New DAC - better low resolution digital music performance?

Better DACs provide better low level details. There’s better focus and layering but the images in the soundstage always grow bigger as volume goes up. As to timbre and tone, it is definitely more refined with the higher end DACs. Some of the more affordable DACs mask the artificial tone better than others by backing off those frequencies masking the digital nastiness by trying to sound darker or warmer. Some manage to be really good at this. But that’s generally the compromise you’ll be dealing with. 

@knownothing streaming can be really good and can sound as natural as CDs or CD rips. Ethernet cables on good streaming equipment in a resolving system can make a nice difference. It all depends on source material and your components. This is based on my experience. 

"Resolving" and "details" are words that makes me going back  when reading any review...

Timbre naturalness and spatial qualities attributes of sound  has nothing to  do with alleged more "resolving" piece of gear giving more details...

Marketing of microscope  has nothing to do with acoustics...

“Done carefully a digital system (now ah days) garners tiptop sound indistinguishable from other sources.”

This is not my experience, yet.  I freely admit my system is not the most resolving, but the Node N130 with a decent linear power supply and good cabling does an admirable job as a server, and allows my DAC to shine on both low and high res files.  

Just this week I was part of a comparison with a few others of different versions of the same cuts played as vinyl or digital redbook and high res files streamed and from a flash drive.  The system was Naim NSC 222, NAP 250, Rega Planar 8 with a very good Rega MC cartridge and Rega MC phonostage, ATC SCM 19 speakers and a REL subwoofer, with quality cabling and power conditioning.  Streaming implementation is through a mesh system with good Ethernet cables running from the mesh endpoint straight to the NSC 222.  This system is highly resolving.

The general outcome of the comparison was that digital sounded good, and as a rule, files played from a flash drive sounded better than same cuts streamed at the same resolution.  For streamed or for files played from local storage, the difference between different resolution versions of the same cuts played in same format did not sound that different.  Vinyl cuts generally sounded better than high res files played from the flash drive, but not always.

I went home after this comparison and did a similar comparison with my rig and reconfirmed that the difference between low and high res digital files played from local storage has shrunk compared with previous iterations.  This is also my experience for my work system that employs a new Node Nano, which is a remarkable value.

I have not tried a very high quality implementation of a streaming front end hard wired from the street to my streamer with an audiophile router, filter and Ethernet cables and very high end streamer with my system.  But my experience in the comparison this week and in previous sessions with other high end gear is that streaming off the Internet doesn’t match playing files from local drives.  If I upgraded my source and DAC, my feeling is that at this point I would very likely still play files from a local server for critical listening. Perhaps I am stubborn, or inadequately experienced, or both.  Dunno.

kn

still am not sold on streaming for critical listening, but feel it’s fine for background listening and exploring new music

Looked at your system. Maybe lose the Bluesound? Some acoustic pannels, especially on the ceiling, might be the best thing for your room. I only am a two channel type and don’t know about five channel systems.  

Done carefully a digital system (now ah days) garners tiptop sound indistinguishable from other sources. 

I had tried few low cost dac they all give an experience of timbre which is artificial... No matter the variation between chips...They all sound digital to a level or another ... And i used with them  linear power supply, buffer +filters, mechanical control of speakers, electrical one  and acoustical controls and good cables...

I use now my old  battery dac SPS TDA 1543  to whom i came back after repair and the timbre is good and all spatial attribute of sounds ...

Timbre perception is the first and last thing that matter then all spatial attributes of sound  must be there: immersive  relation between sound source width ASW  and listener envelopment  or LEV.

I am afraid now to buy any dac under 500 bucks anyway my system value is 1000 bucks and i am totally satisfied  by the S.Q.  from my speakers and from my headphone...but i dont want to pay 1000 bucks for a dac in a 1000 bucks system.. i am happy to have repaired my  battery SPS NOS French dac..

Most  people dont even realize that the timbre is artificial using all these new dac i bought after listening very experimented reviewers... Are they honest? are they much experienced in acoustics ?  I doubt it  they play with gear more than with acoustics and they sell their products thats all ...

 With a good system/room, everything sound relatively good  even bad recording are listenable, and when the recordings are good it is impossible to stop listening music... I go on two days with Vivaldi "I Musici" box unable to stop... it is called immersive  soundfield ...

Not bad for a 1000 bucks system but impossible to do  without a good dac... Low cost "good" dac are rarest than " Pope shit" on street it seems as my grandmother said... 

I experienced pretty much what you describe about being concerned about which files you listen to. Only this happened when I purchased a better network streamer than the one that came in the Marantz. might I suggest you revisit your feelings about critical listening with a streamer. I think a lot of people overlook the importance of a good streamer with so many people claiming it’s just a computer in a box. This may be true, but apparently these companies have some magic music dust that they’re sprinkling inside these boxes. It’s worth a look trust me. enjoy the day 🎼

(1) Many erroneously believe that the secret to a good DAC lies in just choosing a “high-end” converter chip. While this is important, we know that the essence of the musicality also 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.

(2) An upgraded quality DAC is intuitively important, but is just one factor in the audio performance improvement matrix .You already highlighted the key item from Hans …” …. that better digital playback that better digital playback systems (emphasis added ) can eliminate noise associated with severe upsampling of low res material 

In Hans’ assorted videos , that “system” is all of an upgraded dac, upgraded digital file streamer/ network player, upgraded linear power supplies, audiophile network switches, audiophile grade Ethernet cables, and a direct router-to-streamer/network player streaming with cable connections in lieu of wireless wherever possible,

It sounds to me that the new DAC increased the rhyme and pace... adding to the musicality of the system and letting you relax from concentrating on the details. 

To me, while there are lots of imporant parameters in a system, ultimately the most important is rhythm and pace. It is probably the hardest to directly sense and most important as to the musical enjoyment. I have observed that the more rhythm and pace a system has the more I listen (and enjoy) the music versus concentrating on the system. 

Your key observation is perceived enjoyment (a very good one, by the way).