velasfloyd
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- Joined
- Dec 10, 2019
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Hi everyone! I have been reading this forum from some time ago, thanks everyone for all the knowledge you have written here. This is my first post, I want to share my own testing with my equipment.
In order to know if a DAC really matters (for me) I wanted to blind test the devices I have. I know that we can easily lie to ourselves if we know what we are hearing, so I decided that an instant switch was the best way to test.
- My procedure:
I have a Burson Soloist SL as headphone amplifier. A valuable thing in this headamp is that it has a line in selector (2 different line ins). this is a button with no memory, in other words the only way I can know what line is selected is to watch a little led on the front.
So I connected two devices to the burson and with the line in selector button I can make an instant switch between them without knowing which is which.
I use Beyerdynamic's Amiron Home for all tests
I listened Dark side of the moon in all the tests. Because is a good record and most important I almost know it from memory because Pink Floyd is by far my favorite band.
Im not a golden ear and I cannot talk in this sublime audio terms like soundstage air space bla bla bla... Im just a normal person in my 30ties who enjoys music and just want the best audio possible...
Results:
1 - SMSL SU-8 vs XDuoo XD-05 line out
From the first time I have my SU-8 I noted a great improvement in the sound. This was my first time testing if this improvement was real or just the known placebo effect. I connected one line to the SU-8 and the other to the line-out output of the XD-05. This line out output has fixed volume so I have to change the volume of SU-8 to set them at the same level.
I could barely hear a different sound, SU-8 being better. From all the guesses I did I had a 100% accuracy detecting the best one and it was consistently the SU-8. But this is just a very little difference. I think there is no way I could perceive this difference if it wouldn't be for an instant switch. I cant describe exactly the difference.... I just found it better.... may be like a better definition of sound.
This is what I expected (due to the price of every equipment) and I was happy that I could hear a difference! (super small tho)
2- SMSL SU-8 vs Shanling M5S line out mode
The shanling M5s dap has a line out mode. This is nothing more than a convenience to instantly change the volume to the maximum. it is not a "real line out" because the signal pass through the amp part (if this matters can be discussed elsewhere). If I could hear a difference between XD-05 and SU-8, being XD-05 a real line out... the result of this second test should be obvious...
It was not!! short history: I couldn't hear any difference!! I made a lot of guesses like "I think this is sounding better"... and in some cases were SU-8 and in others M5S... that means I could not be consistent with my guesses and due to that.... no difference!!
how this is possible? no difference between a well evaluated dedicated desktop dac and a midfi dap's fake line out???
this was not what I wanted honestly... but this was my result.
3- SMSL SU-8 vs Xduoo XD-05 phone out
I thought that may be Shanling M5S was super good and so if XD-05 line out was worst, then the XD-05 phone out should be even worst...
I put the xduoo at the max volume, set an equal level on SU-8 (and both connected to Burson Soloist) and then........ SORPRISE!! I could not hear any difference again.... same history, lot of guesses without any consistence!!!
CONCLUSIONS
1.- may be, as stated a lot of times in this forum, DAC does not matter too much. even with instant blind switch the differences, if ever, are rather small (of course my testing is super limited)
2- I dont understand why phone out of xduoo xd-05 sounded better than line-out when used as a line out..... as the phone out uses the amp part of the device "should" sound worse..... may be the burson amp only care about the energy that come into it (as the phone out has more volume than line out in this xd-05 case)
well friends. Sorry if this testing sounded too boring for you. I just wanted to share it with you and may you can add something to it. I will continue testing devices as it is a hobbie after all.
In order to know if a DAC really matters (for me) I wanted to blind test the devices I have. I know that we can easily lie to ourselves if we know what we are hearing, so I decided that an instant switch was the best way to test.
- My procedure:
I have a Burson Soloist SL as headphone amplifier. A valuable thing in this headamp is that it has a line in selector (2 different line ins). this is a button with no memory, in other words the only way I can know what line is selected is to watch a little led on the front.
So I connected two devices to the burson and with the line in selector button I can make an instant switch between them without knowing which is which.
I use Beyerdynamic's Amiron Home for all tests
I listened Dark side of the moon in all the tests. Because is a good record and most important I almost know it from memory because Pink Floyd is by far my favorite band.
Im not a golden ear and I cannot talk in this sublime audio terms like soundstage air space bla bla bla... Im just a normal person in my 30ties who enjoys music and just want the best audio possible...
Results:
1 - SMSL SU-8 vs XDuoo XD-05 line out
From the first time I have my SU-8 I noted a great improvement in the sound. This was my first time testing if this improvement was real or just the known placebo effect. I connected one line to the SU-8 and the other to the line-out output of the XD-05. This line out output has fixed volume so I have to change the volume of SU-8 to set them at the same level.
I could barely hear a different sound, SU-8 being better. From all the guesses I did I had a 100% accuracy detecting the best one and it was consistently the SU-8. But this is just a very little difference. I think there is no way I could perceive this difference if it wouldn't be for an instant switch. I cant describe exactly the difference.... I just found it better.... may be like a better definition of sound.
This is what I expected (due to the price of every equipment) and I was happy that I could hear a difference! (super small tho)
2- SMSL SU-8 vs Shanling M5S line out mode
The shanling M5s dap has a line out mode. This is nothing more than a convenience to instantly change the volume to the maximum. it is not a "real line out" because the signal pass through the amp part (if this matters can be discussed elsewhere). If I could hear a difference between XD-05 and SU-8, being XD-05 a real line out... the result of this second test should be obvious...
It was not!! short history: I couldn't hear any difference!! I made a lot of guesses like "I think this is sounding better"... and in some cases were SU-8 and in others M5S... that means I could not be consistent with my guesses and due to that.... no difference!!
how this is possible? no difference between a well evaluated dedicated desktop dac and a midfi dap's fake line out???
this was not what I wanted honestly... but this was my result.
3- SMSL SU-8 vs Xduoo XD-05 phone out
I thought that may be Shanling M5S was super good and so if XD-05 line out was worst, then the XD-05 phone out should be even worst...
I put the xduoo at the max volume, set an equal level on SU-8 (and both connected to Burson Soloist) and then........ SORPRISE!! I could not hear any difference again.... same history, lot of guesses without any consistence!!!
CONCLUSIONS
1.- may be, as stated a lot of times in this forum, DAC does not matter too much. even with instant blind switch the differences, if ever, are rather small (of course my testing is super limited)
2- I dont understand why phone out of xduoo xd-05 sounded better than line-out when used as a line out..... as the phone out uses the amp part of the device "should" sound worse..... may be the burson amp only care about the energy that come into it (as the phone out has more volume than line out in this xd-05 case)
well friends. Sorry if this testing sounded too boring for you. I just wanted to share it with you and may you can add something to it. I will continue testing devices as it is a hobbie after all.
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