Yep, 54 though I do listen to Radio 1 and have never stopped discovering new music whether its in the charts, some new opera, folk music, progressive rock, brass band, big band, film music, the Tubes its all Music... to be enjoyed.
I once did several years without a TV, but not one day without music...
I once did several years without a TV, but not one day without music...
well of course there 'are' some boutique DACs which fall into the 'musical instrument' camp. They have abysmal measured performance and so win awards all over the place and provide much amusement to us allThese would certainly be 'night and day', especially the glowy units. This comes into the 'Umami' category of audio MSG.
Yes, the ones that will be distinguishable are ones with "philosophies," like not getting the frequency response flat to accommodate some imaginary ill or leaving off anti-imaging filters and dumping a pile of ultrasonics into the system. IME, well-engineered units sound close enough alike that I haven't much bothered with effort in that direction. If someone has distinguished, ears only, between two units with flat frequency response, moderately low to very low distortion, and well-suppressed images, I'd love to know about this.
I have a lot of respect for you and your expertise and knowledge - but on this case I find myself at odds with you.
I don't believe there are many DACs out there, that don't get the frequency response right! worst case scenario would be +/- 1dB, and we know that is gross.
Compared to that an average speaker/Amp combination in-room response could be with +/- 5dB, with peaks and troughs all over the place, yet we accept that.
I suggest, it is the information retrieval capability of a DAC (or indeed any source) under real situations is the key factor, accurate frequency response and noise values are pretty much given on almost all DACs.
I may add linearity at low levels, is the second key factor.
Difference between DACs can be night and day, but in extreme circumstances. that is if you say compare a $5k DAC with $50 one.
Sadly, in the fashion audio world, they are not rare birds. Here's what $12,000 will buy you. Allnic D-5000 DHT D/A processor Measurements | Stereophile.com
Short on cash? Here's a bargain at $3600: Lector Strumenti Audio Digitube S-192 D/A converter Measurements | Stereophile.com
I picked these off the first page of results from Stereophile. No doubt with more searching, I could find a $10,000+ unit that works as well as a cheap USB DAC like a Scarlett. But you're more likely to find bad performance in the ultra-expensive sector than in, say, the $100-200 range. It will be prettier, no doubt, and likely have a story associated with it.
Thanks, I'll stick with the cheaper gear that has flat frequency response, low noise, and vanishingly low distortion. That's how you maximize "information retrieval."
I've got this one on it's way. The designer isn't into all the audiophile snake oil and hoopla, just straight goods and engineering. I'm thinking this should beat many high dollar offerings out there..
NwAvGuy: ODAC Released
https://www.jdslabs.com/products/46/standalone-odac-rev-b/
Releasing ODAC RevB | JDS Labs Blog
NwAvGuy: ODAC Released
https://www.jdslabs.com/products/46/standalone-odac-rev-b/
Releasing ODAC RevB | JDS Labs Blog
Do you also agree for every one of those anomalies (with such horrible test results) there are hundreds of models that get it right across the price range?
Besides you chose two tube-based converters, tubes do not measure well in DACs, compared to latest op-amps, but then again you knew, as a tube amp engineer.
Here is a $5.7k DAC that measures very well.
Antelope Audio Zodiac Platinum D/A processor–headphone amplifier & Voltikus power supply | Stereophile.com
We could do this all day, but it would be fruitless.
There are cheap'n'cheerful units out there that sound very good, and there are silly-money units that are terrible, that's life.
I still swear by my Asus Xonar (£100) internal sound card. But it can not compete with my Teac UD501 (only at £500).
I don't believe you get much performance benefits after £2k price range, but below it there are some gems, and some failures.
If you are suggesting that most $50 DACs sound comparable to selected $1000 ones, then I suppose 'you are entitled to your opinion'!
I'm sure there are, assuming "hundreds of models" exist. I would also feel pretty confident, that in the $100-500 part of the market, you are far more certain of getting a properly engineered unit than you would in the multi-kilobuck fashion market.
I chose the first two expensive ones that popped up on Stereophile. I'm not an engineer, but I will say that if I got performance like that out of something I designed, I would spend time figuring out what I did wrong rather than market it.
On the next page of the first DAC review, the manufacturers claimed it was a faulty unit, and offered a replacement unit to be re-measured.
I can not believe for the life in me, someone dares to charge 'that much' for a unit with that kind of measurement - I like to believe it was a fluke.
What are you paying for in the high price designs? Often they use the same devices that are in the cheaper DACs, so the electronics BOM will be similar (if you exclude any silly audiophile components such as caps that may have been used).
So you pay a few thousand more for a pretty box with fancy knobs and a couple of lights.....
So you pay a few thousand more for a pretty box with fancy knobs and a couple of lights.....
Believe all you like.
The chimp who reviewed this particular unit said:
This is at once hilarious and sad.
Compete in what way? I'm asking because your statement is unclear to me.
What real life data are your basing your belief on?