Do some DACs "handle" sibilance better than others?
I recently watched a Hans B. review of the Ferrum Wandla in which he states that it "handles sibilance well," or something to that effect. Up to that point, I'd never come across such a comment, so I'm wondering whether anyone here has found that certain DACs are more/less prone to sibilance?
I have a modest digital chain; tube DAC has some nice NOS Mullard’s I’ve added some room treatments and playing around with speaker positioning. One track I like to use for testing is Rachelle Farrell “I Can Explain” - her dynamic range is crazy, piano, bass, drums are powerful. Moving the speakers back by about 1 foot smoothed out her vocal a lot. |
A couple of months ago I bought and subsequently sold a well reviewed preamp that I could not listen to because of the additional silence that I heard that was not there with any of three other preamps or bypassing the preamp. Sting, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart were some of the voices. Interesting it was mostly male vocalists. |
OP, My main observation is just that sibilance is likely influenced by much greater factors than a DAC. It’s understandable why Hans B.’s comment caught your attention, as most reviewers don’t typically link DACs directly to sibilance. My point is not that Hans B. is a shill. My point is that when reviewers make definitive statements about how a component will sound in your system, they effectively become marketers. Why? Because they simply cannot know your room acoustics, your speakers, your cables, or your personal hearing sensitivities. These are all much larger factors that contribute significantly to how sibilance (or any frequency anomaly) manifests in your listening environment. Reviewers like Hans are in their own controlled (or uncontrolled) spaces with their specific equipment. They can’t predict how a DAC will interact with your unique setup. Ultimately, addressing sibilance often requires looking at the bigger picture of your audio chain and listening space rather than isolating one component like a DAC — even if your desire is not to make it worse. It’s just much more likely that the DAC is not relevant. My two cents. |
Plus 1 @soix Some chipsets produce a brighter sound and my ears can’t handle it anymore. I’ve also found that I have issues with most “Over Sampling” filters. That’s why I’ve stuck with the Pontus ll. If/when I upgrade my DAC, it will most likely be with another ladder DAC. I’m interested in following your journey. Jim |
