I have just 'found' an old DAC in the garage. It is a Kelvin Labs, no model number - just a black box. THought I would take it apart and have a look inside. I'm a bit puzzled - there doesn't seem to be much of a circuit following the DAC chip , no caps or opamps. I'm no expert (far from it) but I don't really know how it works ! Plugged it in and it plays fine - just wondered if any of you guys knows any thing about it - is it worth keeping and tweaking around with ??
That is just about the worst misunderstanding in Audio... But still very popular.
If this was true, you could list the performance of a DAC-system, by the DAC-chip used. No way.
Audio is about sonic performance, and to achieve sonic performance, the implementation of the DAC chip is MUCH more important than the chip itself.
A well-designed DAC with an let's say "mid-level" DAC chip, can easily beat a "no-brain application note op-amp desing".
Unfortunately, the cost of implementing the Chip right, may very well cost more and take much more R&D time, than just using the most expensive chip. That's why most designs is just made with the "best DAC" by datasheet, in an traditional app.note style.
If this was true, you could list the performance of a DAC-system, by the DAC-chip used. No way.
Audio is about sonic performance, and to achieve sonic performance, the implementation of the DAC chip is MUCH more important than the chip itself.
A well-designed DAC with an let's say "mid-level" DAC chip, can easily beat a "no-brain application note op-amp desing".
Unfortunately, the cost of implementing the Chip right, may very well cost more and take much more R&D time, than just using the most expensive chip. That's why most designs is just made with the "best DAC" by datasheet, in an traditional app.note style.
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