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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
neonknight
534 posts
 

I am wondering why the conversation avoids the implantation of FPGA. More and more companies are programing their own proprietary software and not relying on a commercial DAC chip. Some use the back half of the chip, and program the FPGA for the points they consider important. This implementation is becoming more and more common with higher performance digital components. 

rbstehno
1,647 posts
 

IMO, all avr’s are terrible for audio, good for HT. I’ve owned many of the so called best and I would never say they sounded good for audio.

All dac chips in cd players/dvd players are 2nd rate at best.

Most dacs in preamps/integrated amps are a compromise at best. I owned in the past the best Hegel/Mcintosh and other preamps and integrateds with dacs in them and never used them, always used my external dac.

I have owned external dacs for decades and the early 1’s I would never purchase again. Even the compromised dacs in current preamps or integrateds sound better than dacs made decades ago, at least the audio research and other older dacs I have owned

erik_squires OP
17,608 posts
 

Well I can’t speak to all, but I can’ say that the Theta Casanova was an EXCELLENT 2-channel preamp and DAC.  Getting the same sound quality with modern features in a package I can afford has been a very long road for me. 

stuartk
4,081 posts
 

@audioman58 

land will be upgrading it to the Dac 2  that has 2 BB 1994A chips used in monolithic design , these chips 30% is a R2R chip the other 70% Delta Sigma ,

all price point Merason dacs have a natural quality to them and very welll received 

especially in Europe 

I just picked up a used DAC1 MK2. I’m curious about this upgrade you mention. Who or what is "land" ? 

 

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