^^^^It appears we have a keyboard warrior among us….DO NOT ENGAGE and AVOID THE DRAMA!
Next best exponential DAC quality level?
I recently did a shoot out of three DACs using my Hint6 + routing each of the other DACs to analog input on the Hint6:
(1) Hint6: ESS Sabre32 -- Integrated
(2) SMSL M500: ES9038PRO D/A ~$400
(3) Khadas ToneBoard(v1): ESS ES9038Q2M - ~$99
I played the same song passages on Amazon Music and was able to cycle through each Hint6 input corresponding to each DAC.
The result? Very small difference in terms of rendering. Maybe a more open sound stage with better overall balance using the Hint6 DAC. The Khadas was more bass / midrange pronounced w/ a more narrow soundstage. However, I wouldn't suggest that any were head-and-shoulders "better" over the others. In fact, they were all pretty decent with only small nuances (certainly not worth the price differences.
I decided to keep the Khadas for my small headphone listening area.
But it got me thinking - how much would one have to spend to realize an exponential difference in quality? Is the Khadas that good, or is DAC technology differences more nuanced than I originally thought (meaning, we're paying 10x for only 5% better).
Showing 3 responses by lalitk
“There is so much more then a spec sheet and measurements. Those are most certainly important, but its not the end all, not even close. It really is a preference thing and in this hobby it’s ultimately about SQ and how well that SQ moves you on an emotional level. You either understand that point of view or you don’t, since for most in this hobby that is what it’s all about. If that aspect isn’t important or not what you’re after, that’s totally fine. Reaching that elusive emotional aspect with either the best measured or not best measure component isn’t the goal.“ @redlenses03 nailed it! |
“I’m wondering if the new node is better sounding as a streamer only than the older node 2.” Probably not, the BluOS experience is still the same which is pretty decent. Nevertheless, the new Node is a good upgrade from the Node 2i, adding additional features like eARC HDMI, USB Audio output (eventually) and enhanced touch screen. The Node also has high resolution audio capacity (up from 192kHz to 384kHz) thus giving the impression of better sound quality as all in one unit. |