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Is the Performance of a DAC Linked toCost?

Well that was back in 2019. We've really moved on since then, as demonstrated by a review from this month's Stereophile:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mojo-mystique-x-se-da-processor-measurements
Just look at the linearity - screwing things up that badly requires real dedication!
Fantastically bad :) the schizophrenic combo of deliberate misunderstanding all digital signal theory since 1930 and eat some shrooms to weed out the remnants of your education and still make the product somehow “work” it produces audio in both channels?
 
To be honest I’ve just quickly tested (no level match etc. just standard use) Creative Play! 3, Creative G3 and my 1500 euros Cayin stack (including Cayin iDac Mk2) and there was no significant difference in sound.

Maybe with more refined sound, proper test etc. you could hear a difference but in real life you forget your brain/focus and just hear music casually so there will be no difference.
 
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I have to answer the thread title with "yes". Free DACs are no good.
 
Well that was back in 2019. We've really moved on since then, as demonstrated by a review from this month's Stereophile:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mojo-mystique-x-se-da-processor-measurements
Just look at the linearity - screwing things up that badly requires real dedication!
"At Mojo Audio, we seek to provide the most transparent window possible to the music on the recording as opposed to a measurably more accurate or universally pleasing interpretation. Every circuit, component, and module we use is painstakingly chosen from among the best in the world through a series of blind A/B listening tests in order to select the ones which yield the most harmonically coherent results."

Cough, cough, bullshit, cough, cough.
 
And not mourned at all.
One downside is that it in many places it’s difficult to listen to prospective speakers or see other audio devices in person. So one has to order online and test it home. For solid state electronics not so much a big deal, but speakers vary a lot and whether it not one likes them is a preference.

Fortunately, there are sites like ASR with its many measured devices and speakers.
 
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