Six DAC Comparison

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…

Moving along with the DAC comparisons, I have provided a (rather long) summary of my digital audio background below.

Background

My background in digital audio started with CD players by Dennon, Theta, Pioneer, and others, and then later the top players from Lector, Ayre, and Muse.  The next step was to use a CD transport into a separate DAC (Assemblage 3.1) and then later a modified Mac mini serving digital files to a DAC.  I remember the Assemblage 3.1 (along with their D2D-1 converter) sounding relatively musical and looking back, there seemed to be a lot of attention to the power supply as well as using a Burr-Brown DF1704 24/96 digital filter and a pair of the Burr-Brown PCM 1704 24/96 DAC chips per channel.  One of my Lector players used a BB PCM63 DAC chip and I remember how musical that player sounded, as well as perceiving a more detailed but somehow less organically musical sound after “upgrading” to their newer model that used the PCM1704 chip.

Next, I moved to a couple of mid-priced DACs such as Ayre’s QB-9 DSD but still found the sound somewhat “digital” compared to my Lector and Muse CD players.  After reading Srajan Ebaen’s 6moons review of the Metrum Acoustics NOS R2R mini Octave DAC, I purchased the Metrum Octave, then their Hex, and then moved up to their flagship Pavane and later Adagio.  I enjoyed those Metrum Acoustics DACs, and particularly the Pavane, and perceived R2R DACs as having a more realistic and less electronic sounding presentation compared to others, like the Ayre, but I wanted something with a bit more meat on the bone, or maybe a bit richer tonality.  Benjamin Zwickel, proprietor/designer at Mojo Audio, had tricked out my Mac mini as a music server so, after reading a very positive review by Jeremy Kipnis at Enjoy the Music about Mojo Audio’s Mystique v3, with its five choke input power supplies and AD1862N DAC chips, I decided to give it a try.  Kipnis said this about the v3,

“A rare and breathtakingly seamless emotional connection with the music and sounds being produced.  It repeatedly allowed me to feel the sound in a tactile, visceral, and meaningful way, that is both alive and reminiscent of the best analog sources I have had the pleasure of hearing and working with.”

My time with the Mojo Audio Mystique v3 convinced me that I could indeed be satisfied with the sound I was hearing from my digital source.  However, Benjamin does not sit still so to keep up I moved up the Mojo Audio line to the Mystique B4B21 and then the (previous) flagship Mystique EVO Pro, which IMO is the pinnacle of the design that began with the v3.

A short time later, Mojo Audio came out with a similar but somewhat new design, predicated at least in part by their need to change the casework on their DACs.  They christened the new DAC the Mystique X (for extruded case).   After reading another round of positive reviews for that newest Mojo Audio DAC, I purchased a Mystique X SE.  In short, I still preferred the sound of the EVO Pro over the X SE, and so I sold my X SE.  After discussing this with Benjamin, I learned about limited edition Z-chips that Benjamin was putting into some of his DACs as a premium offering (AD1862N-Z chips were originally used in higher end Dennon CD players), and so I opened up the EVO Pro and sure enough, I found Z-chips. 

I have been happy to sit tight with the Mystique EVO Pro and enjoy the music.  However, I sometimes like to try new stuff so I took an opportunity to purchase a Mola Mola Tambaqui, which I owned for a couple of months over the holidays.  Even compared to the Tambaqui, I still liked the natural sound of the Mojo Audio EVO Pro DAC better, so I sold the Tambaqui. 

More recent opportunities resulted in my accumulation of the DACs I am currently comparing:

• I purchased a Benchmark DAC3 HGC from a local seller to use in my outdoor system,
• Steve and Patrick at SMc Audio completed a long-running DAC project for me (that I had sort of forgotten about) and exceeded all expectations with the DAC-2 GT-24 that I received earlier this year,
• I purchased another Mystique X SE, when one became available for sale that included both Z-chips and Lundahl nanocrystalline core (NC) chokes,
• I was interested in what I had been reading about the Merason DAC and took an opportunity to purchase a Merason DAC1 MkII, and
• After reading Terry London’s very positive review of the Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC, his posts on the LTA Aero thread on this site, and looking into the LTA trial policies, I decided to give one a try so I currently have one here on trial.

Sorry for such a long-winded background write-up but hopefully it provides context regarding my digital source and DAC journey up to this point.

@fuzzbutt17 Thank you for the explanation of power supplies. I read your post a few time over and just want to clarify a few things and ask some question?  LC power supplies are power supplies with large chokes?  CLC power supplies are made of just capacitors.  To determine if it is an LC power supply you just look for the large chokes?  Some people talk about moving towards tube DAC's because of timing timbre harshness etc.  In some of these DAC's they have the LC power supply which is correcting time timber etc.  What do you think the tube is doing in these DAC's?  Does the tube cover some of the bad stuff in the CLC power supply?

@ gavin1977

CLC is an excellent power supply and also stores energy similar to an LC power supply but the LC is still slightly better. 

With an LC power supply the rectification multiplier from AC to DC is only .9 vs 1.414 with a capacitive or CLC power supply. That means the power transformer has to be 50% larger and heavier. Some would call this "electrical torque."

The size of the choke can be significantly smaller in a CLC power supply to achieve the same inductive reactance which is also a cost, size, and weight saving. 

The crest factor in an LC power supply, meaning the peaks and valleys of the DC after rectification, is literally 50% that of a capacitive or CLC power supply. That means the capacitors have literally half as much work to do. 

The heat in an LC power supply is 50% of a capacitive or CLC power supply making them last significantly longer.

And an LC power supply has the highest impedance to AC and lowest impedance to DC of any power supply typology making it the most tolerant of AC noise and providing the most effortless power to DC. 

Because a CLC power supply is considerably smaller, lighter weight, and less expensive to manufacture, they are significantly more popular than the LC.

Of course because a capacitive power supplies are even smaller, lighter, and less expensive to manufacture, they are the most popular.

The funny thing is that since nearly all high-end audio electronics use capacitive power supplies everyone is used to hearing the time and tune distortion so very few people notice it.

You should see people's jaws drop at audio shows when I play them 1940's and 1950's recordings that were made with LC choke input power supplies in the recording studios. When played on one of our DACs the difference between them and modern recordings made with capacitive power supplies is unmistakable. 

Very few companies aside from those who manufacture the best-of-the-best of tube amps use LC or CLC power supplies. 

Recently a few companies, such as Schiit and Musical Fidelity, are making solid-state power amps with LC choke input power supplies (kudos!).

The ridiculous thing is that the laws of physics are identical with micro amps and mega amps so it always makes me wonder why these same companies who apparently know the benefits of chokes in a power supply are not putting them in the preamps and DACs they manufacture. 

@ Mitch2

The Mystique EVO Pro (2018-2020) originally sold for $11,999 and with the Z chip upgrade it would have been $12,999.

Originally we sold the Mystique X SE for $9,999 and the NC nano crystal core choke and Z chip upgrades are $2,500 making that DAC $12,499.

But due to higher sales volumes our manufacturing costs have gone down so we lowered our prices. 

Our new Mystique X AM (2024) with amorphous core chokes is identical to our Mystique X SE (2021-2023) and sells for only $8,499. And our new Mystique X NC with nano crystal core chokes sells for only $9,999.

@fuzzbutt17 

It’s an intelligent design.  Can you explain more about what you mean in the differences of how a pure C vs CLC power supply store energy?

”The capacitive power supplies used in most DACs don't store current the way a choke/capacitor power supply does resulting in the music being off time and tune and corrupting the harmonic structure. The more energy a note requires, such as a belting vocal or a booming bass note, the more off time and tune that note is from the rest of the music.”

Hello Benjamin. I hope things are well. My comparison includes two of your best DACs but as you point out, the Mystique Y Fe would be a much closer competitor to the LTA Aero since they are basically the same price. Of the six DACs currently in this comparison, only the Benchmark costs less. The SMc would be the next higher priced but attaching a number to it is hard since it is not a regular offering and I know they put a lot of extra effort into it. It would be at least 50% more than the Aero and your Y Fe. The Merason is $8,500 and your other two DACs probably originally listed/retailed for north of $10K with the (unobtainable) Z-chips and the NC chokes. You have shared before that you believe the Y Fe punches well above its weight and provides much of the benefits of your other DACs at a much lower price.

Hi everyone.

This is Benjamin from Mojo Audio, the designer of the Mystique line of DACs.

I just wanted to give you a bit of a perspective on our DACs and I wanted to offer Mitch one of our new entry-level Mystique Y Fe DACs ($3,999) to add to the comparison. Our new Mystique Y is almost identical in circuit, power supply, component parts, and chassis to our award-winning Mystique X, but sells for about half the price. Certainly more in line with the cost of other DACs in his comparison.

First thing I wanted to say is that we don't use any "voicing" to make our DACs sound a certain way. Our main design criteria is harmonic coherency: if the harmonic structure of the notes align from the lowest lows to the highest highs then it simply has to be correct. This is what gives the music proper time, tune, texture, timbre, musical flow, emotional content, and all of those other adjectives music lovers are looking for.

The unique thing about all of our DACs is that we use LC choke input power supplies which are the largest, heaviest, least efficient, and most expensive power supply typology. The LC choke input power supply was developed by Western Electric and Bell Labs about 100 years ago, and unless the laws of physics have changed in the past 100 years, it is still the only power supply typology to provide instantaneous effortless power.

The capacitive power supplies used in most DACs don't store current the way a choke/capacitor power supply does resulting in the music being off time and tune and corrupting the harmonic structure. The more energy a note requires, such as a belting vocal or a booming bass note, the more off time and tune that note is from the rest of the music.

When people talk about how organic and natural our DACs sound what they are actually hearing is the coherent harmonic structure and harmonic alignment we get from our LC choke input power supplies.

Also don't be confused: those tiny high-frequency filter chokes that are about the size of a jellybean companies like LTA use to filter out HF noise from their switch-mode power supplies are nothing like the massive Lundahl chokes with exotic core materials we use in the linear power supplies in our DACs.

The shrimp and steak served off the steam tables in those all-you-can-eat restaurants are not the same shrimp and steak you get at a 5-star restaurant. 

Another thing I wanted to touch on are bench test specifications such as the ones done by Stereophile magazine. Those tests are not incorrect, but they are incomplete, and they are often inaudible. Stereophile has named our Mystique X SE a "B" class recommended component for the past two years. Our "B" rating was due to our bench test measurements not being up with many of their favorites like the Benchmark DACs.

Of course the "less than" specifications are all inaudible. For example, John Atkins criticized our Mystique X SE for only resolving 18-bits of resolution yet he has also stated that he's never measured any recording with more than 18-bits of resolution. And despite claiming 24-bits most good recordings actually have less than 10-bits of resolution. 

The important take away is that the Reviewer from Stereophile found that our DAC sounded better than anything he compared it to. How is that possible if the bench test measurements were audible?

My favorite analogy in regards to bench test measurements being incomplete is this: picture a sphere, a cylinder, and a cone. All could look identical when measured in two-dimensions but all look quite different when measured in three-dimensions.

In any event, I would like to invite all of you to take advantage of our 45-day no-risk audition and hear one of our DACs in your system. I can honestly say that I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of DACs we get returned for refund in any given year.

And I can honestly say that literally half the reviewers or editors from the magazines who reviewed our DACs ended up purchasing the demo unit as their digital reference. I think that says it all. 

@mitch2 Out of curiosity what DAC's have you had in the past before the six DAC's you are comparing.  I know you have said you love the Mojo Audio and SMc DAC's. What other DAC's have they bested.  

Having just read this thread, it seems as if many comments are responding to the wrong thread.  

@mitch2  Thanks for spending the time and effort to provide your listening impressions.  I have a DAC3 that you are listening to and am interested to your impressions.  It is my oldest component and might be the next upgrade.  

If you have time will you post the tracks you are listening to as test tracks.  Hardware is great, however I am always looking for different songs.  

@mitch2 - I’m also looking forward to your personal experiences with your listed DACS. I just upgraded my Merason DAC1 to the mkii version and am absolutely delighted with how it sounds in my system. That said, would love to hear your perspective on how it sounds in comparison to the others, especially the new LTA DAC. 
 

I have the LTA preamp and love it. 

@mitch2 - Looking forward to your observations on the DACS under review. I’ve just upgraded my Merason Dac to the MKii version and I’m very happy with it. I am curious about your assessment of the new LTA DAC. I have an LTA preamp and I love it. 

I use an Iris 12th DDC in front of my Audio Mirror DAC. Makes a very noticeable improvement.

@curiousjim drop an IRIS DDC in front of your Pontus II. You may decide no need to upgrade. 

@thegoldengoose  .......Totally Agree. You want a Musical sound...where the artist and band are right there in the listening room....you need to spend 10K minimum.....until recently. How about a 10K DAC on sale for $2,700..I didn't believe it, so I ordered it. It's TRUE!

@mammothguy54 - thank you, and glad you can still enjoy the things you love to do.

And Mitch, a big CONGRATULATIONS on your recent retirement.  Enjoy it in great health.

I agree 100% about "wonder how I ever found time for a job".  I am in retirement year 6 and it has been a great ride.  Developing my new audio system, fishing for big tuna and yellowtail, and skiing only on weekdays (no more weekends

or holidays).  I will soon be developing my digital front end and am following this thread.  The LTA Aero has my attention, quite favorably.  I will audition it next weekend at the Pacific Audio Fest, in Seattle.  @mitch2 thank you very much for such an immense effort.  I look forward to your further analysis and reports.

@zlone 

I am in year three and wonder how I ever found time for a job.

I hear that a lot and starting to understand - crazy!

Following, I will be interested to hear your thoughts on the Merason in comparison to the others. 

Congratulations on your retirement. I am in year three and wonder how I ever found time for a job.

Congratulations on your retirement!!!

I’ll keep an eye on the thread for updates. Thanks 

The comparison is ongoing. I am not rushing things and have other things going on like home projects and bike rides while the weather holds. I just retired last month so I am catching up on a long delayed to-do list of stuff while still occasionally consulting.

I am continuing to listen to all of the six DACs while zeroing in on about a dozen music tracks that I will mostly use in the comparisons. I will post those selections here. I will also post some background on DACs I have previously owned that may serve as a basis for my impressions.

I am still considering how to post my observations and may post a separate piece on each individual DAC with a final summary on how they compare with each other relative to my musical preferences, which of the DACs I like best, and the reasons why.

@mitch2 agreed on DAC3. It’s a good DAC but long term didn’t do it for me. 
So what’s the conclusion on the shootout?

That Merason DAC1 MkII has been highly reviewed and is known for a natural sound. Same as the Mojo. A good mix of DAC's here to compare.

The best value piece of the bunch is tge new Aero at 4 grand....and, depending on your taste, maybe the best sounding.  A friend has the Aero and uses NOS 6SN7'S and it sounds very very nice.  He actually had a Benchmark and, for him, it was no contest.  It's an excellent piece.   Best of luck.

Audioman58 agreed 100%. 

@bassdude - Please take your playbook, your mission and your own advice and, "move on to those other threads."

This thread has nothing to do with ASR, measurements only, or any of the other crap people here use to drive a wedge.  The discussion was about one DAC out of six being compared that happens to have the combination of good measurements, a low price, and positive comments from a variety of reviewers.  I found it to sound pretty good in my own system, even compared to the other five DACs.  The Tambaqui exhibits good measurements too and has many who appreciate the sound (although it does cost quite a bit).  I sold mine because I didn't find it quite as musical in my system as other DACs I own.  Please go find a Tambaqui thread to inhabit or start your own.

Each dac will have something different to offer ,many times measured performance 

doesnot guarantee better sound  like other forums like ASR 

totally off eye a $700 topping dac measures better then many but doesnot have much life more neutral  and on not-so good recordings far worse.

This is a pedantic discussion of aspects of sound reproduction that is almost totally irrelevant to how "lifelike" a DAC or system sounds.  The ASR "BS" and "measurements" bear almost no relationship to how "lifelike" and "real" a DAC or system sounds, or how "musical" it sounds - there are many more aspects of the sound produced that are not subject to the "metrics."  

It is far, far more meaningful to focus on how a DAC and system sounds to the specific listener, and on the system matching / synergies and how "lifelike" it sounds.  In fact, the harmonics and distortion a DAC or system produces often contributes to the how "lifelike" and musical the sound is (e.g. as with tube components and systems, or ladder DAC's, etc.).   

Move on to those other threads that focus on those aspects and forget the ASR "BS" and measurements - they are irrelevant!

The OP cited John Atkinson’s opinion of the Benchmark based on quantitative measurements, not subjective quality.

@helomech - That is true but Jim Austin’s “subjective” listening review compared it favorably with his PS Audio DirectStream DAC and, in this follow-up review, John Atkinson spoke very favorably about the sound of the Benchmark DAC3 B in his system, concluding with, “Highly recommended for Class A+ in Stereophile's Recommended Components”

That said, while my listening so far has me surprised at how much I like the sound of the DAC3, it will probably not be my favorite out of the group.  Nonetheless, if I only had $2K to spend the DAC3 would almost be a no-brainer.  Keep in mind though, all of this is viewed through the lenses of partnering equipment and listener preferences.

If you never listened to any how would you know? Maybe there is. 'Thomas and stereo' has reviewed and compared some of these Chi-Fi dacs very favorably with much pricier units placed in higher end systems. His reviews were very positive.

I have listened to many expensive DACs throughout the years. The OP cited John Atkinson’s opinion of the Benchmark based on quantitative measurements, not subjective quality. At this point I think it’s safe to presume you don’t know the difference between objective and subjective analysis. Yeesh…

System

My digital front end is described below. The analog portion of my system (after the DAC) can be seen on my virtual system page.

My sole music source is digital and results from streaming Tidal or Qobuz, or from accessing stored digital music files that I have ripped from my CDs. I use Roon to control the music selections and as my user interface.

I use a separate server and streamer with the server consisting of a SGC sonicTransporter i9 (Gen 4) that stores my music files on a SSD and runs Roon core. It is located in a “network” room, which also includes my cable modem and router. The i9 is connected to an optical switch as is my router and a 45-foot long fiber optic cable connecting my streamer. The Ethernet output from my router is isolated optically prior to arriving at the switch. The cable modem, router, switch and converters are all powered by linear power supplies and all of those items, plus the i9, are connected to a single, dedicated 20A line.

My streamer is a Sonore Signature Rendu SE Optical that runs Roon Ready and is located in the same room as my main system. It uses a fiber optic input (from the network room) and outputs via USB into a Singxer SU6 DDC. The SU6 is powered from a supercapacitor that is recharged by an outboard linear power supply. The SU6 offers a variety of (live) outputs allowing me to connect three or four DACs at the same time. All of the DACs utilize the same balanced analog outputs to my preamp.

Digital cables include a Totaldac filtered USB cable or Network Acoustics Muon USB cable, S/PDIF cables by Oyaide (5N Silver) or Canare, and a TWL AES/EBU cable. None of the DACs compared accept an I2S input.

@mitch2 

As someone who is just starting to look for an upgrade for my denifrips Pontus ll DAC, I am very interested in your thoughts on the six DAC’s you have chosen to review. 
 

Thanks for doing this!

Jim

@ortodox 

please PM me and give me your thoughts on

Ideon audio DAC’s.

Thanks.

@coppy777  The analog output is a great way to get sound color if you're using a discrete circuit...R2R is another way....tubes another way.

If you don't want sound color in the DAC though...using an OP amp is fine. That's what Benchmark is doing. If there is brightness in your system or room, the Benchmark isn't going to be a tone control...it won't add harmonic richness or dimensionality that's not there to begin with. 

I like Chord DACs...my room is treated and my amp is warm sounding...so in my situation I'm not looking for sound color in my DAC. If my amp was lean, something like the Border Patrol DAC would be on my short list. 

“didn't see the obvious thought”

Please elaborate.  I don’t hear anyone arguing the importance of the output section.  Each DAC is the sum of its parts and design topology.  You get the whole thing, which is why they sound different from each other.

Yuck yuck yuck.

These days there exist $200 “Chi-Fi” DACs that objectively outperform the DAC3

Just scanned these comments and didn't see the obvious thought.  The biggest influence on the sound of a DAC is the analog output circuit.  After it converts, it's that small Amplifier that outputs your 2-6 Volt signal.  My excellent dCS Bartok now sells for $22K due to a $9K price increase partially due to refinement in its analog output section.  

Thanks @norust - I am simply going to post what I hear from the DACs listed in my system.  I have been here about 25 years so will not be surprised regardless of the comments, but I also know some here will appreciate my observations.  

All six of the DACs sound good in their own way and I have no doubt that each one of them would have their fans.  That is going to be the hardest part, not to let my biases overly influence my comments so that they come off as judgements.  I will try and factually describe what I hear but, yes, I am going to like some of them more than others.  Some here seem to get wound up over which of something is the "best" when there are so many variables such as the room, partnering equipment, musical selections, and listening biases and preferences, that "best" becomes an individual choice.  I cannot tell somebody else what is best for them.   Each of these DACs have professional reviews (which I will link), except for the SMc Audio DAC, so I will try not to overly repeat what has already been written and would urge those who are interested in a certain DAC to read the reviews.

@mitch2   Your review and your rules so have fun with the process.  Many will get bogged down and debate your observations and thats okay.  Glad you are moving forward with this as its been several years since a multi DAC comparison has been done!  Thanks in advance.

The Old Measured Performance as the Criteria to decide if the Design for a Model is to supply the ubiquitous end sound that all who hear cannot deny themselves from purchasing 

Years Spent taking the time to meet a large selection of Audio Enthusiasts. Ones Like Myself, as well as those who are EE Skilled, being very Capable of Building Audio Devices. Has shown to me, that a knowledge of how a Audio Device can be voiced for the end sound to be produced is the ultimate method to produce a Audio Device.

When voicing is done correctly, the Designer / Builder will have the say on the end sound, in a commission build the end user can also contribute to the devices voicing. It is having this understanding of Schematic - Topology and the needs for the devices Structure, that really makes a Audio Device wanted to be heard more in use and most likely will for many become a Device that is a Keeper. 

The Measurements across many devices can be seen to be in the Ballpark of the Spec' that are usually looked at as being required. Skilled EE's see through the Published Spec' and can see where the complications with the Schematic is creating typical unattractive influences on the Signal being produced and having gain added.

As said in a previous post, a DIY Built DAC costing not too much monies, has sat very comfortably in the Company of more expensive Branded Models. On one occasion the DIY was instrumental in encouraging the owner of one model of a Branded DAC to sell their DAC. On another occasion the new Purchased DAC that was a replacement for the sold DAC, was a increased in purchase Model from the same Brand. This new upgraded model was not able to compare favourably either with the DIY DAC. It was only when a FW Update was added that the Branded Model was to be much improved match for the DIY DAC. 

My subjective evaluation of the comparisons, especially following the most recent demo's of each in use, left me feeling either as SS Designs, either could be easily lived with in conjunction with my own commission built Valve Design DAC.

Having the 'sat in front off experience', not assessing measurements,  goes a very long way to assist with finding the place that one would be best represented when deciding to direct their monies at a purchase.

The most tonally correct DAC I know of is from LAiV.

For me it comes down to where I want to color the sound. The DAC, pre, and power amp are all viable contenders. 

This is always the biggest can of worms. If you follow ASR, then it would be evident that the benchmark is quite far from the best and measured performance, although the mola is better by a good bit on ASR. Personally, I have eight different Dacs And out of curiosity, I had purchased two units that measured very near the top of the scale or at the top of the scale at the time from the ASR ranking. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t as thrilled by the Unit that ranked quite high on ASR compared to some of my other units. I am quite convinced that it has much more to do with the output stage And that the digital sections of most of these units are fairly good. I even have. Units that have identical, digital sections and very different output stages (Audio Note Dacs) and there is a massive difference. 
 

while I wasn’t incredibly thrilled with the Topping and SMSL units they were quite good sounding, but not the best I had ever heard and clearly in stark contrast to the mantra of the people on ASR who rely completely on their SNAD metric.

my observations seem to indicate that the impact of the output stage is profound, and in our current world of specification based criteria, which almost all of which is digital specs. It seems the role of the output and IV stages if so equipped is largely overlooked.

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.

Personally, IMHO, I believe that measurements can assist in determining whether a given component "makes a difference," but measurements don’t do much to determine what people enjoy.

This is my main reason for discounting ASR methodology. There is an assumption that perfect measurement is the end goal. Not for me!

I agree, one who actually has the LTA AERO dac currently order, I am very interested in hearing what @mitch2 has to share regarding its sonics, etc.

This should be very interesting to many of the forum members and I truly appreciate him taking on this endeavor!

Best wishes to all,

Don

Will be interesting to hear how the Linear Tube Audio Aero stacks up against the others costing 2X or more its price. Most reviews I've seen of it have been favorable. Have fun. Take your time though. Such comparisons can be difficult to ascertain given the fleetingness of audio memory and the time necessary to switch between them. 

audphile1

@helomech

These days there exist $200 “Chi-Fi” DACs that objectively outperform the DAC3. 

says who? And what specific DACs are you referring to?
Sounds like ASR propaganda…

If you never listened to any how would you know? Maybe there is. 'Thomas and stereo' has reviewed and compared some of these Chi-Fi dacs very favorably with much pricier units placed in higher end systems. His reviews were very positive.

The price tag doesn't dictate the sound quality of the component.

I've been interested in the Linear Tube Audio Aero, I have B&W 702 S2 speakers that are very accurate and currently just use my bluesound vault as a streamer and DAC. Thinking adding the Aero would be an improvement. I just need to go hear this i believe to see the difference it can make. Also interested in the Schitt Yggdrasil, but not sure why everyone says to go with the "less is more" version. Anyone know?

Measured?

The analog back end affects the "sound" often more than the digi stage.