Digital to Analog with 100% accuracy

[Jsingh4]

Is it possible to convert the digital signal to analog signal with 100% accuracy or to reconstruct the an analog signal to its exact true form.

 

[Deleted member 9286]

Only if you own a Chord M Scaler

I’m joking, I’m joking......before I get mobbed in here!

 

[Schackmannen]

Is it possible to convert the digital signal to analog signal with 100% accuracy or to reconstruct the an analog signal to its exact true form.

I'm far from an expert, but as far as I'm aware it's theoretically possible to convert a bandlimited analog signal to digital and back again to analog with 100% accuracy (Shannon-Nyquist sampling theorem), but in practice every real device will have some inherent noise and distortion that will introduce small errors. However, modern AD/DA converters are so good that any errors in the conversion will be far lower than what we can hear, so for all intents and purposes the conversion will be "100% accurate" to our ears.

 

[Schackmannen]

Here's a video that explains a lot of concepts about digital audio very well:

 

[bluefuzz]

Is it possible to convert the digital signal to analog signal with 100% accuracy or to reconstruct the an analog signal to its exact true form.

Yes. And no ... ;-)

Yes, because modern AD/DA technology can translate a digital signal to analogue with levels of distortion and noise way below the capabilities of human hearing to discern. But is it perfect? No. Nor can it ever be.

However, an analogue 'signal' is by definition not perfect either. It's analogue – meaning 'like something else' – an imperfect representation. So the question is essentially meaningless.

 

[Hayabusa]

Is it possible to convert the digital signal to analog signal with 100% accuracy or to reconstruct the an analog signal to its exact true form.

No, never 100% accurate but 99.999 should be possible

 

[Jsingh4]

No, never 100% accurate but 99.999 should be possible

what DAC do I need for 99% of accuracy.

 

[hyperplanar]

what DAC do I need for 99% of accuracy.

99%? Any DAC with a SINAD of 40 dB or better

 

[RayDunzl]

what DAC do I need for 99% of accuracy.

Just about any of them, as that would be 1% error.

0.01% might be typical for lesser DACs - noise/distortion around 80dB below the signal.

 

[BDWoody]

Is it possible to convert the digital signal to analog signal with 100% accuracy or to reconstruct the an analog signal to its exact true form.

No, but closely enough that it takes very sensitive, expensive equipment to even detect such small differences...which makes it effectively transparent.

Many people confuse digital reconstruction as a connect the dot situation, when it is more of an actual reconstruction.

If I have a circle with a radius of 4", how much information do you need to be able to reproduce that circle exactly? Just that measurement, and math does the rest to recreate that perfect circle.

Error might be in the width of your pencil, or the accuracy of your compass, but it isn't an approximation...its a real circle, just like mine.

 

[solderdude]

To get closest to the original you can select any DAC that has at least a fast linear phase reconstruction filter.
These are the filters with pre- and post ringing.

Make sure it has the inputs you need and supports the file formats you (plan to) use.
Then select one in your price range that you find pleasing to look at and looks great in your system.
The other filter options are less 'accurate' but sometimes preferred by some people. Mostly this is a marketting thing people started to demand.

Stay away from filterless NOS DACs and 'slow' filters when the majority of your music is CD quality unless you prefer that. More accurate it is not.

 

[Dimitri]

However, an analogue 'signal' is by definition not perfect either. It's analogue – meaning 'like something else' – an imperfect representation. So the question is essentially meaningless.

4 quarters are analogous to 1 dollar . There is no "imperfect representation"
Analog has no "sample rate" just like a circle has no finite amount of points comprising its circumference.
Concluding that the question is "essentially meaningless" is the wrong conclusion.

 

[BDWoody]

what DAC do I need for 99% of accuracy.

You just asked this here:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-on-a-dac-to-get-the-true-analog-sound.11927/

Did that thread not answer your questions? It did get a bit boring...

 

[Dimitri]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-on-a-dac-to-get-the-true-analog-sound.11927/

Did that thread not answer your questions? It did get a bit boring...

Isn't the answer "pretty much any" ?

 

[FrantzM]

what DAC do I need for 99% of accuracy.

Most DACs tested here do better than that, I can recommend 2:

• The Apple Dongle, price is nine dollars ($9 )
• The Total DAC price is $15,000.

I will not recommend what I have, the Khadas Tone Board because at $100, it is not cheap enough , nor expensive enough. It is however objectively superior to those 2.

 

[BDWoody]

Isn't the answer "pretty much any" ?

Yep...unless broken... I'm just hoping we don't get more YouTube videos of turntables...

 

[Johan Liebert]

I like this video by technology connections.

 

[mansr]

Is it possible to convert the digital signal to analog signal with 100% accuracy or to reconstruct the an analog signal to its exact true form.

The reconstruction process itself can be made accurate to any finite level desired. The inaccuracies in the output of a DAC are mostly noise and distortion of analogue origin, and there are physical limits to how low noise can be. Distortion arises from slight mismatches in components due to manufacturing tolerances which again can never be zero. A 100% perfect DAC is thus impossible to make. A DAC with no audible anomalies is, however, quite easy to build.

 

[captain paranoia]

what DAC do I need for 99% of accuracy.

A 7-bit DAC...

 

[captain paranoia]

Did that thread not answer your questions? It did get a bit boring...

I suspect FrantzM nailed it in post #15 of that thread...