DACs and midrange performance (i.e. voices playback)

[gino1961]

Hi ! sorry for my ramblings ... but yesterday i was listening to my old Benchmark dac 1 (the very first edition) to this cd

what a beauty of cd track .... amazing indeed.
maybe it is the lockdown .... but i found the quality of the recorded singer's voice even moving for realism and passion.
Nevertheless the midrange was marred with some harshness ... it was not as smooth as i would like Not spooky realistic as it should be
I am quite sure it is not the recording ... it is the dac !
So the question ... what would be a good option for a dac in order to get the midrange right ?
i listen a lot to opera tracks/choirs etc. and the quality of the midrange is very important to me
I have the bad feeling that dacs who can provide a really great midrange are also very very expensive ?
Thank you very much for all your patience and possibly very welcomed advice.
Kind regards, gino

 

[highpurityusbcable]

I recommend famous Italian "Risperidone" DAC series. Not expensive.

 

[Mnyb]

It's not the DAC its never the DAC

 

[FrantzM]

Gino.

Serious answer to your question. Take your time to read through this website. The conclusion would be that unless your DAC is broken ( I doubt the Benchmark is), they all sound the same.
The Apple Dongle @ $9 will likely sound about the same on voices, if you don't know which DAC is playing and the levels are matched.

Enjoy your current, well-made, transparent sounding DAC.

 

[gino1961]

Hi thank you all ... do you mean that the harshness is coming from other elements of the chain ? i was thinking to try out the SMSL Sanskrit 10th mk II of which i have seen the test here
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/smsl-sanskrit-10th-mk-ii-dac-review.12148/
or the Topping E30 ? or D10 ?

 

[FrantzM]

Tell us a bit more:
About the room.
What speakers you have?
What headphones?
. I am assuming that your electronics are OK, you could tell us a bit about them to remove assumptions...

 

[Blumlein 88]

Well it certainly is sibilant. Is that the voice itself (it can be)? Most likely culprit is the microphone. Or poor EQ choices during mixing/mastering.

I'd bet it is all on the microphone used for the voice.

It is late here or I'd do it, one could run it thru a de-esser.

The piano sounds brittle too, so I'd bet some of it maybe is the mixing/mastering.

 

[ZolaIII]

In this case it's definitely the recording attributed probably to mic and mixing levels. Bottom end of vocal is exaggerated.

 

[gino1961]

Tell us a bit more:
About the room.
What speakers you have?
What headphones?
. I am assuming that your electronics are OK, you could tell us a bit about them to remove assumptions...

Hi ! room is not treated at all ... unfortunately.
I am listening through speakers ... they are Energy C100
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nIvNImLVL._AC_.jpg
amp is an Auna AV2-CD5508
https://www.auna.it/Componenti-Hi-F...m-ABOIA0GznDxCV4M_7K2o-NogtuEjsMaAgEsEALw_wcB
Sound is coming from the Chromecast ... then tv and to the dac via optical
Could it be the cheap amp adding some distortion ?

 

[gino1961]

Well it certainly is sibilant. Is that the voice itself (it can be)? Most likely culprit is the microphone. Or poor EQ choices during mixing/mastering.
I'd bet it is all on the microphone used for the voice.
It is late here or I'd do it, one could run it thru a de-esser.
The piano sounds brittle too, so I'd bet some of it maybe is the mixing/mastering.

Hi ! thanks a lot Actually i was thinking the opposite ... that the recording was perfect i get some ambience ... usually a good sign of quality
Ok i have been influenced by a review i read about the Benchmark first edition i have ... saying that the output stage is not the best
Someone have carried out some mods ... but everything is smd inside ... i would not dare to touch it
They say that the digital part is quite ok but not so the analog section I know that some designers do use tubes in the output to get the midrange right ?

 

[gino1961]

I recommend famous Italian "Risperidone" DAC series. Not expensive.

Hi thanks ... i really hope this one below will have a similar effect
https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B085TF124M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
i could not stop myself after reading the excellent review on this site ... i have already a Teradak little linear power supply to use with it
I will be using a USB type C cable with a type C to micro adapter. I understand USB type C cable can carry more current ? they are usually better made
I promise ... if this will not work i will try the Risperidone ... seriously i am afraid of psyco-drugs ... i could like them to much

 

[ZolaIII]

You absolutely don't need a new DAC! If you want to upgrade something let it be speakers.

 

[gino1961]

In this case it's definitely the recording attributed probably to mic and mixing levels. Bottom end of vocal is exaggerated.

Hi you mean that you also get a hint of harshness in the voice ?
I am always looking for a reference recording for testing the voice rendition of my system. I read one a very fascinating review. The reviewer was using a very high quality recording of his own voice. When played back on the system under test with his eyes closed ... i report his words
https://www.stereophile.com/content/rockport-technologies-antares-loudspeaker-page-3

...When I listened to my own voice, as recorded on The Ultimate Test CD (out of print), I was taken by surprise at how the Antares put me—not just my voice—in my own room, nasal twang and all, without added colorations. It was an out-of-body experience....

 

[gino1961]

You absolutely don't need a new DAC! If you want to upgrade something let it be speakers.

Hi thanks a lot but too late ... the price was too tempting and i understand that the SMSL Sanskrit is a very decent dac ? i really hope it will be my last one and then for sure i will look somewhere else to improve the chain. Also the amp is suspicious ... it has a smps I have noticed that it sounds much better on Sunday ? maybe it is sensitive to noise in the mains ? and then of course the speakers But Energy is a good brand I have opened them and found nice parts inside I could try some better caps on the tweeter maybe
I will ask on the dedicated thread if someone has tried this little unit on a revealing system ... if it is good there it can be good everywhere ?
This Benchmark is with me since like 10 years ... time to change
Very similar to this one but without the usb input
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-measurements-of-benchmark-dac1-usb-dac.3708/

Conclusions
Compared to current state-of-the-art modern DACs the Benchmark DAC1 USB trails in performance. It especially does poorly in linearity. As such it is not really a DAC that I can recommend for new purchases. There are cheaper alternative to what the DAC1 USB fetches on the used market ($800?).

I understand that the SMSL uses AKM chips ? great choice of chips. For sure it performs much better at the bench than the DAC1 .

 

[Wombat]

My voice that I hear naturally, sounds somewhat different to a recorded copy. I am in doubt re the reviewers opinion of his voice recording.

 

[gino1961]

My voice that I hear naturally, sounds somewhat different to a recorded copy. I am in doubt re the reviewers opinion of his voice recording. View attachment 117541

Hi you are very right ! i did not think about that ... i am not very rational

 

[ZolaIII]

Your voice will always sound different to you when recorded. Benchmark got a great reputation around hire for the products that were mesured. I don't know about those speakers but they don't look all that great to me. As they are rated at 86 dB LPS even if they sound great you don't need great DAC for them. The rest is commodity. Anyway you will have most real improvement with better speakers that can go louder and deaper. All do opinions differ I like good old paper cones one's especially for mids. Regarding this particular recording problem is in it.

 

[Leporello]

I am quite sure it is not the recording ... it is the dac !

How do you know this?

 

[Blumlein 88]

This isn't necessarily a reference female voice. I was listening to it earlier and it strikes me as a better recording than the one you point to in terms of vocal fidelity.

Here is another of her early singing.

 

[Beave]

Facepalm.

It's not the DAC.

If anything needs an upgrade, it's your speakers. Those are entry level Energy speakers.