What in that measurement is proof? Does your DAC have lower noise & distortion or noise shaping with less higher order artifacts above 40kHz?
Here is the same 96kHz measurement but through Cosmos APU notch so setup is close to ASR AP measurements.
Here is the same 96kHz measurement but through Cosmos APU notch so setup is close to ASR AP measurements.
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So these types of inexpensive Chinese dacs will sound mediocre with pcm and best used with hqplayer dsd and the associated hardware. The overall costs go up … and how does this approach sit the rest? Btw Asus has sort of taken over the NUC business and looking like >1k USD for a decent gear 😮
How do you end up with this claim? I see nothing mediocre in the above PCM measurements. And even the pricier DACs using ES9039PRO or AK4499 not to mention R2R are not any better.
I was referring to what @Extreme_Boky posted earlier, trying to make sense. Quite happy with pcm from my AKM dac. Others will likewise from their dacs
IME the audible difference between PCM and DSD is much too small (or even non-existing) to warrant the use of ultra-high performance PC running HQPlayer with DSD512 output.
I once asked Quboz, if they could stream upsampled pcm to dsd or native dsd content, BW issues?
I'm not agree about small difference between PCM & DSD, if you use flip-flop for DSD that's kill the sound and problably is the reason you hear no differences or small differences.
That's the key, a well designed Low Pass Filter with proper characteristic impedance of I2S source & good quality components followed with a very good step-up transformer or BA-3 to reach the 2Vrms or near.
Thanks for the warm recommendation,
I only desire to play cd quality and all the dac advertisements are addressed to bats and higher evolved animals, as long as it plays up to 8khz I am fine, and there they sell things that goes to 365 kHz?
I only desire to play cd quality and all the dac advertisements are addressed to bats and higher evolved animals, as long as it plays up to 8khz I am fine, and there they sell things that goes to 365 kHz?
Pretty sure some people are not going to like what I say next, but its needs to be said anyway for those willing to consider the possibility I might be right.
First, you need a good power conditioner in your system, one with a substantial common mode choke for each AC line load, or something better than that. Power conditioners with one big inductor don't do anything useful. Other features such as balanced AC power (line and neutral equal potential from ground) for sensitive loads may be also be useful. I found this out a long time ago but stopped talking about because of two reasons. (1) nobody seemed interested, and (2) the units I recommended to look for used on ebay dried up and largely disappeared.
The second thing is that line level interconnect cables matter. Only a few inches of cheap SE coax type cables can damage resolution of small details. Very thick, expensive cables are not right either. Good quality, reasonable cost, thin cables may be fine.
If you can't hear differences between cables of different construction and or if you have trouble hearing the differences between DSD256 and any kind of PCM, then not unlikely there is an unknown veil in the system. Power conditioner of the right type is the first level fix for that. Seriously.
I will say it again, then stop with this: Monster HTPS 7000 MkII Signature Edition, is the one to look for, but they have become rare in the used market. Other versions of HTPS 7000 besides Signature Edition will work too, but in those other models its important to be aware that two of the AC outputs are transformer balanced and thus unprotected against certain types of ground faults (SE version has built-in GFIs). Putting an external GFI in series with each of those two outputs is probably a reasonable safety step. That said, I have not had a problem with the older versions of this power conditioner I have tried. Amazing difference in many systems as soon as the AC plugs for all the audio gear a plugged into it. Wife will almost certainly be able to hear the difference from the kitchen, and I am not kidding on that.
The other thing I wanted to mention was about center imaging with DSD, what I have found so far is that its sensitive to clocking close-in phase noise. SC Pure isn't quite good enough for the most stable and accurate center image with Macel's RTZ dac, but Acko clocks are fine.
First, you need a good power conditioner in your system, one with a substantial common mode choke for each AC line load, or something better than that. Power conditioners with one big inductor don't do anything useful. Other features such as balanced AC power (line and neutral equal potential from ground) for sensitive loads may be also be useful. I found this out a long time ago but stopped talking about because of two reasons. (1) nobody seemed interested, and (2) the units I recommended to look for used on ebay dried up and largely disappeared.
The second thing is that line level interconnect cables matter. Only a few inches of cheap SE coax type cables can damage resolution of small details. Very thick, expensive cables are not right either. Good quality, reasonable cost, thin cables may be fine.
If you can't hear differences between cables of different construction and or if you have trouble hearing the differences between DSD256 and any kind of PCM, then not unlikely there is an unknown veil in the system. Power conditioner of the right type is the first level fix for that. Seriously.
I will say it again, then stop with this: Monster HTPS 7000 MkII Signature Edition, is the one to look for, but they have become rare in the used market. Other versions of HTPS 7000 besides Signature Edition will work too, but in those other models its important to be aware that two of the AC outputs are transformer balanced and thus unprotected against certain types of ground faults (SE version has built-in GFIs). Putting an external GFI in series with each of those two outputs is probably a reasonable safety step. That said, I have not had a problem with the older versions of this power conditioner I have tried. Amazing difference in many systems as soon as the AC plugs for all the audio gear a plugged into it. Wife will almost certainly be able to hear the difference from the kitchen, and I am not kidding on that.
The other thing I wanted to mention was about center imaging with DSD, what I have found so far is that its sensitive to clocking close-in phase noise. SC Pure isn't quite good enough for the most stable and accurate center image with Macel's RTZ dac, but Acko clocks are fine.
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Sorry, but no. When I listen with headphones there is no AC involved, only batteries or power banks. Difference between PCM and DSD512 is very small, i.e. not possible to reliably identify each in blind AB test. I suggest you try AB test yourself.
As I said: only batteries or power banks. Although mains power (linear wall wart) works just as well as batteries or power banks.
In headphones I can hardly tell the difference between smps and linear power supply, but with speakers it is peace of cake. Perhaps some members using headphones only never heared density of sound in space, the arrangement of images on the sound stage, it's widht and depth. Agree that some imaginable sound stage is present in headphones, which is even pleasant to listen to but these are completely different experiences.
Interconnection cables can matter too. I didn't mention unbalancing circuitry, but its often a problem too. If there is any bottleneck at all in the system, it limits audible performance. Even using pots for volume control (or for level matching) can often be a dominant source of distortion. Anyway, if other people are reporting better resolution than you seem to be getting then it may make sense to keep looking for possible problems.
Also true about limitations of soundstage with headphones.
Also true about limitations of soundstage with headphones.
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Maybe I am deceiving myself... I have a loudspeaker which is not placed at the same place and it sounds different, it lacks the high frequency extension of the other loudspeaker, it has an extra long piece of cheap 12 gage multistrands with clips on the extension.
The other speaker has a dual 16 gage nano crystal (quad wires) maybe this makes a difference?
When I position other speakers on top there is no difference in sound, also with my SS amp there is no difference, but the tube amp gets a very different sound on the longer wires.
The other speaker has a dual 16 gage nano crystal (quad wires) maybe this makes a difference?
When I position other speakers on top there is no difference in sound, also with my SS amp there is no difference, but the tube amp gets a very different sound on the longer wires.
Batteries isn't the holy grail, each component have is drawbacks.
Or you have a super filtered and great SMPS, or you have a poor linear PSU, or your headphones preamp is or not good, or your headphones lakes of quality to hear the differences, input and output impedances it's an important thing, also long wires aren't good nor capacitative or inductive, as I said before all matters guys....
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I guess it's an acoustics problem related abut position, about amps surely your tube amp lakes the damping that your SS have and also the curve of impedance of loudspeakers count.