The sound quality from DACs - is it all the same?


I've been talking to my cousin brother about sound quality. He is a self-proclaimed expert audiophile. He says that Audio Science Review has all of the answers I will need regarding audio products.

In particular, he says an inexpensive DAC from any Chinese company will do better than the expensive stuff. He says fancy audio gear is a waste of money because the data is already bit-perfect.  All DAC chips sound the same. Am I being mislead? 

He also said that any DAC over $400 is a waste of money. Convincing marketing is at play here, he says.

He currently owns a Topping L30 headphone amplifier and D30 Pro DAC. He uses Sennheiser HD 569 headphones to listen to music.  I'm not sure what to think of them. I will report my findings after listening one day! (likely soon, once I get some free time)

- Jack 

 

 

jackhifiguy

Showing 2 responses by lalitk

“I’ve been talking to my cousin brother about sound quality. He is a self-proclaimed expert audiophile. He says that Audio Science Review has all of the answers I will need regarding audio products.”

Is your cousin brother by any chance @djones51 😜

In any case, don’t waste your money on $400 Chinese DAC; instead buy a DSP driven powered speakers and kick back for SOTA experience! 

“Most everyone here understands there must be a balance between measurements and listening.”

I agree but then there are folks like OP who just can’t seem to comprehend anything beyond measurements, you know the type…bits are bits, 1’s and 0’s, etc. etc.  It’s like having a conversation with a bot 😂