Chinese DAC's

@ghdprentice +2

It is because i can hear the difference between my 2 actual dac that i propose to anyone instead of buying new dac, masterclass in acoustics instead of audio masterclass...

the difference between actual dac technology exist for sure, i can hear them in my low cost system, but does not compare to acoustics parameters variations and  differences at all ...

All factors matter but there exist a priority order : acoustics before upgrading wheel....

@ghdprentice + 1
+3

@ghdprentice 

Yep …. +4 ….

It gets graphic in my experiences in two ways:

(1) PRICE vs BUILD/PERFORMANCE MATRIX.

All audio components are built to their price-point. Moving up the pricepoint strata generally produces a better audio performance. dac. No , it’s not a linear path but it is real.

Yes .l, I can hear a meaningful improvement. I heard subtler dynamic gradations, and simultaneous complex musical events were more coherent. The sound seemed more organic. It’s an old story. There’s a point of diminishing returns as the gear gets more expensive but often there is a return…, and it’s not insignificant nor subtle. It’s up to an individual music-lover to decide on the value of such incremental differences.

Warren Buffett said it best: “ Price is what pay. Value is what you get…”

(2) Comparing Chinese DACs vs. high-end build competitors made in the rest of the world.

DACs are not exempt from having their own bespoke sonic signature primarily because they are much more than flavour of the month latest chips. Too many believe that the magic bullet secret to a good converter lies in simply choosing a “high-end” converter chip. Apparently it’s been reported in articles that many Chinese brands allegedly have the same  board designs and parts made in the same factory(ies)

This dac chip a just one contributor. We also know that the overall parts build quality, its overall final assembly skill, and even the board design are a major essence of the musicality. Audio performance improvements and differentiation resides in the line signal processing stages, the power supplies (transformers, filtering, regulation), the digital signal processing before conversion, the quality of the key components: clocks, transistors, capacitors, etc. 

Here’s one posted opinion about selling off all his trove of Chinese DACs as expressed by a YouTube reviewer. Take away what you will from it …just sayin’…

https://youtu.be/cwO4tje9QmY?feature=shared