Review and Measurements of Totaldac d1-six DAC

[THW]

I suspect this will have either no impact on their prospective audience or actually attract them.

Wouldn’t really disagree tbh, this sort of thing is almost like a cult these days, if not basically outright one

 

[Herbert]

Unbelievable... a lot of engeneering skills go into decent recording equipment whose only goal is to record an
audio signal as unaltered as possible and leave the artistry of recording audio to the producers:
Choice of microphones and use of effects (if desired)
And then Totaldac comes around, screws the effort and is even allowed to call it High End.

 

[guenthi_r]

Really?
Most DIY´ler can do this better:

 

[graz_lag]

Really?
Most DIY´ler can do this better:

Sure, but not with that fancy French label on the transformer ... Ha Ha Ha !

 

[daftcombo]

Perhaps the measurements should be re-done with the 1.750€ USB cable with the black box:

"once in the system, the absence creates an instant hankering of plugging it back..."
"... better timbre ... more controlled bass ... better soundstage ... In a word GIGA-effective"

source: http://www.totaldac.com/USB_gigafilter-eng.htm


If one needed an illustration for "snakeoil"...

 

[Negatywny]

wow, i'm impressed how much attention this measurements got, as if the results of measurements came unexpected


Just kidding, this is propably the first time when somone done real independent testing of such expensive device - great work


Now, if someon could send amrim a wrist thick power cable to cut in half and see whats inside

If one needed an illustration for "snakeoil"...

I don't even know how this is legal.

 

[Patatorz]

Really?
Most DIY´ler can do this better:

This is called standardization of the components and knowledge. A kind of platforming of the knowledge to promote the re-use This is the main reason of using a cubox as streamer and a gigafilter as usb cable

 

[Patatorz]

Perhaps the measurements should be re-done with the 1.750€ USB cable with the black box:

"once in the system, the absence creates an instant hankering of plugging it back..."
"... better timbre ... more controlled bass ... better soundstage ... In a word GIGA-effective"

source: http://www.totaldac.com/USB_gigafilter-eng.htm


If one needed an illustration for "snakeoil"...

Amir already measured the « old one » and much less expensive than the ultra gigafilter . Don’t worry it is M. Lavorgna proof

 

[diegooo1972]

I wrote on Mr Lavargna video.
"Next time I want to buy the fastest sport car I'll skip specifications and bring that meter with me. Nice suggestion"
But he deleted my comment on youtube...
And that's the point.
Don't act as an engineer if you just need a meter or only your ears to test equipments.
That's not engineering and not scientific.
And again if fidelity is missing a DAC became a DSP.

 

[totaldac]

then claiming 160 dB S/N rati

Who claimed that? Can you quote me saying that?

 

[maty]

@totaldac

https://www.google.com/search?&q=Totaldac+d1-six+DAC

If you go to Images... The sooner you share your or third measurements the better it will be, in my modest understanding.

 

[FredYves]

I thought I heard differences until I did direct comparisons with only the DAC changing and with carefully matched levels and switching quickly between them on music I was familiar with. Then they all disappeared and I realised I had been deceiving myself for decades.
Nobody's audible memory is good enough to compare with a time delay or without precise level matching, though a surprising number of enthusiasts seem to believe it is.
IME there is an audible difference between microphones, microphone position (when I am recording), loudspeakers and loudspeaker position in the room, room treatment.
There is no difference between competently engineered DACs and preamps and also power amps with a low output impedance as long as they are capable of properly driving the speakers.
Record players sound different in a multitude of ways because they pick up vibration in addition to the record groove amongst other things.

Again. I did listen to the 3 DAC I mentioned in the same room, same music, same time line, same amp and same loudspeakers. We are in circle here. I am sorry if my perception doesn’t fit with the measurements from audioscience. Even when I know that people have to be prudent when comparing (levels etc). Even when I am respectful to science. Even when I see know the bad measurements of TotalDac and I am also very surprised with the way Vincent Brient is (not) deploying his PoV. I respect the measurements from audioscience, but I am hearing something different. As I also said, I perceive some difference between the 3 DAC, but nothing compared to the difference between loudspeakers or headphones.

 

[AndrovichIV]

I don't care your measurements, I just don't want to let some of you say that it is a poor DAC design and with fake graphs on Totaldac web site.

but it's the truth?

 

[q3cpma]

Again. I did listen to the 3 DAC I mentioned in the same room, same music, same time line, same amp and same loudspeakers. We are in circle here. I am sorry if my perception doesn’t fit with the measurements from audioscience. Even when I know that people have to be prudent when comparing (levels etc). Even when I am respectful to science. Even when I see know the bad measurements of TotalDac and I am also very surprised with the way Vincent Brient is (not) deploying his PoV. I respect the measurements from audioscience, but I am hearing something different. As I also said, I perceive some difference between the 3 DAC, but nothing compared to the difference between loudspeakers or headphones.

Maybe you didn't understand his post, but it was relating to the placebo effect, not to actual differences. What's nice is that Frank didn't need an ABX to dispell the illusion.
You may be hearing something different, but that doesn't mean it's different; and really, it would be nice to know that you don't need to invest that much money to get perfection.

 

[daftcombo]

Again. I did listen to the 3 DAC I mentioned in the same room, same music, same time line, same amp and same loudspeakers. We are in circle here. I am sorry if my perception doesn’t fit with the measurements from audioscience. Even when I know that people have to be prudent when comparing (levels etc). Even when I am respectful to science. Even when I see know the bad measurements of TotalDac and I am also very surprised with the way Vincent Brient is (not) deploying his PoV. I respect the measurements from audioscience, but I am hearing something different. As I also said, I perceive some difference between the 3 DAC, but nothing compared to the difference between loudspeakers or headphones.

You perceive differences in sighted tests, would you perceive them in blind test?
Read this again: http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2009/04/dishonesty-of-sighted-audio-product.html

 

[graz_lag]

Again. I did listen to the 3 DAC I mentioned in the same room, same music, same time line, same amp and same loudspeakers. We are in circle here. I am sorry if my perception doesn’t fit with the measurements from audioscience. Even when I know that people have to be prudent when comparing (levels etc). Even when I am respectful to science. Even when I see know the bad measurements of TotalDac and I am also very surprised with the way Vincent Brient is (not) deploying his PoV. I respect the measurements from audioscience, but I am hearing something different. As I also said, I perceive some difference between the 3 DAC, but nothing compared to the difference between loudspeakers or headphones.

As many others among of us, I went thru your process many times.
Placebo is a HUGE factor in audio, you know that, right?

 

[totaldac]

Who claimed that? Can you quote me saying that?

You mix up SNR which is a summation number, and the noise horizontal line level on a FFT.

 

[daftcombo]

You mix up SNR which is a summation number, and the noise horizontal line level on a FFT.

If you would answer our questions with something else than other questions or one-sentence replies, and take a bit of time to explain, that would be nice.
If the signal transmitted by your DACs is as good as your communication skills, no wonder it doesn't take the transparency test.

 

[gvl]

The real lesson learned here, one more time, that discrete custom R2R implementations can't reach 90dB SINAD, regardless of the price.

 

[graz_lag]

English is not everyone's first language, but I agree that many of the TotalDac posts appear to be attempts at obfuscation.

Yes, however he's the same approach on the French' forums as well ...