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When Will the DAC Singularity Be Reached?

A humorous title, but wondering if those more in the know have an opinion on either: i) examples today where inexpensive DACs (say under $2500) are comparable or superior to expensive (say over $10K) DACs or ii) can we anticipate that within a relatively few number of years that inexpensive DACs will basically achieve the sound quality of today's expensive DACs? Thanks. 

mathiasmingus

Showing 3 responses by danager

danager's avatar
danager
880 posts
 

DACs are dead..  long live digital

http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/The_Audio_Revolution_has_begun.html

danager's avatar
danager
880 posts
 

Or will the need for DACs be simply eliminated. I predict that DACs will eventually be used only in the esoteric realm like turntables and CD players are used today. The "audiophiles" are ageing and as technology moves past them more products like the Peachtree GaN1 with only a Coaxial S/PDIF input will replace the DAC.

danager's avatar
danager
880 posts
 

That wasn't my understanding of how class D works.  Yes the digital signal is being converted to an analog signal but at the amplifier section not at the input section.  A DAC converts digital to analog but a class D amp to my understanding does the same thing but with gain.  So typically a digital signal implementing a DAC converts it twice using a Class D amplifier.  Digital to analog then a ADC in the amp converts into what the Amp can read and then outputs analog.

According to PeachTree

• Coaxial S/PDIF input with native support up to 24-bit/192kHz 
• DAC-less design 

I'm not an engineer or do I play one on TV but I believe (which can easily be full of whatever is in that bucket)  That it truly is a DAC-less design.

 

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