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.
@curiousjim - No, interesting thought but this will not be a regular thing. |
Six DAC Comparison - The Wrap Ok, time to pick a winner - just kidding, but it is time to stick a fork in this. Something I learned during this DAC comparison is that good sounding equipment can be achieved in many forms, through many different design choices. Also, not everybody is going to like the same thing. Look at the Tambaqui as an example. Many would rank it in the upper echelons of available DACs. It was essentially perfect but I found the presentation to be a little too pristine, too clean, with a little too much upper frequency detail for my tastes. No right or wrong, it just depends on the sound you like to hear, not unlike the six DACs I compared, which would each have their fans. Hats off to the designers and manufacturers that gave us their vision of good sound through these DACs. Each of the DACs in this comparison was a “flagship” for the manufacturer, five of them are current models, and all of them sounded good. After living with R-2R DACs from Metrum Acoustics and Mojo Audio over the past 5 years, I still found myself drawn to the Merason DAC1 MkII with its hybrid BB PCM1792A chip. To my ears, it is so very close to the Mojo Audio DACs, in the areas of rich tonality, solid bass, and harmonic weight (i.e., full-bodied and powerful). It is also smoother sounding than any of the other five DACs, followed closely by the SMc DAC. However, even though it sounds really good, I consider it just shy of pushing either of the two Mojo Audio DACs aside as my favorites. My best effort to describe the differences would be to say the Mojo Audio DACs provide more organic texture and granularity compared to the Merason DAC, which sounds smoother and more relaxed. My level of enjoyment from the two Mojo Audio DACs and the Merason DAC is very similar, and I tend to enjoy whichever of the three I am listening to at the time. The differentiator in my preferences is possibly described by a long-time forum poster under user name georgehifi, who commented on Herb Reichert’s Stereophile review of the Mojo Audio Mystique X SE. Reichert concluded his review by stating: "The Mystique X SE produced a unique, sophisticated listening experience that presented digital recordings as beautiful, probing, and engaging." Georgehifi followed up by posting: “Same happens to me every time I listen to a "good R2R dac", ya just can’t beat em, even if "some" of JA’s measurements are disappointing, as is the cost, there is something that is just fundamentally "right" with R2R Ladder doing PCM conversion, that Delta Sigma misses out on.” However, it is my understanding the two hybrid BB PCM1792A chips in the Merason DAC1 MkII do not provide a straight Delta-Sigma conversion. Benjamin Zwickel at Mojo Audio explained it like this: “The BB PCM1792A chips are what is called a "segmented R-2R"…To me segmented DAC chips sound halfway between R-2R and single-bit Delta-Sigma DAC chips…sort of smoothed over by the algorithms.” So, digital conversion in the Merason is somewhere between R-2R and Delta-Sigma. That seems to correspond with what I am hearing. IOW, I shouldn’t be surprised that I would both enjoy how it sounds and also perceive an additional smoothness compared to the R-2R DACs. I plan to continue acclimating to the sound of the Merason and occasionally reevaluate how it stacks up against the other DACs. With respect to the remaining three DACs in the comparison, my next favorite for sure is the SMc Audio DAC-2 GT-24, which has great tonal qualities and is pretty good at everything else. I view it as just a touch behind the Mojos and the Merason. The differences are nuances, such as a little additional energy in the high frequencies from the SMc DAC-2, while I perceive the Mojo and Merason DACs to have just a little more flesh and body. While these differences are small, they are noticeable to me in a direct comparison. Regardless, I could be perfectly happy living with the SMc DAC-2 in my main system, and I wouldn’t have noticed those subtle areas for improvement except in direct comparison with the other DACs. The Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC is no longer here so it is a bit harder to recap. The Aero, as I remember it, was all about energy, with good tone and body. It was a great sounding DAC at its price point, and above, but its sonic presentation simply did not match my tastes to the level of the other DACs, for the reasons discussed in my write-up. Finally, I appreciate the accomplishment that is the Benchmark DAC3 HGC. Those exceptional measurements, and good sound, at such a low price, opens up the world of high-end audio DACs to buyers operating with a smaller budget. However, the DAC3 is sort of a conundrum in that I cannot point to anything specifically wrong with how it sounds yet it simply doesn’t engage me to the same level as the other DACs in this comparison. I plan to keep it around and use it in my outdoor system where having a DAC with a volume control will simplify things. Thank you readers for your patience throughout this process and especially to those who shared encouragement and kind words. |
