Back to the DAC

@smallmouthrule yes, it is, but trying to move on from R2R and not so into tubes, thanks.

@duckworp at $20K for the CAD 1543 mkII and $33K for the Vitus SD-025 they oughta be good, outta my league I'm afraid!

@mrmanisundaram agreed, thanks.

Hi,

I would like to start this out by saying I am an importer for several different audio manufacturers and we do import DAC’s but really this is not why I am posting.

I’m seeing comments like “the best DAC” and really there is no best. There is personal preference. There is best matched to your system. There is best that you can afford. Also, if you have only owned five DAC’s, for example, then your opinion of best is based on 1/5.

I have personally A/B/A tested over 100 DAC’s. We will take our reference DAC and listen to three preferred songs. We will then switch over to the 2^nd DAC we are testing while giving it time to adjust and warm up. We will then listen to the same three songs and then go back to our reference DAC. No, it’s not a perfect test because when you’re moving equipment around, I personally believe it needs 24 hours to settle. If we really like the 2^nd DAC that were testing then we will leave it on for 24 hours and then go back to our reference DAC the next day. If the new DAC that were testing beats our reference, then that DAC becomes our reference.

I would look at DAC’s and say that they’re in different categories and decide what you need out of that particular DAC. Do you need a volume control/preamp? Do you need a built-in server streamer? These are all questions you should ask yourself before you make the purchase. What is the price point and what is your associated equipment?

Most importantly when you’re doing the testing are you doing it in a properly set up room? Have you dealt with the acoustics of the room because this is super important? For the record we don’t sell anything that has anything to do with acoustics. My reference room was set up professional and we had a person come in that works with recording studios and he set up my reference room acoustically. We are about to make a move to a new location and we needed to remove all the acoustic panels to do a home staging. It was an absolute reality check when all the acoustic treatments were removed. The room sounded horrible. Best case scenario, deal with the room acoustics first and then think about the DAC.

Last but not least. I was a firm believer that the preamp was the most important piece of equipment because it controlled the output voltage to your front end and to your amplifiers, which in turn controlled the speakers. However recently I started thinking that the DAC is more important because without the information that the DAC provides then it doesn’t matter how good the preamp is if the information isn’t there.

That’s my two cents so please don’t shoot the messenger. It’s just opinions.

Bob. Worldwide Wholesales.

@worldwidewholesales great insight, but I think for the general audio enthusiast and most general homeowners, it’s difficult to test hundreds of DAC, let alone 5, before purchasing.

It also seems that most DACs now come with a pre-amp function and optional network hook-ups.

Room treatments are super important as well, but many of us don’t have dedicated listening spaces so there has to be a balance between good acoustics and room functionality. I put up a bunch of panels in my room and I don’t think it sounds much better and they look like crap, so I think I’m going to take them all down now. Not looking forward to fixing/painting all those darns holes in my brand-new dry wall either!

And DAC prevalence over a pre-amp, that’s quite a revelation, thanks Bob.