Killingbeans
Major Contributor
But why? After all they have different circuit topology, power supply designs and different analog output stage sections.
Those things mean nothing by themselves. The only thing that matters is the final output.
If a DAC with a boring textbook topology, a "dirty" SMPS with some cheap linear post regulation and a simple reference design output stage manages to keep noise and distortion way, way below audibility, then what's to gain by upping the fanciness?
One of the things that makes my faulty-test-procedure alarm go off is when you mention a difference in bass impact. There's simply no mechanism (that I can think of) that can give that effect in a DAC.