Check out thus post:I already asked Benchmark's support for help..,
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ements-of-benchmark-ahb2-amp.7628/post-440164
unless selectable, I would go with 4 volts for compatibility.
- Rich
Check out thus post:I already asked Benchmark's support for help..,
Both a non-show stopper for me. I have SPDIF out on my music server, but will instead use my Topping D10 USB->SPDIF as its cheap and measures very well for this duty (bonus is my desktop headphone amp feeds off the D10, and has nice bit rate display too).Unfortunately will not accept USB which means a usb to spidf converter for anything coming out of the PC. Aarrghhh.
With a 64 bit digital volume control, many DAC's under $100 will still exceed the SINAD of any speaker amp available, when attenuated down to inaudible levels.
Yup. Or anticumulative, subtractive.But SINAD is cumulative, right @pozz ?
Thank you...!!!!Check out thus post:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ements-of-benchmark-ahb2-amp.7628/post-440164
unless selectable, I would go with 4 volts for compatibility.
- Rich
I assumed objectivity. Need proof, I have not been able to find any such dirt.
Of course I couldn't download 5.1 decoded (any format off of JRiver) LPCM via USB from my PC, and still have two channels left over to receive LPCM via spidf from my A16 Realiser; thereby enabling me to send one set of signals to my Purifi/Hypex amps for 5.1 Surround sound over xlr, while the remaining two channels are sent to my THX 789 for 24 channel ATMOS emulation through headphones of any set of speakers I can get a PRIR for.Yes the only thing that matters is the SINAD coming out of the binding posts of the final amp in the system. That result will be identical from the binding posts of the Purifi or Benchmark AHB2 regardless if the $20 Meizu or the Okto DAC was used as a source.
Yup. Or anticumulative, subtractive.
Although I think @Sonic delight's point is that the amp is the weakest link. That's mostly true, but dongle can't drive an AHB2 to peak performance because of the former's weak output. Gain staging has be taken into account, as does accumulation of noise/distortion.
Of course I couldn't download 5.1 decoded (any format off of JRiver) LPCM in USB from my PC, and still have two channels left over to send LPCM via spidf from my A16 Realiser to the remaining two channels enabling me to send one set of signals to my Purifi/Hypex amps for 5.1 Surround sound over xlr while the remaining two channels are sent to my THX 789 for 24 channel ATMOS emulation via headphonesof any set of speakers I can get a PRIR for.
Don't think a $15 dongle will do that, do you?
SINAD is cumulative rather than just thinking of it as a bottleneck, I remember seeing an online calculator that combined SINADS of devices to get theoretical final SINAD. But yes, there's a point where DAC quality becomes overkill, the exact point where that happens is debateable. But you for sure can be happy with your iphone & quality dongle.Because $20 gets you as good as it gets now. So not sure what the big deal is regarding this DAC. My measurements were conducted using the iPhone 7 as the audio source. Amir reviewed this one as well. I posted in his review thread of this DAC already today. From my computers my results were similar to what Amir got. From my 12' MacBook's USB C port running from batteries the SINAD was only -100dB. Goes to show how clean the iPhone is in comparison.
Actually my old IFI IDSD Micro does that as well. Don't know if it does it quite as well as the D10, but it certainly does do it. (Along with damn near everything else including charge my phone.)Both a non-show stopper for me. I have SPDIF out on my music server, but will instead use my Topping D10 USB->SPDIF as its cheap and measures very well for this duty (bonus is my desktop headphone amp feeds off the D10, and has nice bit rate display too).
SINAD is cumulative rather than just thinking of it as a bottleneck, I remember seeing an online calculator that combined SINADS of devices to get theoretical final SINAD. But yes, there's a point where DAC quality becomes overkill, the exact point where that happens is debateable.
Probably not. But why ignore the amplifier section? If a company, like Okto Research, puts tremendous effort in extracting the maximum performance of a given DAC chip (in this case the ES9028Pro) would it neglect the amplifier section and power supply? Theoretically, still possible, but I don't think this is the case here. Quite the contrary. And no, not all DAC's sound the same!My question would be is any of this DAC performance (Ignoring the amplifier section) going to be audible versus any of the other extremely well measuring and far more affordable DAC options? (...)
Well, unless the analogue output stage is deliberately colored, or there are unintended design mistakes made anywhere in a DAC, as long as the thresholds are kept below audibility, how can a DAC sound different? The amp performance does seem decent for sure, but I rather doubt many will be buying it for the amp section. I am not attacking the clearly excellent effort and results, just questioning why people need to spend this much.Probably not. But why ignore the amplifier section? If a company, like Okto Research, puts tremendous effort in getting the maximum performance of a given DAC chip (in this case the ES9028Pro) would it neglect the amplifier section? Still possible, but I don't thinks this is the case here. Quite the contrary. And no, not all DAC's sound the same.
I apologize you took this way, it was not meant as snarky and agree life is too short. I simply saw a device being cited as problematic based on assumptions, and called for clarification/proof.I have made it my policy to ignore people that resort to ad hominems and/or snark. Life is too short. I was asking a honest question. So last response to you.
I think the assumption in this forum is that a unit has to be measured clean before it is assumed to be so rather than the other way around. On the other hand, I have read complaints in the minidsp board of noise associated with it for me not to assume that it is clean.
I suppose you could prove that by plugging the SINAD numbers of your dongle & amp vs the DAC in this review combined with the same amp. You'd plug the numbers into the calculator at the bottom of this page and compare the result:I can use the Meizu DAC and my iPhone as a source to drive any amp on the market, and match the specs at the amp binding posts that Amir will achieve from his AP 555 analog outs driving the test signal. In other words it's possible to achieve as good of measured performance as is achievable from any speaker amp, from a $20 dongle DAC as the source.
I suppose you could prove that by plugging the SINAD numbers of your dongle & amp vs the DAC in this review combined with the same amp. You'd plug the numbers into the calculator at the bottom of this page and compare the result:
http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-thd.htm
You might have to put the numbers and information side by side (in one post) with the 'calculation' to show the point more clearly to me (and maybe others).Or I can by just measuring it myself with my analyzer. For measuring any current amplifier on the market I can use a $149 iPhone 7 running this app:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/audio-function-generator-pro/id895074703
$20 DAC, and $50-100 headphone amp as the source. That's the app I used to generate the 115 SINAD from the $20 Meizu hifi DAC. I can connect this setup to the Purifi Eval 1 amp kit and match the 108dB SINAD results in Amir's Purifi amp review from the amp binding posts.