^ Aqua has a special DAC that you could swap modules among PCM1704,TDA1541 and AD1865. Very nice product.
For me, the AD1865 still rules. Non-oversampling R-2R and tube output stage never let me down.
For me, the AD1865 still rules. Non-oversampling R-2R and tube output stage never let me down.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Schiit makes two DACs that are multibit, Yggdrasil and Gungnir is upgradable to multibit.
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Hi,
True, I have to use a computer. Note, it will take a while before this test will be done.
First, I must have this DAC in hand. Second, I must do my own tests. Then I must convince my friend.
(Me and my friend do not share HiFi taste. He has a need to brag about how expensive his equipment is. Does not work on me 😀)
I'll happily share results when done.
What to say ? As it's an "inventaire à la Prévert", one must adds
Chord
Nagra
Marantz
La Scala
Le Scato
Linn
Naim
Ayon
Crayon (a joint venture!)
Whire4pounds
The best DAC i ever heard were Prism Sound DA2 from the pro world. in the same session they were testing the Weiss pro dac and the Lavry Gold, and the prism was more open and less present than both others in everybody's opinion. We were feeding it with AES/EBU signals, but it also can receive sp/dif and toslnk if wanted. It only has XLR outs, not very handy in the hi end audio world...
Speakers were B&W 800D and ATC SCM110ASL Pro amped with Bryston amps if i remember right. The source was Sequioa (an mastering DAW) with raw mixes in different samplerates. It was to use in a master studio, and the owner/master engineer wanted some second and third opinions from sharp and critical ears...
Speakers were B&W 800D and ATC SCM110ASL Pro amped with Bryston amps if i remember right. The source was Sequioa (an mastering DAW) with raw mixes in different samplerates. It was to use in a master studio, and the owner/master engineer wanted some second and third opinions from sharp and critical ears...
As far as I'm aware neither of these are using multibit DACs. Happy to be brought up to date though if anyone has more recent info.
Did you even see their DAC? Who on earth would simply swap the chip alone? I said 'modules', different DAC has its own diffierent PCB, you swap the whole PCB, not the chip itself. I guess you are surely more experienced than the whole tech team there 🙄
EMM was a significant contibutor and proponent of DSD so it is unlikely the EMM is multibut R-R.
dave
Your right I think Dave, I copied it off the Google search and thought the DaVinci was a EMM/Meitner product, when in fact it's a Light Harmonic product.
Cheers George
I believe that once the THD reached certain threshold (which would be worse than this measurement) it wont be the bottleneck anymore. So when THD measurement is possible, why not other frequencies other than 1kHz?
But it seems to me that Asahi Kasei seems to care about the issue of digital filtering (can be seen from their proprietary design in this field) as can also be seen in this AK4490. I think this matters more than just THD.
Interesting is to compare with the NOS chip from Analog Device (Andrea's DAC END). Which of course has worse THD because it doesn't use opamp output. Those who like numbers, better put the bloody sounding NE5532 there hehe
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Why talk about THD at all. It is pretty well established that single number THD is irrelevant. Especially at just 1kHz. As long as it is under about 1% who cares. It is just a meaningless number.
dave
dave
Actually single number THD is perfectly relevant if it's at an absurdly low level. Most DACs and ADCs have flat THD vs frequency, which is why its usually quoted at a single frequency and why measurements are hardly ever shown in data sheets.
Still single frequency and single number THD values are of use if they are very low in level as it tells you that all the harmonics are completely off the audible radar. Other types of distortion, such as IMD are related back to the single frequency tests. If single frequencies = absurdly low distortion % then so will you have very low levels of other types of distortion.
Where it becomes relevant is at higher levels. If you do have around 1% THD then you really do want to know what the harmonic structure looks like. If it's all 2nd harmonic with the rest lying significantly further down then no problem, but if it's all high orders created from copious amounts of crossover distortion then...no thanks. Your single digit THD measurement is completely useless for meaningfully describing the systems performance.
I like my electronics to display 0.000x% under normal operating conditions.
If you talk for the whole tech team... maybe you mix the world technic & marketing ?
Ah ok they just keep the aluminium case ! Brillant !
Sure I don't know what is a "module", "bidule", or whatever ! But I just know from those chips they just can not have the same I/V, the same I2S layout, the same analog output stages to sound at their best ! If you change all the "modules", you just keep the aluminium case and the plugs ! Must be a sota product ! DO they have a R2R module too ?
If THD is at an absurdly low level, I think noise is more relevant, hence THD+N.
If it gets to low, you have to ask how they got there. When the low THD distortion races started in the 70s, there was largely an inverse relation between low distortion & sound quality -- the lower the THD the worse things sounded.
dave
dave