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Post by pavowren on Oct 12, 2015 9:40:04 GMT -5
hello DAC-heads, i need advise.
for some months now, i have been listening to Pono via its balanced output fed into my 2-chan system and
really liking it a lot. i understand it has the highly-touted Sabre chip and i'm pretty much sold on it.
so, i'm wishing to feed all my sources (Touch digital out and CD player digital) into a good DAC.
i have had my eyes on Oppo HA-1 which has the same Sabre DAC chip, but it costs over twice Emotiva DC-1.
yes, it also has handful of features that are kinda superfluous for me like the Apple usb.
can anyone comment on differences between these two products, specifically in regards to DAC performance?
thanks for any input...
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Oct 12, 2015 9:42:45 GMT -5
I for one am not a fan of Sabre DACs, so I say get the DC-1 and see if you like it. Also as a Pono owner, I can tell you the output is unlike other Sabre based systems I have heard before, so do not use it to judge. What Ayre and Pono did sounds much better than that DAC typically sounds.
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Post by garbulky on Oct 12, 2015 10:03:31 GMT -5
Take a look at one of Schiit's multibit DAC offerings.
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Post by Boomzilla on Oct 12, 2015 10:35:45 GMT -5
DAC, SHMACK, WACK - Yes, DACs DO sound differently (even with the same converter chips, as DYohn says). There's no substitute for LISTENING to the DAC in your system. None. Although I respect the opinions of Mr. garbulky, to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't actually HEARD any of the Schiit products - only read about them. Reading about something is a very different thing than actually hearing it. The Emotiva Stealth DC-1, for example, has outstanding specs, but in my system, just didn't sound as good as two other DACs (the Oppo BDP-105 and the Jolida FX tube DAC). Curiously enough, the Stealth DC-1 sounds great in the system of Mr. garbulky - go figure... So I'd make two hard & confident statements about DACs: 1. DACs sound differently (sometimes despite having identical chip sets & specifications) 2. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for listening to the DAC in your own room with your own system Cheers - Boomzilla |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 12, 2015 10:40:07 GMT -5
This is true, I haven't heard them. However I plan to buy their flagship, hence my enthusiasm.  Read up on them and see why it beats the competition imo. However keep in mind that you need a preamp with these. |
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Post by monkumonku on Oct 12, 2015 11:27:36 GMT -5
DAC, SHMACK, WACK - Yes, DACs DO sound differently (even with the same converter chips, as DYohn says). There's no substitute for LISTENING to the DAC in your system. None. Although I respect the opinions of Mr. garbulky, to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't actually HEARD any of the Schiit products - only read about them. Reading about something is a very different thing than actually hearing it. The Emotiva Stealth DC-1, for example, has outstanding specs, but in my system, just didn't sound as good as two other DACs (the Oppo BDP-105 and the Jolida FX tube DAC). Curiously enough, the Stealth DC-1 sounds great in the system of Mr. garbulky - go figure... So I'd make two hard & confident statements about DACs: 1. DACs sound differently (sometimes despite having identical chip sets & specifications) 2. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for listening to the DAC in your own room with your own system Cheers - Boomzilla Agreed, there is no substitute for hearing a DAC in your own system in your own room. And Schiit makes great products so it is well worth considering them whenever considering a DAC.  |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Oct 12, 2015 11:33:02 GMT -5
Take a look at one of Schiit's multibit DAC offerings. I would have suggested this as well but as we ARE on the Emotiva forum... |
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Post by pavowren on Oct 12, 2015 18:03:23 GMT -5
what i found surprising was this:
i am feeding Pono analog outputs into a digital EQ which obviously must do ADC.
then, EQ outputs digital to a digital Xover whose analog outs go into amps.
with all this post-processing, i clearly find Pono sound superior (not by huge amount) to other sources.
so, to what do i attribute this to?
gotta be the DAC and its supporting chips (caps, buffers, filters and such?), right?
so, what i'm hoping to do is pass all source material thru this DAC-processing.
if cash is no issue, i'd of course try out OPPO ha-1 since it seems to be the similar animal.
but if dc-1 is just as good, why should i pay double for extraneous functions like bluetooth and apple usb.
hopefully i've made dilemma clear.
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Post by mshump on Oct 12, 2015 19:45:54 GMT -5
With the Emotiva DC-1 you could run the pono analog outputs through the DC-1 analog inputs, then the rest of your sources through the DC-1 Dacs, I have not heaard this DAC but if you research it on the forum here, there have been some rave reviews
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Post by gld3gld3 on Oct 12, 2015 20:55:25 GMT -5
Take a look at one of Schiit's multibit DAC offerings. I agree. Multibit DAC starting at 599! That's what I would do! |
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Post by pavowren on Oct 13, 2015 7:37:31 GMT -5
ok, folks, thanks for all your comments.
but i keep hearing Schiit and multibit, so i went to their site.
Gungnir multibit pricewise is on par with Oppo ha-1.
how would they compare?
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Oct 13, 2015 9:43:07 GMT -5
You're actually missing a few pieces in your description..... The digital audio in your Pono is converted to analog by the Pono's DAC. It is then converted back into digital by the ADC in your digital crossover. The digital crossover then does its processing. The digital audio is then converted back into analog again BY THE DACS IN THE DIGITAL CROSSOVER. And, finally, the analog coming from the digital crossover goes to the amps. In other words, your audio is going through TWO DACS and ONE ADC. And, since no conversion process is perfect, you are listening to the sum of any colorations or limitations added along the way. (If the Pono sounds better, then it's either because it adds coloration you like, or because it adds less coloration than your other sources.) The "most minimal" option would be to use a source that sends digital audio directly to a digital input on your digital crossover. (That way there would only be one digital-to-analog conversion at the outputs of the crossover.) what i found surprising was this: i am feeding Pono analog outputs into a digital EQ which obviously must do ADC. then, EQ outputs digital to a digital Xover whose analog outs go into amps. with all this post-processing, i clearly find Pono sound superior (not by huge amount) to other sources. so, to what do i attribute this to? gotta be the DAC and its supporting chips (caps, buffers, filters and such?), right? so, what i'm hoping to do is pass all source material thru this DAC-processing. if cash is no issue, i'd of course try out OPPO ha-1 since it seems to be the similar animal. but if dc-1 is just as good, why should i pay double for extraneous functions like bluetooth and apple usb. hopefully i've made dilemma clear. |
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Post by adaboy on Oct 13, 2015 9:49:26 GMT -5
DAC, SHMACK, WACK - Yes, DACs DO sound differently (even with the same converter chips, as DYohn says). There's no substitute for LISTENING to the DAC in your system. None. Although I respect the opinions of Mr. garbulky, to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't actually HEARD any of the Schiit products - only read about them. Reading about something is a very different thing than actually hearing it. The Emotiva Stealth DC-1, for example, has outstanding specs, but in my system, just didn't sound as good as two other DACs (the Oppo BDP-105 and the Jolida FX tube DAC). Curiously enough, the Stealth DC-1 sounds great in the system of Mr. garbulky - go figure... So I'd make two hard & confident statements about DACs: 1. DACs sound differently (sometimes despite having identical chip sets & specifications) 2. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for listening to the DAC in your own room with your own system Cheers - Boomzilla Completely agree here. I'd suggest taking a test drive of the Jolida and see what you think, I've been auditioning it now for three weeks and it is fantastic. Also the Schiit Audio Mani (phonostage) sounds really good so, if their DAC's are even in the same ballpark I'd say for the price they are pretty good. |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Oct 13, 2015 10:08:59 GMT -5
To be fair here, don't get caught up in the terminology or the technology.... and don't assume that there's necessarily some magical difference between "multi-bit DACs" and "delta-sigma DACs". You should always judge each product on its own merits - and try to separate the actual merits of a given product from the marketing buzz. (And note that a delta-sigma Gungnir costs more than a multi-bit Bifrost..... and Yggdrasil costs a lot more than either of them...  ) ok, folks, thanks for all your comments. but i keep hearing Schiit and multibit, so i went to their site. Gungnir multibit pricewise is on par with Oppo ha-1. how would they compare? |
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Read up on them and see why it beats the competition imo. However keep in mind that you need a preamp with these. 
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