Do hi-end DACs offer true value or diminishing return...

Your post is very good and for me right...

But your criteria are met with some low cost dac...

i know because my dac meet them at 200 bucks and so well i dont need to upgrade at all...

People forget that the dac is one thing but his relation with the amplifier and speakers and acoustic or with the headphone , the synergy factor  and the tweaking and optimizing part MATTER the most..

Dac technology is mature now... It is better to invest many thousand dollars in amp, speakers , headphone and optimization than to buy a new dac in many case..  But most people dont know what to do, in the embeddings controls and about optimization; then they think , i must buy another dac to improve my system ... Most of the times it is an error of money placement for a marginal upgrade at best...

if not how can my low cost dac meet all your criteria?

its SQ can be assessed in several dimensions of criteria such as (1) high ends are open, ary and articulated without treads of edginess or digital glares; (2) midranges are rich / full without vocal sibilance; (3) bass is weighty and nimble; (4) width / depth / height of soundstage; and (5) separation of sound sources either vocals or instruments.

$200? which one?

jasonbourne71

352 posts

07-25-2023 at 01:21am

@mahgister +1! A DAC is essentially a sound card. That’s all!

😂😂😂. How can one ever having a music system possibly take you seriously Jason Bourne???

@mahgister : +1? What did you say?

i know because my dac meet them at 200 bucks and so well i dont need to upgrade at all...

Why not two bucks? You have been scammed !!! Gullible fool (etc.). Sound card anyway. How much are they anyways? Like $2 (two dollars Canadian or 200 cents)

Do you have a computer machine? Hook it up to your amp and boom! DAC!

Read me right :

My low cost dac, HIDIZS Ap 80 pro will not beat more costly one ..It can be not too far if the synergy and if his functionalities are impactful in your system as in mine...

and as i said all is about synergy with a system...

---In my system i need a low noise floor , and this dac had a battery , then i did not connect it to the electrical grid ( only my amp is )..

---I need to go out off the computer noise floor where my files are... Now they are in the big internal micro card inside it...No computer noisy connection...

---I need an equalizer integrated to optimize the mighty AKG K340 ... It is done all that with this dac weighting few ounces..

FOR ME this dac had no fault... In another system it will stronly depend of this other system needs...

Dac technology is mature, it does not means that a single dac can meet the needs and expectations of all customers...

My point is mature dac tech . can give us something very good at low price...I cannot fault my dac on any of these points but it does not means it will the case for you, i hope to have been clear 😊:

(1) high ends are open, ary and articulated without treads of edginess or digital glares; (2) midranges are rich / full without vocal sibilance; (3) bass is weighty and nimble; (4) width / depth / height of soundstage; and (5) separation of sound sources either vocals or instruments.

By the way these 5 points are not enough...We must add two others,

(6) Holographic volume of each sound source must be there and "seen" or felt if you prefer ( i see music😁)

(7) immersiveness : the ratio between the sound source volume and the listener position in relation to them must be an encompassing relation not an excluding relation...In a word the listener envelopment factor must be felt...

But only a DAC by itself alone cannot give all that without the synergy with the other components... And the other components must be at least as good as the dac...

This dac could be upgraded but i compute a necessary investment of 50 time his price to create a real upgrade, not a marginal one... Anyway i dont need this real upgrade because i am happier than i ever was..

Your comparison is not even wrong!

A good dac is to a soundcard in any cheap component as a chariot is to a car...the two moves very  well and will transport you at the same place... BUT...😊

@mahgister +1! A DAC is essentially a sound card.