Sony DAC2000 - High End music studio DACs from early 2000s better than today? Has anyone heard it?

[knkkskknk]

It's the same DAC they use today in sony music studios to mix and master music I believe, so most of the albums mixed/mastered are using this as their DA device. It maxes out at 96kHz

It seems every studio uses the same DAC. Are these DACS better than todays DACS? I suppose since it's custom made by SONY they used the highest grade components back then, and it may be better than a 5,000$ equivalent dac today or so?

If however, it does have worse specs then modern dacs, say worse than RME ADI-2 DAC, then I wonder if the audible difference in dacs peaked long ago, seeing as most of the music mixed and mastered at Sony is still using one from 2000. Thoughts?

 

[voodooless]

Are these DACS better than todays DACS?

Objectively, no. Is it audible? Probably not, it's very hard to find any info on the thing

I suppose since it's custom made by SONY they used the highest grade components back then, and it may be better than a 5,000$ equivalent dac today or so?

What are highest grade components? What do they do to the sound? And no, an $80 DAC will have better objective performance, but will obviously miss features needed for a professional setting.

I wonder if the audible difference in dacs peaked long ago

Yes, DACs are a solved problem and have been for a few decades.

 

[staticV3]

It may well be better than today's $5000 DACs, because today's $5000 DACs are boutique nonsense with often dreadful performance.

Today's $50-500 DACs OTOH are usually fully transparent with vanishingly low noise and distortion. It's literally impossible for the DAC2000 to outperform those.

 

[computer-audiophile]

Twenty years ago, I myself could still clearly hear the differences in the sound of DACs. I used to use a lot of DACs A/B/C... side by side in my home.
In this respect, it may have made sense to develop your own professional device.
Today, most DACs are almost perfect and I would no longer hear any differences in sound sgnature.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Why does it have to be better than today?
Isn't it enough to be completely transparent like 95 % of other DACs?

 

[voodooless]

Would be cool to have some more info on the thing though... Or even better have one shipped to @amirm

 

[Rja4000]

It's literally impossible for the DAC2000 to outperform those.

Indeed

 

[gvl]

They proudly say the opamps were selected by ear, oh oh.

 

[voodooless]

They proudly say the opamps were selected by ear, oh oh.

At least they use opamps

 

[AdamG]

They proudly say the opamps were selected by ear, oh oh.

While on a mountain top, by a Monk who achieved 48 hours of deep mental neutrality trance, whilst fasting for 3 days prior and after a full bowel grape seed cleanse. The Monks wife agreed to his preference choices from the kitchen on an adjacent Mountain Top.