A comparison between two DACs, one R-2R, the other ES 9038-based.

Just be happy YOU and YOUR system gets to jump off the bus very cheaply, but do not rush to judgement that the same must be true for everyone as I can assure you it’s not.

I’m generally not one who responds on here although I often read people’s posts and the trail of comments. This one however is rather topical for me as yesterday evening my friend and I tried out a number of DACs , all of which we own between us. There was a difference in each and every dac that varied between levels of apparent detail, emphasis of different parts of the sound spectrum, image , Timbre , Tone , dynamics and added sibilance or absence thereof . We only used 3 pieces of music to keep the listening session short. Broadly you could divide them into acceptable and unacceptable. The ones that made the acceptable group where only two , one single AD1865 dac and the other PCM 1704 x 8 (4 per channel) and in this instance the output from the dac chips did not pass through an internal output stage but fed to the same 15x gain circuit located in the final output of my phono stage (obviously not the equalisation part!), and each one had its own differences, both acceptable but one just reached down deeper in the bass region and gave more spacial clues with stronger imaging , the other perhaps a touch polite. Now it absolutely depends upon your system , I mean what if the system did not go that far down in the bass region to start with then you wouldn’t notice that difference. 
Furthermore the output stage on the other DACs where probably more responsible for the sound than the DAC chips them selves- but that I’d have to do more work to prove that. If you find different then that’s fine we are all different 

I also very rarely write or post although I have read daily for 25+ years on various forums and have quite an array of “things”.

Emcdade hit it on the head.  My sentiments exactly, w/o being snotty and/or condescending... Really.  😉 Enjoy.

Hi emcdade:

Sorry, but if your post is directed at or to me, I confess that I can make neither head nor tale of it.
What are you trying to say?

Perhaps rootmann can explain, since he agrees so heartily.

Best wishes.....OP

So @zimmerma .. assuming (perhaps wrongly) you'll be ridding yourself of a DAC, have you decided which one? Pontus? Sonica? Just curious is all.