power supplies and analog output stage that I thought this could lead buyers astray.

Still, having done that, and still thinking that I correctly warned others to avoid buying just on DAC brands alone, I have found myself after many years, returning again to vintage Burr Brown based DACs and home theater processors.  

Color me changed with experience. 

erik_squires
erik_squires OP
17,608 posts
 

My prior favorite processor was a Theta Casanova, the smaller, less expandable Theta DD 5.1 processor.  Theta stumbled with HDMI and was years late in introducing a compatible upgrade.  I suspect but do not know it was a combination of internal engineering capability + licensing issues.  Around this period, for a brief flickering moment Theta was showing a replacement for the Casanova, the Supernova, which I had high hopes for.  

I tried replacing the Casanova with a number of far-east solutions, including Onkyo and Emotiva.  The sound was just so reed thin on both.  Happily sold the Emotiva and the upgrade cert.

Sadly that Theta Supernova never materialized and I ended up with an Anthem AVM 50.... which was good sounding but had first gen HDMI only.  Now I’m going back to that with an eARC audio extractor.   That's when I realized the connection was the BB dacs. 

 

Wish me luck! 

bpoletti
1,598 posts
 

It might not be ALL in the chips, but the chips certainly make a difference.

 

kirkwallace's avatar
kirkwallace
417 posts
 

I will say I’ve only ever heard Sabre ESS chips in NAD and BlueOS equipment; not very lively or life-life in those components. On the other hand, the pair of Burr-Brown PCM58P dac chips in my Mojo Mystique Z Q let it (along with the very well designed built output stage) generate beautiful, dynamic, three dimensional and life-like sound (but then again, it is paired with very fine other components).  And my little Gato DIA 400S-NPM all-in-one in our bedroom uses the PCM1794 dac chip to great effect. I love that unit so much.

sls883
1,069 posts
 

The ESS chips in my Gustard X-30 sound pretty darn good.  If you look at the parts and construction of this dac, there are a lot of other key items that make it what it is.  

macg19
1,443 posts
 

My ex-DAC (Black Ice) used a Burr-Brown PCM 1795. I think it was well chosen and well implemented, plus in a $975 box, seemed (sounded) like a pretty good deal.  

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