The DAC Scam - Almost everyone believes the hype

@niodari

After a quite long time experience with DACs of different categories and prices I’m convinced that they make minor changes in overall sound reproduction and quality. I suggest all of them use similar kind the conversion methods, whereas the hardware perhaps doesn’t matter so much. I cannot explain more technically why this happens but I am convinced about the outcomes.

... And, with all due respect, those of us who’ve experienced significant differences are just as "convinced".

@stuartk    We are talking about the importance of a DAC compared to the other components of a system, comparing the impact of a descent DAC on a system. An impact of an amplifier or a speaker on the SQ of the system is drastic . All modern decent  DACs reproduce the digital recording more or less in a similar fashion. The  quality  of a particular recording affects the overall SQ much more than a particular DAC: Take a well recorded CD and paly it on an inexpensive DAC (with cost < $1K), and take then a little worse recording and play it an a $15k DAC. The first option will give you a better SQ. Of course, if you  "invest" your money on an expensive DAC you should be convinced that you made a good investment. 

This dude ignores that there is an analogue amp in every DAC. 
he can’t hear or has not bothered to on any worthwhile audio gear. 
 

dumb begets dumb. 

@niodari

Of course, amplifier and speakers have a greater effect.

I would have to hear a demonstration of what you consider to be "more or less similar fashion".

For me, tonality and musicality are first and foremost and in terms of these factors, I’ve heard fairly dramatic differences in presentation that are most definitely not adequately described as "more or less similar". Variations in recording equality are another variable in the equation. I’m talking about what the DAC itself contributes, all other things being equal.

@stuartk , My point of view is that we all depend too much on the quality of recordings we are listening to. Even on a poorly recorded music, the amps and speakers make huge difference, whereas the differences between DACs are much less. I do not count really bad DACs which do exist (some time I was using Blue note Node 2i but just which is not bad as a streamer,  but its DAC is really bad). At the same time,  I still use a $130 ifi zen DAC for  streaming from my lap in my studio system, and I have a T&A $7000 DAC with a Melco streamer in my main system. I still prefer the latter combination, but I do enjoy streaming in my studio system as well, the SQ is not really bad. I do hear more distortion there, but all recordings and audio gear have some degree of distortion. When I am completely dedicated and concentrated to the music I am listening to, I do enjoy more clear and clean sound in my main system, but this does not demotivate me to listen to my other audio system. 

You mentioned about the differences in "musicality and tonality". What differences in tonality or musicality you can hear listening to Led Zeppelin I-VI with different DACs or to Miles Davis Kind of Blue (which is one of the best recorded early albums of Miles Davis)?  Can you be more specific on differences in "musicality and tonality" that you note, on which kind of music? How you perceive the "musicality and tonality"  in Jimi Hendrix albums, or take much better quality recordings on  ECM or more recently on ACT jazz, or on the classical music (which was always recorded much better than the Rock and perhaps also the jazz)?