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Just wondering and would like to hear from the moderators. When is it OK to post links to those subjective reviewers on Youtube? And when is it NOT OK? I posted one on a Youtube reviewer who "sold all his Chinese DACs" and that thread got locked and the link erased. Many other postings to...

So the SA400 retails for $660 and the DA9 for $250. I'm a bit confused, other than more power, how is the SA400 that much better? My speakers are 8 Ohms nominal and 87db. The lower powered DA9 should drive it just fine, right?

I'm very confused by this. I understand hearing loss starts to become a risk above as low as 80 dB if sustained (2 hours of exposure) - see link below. Audio becomes painful to humans at 120 dB. I never listen to music at home anywhere near those levels. So what is the point of having a DAC or...

So I did this online test (linked below - free & no registration required). I did it in my normal listening room where street traffic is audible. It was difficult but still possible for me to hear 48 dB of range but at 54 dB, I was totally guessing. The implications on if I can hear a difference...

This is interesting, it seem he prefers DACs that are 'coloured'. A few of his point are valid IMO - such as room for improvement in the UIs. YouTube link removed for your safety and well-being.

Having perused some of the traditional audiophile magazines such as The Absolute Sound, Stereophile, WhatHiFi, HiFi Choice, HiFi News & Record Review, it seems they generally ignore the Chinese brands in all product categories. Yet, at least for DACs, the Chinese brands have a very strong...

So I have an int amp with published specs of S/N Ratio = 102 dB (A weighted) and THD at "less than 0.01%. So that should mean a DAC with top measurements will be wasted on my int amp since the latter will become the weak link in the system? How do I figure out where that threshold is in terms of...

Hi, I'm looking for a 2in1 (1 box) Streamer/DAC for under US$1K with Airplay support, Tidal Connect support, and preferably (but not required) balanced XLR output for under US$1,000. Not interested in 2 box solutions or DIY projects such as Raspberry PI. Now, I know CXN v2 ticks all the boxes...

These days, there are many "budget priced" (which I'll arbitrarily define as <US$500) DACs that are "fully transparent" with measurements beyond most people's hearing. And new models are proliferating. When did this first happen and what were the first "breakthrough" models?

For someone in the Apple ecosystem listening to AAC 256 (default lossy codec for Apple Music), would there be an audible difference between streaming it over bluetooth vs apple airplay (wifi)? I understand that airplay (wifi) will have more bandwidth but would it even matter for a lossy codec...

Many DACs these days come with bluetooth, such as the Chinese brands Topping, SMSL, Loxjie, Sabaj, Gustard & others. Many ASR forum members own such DACs. Just curious, have any of your compared the BT sound quality vs the USB input (which I presume is what you would use from a smartphone...

Hi, I'm using the AudioEngine B1 to stream Apple Music to my home hifi system. I'm satisfied. It's very hard for me to detect an audible difference comparing the B1 (using tracks from Apple Music streaming) vs my CD player. I was somewhat surprised by the very poor review of the newer...

It seems the USB input of the vast majority of desktop DACs is of the B type. Very few use USB-C. Why is that and is USB-C expected to become more common in the next few years?

I did abx tests on the website below using mid-range earphones plugged into a Macbook Air M1 and consistently failed to hear the difference. Maybe my equipment just isn't resolving enough (earphones not good enough, DAC in the Mac not good enough). I wonder if others have taken similar tests and...