ken51
Minor Hero
Posts: 37
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Dac
May 3, 2021 7:08:23 GMT -5
405x5 likes this
Post by ken51 on May 3, 2021 7:08:23 GMT -5
I do not have a stand alone dac. I have a dac in my pre amp, Emotiva PT100, my CD player, Yamaha S300, and my streamer, Bluesound Node 2i. I have used all three and can’t hear a difference. They all sound the same. Being budget minded, is there a dedicated dac that can improve the performance of my system? I use the digital ins and outs to compare.
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Post by 405x5 on May 3, 2021 7:58:42 GMT -5
I do not have a stand alone dac. I have a dac in my pre amp, Emotiva PT100, my CD player, Yamaha S300, and my streamer, Bluesound Node 2i. I have used all three and can’t hear a difference. They all sound the same. Being budget minded, is there a dedicated dac that can improve the performance of my system? I use the digital ins and outs to compare. You’ll get a lot farther along comparing loudspeakers 📢 instead of DACS….That’s where the most significant differences lie. Bill
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 9,902
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Post by KeithL on May 3, 2021 9:13:19 GMT -5
I absolutely agree.
Compared to the differences between loudspeakers, the differences between most DACs are quite small. (And the room itself, and how you position the loudspeakers, also make significant differences in the overall sound.)
If you read various online forums you will hear lively discussions about how different the DACs in some of the devices you already own sound. Taken in proper context this should give you some insight into the "huge differences" you hear talked about...
Yes, different DACs do sound different, but the differences between most reasonably good modern DACs really are pretty small. Most modern DACs sound relatively neutral and relatively similar. I can tell you that the DAC in the PT-100 is pretty good by modern standards. And, if you don't hear, or don't notice, a difference between the selection of DACs you already have, then you shouldn't expect any other DAC to sound "significantly better". The DAC in the PT-100 is pretty neutral - so if another DAC sounds "very different" it's probably because it's adding significant coloration to the sound.
(In a world where most DACs are converging on simply sounding neutral there are a few out there that deliberately add coloration that they hope some people will find pleasing.)
Don't even consider shopping for a new DAC until you notice the differences between the ones you already have. (And, until then, there are better places to spend your money.)
I do not have a stand alone dac. I have a dac in my pre amp, Emotiva PT100, my CD player, Yamaha S300, and my streamer, Bluesound Node 2i. I have used all three and can’t hear a difference. They all sound the same. Being budget minded, is there a dedicated dac that can improve the performance of my system? I use the digital ins and outs to compare. You’ll get a lot farther along comparing loudspeakers 📢 instead of DACS….That’s where the most significant differences lie. Bill
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ken51
Minor Hero
Posts: 37
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Dac
May 3, 2021 9:25:11 GMT -5
Post by ken51 on May 3, 2021 9:25:11 GMT -5
That’s pretty much what I thought. I enjoy my system. It’s just a case of FOMO. Thanks for the response.
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Post by vcautokid on May 3, 2021 9:26:59 GMT -5
Also don't forget the fundamentals that are mostly free. Most people look at their gear and speakers and ignore placement and possible needed treatment.
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Dac
May 3, 2021 9:55:16 GMT -5
Post by garbulky on May 3, 2021 9:55:16 GMT -5
Your room, speaker and speaker placement, and acoustic treatment makes much more of a difference than your dac or amp. Also most people don't hear any difference between dacs or electronics no matter what. So your experience may not be out of place. If you do hear a difference in dacs, then I think the DC-1 is just a hair better than the PT-100. But since you haven't heard any difference between dacs, I doubt you'll hear any difference with an upgrade. For real differences, try this www.atsacoustics.com/item--ATS-Acoustic-Panel-24-x-48-x-2--1001.htmlEven one of these behind your head at wall level can make a difference. But the more of these you have in your room the better. Also speaker placement matters. If the speakers are too close, too far from each other and from you, too toed in, not toed in at all, all matters. Your speakers themselves also matter. Some simply aren't that resolving in sound, though they may still be very enjoyable. Even if you get all this right, you may still well hear no difference at all. So keep that in mind! If you don't hear a difference, this is a good thing because your wallet will thank you.
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Dac
May 3, 2021 10:08:29 GMT -5
Post by 405x5 on May 3, 2021 10:08:29 GMT -5
“Your room, speaker and speaker placement, and acoustic treatment makes much more of a difference than your dac or amp.” I don’t agree with the comparison between the “Dac or amp” part here. The Dac swap will be minimal under any circumstance. However….amplification can be HUGE depending upon HOW you listen.
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Dac
May 3, 2021 10:20:42 GMT -5
Post by garbulky on May 3, 2021 10:20:42 GMT -5
“Your room, speaker and speaker placement, and acoustic treatment makes much more of a difference than your dac or amp.” I don’t agree with the comparison between the “Dac or amp” part here. The Dac swap will be minimal under any circumstance. However….amplification can be HUGE depending upon HOW you listen. Well I beleive both the amp and dac makes a significant difference to the sound as that's been my experience. So I'm not disagreeing with you. That's why I ponied up and bought a pair of XPA-1 gen 2's because I noticed that amps made a difference on my speakers. But you'll be surprised as to how many people it makes absolutely no difference. I find that for the most part it's due to room setup/speaker setup/speaker quality that's causing this. But also some people simply don't hear a difference (or care about it when they do). Like my wife can hear the difference between my amps. But she gets annoyed when asked to explain it. And will be perfectly happy if I didn't have the sound system and all we had were our wimpy tv speakers.
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Dac
May 3, 2021 14:28:05 GMT -5
Post by 405x5 on May 3, 2021 14:28:05 GMT -5
I don’t agree with the comparison between the “Dac or amp” part here. The Dac swap will be minimal under any circumstance. However….amplification can be HUGE depending upon HOW you listen. “ I'm not disagreeing with you. That's why I ponied up and bought a pair of XPA-1 gen 2's because I noticed that amps made a difference on my speakers. But you'll be surprised as to how many people it makes absolutely no difference.” Uhh yeah…. That’s why I said: “amplification can be HUGE depending upon HOW you listen.”
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