Six DAC Comparison

Look forward to your thoughts/comparisons, but at $19k it better do many things very nicely. 

@fuzzbutt17  Thanks again for all the good info, and it makes sense.  Could you clear up if using a DDC and SPDIF, AES, or i2S connection to a DAC if both the clocks in the DDC and DAC are in play?  The clock in my DDC is better than the one in my DAC, and my hope was the clock in the DDC by sending a better signal to the DAC it would have less “work” to do and help it sound better.  Am I off base in that reasoning and are both clocks in play?  The sound is notably better with the DDC BTW.  Thank you for any thoughts. 

@fuzzbutt17  That’s interesting stuff and thanks for sharing.  Very surprised you don’t use a clock for SPDIF and AES.  Is there no benefit to putting a high quality clock in your DAC for those connections?  My impression was that with SPDIF, AES, and i2S that both clocks in the transport/streamer and DAC could potentially work together depending on the design for potential added benefit.  Honestly I’ve been pretty fuzzy on how both clocks work when those connections are used so would be very interested in your thoughts on this and relatedly why you don’t use a clock in your DACs for those connections.  

I sell my self Denafrips products ,I hear a lot of equipment to the many audio get togethers I have gone to over the past 2 years , in the $3k range the Pontus Gen 15 is not a  bias it is far better built then anything in the $3k price class but $1k less 

@audioman58  You have now become the new audiotroy with self-serving and completely shameless self promotion.  

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, there's a lot more to satisfying sonics than PRaT. 

@stuartk +1  I know some people who are big into PRaT and I confess I just don’t get it.  Give me tonality and a good 3D soundstage and I’m a happy camper, so this toe-tapping PRaT thing is just totally lost on me if someone here can actually explain it.  And here’s the thing — I’m a drummer so if anyone should be sensitive to PRaT I’d think it’d be me so I think it’s just something else maybe I’m just not sensitive to that others perceive.  What gives???

"...a true gift. . ." , indeed -- if only professional reviewers were as comprehensive!

@stuartk  Amen Brother!  This is precisely why I’ve called out TAS reviews (and most Euro rags) as being lazy and bogus as they rarely bother to compare a review component to anything.  Not only does this make the review less helpful/informative, it also insulates the reviewer from any accountability for their observations and conclusions.  Easier/faster for the reviewer and the magazine gets to crank out more reviews faster, but the benefits for the reader are greatly diminished.  Big pet peeve, and what’s worse, many times they don’t even mention the equipment in the reviewer’s system so we’re left just guessing all around.  Argh!  Ok, end of rant. 

In the next day or two, I will post a short “wrap” on how the six DACs ultimately compare with each other, at least in my world, and then I will be done unless I get questions.

HA! You’ll undoubtedly get myriad questions, but I for one will just accept your insightful and honest thoughts/insights for what they are and in the helpful context in which they’re given. And comparing how all the DACs compare to each other is truly a Herculean task that goes above and beyond in terms of effort and adds immeasurably to its ultimate applicability and usefulness here. Most of us — at least the better informed/experienced I think — will be able to read between the lines and glean much from all the good work, time, and effort you’ve put forth here, and I thank you from the bottom of my audiophile heart for all that you’ve done to make all of us DAC-curious types all that much smarter. Your thread here is a true gift to all of us IMO.

So, if I’m reading you right it seems that the Mojo has bits of both the LTA and Merason that you like without going too far and then weaves them into a more cohesive and engaging presentation for your tastes.  Sound about right?

Another very helpful and insightful write up.  I know you may be going somewhat on aural memory, which is always dangerous, but how did the LTA compare with the Merason?  Or am I jumping the gun and is that info you’re saving for your summary piece?

Another very nice write up, and thanks so much for adding the comparisons to the other DACs as that is SO helpful for perspective.  Keep up the great work!

then at the end I will consider preparing a short summary comparison of all six.

That would be super interesting and helpful if you could.  Very nice write ups so far!

Did you compare the LTA to the Benchmark or Merason DACs?

I have to disagree with adding a DDC. I feel that the DAC’s should be compared based on their abilities, without having the DDC safety net. The Merason has its own galvanic isolation built into the unit. If others do not include this, they may suffer in comparison, as it should be. 

@zlone I actually agree with you as most people probably do not have a DDC so a native comparison without a DDC would make a little more sense from that perspective, but it’s up to the OP although the comparison with a DDC is still really useful/interesting IMO.  I’m the very happy owner of an Iris DDC and was only pointing out that galvanic isolation is another benefit that wasn’t initially mentioned in addition to all the others that @vthokie83 nicely laid out.  I actually think almost everyone with a DAC should have a DDC because its benefits are that important and impactful, but that’s a story for another day.  And then there’s adding a better external clock — it never ends…

A DDC 1. provides multiple output options from a USB input, 2. reduces jitter, and 3. may allow the connection of a master clock or sync directly to the clock in a particular DAC

I’d add a DDC can also add galvanic isolation for further noise reduction that many DACs sadly do not have. 

The person who wrote " Comparison is the Thief of Joy" even though not being about audio in its context, certainly has created a saying that is worthy of taking on board when getting bogged down in audio equipment.

I’ll counter with “Ignorance is bliss.”  One person’s “bogged down” is another’s valuable opportunity to learn very helpful and useful information, especially in the context of this thread.  I choose to continually learn and enjoy doing it, but that’s me. 

Great info. As a former reviewer I’d make two observations FWIW:

1. We as humans are inherently awful at judging a piece of equipment on its own, which is why I regard reviews that don’t include comparisons to anything else (looking at you TAS) as next to useless and likely inaccurate or at least potentially misleading.
2. We are likewise awful at trying to compare more than two variables at once, and IME this is especially true with audio equipment.

So the takeaways would be that you doing these comparisons is hugely useful for relative perspective and why so many here are so eagerly awaiting your thoughts/impressions, and take the time to compare each DAC directly to the other because trying to infer firm conclusions from indirect comparisons could easily lead to erroneous findings (been there, done that). Again, FWIW.

Thanks for all the great info and follow up, but this is such a tease! 😜  Really looking forward to your thoughts, and Mojo is now back on the short list for my next DAC upgrade — very interesting about the choke power supply.  My main concern with Mojo is I’m a stickler for upper octave detail/air, sound of stick hitting the cymbal, etc. and was concerned their DACs might be a little soft sounding up there for my tastes, but I guess we’ll see…

Excellent!  Thanks for listing the contenders — great selection and really looking forward to your thoughts/impressions. 

My point is that if the Benchmark is providing "state-of-the-art measured performance," then one could reasonably presume that the other five DACs, which sound different from the Benchmark, do not share similar ’state-of-the-art" measurements and are doing something to subtly or not so subtly alter the sound. 

Or everything that impacts sound isn’t measured or measured fully, which is very likely the case.  Please share what other DACs are in the comparison — no reason not to at this point and would be good to know.