Six DAC Comparison
I am in the middle of comparing the sound of six different DACs in my system. I own them all (I know weird) but one of them is still within a trial/return timeframe.
Not to share specific comparisons today, but a couple of observations so far are that first, they all definitely sound different from each other. On one hand, they all sound pretty good and play what is fed to them without significant flaws but on the other hand there are definite sonic differences that make it easy to understand how a person might like the sound of some of them while not liking others.
Second, raises the observation that most of them must be doing something to shape the sound in the manner the designer intended since one of the DACs, a Benchmark DAC3 HGA, was described by John Atkinson of Stereophile as providing "state-of-the-art measured performance." In the review, JA closed the measurements section by writing, "All I can say is "Wow!" I have also owned the Tambaqui (not in my current comparison), which also measured well ("The Mola Mola Tambaqui offers state-of-the-digital-art measured performance." - JA). The Benchmark reminds me sonically of the Tambaqui, both of which are excellent sounding DACs.
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. Whether a person likes what they hear is a different issue.
Showing 28 responses by stuartk
Many thanks for your thorough and even handed approach. It’s exceedingly generous of you to expend such time and effort. Based upon your review, the Aero appears to be (for me) disappointingly consistent with what appears to be a major trend, currently-- audio gear that sacrifices upper bass/lower mids for the sake of an emphasis upon upper mids/highs. Unfortuately, not my cup of tea.
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Thanks, guys. I can’t see buying a dac if I need to procure expensive/hard-to-find tubes in order to be satisfied with its sonics. And no; I can’t say for certain I wouldn’t like the Aero with stock tubes but given my tastes and what I’ve read here so far, I’m not tempted. You ask such uncomfortable questions! ;o)
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You describe the difference between the less costly and more costly dacs in terms of a "bit" of this, a "bit" of that. I’m wondering how good a system must be to reveal these small differences. We are talking about the law of diminishing returns here, no? Just to be clear. I’m not in any way denigrating or doubting what the more costly DACs offer. I’m merely wondering whether choosing a 4K DAC, I’d actually be aware something was "missing". There’s obviously only one way to find out.
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Thanks for your further comments.
Yes; of course. I wasn't asking for buying advice, if that's how it seemed.
I can't disagree with any of this. For a variety of reasons, "good enough" is good enough for me!
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I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, there's a lot more to satisfying sonics than PRaT. For example, I've found DACs can vary significantly in terms of tonality, which is a very high priority in my case.
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What gives, given that you’re a drummer? I dunno! I should clarify that while PRaT doesn’t trump tonality for me, it is crucial to my enjoyment. However, PRaT was never on my radar until I bought my Hegel H390. Reviewers had described how it "pushes the music along" (maybe not in those exact words, but something to that effect). I was intrigued but having never experienced this phenomenon, it remained purely conceptual. . . until I began listening with the Hegel in the system. I noticed I could not listen without drumming along on the arms of the big ol’ Mission rocker that serves as my listening chair. And that hasn’t stopped being the case. I don’t know whether PRaT enhances emotional engagement. It certainly enhances PHYSICAL engagement and I suppose it could be argued that if the body and emotions are simultaneously engaged, it makes for a more "global" sense of engagement. . . IF you are "wired" accordingly. Sounds like you are not, despite your chosen instrument. I guess this goes to show how different we can be and still be equally addicted to music. . . which is pretty cool. A common way to think about music as a universal language is its capacity to cross cultural boundaries. Another way to think about it might be its capacity to engage listeners who prioritize differing aspects. Finally, it strikes me as somewhat ironic that genres that lean very much on the rhythmic aspect, such Rap and Funk, don’t appeal to me. My only explanation is that it’s due to the relative absence of melodic and harmonic content. Yet, I’ve always loved Blues. Classical music, with its abundance of melodic and harmonic content, tends to bore me, due to the fact that its rhythms simply don’t bring my body on board. So, what do I make of these apparent contradictions? I don’t understand them any more than I understand why PRaT doesn’t factor as a high priority for you. I could say I find Jazz very appealing because it marries a strong and complex rhythmic aspect to sophisticated melodic and harmonic content. For me, it’s the best of both worlds. But I wouldn’t be content only listening to Jazz! Perhaps someday, there will be research into what makes any given individual respond more enthusiastically to one genre (or one aspect of sonics) than another. Until then, it appears to be fairly mysterious.
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@audioman58 makes an excellent point. Lavorgna favors tube amplification, so it makes sense that he might also favor a more neutral sounding DAC. Thanks for the suggestions. FYI, I grew up in the lower Hudson valley but now reside in N. CA. |
Checked out the link you provided for comparative reviews of Mojo line and noticed the reviewer, like Lavorgna, utilizes tubes in his system. I'm unfamiliar with the gear in question so it's not clear to me whether this is a SS amp + tubed pre or what but, this brings up a question: do the Mojo DACs require tube amplification to sound "natural"?
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So true. I had a chance to demo the Mystique XSE and to my ears, in my room, with my gear, It was a stunning disappointment. The unit was used but in great shape. I just shipped it back to Hawthorne Stereo in Seattle so if anyone here is looking for one, they should still have it.
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In my view, it would be a mistake to base your decision on my experience. This is my entire point -- it’s not only subjective in terms of how you hear and what you like but room and system dependent. How can you possibly assume that we have any of the above in common? I suspect, judging from what I’ve read about the Mystique, that I’m likely an outlier. If you are seriously interested and want to save a bunch of money, I would check it out. If you have not done much research, then maybe not. Someone’s going to get a terrific deal.
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