Chris' March 2011 DAC Shootout, or whatever

ItemAudio

So if anyone wants to rehash / debate / contest / complain about / applaud the 7-way bake-off initially discussed at PInkFish, here's where you can.

Participants were: Chris the Host, Dave, Andy and Simon (ex-trade) representing those without vested interests, and - with something to lose / gain: Jason/Figlet of/not of NVA, John of Audio Warehouse, Me of Item Audio.

Know in advance that I will inevitably talk up the Emotiva, Wyred 4 Sound, Calyx and Antelope DACs. Jason will tell you how great his computer is. Keith will praise the Young above all others, and Audio Warehouse John will be refreshingly objective / not bothered.

On the bench were (in cost - and as it broadly turned out, performance, order):

Internal Headphone output from the Stealth Mini transport
Musical Fidelity VDAC
Emotiva XDA1
Musical Fidelity M1
Rega DAC
Audiolab 8200 CDQ
Young DAC
Wyred 4 Sound DAC
Heed Obelisk
Calyx 24/192
Antelope Zodiac Plus

Also participating: the NVA Statement computer, Item Stealth Mini transport + modified Benchmark DAC1 and Meridian 500.
Something about the methodology later, but honestly this has been done to death over at PInkFish.

uglymusic

I do wonder if this thread should have been started earlier.

Perhaps I couldn't see the wood for the trees as the only mod around earlier, but there you go.

Alan

We love ya Dave...and thank you Mark. The PFM thread is an interesting read, if a long winded one.

uglymusic

We love ya Dave...and thank you Mark. The PFM thread is an interesting read, if a long winded one.

I fell asleep before the end ;-)

ItemAudio

It's pretty soul-destroying to jump in before page 15 or so.

Strangely, nine hours straight listening to a single track over and over and over and over again was not.

Accessing my inner Steve Reich (thanks, Steve!) it passed in a flash: constant repetition with subtle variation - loving it.

For those that don't know, Chris et al strove to allow each machine to perform optimally: so multiple inputs, multiple transports, multiple filter settings - all were auditioned carefully and ranked on the basis of the best each DAC could deliver. In every case, the DACs sounded better with better transports: so no panaceas or shortcuts to audio nirvana.

Speaking personally now - this was a minority opinion - I thought the Meridian 500 performed better as an SPDIF transport than our Stealth Mini audio computer + entry level clock. So I went out today and bought one.

The USB specialists preferred various kinds of USB (we had some buffering and isolation circuits in play); all those with balanced digital input favoured AES/EBU, and some only had SPDIF to work with - these were fed with a tweaked KingRex UC192 clock/converter on a linear power supply.

All outputs were single ended, and we didn't get the chance to play high-res files for those that could handle it (which was most of the field), or to bypass the preamp for those with on-board attenuation - arguably a bigger factor than any of the above.

Although some controversy was inevitable, the fairest single-statement overview I can make on everyone's behalf is that the more you spent, the better sound you got. Not such a shocking conclusion.

The Emotiva, Rega, Young and Calyx were felt in particular to outperform their price points, but none of these were rated by the majority as better than more expensive converters. Several participants commented that their hope of 'giant killers' in the group had been disappointed.

Chris the host felt the Young offer the best value for his budget: particularly as it worked well with his standard Acer laptop. He bought one - even though one of the manufacturers contacted him shortly afterward and offered him a good deal on their converter . . . and who knows? Maybe he could say how good it was . . .

Sheesh - audio dealers are worse than used car salesmen.

uglymusic

I think nine hours of the same track would have had me running screaming from the room, insisting any of the DACs was the best. Just let me hear some different music :-)

Alan

It may have made me invest in a record player....It seems to have been a herculean effort, with real effort being made to ensure consistency. All very laudable indeed, and ultimately useful to the host. I personally found it very interesting to follow, as I have had the W4S, Audiolab and the Young (as a wildcard) on my demo list. The only one I haven't yet heard is the Audiolab. The Calyx wasn't on my radar, but is most interesting.

ItemAudio

That's the weird thing: the whole group zoned in after half an hour and it became quite interesting / less Guantanemo to pick up subtle differences in presentation becoming increasingly pronounced. It was a sensitive, revealing system - Tribute volume control, some 300B power amp and big TADs with a compression horn driver, 18 inch pro-audio bass unit and maybe a supertweeter? Chris would have to chip in to get the facts straight there.

We couldn't always decide which we liked best in instances where we were comparing two different kinds of wrong, but there was a surprising amount of consensus.

Naturally, Jason and I disagreed a bit fundamentally about how our respective computers performed, but we'll probably work that out in private . . .

Alan

Well, it would be odd if you weren't passionate about how your respective machines performed. And even more odd if either of you were 100% correct! I think the inclusion of your machines gave a worthwhile foil to the comparisons.

uglymusic

Yep. Sort it out between you over a beer.

Alan

Ah -- but which is better? Lager or Bitter?

*(Well, it's obviously bitter actually, sorry, aksherley....)

ItemAudio

Actually, I think we even disagreed about the Meridian transport, which I thought was significantly better than either of our machines. Correct me if I misremember, Jason, but I don't think you were that impressed with it?

Then again, I loved the sound of our modded Benchmark, which wasn't met with general rejoicing. There's a handy - though somewhat crude - aphorism in Icelandic: 'every man likes the smell of his own farts'

Alan

Ah - there is a related proverb about opinions, though I don't know that it's Icelandic...

uglymusic

...but SWMBO doesn't  :-D

ItemAudio

Ah - there is a related proverb about opinions, though I don't know that it's Icelandic...

Clint Eastwood - Dirty Harry: '. . . Everyone has one'?

Alan

:-D