Best most open and natural/smooth sounding balanced DAC under $1000?

[BDWoody]

Would AKM based

V2 mate...from what I'm hearing...it doesn't get better than SU8 or similar measuring DACs ...regardless of the money you throw

Ding ding ding!!!
You win! Now you get to throw your money at something that may matter! Hint...start with stuff that has moving parts...like speakers...and rooms...

Cheers!

 

[VintageFlanker]

Would AKM based

V2 mate...from what I'm hearing...it doesn't get better than SU8 or similar measuring DACs ...regardless of the money you throw

That says a lot. If you cannot hear anything better from the better measuring V2, you can't expect anything from any other DACs...

 

[Shoaibexpert]

Would AKM based D70 DAC sound smoother? What about the M500 (though people are having issues with it) based on its Pro chip sound superior in any way....many people have bought the SU8 and I'm sure people are waiting for the M500 review as well

 

[Shoaibexpert]

That says a lot. If you cannot hear anything better from the better measuring V2, you can't expect anything from any other DACs...

I meant to say from what I am hearing from the community...

 

[VintageFlanker]

Would AKM based D70 DAC sound smoother?

NO reason.

What about the M500 (though people are having issues with it) based on its Pro chip sound superior in any way...

Come on. You're an ASR member since April... Did you ever notice Chip is not the only factor in a good measuring DAC?

I meant to say from what I am hearing from the community...

Then, listen to them instead of us...

 

[BDWoody]

Would AKM based D70 DAC sound smoother? What about the M500 (though people are having issues with it) based on its Pro chip sound superior in any way....many people have bought the SU8 and I'm sure people are waiting for the M500 review as well

They should be equally transparent. They are both competently engineered DAC's.

I love my M500 by the way. I also love my D70, my d50s, my dx3 pro, and my chromecast audio. Under any non-pathological listening conditions I have no reason to believe I could tell them apart.

 

[Shoaibexpert]

NO reason.

Come on. You're an ASR member since April... Did you ever notice Chip is not the only factor in a good measuring DAC?

Then, listen to them instead of us...

Haha...you're right...I meant a well Implemented Pro Chip against a well Implemented Mobile Q2M chip...surely those 8 channels VS 2 channels on the mobile chip and blah blah technical superiority of the Pro chip that ESS markets must have some backing...when well Implemented?!

 

[Martin]

You say you don't like the "edgy sound of ESS based SU 8 DAC on my THX 789 and Hifiman Arya."

Maybe the problem is with the things actually making the sound, i.e., your headphones.

Martin

 

[BDWoody]

Haha...you're right...I meant a well Implemented Pro Chip against a well Implemented Mobile Q2M chip...surely those 8 channels VS 2 channels on the mobile chip and blah blah technical superiority of the Pro chip that ESS markets must have some backing...when well Implemented?!

Once you've gotten to transparency, you won't notice more of it. .001 vs .0000001 won't make one sound better.

 

[Shoaibexpert]

They should be equally transparent. They are both competently engineered DAC's.

I love my M500 by the way. I also love my D70, my d50s, my dx3 pro, and my chromecast audio. I doubt under any non-pathological listening conditions I wouldn't have a hope of telling them apart.

Not trying to judge here or make a case here mate believe me I dont wanna throw my money away for nothing...but if all those DACs sound the same...why would people buy more of them? I mean I am way deep into the rabbit hole and kinda already know the answer...but still...

Btw, I'm glad you liked the M500...am seriously considering it for its MQA feature...do you see or rather hear any issues with it? Any benefits of the new USB kit or the Pro chip?

 

[Shoaibexpert]

Once you've gotten to transparency, you won't notice more of it. .001 vs .0000001 won't make one sound better.

Thanks....I get the point...well implemented Pro chip DACs are not more revealing or detailed than the Mobile Q2M chips if the distortion numbers are below audible range....I hope I understood correctly...

 

[dkinric]

<Hears can of worms opening>

Oh, man. You sure you're on the right site? I mean, what do you think we do here?

 

[Shoaibexpert]

Once you've gotten to transparency, you won't notice more of it. .001 vs .0000001 won't make one sound better.

Any comments on your use if the M500 would really help mate

 

[Shoaibexpert]

Lol
..I stood corrected a while ago mate

 

[Hugo9000]

Try the RME ADI-2 DAC?
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-rme-adi-2-dac-and-headphone-amp.7546/

• Around your price point
• AKM chip which you say you want/prefer
• Excellent performance as a DAC
• Excellent performance as a headphone amp
• Excellent performance as a preamp, with balanced and unbalanced output
• EQ and crossfeed settings available to experiment with
• German manufacturing and renowned customer service and support, including at least one rep who participates here at ASR

 

[dkinric]

If I was going to spend a grand on a DAC, the RME ADI-2 DAC is what I would get . But I would never spend that much on a DAC...

 

[Shoaibexpert]

If I was going to spend a grand on a DAC, the RME ADI-2 DAC is what I would get . But I would never spend that much on a DAC...

I do get this feeling that money doesn't make a DAC that much better...at least not a better as the headphones...so which one you'd recommend for a cheaper option to upgrade from the SU8?

 

[Fluffy]

Since both your DAC and amp should be completely transparent, the first thing I'll recommend is seeing if the headphones are the problem. If the sound is too edgy for you it might be because they have too much treble for your liking. If so, changing to a different audibly transparent DAC will do nothing (expect padding the bank account of whomever sold it to you…).

In your place I would first play around with EQ to see if there is an offending frequency range that by lowering it you will get a "smoother"-feeling sound. Or maybe switch to a different headphone with less "edge". I couldn't find a trustworthy measurement of these headphones, so I don’t know if they actually have treble issues.

If you say that the Arya sounds better to you on another DAC, you should try blind testing to see if you can really tell apart how it sounds on a different DAC. If it's a transparent DAC like the one you have, you shouldn't be able to notice the difference, and that will be a good demonstration of the futility of DAC upgrades.

 

[Shoaibexpert]

Try the RME ADI-2 DAC?
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-rme-adi-2-dac-and-headphone-amp.7546/

• Around your price point
• AKM chip which you say you want/prefer
• Excellent performance as a DAC
• Excellent performance as a headphone amp
• Excellent performance as a preamp, with balanced and unbalanced output
• EQ and crossfeed settings available to experiment with
• German manufacturing and renowned customer service and support, including at least one rep who participates here at ASR

I'll check it out

 

[gvl]

I do get this feeling that money doesn't make a DAC that much better...at least not a better as the headphones...so which one you'd recommend for a cheaper option to upgrade from the SU8?

The cheapest or rather free is using EQ in your player to tame down the edginess. Try -2dB at 10Khz, your cans seem to have a bump there. No DAC swapping is going to fix that.