Great review. Thanks! Was waiting for this review for long.
One very fundamental doubt though. Why are audio folks still stuck up with stereo DACs and not going multi-channel DACs like 7.2.4 for more immersive audio?! To me even 7 Ch stereo sound from AVR sounds more immersive/holographic than 2 Ch stereo sound from 120 dB SINAD DAC system. Are expensive AVRs like Denon 3800H/4800H still no comparison to 120 dB stereo DACs when it comes to comparing music/audio?
I think with music adopting immersive technologies like ATMOS, 3D Reality etc, DACs should also start moving towards multi-channel systems rather than leaving it on AVRs only or trying to simulate it using stereo mode only?
Apologies in advance in case it seems way too noob question. Am still exploring and trying to understand different audio worlds.
The difference isn't in DAC quality. A good Denon receiver can't compare to the
measured performance of a stand-alone DAC, but in most cases you'd be unable to hear the difference.
The considerations are mostly practical. Most music has not been mixed for 5.1, 7.1 or Atmos. The music that has been mixed for surround is often only available on esoteric formats. Using upsampling / surround simulation DSP processing is not acceptable for most listeners as it introduces artifacts and is sub-par compared to mixing for surround directly.
More importantly, though, most people don't have the space, money, or interest to invest in setting up a decent 7.2.4 system. You can pair this streamer with an amplifier and a good set of passive bookshelf speakers, or an even better set of active speakers, for well under $5,000 total and get phenomenal performance. To get comparable performance out of a 7.2.4 system you would need to invest at a minimum $15,000, without even taking into account space and the limited music available for the formats.
Some people may also want to set up an office/bedroom system in addition to a living room surround system, and no one needs
two surround setups, especially in your bedroom or office.
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