How easily can you distinguish between different DACs?

+1, @ghdprentice on implementation. I’ve heard some of the perfectly measured DAC’s and they choke the life out of music. 

True, looking at this as software. But ever subcomponents… resistor, capacitor, and turn on the circuit board… the distance between the power supply and all the other subcomponents, the resistance to vibration from the outside world makes a difference in the sound. So, any given chip set can sound very different given the circuitry and environment they are dropped into.

DACs use similar standardized chip sets. So the differences will be in the analog conversion, which in theory is also a standardized algorithm. However, some manufacturers don't follow the standardization and do their own inaccurate conversions. According to the book Schitt Happened, Schitt used to program their analog conversion by ear. In effect, turning their DAC into an immutable tone control, which IMO is definitely not the purpose of a DAC.

Having been a programmer who has written conversions in other areas, I understand that there isn't anything magic about it. It's either as accurate as the standardized algorithm allows it to be or it's inaccurate. Which means you shouldn't hear a difference between properly programmed DACs.

@audiodwebe 

yup, you got the answer - try in own audio chain to see if you “subjectively” like the change. Audio chains, power, rooms, and especially preferences are so unique that it’s best to try in your own audio chain.

Speaking of Corolla Ferrari comparisons, I think what has to be kept in mind is that when you take a cheap and expensive dac "out on the track" you find out that the Corolla dac with it's cheap tires and regular gas is keeping up with the fully decked out Ferrari dac with it's premium fuel and tires just fine. So the difference would be that the cornering somehow just feels better in the Ferrari and so is a more enjoyable experience that justifies the cost. On the test bench, these cheap dacs are performing brilliantly.

I don't hear vast differences between modern dacs, except for the ones that won't reliably lock on to my digital source. I'm very sensitive to the music randomly cutting out. 

If preamps sound different, why would DACs not sound different? Arguably, there are more factors influencing the sound of a DAC than a preamp.

Agreed Drew.  The one in my Samsung phone is surprisingly good!

I can hear heads exploding.

Direct wired into the preamp playing Spotify it sounds great. As good or better than any of 5 different lower end dacs up to 600$ that I’ve tried. Including SMSL and Toppings and the onboard dacs of a Technics DVD-A and an Onkyo 7030.

They do sound different though. For instance the Onkyo is warm and a little dull, and I have a cheapo Fosi Audio DAC-05 that’s open and brighter. The Wiim Mini is indeed bad but through the DAC-05 it sounds good.

I am curious about the sound of higher end ones up to maybe $1500. Can’t see spending more than that as I am unconvinced that any digital will sound as good as my vinyl. But Spotify is a wonderful thing for discovery and I tend to listen to new music and then get bored of it all and move on. My old records don’t interest me much anymore. Spotify fills that need.

Yes DACs sound different. I think the resolution of the speakers is important. My Maggie LRS are very transparent and present.

@mapman +1. High prices guarantee nothing except perhaps a very high level of salesmanship.  I wish things were that simple, then we can all just save up for a dcs or MSB and everyone else can just go home. But that's simply not the case. That's the great thing about DACs, you don't need to spend a lot for audible transparency these days. And measurements can tell the story with these mathematical machines and keep high end sharks in check.

It's a great time to be a frugal audiophile, getting nice components on the cheap, which wasn't possible just a few short years ago. My one indulgence is a posh turntable because hey, it looks awesome. I know what good analogue sounds like and if you put aside your prejudices, a cheap DAC can take you there.

@arafiq 

With hifi systems I agree a system is only as good as its least performing component, whatever that is and whatever it’s cost may be. 

@mapman I used the analogy to make a point. Obviously it's silly to think that a DAC is the same thing as a car. The analogy was never meant to be taken literally :)

Secondly, I don't think anyone here is advising to make a decision purely on the basis of price or brand name alone. The point is that for higher end gear to shine, the rest of your chain has to be good enough to let the gear show what it's capable of, and there must be synergy amongst the components.

BTW, I agree with you about plasma TV. My old Panasonic plasma (over 15 years old now) can still hold its own against newer LED TVs. The black background (resulting in better contrast) provided by my plasma tv is still superior.

The assumption is it’s like buying a Ferrari. But it’s a DAC not a car. It may or may not in fact be like a Ferrari DAC. The devil is always in the details. Generalized analogies based solely on price are theoretical and not necessarily backed up by facts. Just saying. A $25k DAC may or may not outperform the rest significantly.

I heard a pricey and well regarded DCS player and DAC sound exquisite on an overall $100k plus system (VAC and Magicos) once. This was a few years back when DAC technology overall was not as mature as these days so I can cite that as a supporting example of a pricey DAC that I would say clearly earned its price and reputation in the day, but it means absolutely nothing when other gear is substituted merely based on price. Especially these days when dac and streaming technology overall has matured greatly compared to just a few years back.

How does my pretty new $2500 4K TV deliver such a great picture compared to the almost 20 year old plasma set it replaced that I got a good deal on back then for ~$1800? It’s because the digital streaming technology is that much better now. There are even better pictures available for a premium but the differences are very marginal. Same true for digital audio technology these days. It’s harder than ever for premium cost gear to earn its keep because the technology on most merely good quality products is so much higher to start with. So be careful whenever making decisions based solely on cost. It may or may not pan out. Smart buyers should be able to outperform most for less. Or not. I will not make any absolute claims. The devil is always in the details

@lalitk  +3

It's like buying a Ferrari, then putting regular gasoline and the cheapest set of tires on it. Then you complain that it didn't really corner well on the track, and therefore, there's no difference between it and a Corolla.

Hmm well I would likely not recommend a $500 streamer and a $25000 DAC.

Having said that what evidence is there that spending more necessarily means better sound? You would hope that would be the case but price alone assures nothing.

Has anyone attempted to use say a ~ $500 Cambridge mxn10 with various dacs at a wide range of costs and compared to other more expensive streamers. I have not but I do have that Cambridge and I would not rule it out without evidence to the contrary.

I have seen at least one published case where a $10k dac was objectively measured to perform worse than many DACs for 1/10th the cost.  Ouch!

So price alone assures not much. But I agree it makes no sense financially to even think about dropping $25k on any one component then cheap out on others. That’s not to say it is assured that the total investment in both might not outperform many other pairings.

@lalitk +2 ,  the impact is obvious 

@lalitk

+1

@mapman 

I believe you missed my point…you can buy a streamer / DAC for few hundred dollars nowadays and be completely happy with the result. The point I was trying to make, if you are going to go through the trouble of comparing two DAC at extreme ends (atleast in dollar value), use a better streamer to exploit its full potential. A $500 streamer is a definite bottle neck for a $25K DAC. Now if you believe spending beyond $500 on a streamer is waste of money then by all means one can conclude a $25K DAC is a bad value cause you never going to hear differences that can justify spending $25K especially when paired with a $500 streamer or if your entire system is around $30K…It’s all relative! 

No matter what streamer used, assuming it is of good quality,  which can easily happen for just a few hundred dollars these days , absolutely comparing a common dac to an Uber expensive dac is absolutely a valid thing to do.   If you don’t hear a bigger better difference between a super expensive dac and a more common one there is no reason to buy the way more expensive product that is a bad value.   Once you have a good DAC, if you want to play with streamer sources then more power to you.   There are many ways different streamers might sound different.  With digital and DSP anything is possible.  

+1, @verdantaudio on how to evaluate gear. 

IMHO @duckworp comparison between $1500 and $25000 DAC’s is deeply flawed. How does one expect to hear differences between the two DAC’s with a sub $500 streamer. IME, the source (streamer) is just as important as DAC in the signal chain. One wouldn’t install a $12K streamer ahead of $1500 DAC and vice versa. Both of these components are equally important if you truly want to exploit a high resolution DAC or Streamer. It’s a balancing act, once you achieve this balance; you are in for a royal treat. 

in an A/B test with a switch, anyone can easily spot the difference between DACs.  When listening to them at different times and further removed, this can be more challenging and there are specific things I look for.  Width of the soundstage.  Instrument separation.  Brightness on certain songs.  Sibilance on certain songs that help you identify the differences.  Best thing to do is take detailed notes of what you hear when listening to different units.  It changes how you evaluate gear.  

Thanks, duckworp, for sharing your testing results.  

I think most audio gear is so good nowadays that the "diminishing returns" thing kicks in real hard sometimes.

Your post reminds me of a time years back where I bought a new pair of speakers (JMR Trente) and wanted to burn them in for a while.  My main rig at the time was all tubed and was in the $20-$30k range back in early 2000's.  And not wanting to waste tube life I decided to pull out an old, 1970s Pioneer integrated for the burn in purpose.

The speaker cables I used was one of the thinner gauge copper wires bought at radioshack.  And this thing was a mess!  All wadded up making it hard to find the ends.  When I finally found them and hooked up the speakers, it looked like a ball of yarn a few cats had a heyday with.

I had a Marantz 63SE CDP.  I put a disc in to let the speakers break in.  And since I was already there, thought I'd read an audio magazine and listen to the music as a background.

But to my astonishment, the music sounded pretty darn good!  A sub $500 rig was holding its own.

For shitz and giggles I put on a few test tracks being confident the rig would not be able to pull out all the nuances from the tracks that my main rig could.  After a few tracks I stopped, disappointed all that extra money bought so little in return.

At that time I told myself it's ok because I like the audio toys and that had I actually done a long term comparison, I would have noticed the differences right away.

But I didn't do the long term comparison just in case!  ;-)

from tvrgeek: Maybe folks should look these terms up in the dictionary.  Differences YES. Important enough to spend money on? Personal but probably.

This I challenge: Even current chip based entry level the differences are barely discernable. About the same level or less than different filters. If one left the room and "reset" their ears for an hour, could you come back in and identify which was which with certainty?  I doubt it. 

from akg_ca: For you or anyone else  to capriciously assert we cannot differentiate the audio differences between the dacs -much less consistently- is frankly preposterous and a. grossly flawed assumption …full stop.

I like above statements. They are so diametrically oposed that the use of both alongside each other is sensical. Why? Because I believe that a lot of topics regarding audio are highly individual (varied hearing, different starting positions like room acoustics and different components) One might 'hear' something (differences) others do not. Others might think to 'hear' something others do not.

Fine for me, whatever it is. I respect the opinion of both sides as long as I cannot prove the opposite. What is never going to happen. Of course, if everybody would think in the same manner like me, there would not be a lot of things going on in this forum as there would be mutual consent.

Could be boring, wouldn't it.

I use a particular recording to compare components in my system: She's the One from Born to Run.

Once you get to know a particular recording - it's good areas and it's bad areas - it is easier to compare components for differences in sound.

I use this recording because it has particular good qualities and bad qualities and I know where they are, and I know how I would like them to sound.

If I were to try to compare DACS using random recordings I did not know well, I think it would be very difficult.

@tvrgeek

WITHOUT PREJUDICE to the trsunsmi of posts affirming that different DACs performance are not clones of each other and certainly can be ranked and improved, I recently traded up from a BRYSTON BDA-2 DAC to a MOON 280D MIND2 DAC because they DO sound different.

It started as a direct bakeoff at my local high-end audio bricks and mortar dealer who sells BRYSTON , MOON (by SIMAUDIO) .and BLUESOUND NODE.product lines.

After two lengthy separate bakeoff visits in their showroom over 10-odd days to personally audition the three models with my BFF audiophile amigo in tow as a foil to compare notes; the dac audio rankings from our witnessed auditions results were clear, unambiguous and wholly consistent among the attendees.

in order:

(1) the MOON DAC was clearly the best of the three agreed by all four attendees.

(2);the BRYSTON DAC was a very fine performer indeed, but it was bested by the MOON in a graphic, clear and not insignificant manner as agreed to by all four attendees..

(3) both high-end dacs above simply crushed the BLUESOUND.NODE …. NOT EVEN CLOSE..

TAKEAWAY

For you or anyone else  to capriciously assert we cannot differentiate the audio differences between the dacs -much less consistently- is frankly preposterous and a. grossly flawed assumption …full stop.

I then traded in my BRYSTON for the new MOON as a clear stepped-up performance upgrade.

Agree with @arafiq some will never know of what you speak sir. 

"Significant" "Outstanding"  "Profound"

Maybe folks should look these terms up in the dictionary.  Differences YES. Important enough to spend money on? Personal but probably.

This I challenge: Even current chip based entry level the differences are barely discernable. About the same level or less than different filters. If one left the room and "reset" their ears for an hour, could you come back in and identify which was which with certainty?  I doubt it. 

Step up to the next tier. Same challenge.  If you can't absolutely every time with different music and different levels, then I propose the difference is not "profound". Valued, preferable, sure.   From my first Wolfson to the current entry, yes as the circa 2000 DAC had clear faults in sibilance and edginess. Those problems are surpassed even in $100 entry units. From there, we are splitting hairs. 

Too many You-Tube shills shoveling out superlatives that are parroted again and again because no one would watch if they said: " Yup, pretty nice. The end"

Transported to the venue?  First that has to be recorded which as far as I know has not been even closely achieved.  Magic electronics can't supply information that was not there to start with no matter how expensive your system is.  We can try to make it enjoyable.  Listen all day and not get fatigued.  Get excited by a big crescendo. Feel chill with some nice smooth Jazz.  Yea, we can do that. 

Joan Baez sounds pretty nice right now through the Qutest. Might like the "green" filter but I was warned they take a long time to burn in. Her voice can get ugly if there is a problem. 

Agree with arafig, have spent the last month trying 2 new dacs that have been praised by reviewers at their price point. When comparing the two against my  yggy OG,  Gustard X20, chord 2qute, and a Bitwise Z (which is a vintage sigma delta) using every option available USB, DDC-coax, i2s, AES and streaming with switched optical isolation. I found at first listen difficult to say that any one of them is the clear winner with all music. They all do the expected and some are better at certain things. I like them all for different reasons with different music. The 25 year old Z puts me in the sound stage on some recordings but it is veiled and slow. I still listen to it occasionally and with the right music I am still wowed. I want to be transported to the venue and feel it, not just listen to a hyper detailed reproduction. One piece won't do that, it takes a system.  I had a very enjoyable system 50 years ago, the era might have contributed though, sex drugs and rock and roll.                  

IME, what better (usually more expensive) dacs offer is a sense of realism. They do a much better job of transporting you to the venue. They're simply better at capturing the nuances, emotions, and the soul of the music. Once you hear that in your system, it's hard to go back to a lesser dac.

Other than that, when it comes to the usual suspects -- soundstage, imaging, detail retrieval, etc., most competent DACs have that covered. If that's what you're primarily listening for, then I agree it's hard to tell them apart ... especially, when you're doing quick A/Bs and wearing your analytical hat so to speak.

Of course, the rest of the chain, and very importantly the streamer, has to be revealing enough and synergistic with the dac to really hear what it's capable of.

@audiodwebe 

Like you, I have not heard many dacs. Started with a Jolida glass dac and it really didn't sound any better than my MacBook. Bought a Bluesound and started streaming with that. Heard a slight improvement to my ears. Then on to a Denafrips Ares II. Night and day difference (for the better!) over the Bluesound. All associated equipment stayed the same. Of course, YMMV in this crazy hobby!  I'm content with the Ares for now.  

@duckworp 

Nice comparison process between the two DACs.  Many posts about equipment here from folks who don't put the effort into actually conducting direct comparisons or listening tests in a manner that reduces inherent biases, and other posts that state opinions as fact without any reference as to how they reached the opinion, so I appreciate hearing about your methods.

I recently compared two DACs literally side-by-side so that I could quickly change the digital input and two output cables and even though the comparison was sighted, my bias did not win out.  I could definitely hear differences but the DAC that I wanted to sound better actually didn't to my ears.

@duckworp  - Simply for curiosity sake - what were the $1500 and $25000 DAC's you used?

Hello audiodwebe!  Differences between levels of quality are easy to hear. I have several Chinese made DACS with good  reviews. The differences among them are subtle. I was able to get a discontinued Sony DAC for half price and it was immediately more relaxing with only a very slight loss of detail. With the Chinese DACS, it was clear that the rear wall of a voncert hall was made of bricks - that's detail!  The Sony (I'd like to give you the designation, but I am out of the home due to a flood.) sound was more relaxed, immediately more pleasant and I couldn't telll what the back wall was made of. Who cares?! Beautiful music is what I want to hear and I've got it. I have two versions of the Dragonfly and a German made Dac as wellm and a Furutec DAC in the upstairs studio, a very pleasant sound as well.

Cables are another matter. The match between the cable and the DAC is important. Some folks swear by a certain cable, but your results may differ. My experience is that the Zafino USB cable (from Canada) beats everything else (even the Wireworld Silver Starlight 7, which is very good) in my cable connection. It is not pricey, it is just a quality product.  Happy listening.

Hey, I already owned an OPPO 205 that you can use with MConnect. I purchased the Ayre QX-5 DAC/ streamer via the network card. I tested them back to back playing all sorts of different songs on Tidal and Qobuz. They sounded different but one was not better than the other. In fact, I liked the little more warmth the OPPO presented. I might try the OPPO 205 against a Lumin P1 or X1. Most of the time I use my BlueSound NODE into a Wired for sound reclocker into the OPPO. It sounds really good and I love using the BS App. My system is pretty resolving so I can hear a difference in components and cables very well. 

@duckworp +1

Similar to my experience and sage advice...

That’s interesting that you ask this @audiodwebe as I did an experiment just the other day.

My system is a high-end system (Vitus amplification, top of the range Boenicke speakers). I have two identical SOtM sms-200 streamers which I connected back to the switch with identical cables. I then connected each with identical USB cables to two different DACs, one costs $1500 and one $25000. I grouped the two SOtMs on Roon so that my chosen music played simultaneously through both DACs. I attached these to two different amp inputs and volume matched the input, so it became possible to flip between them instantly from the remote, in real time.

Before the start I would flip between inputs at rapid speed so that I had no idea which was playing first. I made notes.

The result was that I could not reliably tell which was playing as they both sounded identical. At one point I was convinced the more expensive one one was flowing more naturally and had the a more realistic timbre of instrument. But when I tested myself I could not reliably pick out the more expensive DAC.

My conclusion is to spend your money elsewhere in the system.

Your hearing is fine. Darko admits that if there are differences, they are very minor. Any sighted testing is going to almost always produce a difference, as it does with everything. Only blind testing is valid to accurately determine if there is a difference in sound. 

@mikelavigne 

Hi Mike,

I realize your playing in a different realm than I am, but I am curious what was better about the Wadax?  To paraphrase Good Fellas...Better, Better How?

Not asking for a detailed answer, just the nickel tour.  Thanks

Regards,

barts 

A good friend of mine (and A'goner)  did a dac comparo some time ago.  A Mytec Brooklyn Bridge, a Chord Cutest and a Bryston BDA-3.  The differences were easily discernable particularly on strings and cymbals. The Bryston came out on top as sounding very natural.

Same friend told me about a Wiim dac that was on sale on Amazon $175 because I I was looking for a dac for my garage system.  He calls me the next day and says "Don't even open the box, this thing is a piece of $&%*@!"  So, its on the way back unopened.

Yes, dacs sound different.  I would imagine that once you get to >$10,000 range the differences may come down to preference and not to explicit "better or worse".

Regards,

barts 

You have received some insightful comments to your question.

My experiences mirror @mikelavigne (i.e., "most dacs are decent"), @czarivey's comments on "voltage output", and @ghdprentice regarding the presence of "distortion and high frequency trash".

Of the better DACs I have owned and/or auditioned for a time in my own system, they all sounded mostly "acceptable" yet there were indeed differences that in my world typically lean toward the perception of either greater resolution or tonal density.  I don't care for what some may characterize as "warmth," as I believe that indicates clouded clarity, probably resulting from distortion.  I want clarity that a high S/N provides, but the absence of tonal density and dynamics/impact are deal-breakers for me.  I do believe you can mostly have both but you may need to settle just a little on one side or the other and, if the DAC sounds good, you will likely forget about those nuances after owning it for a while.  The DACs I like seem to display a rich tonal density and dynamics/power fully across the volume range, i.e., you don't have to chase the volume control to achieve impact and tonal color.  My goals are more about getting the midrange and bass right, but the high frequencies need to sound natural without roughness caused by "distortion and high frequency trash" .  Clearly, the rest of the system needs to be able to keep up.

IME, there are certainly audible differences that you can notice upon first listening to different DACs.  However, in many cases with better DACs, the differences may be subtle so you may need to listen for a while and do some A/B comparisons to pinpoint exactly what the differences are and how they affect your listening enjoyment.

No two most anything ever sound exactly the same but the good news is that it’s getting harder to find a bad sounding DAC these days. It’s more of a personal preference thing. Digital streaming technology overall is very mature these days and the wide range of quality products at all price points reflects that.

On a scale of 1 to 10 speakers are a ten in terms of being able to discern differences. Amplifiers are an 8. DACs are more like a 4-5.  

They don't sound the same to me at all even at approximately the same price range. Right now I'm comparing a Denafrips Pontus ll against a Tubadour lll which are both R2R.Initial impression is the Tubadour is clearer with a cleaner attack. The Denafrips rounds the edges off.It reminds me so much of a CJ (tubed) preamp I owned years ago.Quite a surprise.One is not better than the other,just different. It's easy to tell the difference even with my old ears.No way I could afford a 12k dac,even though I'm curious,but not enough to search one out.

On some DAC’s it’s night and day and some it’s very subtle.  For example, I have a Schiit Bifrost and a Denafrips Pontus ll and they are night and day different! 

Sorry Jason, but all DACs do not sound alike any more than all turntable cartridges sound alike. Listen closely, pay attention to the sound and what you are hearing. Some DACs have better attack, decay, dynamic range, more musically accurate sounding timbres, with a darker background, and some people say, just as important as the sound, is the presentation in a soundstage (width and depth) and imaging. Many convincingly say that in the mid-price tiers, that an R2R DAC will offer better soundstage and imaging. YMMV because of your hearing, your training in listening, and such. To hear these differences, you do need to know what you are after - and what is important to you. After all two-channel audio is more than about "full range sound, for some people is about creating the illusion of a concert happening in front of you.

As John Darko says of the few standalone DACs he’s tested (none have been R2R AFAIK so far) that he loves the little Chord Qutest the most because it is the most musical to his ears. But he even says when doing comparisons that he can’t tell a huge difference, he calls it "splitting hairs". But to be fair, most of the DACs he has tested are in roughly the same price range. I’d like to see him get in some $4000 DACs and see what he says then in his nice acoustically treated listening rooms.

The thing is all DACs will make "sound". from a sub-$100 SMSL SU-1 to a $4000 Holo May. Whether or not you perceive a difference or a major one will depend on many factors. Most people CAN hear a marked difference between something as inferior as the onboard DAC in a WiiM Mini and pretty much anything else calling itself a DAC.  I own a Mini and use it with a Schiit Modi 3+ in my garage, and even the Modi is a noticeable step up. 

If you spend $1100 on a DAC then listen to a $2500 one and can’t hear anything much different, then simply save your money and call it a day. But know that there are people with ears and systems that can hear an improvement on up the food chain. I’d love to hear a $9000 Tambaqui DAC but doubt I’ll ever get that chance.

Right now I’m saving my pennies to get an R2R DAC, just not sure which one while I worry about longevity and serviceability after the warranty period is over.

I've been through a number of DACs. Different chips, SS, R2R, tube buffers, etc. They all have their own sound. The bits might all be the "same", but how they get converted to digital is different and sounds different. 

You may not be able to tell the difference. I would consider that a curse and a blessing. A curse, because either your ears or the rest of your system aren't up to the task of differentiating changes in sound quality. A blessing, because you won't need to spend more on a better DAC.

Thanks, everyone, for your shared experiences.  I do appreciate it.

Normally, how I evaluate new gear is to put it in and live with it for a while. Sometimes, the new piece doesn’t play well with whichever pieces are in play that it gets removed within a day or two.

I normally don’t do A/B comparison back and forth after a few songs.  And to me, that sort of comparison gets tedious after a short while.  Picking apart 30 seconds of a few songs gets old pretty quickly, and I generally give up and try to get my mind away from that “analyzing the sound” mindset I get into because once I get there it sometimes takes some time before I can take that hat off and start enjoying the music again.

I sometimes will have to put my 901 Series VI into my system to cleanse myself of audiophilia.  With the 901s, they sound good pretty much anywhere I put them and since my expectations aren’t high, I get back into just listening to the “music” again.

BTW, the two I was comparing was the Perfectwave and Benchmark DAC3.  I heard differences, but am not sure that can’t be attributed to the different XLRs I used going from the DAC into the preamp.  The rest of the system is a Schiit Freya S and mono Aegirs.  I’m late to the Schiit game but man, does this combo sound great!

So good, in fact, that I got my Aleph 2’s back from Pass with new internals this week and an Aleph P sitting by and I’m in no rush to swap the gear.  The speakers now are the Dulcet BEs.

I need to put the Pass gear in, though, just to make sure nothing happened during the transit.  

Thanks again, all.
 

@audiodwebe

comparing dacs is a step in system building. but for instance, having speakers and amps that are competent to reveal differences is a requirement to hear dac differences. or if you are using headphones, the quality of the headphones and amp.

most dacs are decent, although it’s hard to generalize. but beyond the concept of decent, many times there are differences, sometimes merely matters of taste, other times clear performance differences. sometimes the dacs are so close there are not apparent differences. you have to keep an open mind. and there is a learning curve to hearing differences.....that is a factor in doing compares. maybe you want some other ears to hear the compare too to get other perspectives? someone you trust with more experience?

so first things first; what is your system? i looked at your details and it only shows an interconnect. so hard to comment further.

personally i have done many dac compares, my last one compared the MSB Select II dac and Taiko Extreme server that i owned to the Wadax Reference dac and server. at the end of the direct compare, i sold the MSB and Extreme and bought the Wadax combo. the Wadax was clearly better based on my compare results.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/wadax-reference-dac-and-server-arrive.34173/

it was a big effort. and i used my vinyl and tape as a reference. there were very significant differences and i had some listeners over to my home to witness the compare and help me with objective feedback, as it was a big deal and important to me. it took a few weeks to properly compare both dacs and both servers.

but the system and other references were an important part. and also comparing servers is an aspect of a dac compare. but it starts with having a system that can demonstrate differences.

My same comment again - you have to learn what make sound do what it does.  Look at the designs and you can see resemblance in designs.  Then there are bigger differences like tubes, separate power supplies, etc.  Most of the DACs in the $1K to $3K price range are very similar in design.  Learning to hear the differences is great but if you have to struggle to go back and forth to hear them, IMO just stick with what you already have.  We tell people all the time, if you don't hear the differences within 30 seconds, then just return our product.

Happy Listening.   

WillyWonka,

did you try the Wyred4Sound 10th anniversary DAC?

one of the reviewers put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he said that the 10th anniversary DAC sounded every bit as analog, on that review I decided to purchase it, it comes with a 30-day trial period so I said what the heck and I totally agree it is one of the most analog sounding DACs I've had in my system, highly recommended not cheap though it's $4,500 US.

If you want cheap crap that will eventually fail then buy cheap crap. As some here with old ears say or no listening skills say. My post for the day.