The future of consumer DACs - What would YOU like to see the most?

[threni]

Darko Acme Door Stoppers holding for you on Line 3.

I have some spare blu-tak.

 

[Gradius]

RME ADI-2 DAC FS has everything covered nicely, thanks!

That might be true, however we still want a new version, SINAD to be over -120dB (easily), the same for dynamic range and a bit more powerful and better HP amp.

 

[RandomEar]

That might be true, however we still want a new version, SINAD to be over -120dB (easily), the same for dynamic range and a bit more powerful and better HP amp.

Thought about getting the ADI-2 DAC fs as well. I agree that performance isn't the best of the best anymore and a small improvement would be nice considering the price point. But my biggest gripe with the device is the lack of a Bluetooth input.

I get that it's a semi-pro interface and all and that BT may not be relevant for their main market. But I occasionally use the BT input and don't want to add some janky external solution to get that.

 

[xaviescacs]

I want to control music reproduction with the remote of my RME as if it was a CD player: play, pause, stop, next track, etc. I hate using the phone as a remote.

 

[Bleib]

Well, the jump in price from Topping D10 Balanced to a unit with RCA out and more digital inputs is a bit on the high side

Topping could also upgrade the remote to be better

HQ EQ would be nice too

 

[threni]

I want to control music reproduction with the remote of my RME as if it was a CD player: play, pause, stop, next track, etc. I hate using the phone as a remote.

If you have a PC as your player it's sometimes pretty easy to configure a remote to do whatever you want. My Topping E30 remote had spare buttons so I use them to control the mpd that's the actual music player moOde uses.

 

[JSmith]

I hate using the phone as a remote.

Amen to that... my phone is a phone, not a remote.

Absolutely want to see more features such as sub out, EQ/DSP/RC, DPLL (if possible in the dac chip), better QC/updates etc.


JSmith

 

[xaviescacs]

If you have a PC as your player it's sometimes pretty easy to configure a remote to do whatever you want. My Topping E30 remote had spare buttons so I use them to control the mpd that's the actual music player moOde uses.

Interesting... never thought about it. I also use moOde with a Pi...

 

[threni]

Interesting... never thought about it. I also use moOde with a Pi...

I blogged about it here: https://poldieblog.blogspot.com/2020/12/remote-control-of-mpd-on-raspberry-pi-i.html
I wrote it before I started using moOde but nothing changed.
MALP is a good Android app to control mpd (regardless of whether you use moOde or not) - much better on devices with a small screen, or for people who just don't like websites.

 

[JiiPee]

RME ADI-2 PRO FS R functionality and quality recased in something that looks less like an audio pro-equipment and more like a hifi doohickey designed by Italians.

 

[AlephAlpha001]

RME ADI-2 PRO FS R functionality and quality recased in something that looks less like an audio pro-equipment and more like a hifi doohickey designed by Italians.

Could be worse. Remember the joke about Heaven vs. Hell?

 

[Paolo]

RME ADI-2 DAC FS has everything covered nicely, thanks!

Respectfully, I would rather say "The RME has everything competently covered".

Now, the premise, I love my ADI-2 DAC FS. It is the smartest part of my setup.

For the nice part, though:

• The HMI seems designed from an "enlightened engineer" point of view and it could very well use some input from the UX design world.

• Case design: consumers have desktops or living room furniture, not racks, as long as the device is smaller than a typical AVR we will be fine. Of course "the smaller, the better," but not smaller, this is important for:

• Buttons and knobs: those should be way bigger to be comfortable, the RME' volume knob is fine, but the others should err on it's size to be really handy, and with more space between them

• The display is too recessed, with the device on my desk I have he first line of text always covered by the case front panel.


Ultimately, the Ideal device would be an ADI 2 with a touch screen on top of it, maybe angled (adjustable?) and as big as an iPad mini, to wander through menus and easily set EQs, plus a real (digital) knob for the level.

Given the current market it could fairly cost 40-50% more than the ADI2, to be honest and maybe even wipe-out the competition.

 

[prerich]

Does the fact that option better technical performance (SINAD, dynamic range,...) is tied for last place, an indicator that we've reached the point of diminishing returns as far as performance goes (especially for DAC's)?

​

 

[Killingbeans]

Yes, decades ago.

 

[Bleib]

Nah, not decades ago as the prices for top performance wasn't exactly low.
But since the price has gone down (as it should) it's a bit like the cellphone manufacturers who created the useless resolution wars. It helps to market things but really just drained the battery.
So yeah, I'd be looking into more and/or better features at this point.

 

[Plcamp]

Homer Simpson designed a car once.

What I would like functionally is something like an e30 with an extra optical in and an analogue and a digital pass through.

So that a legacy receiver pre-out can be used via analogue pass through, and a Minidsp can hang off digital pass through for subwoofer and/or remote amp connection.

 

[Vortex]

The future of consumer DACs - What would YOU like to see the most?​

A new Topping flagship with the new AK4499EXEQ dual-set.
A Topping E31 or E40 (similar to the E30, call it whatever you want) would be also nice with the new little sister AK4493S. (Don't ask me why but it's rather a female DAC chip to me).

 

[Daverz]

I would like to see larger cases that don't get pulled off of a shelf after hooking up a few interconnects.

I use poster putty for this (AKA mounting putty, sticky putty, etc. Blu-Tack is specific brand, but the generic stuff you find at any dime store works fine.) For example, I use this to keep a little ethernet switch from moving around.

 

[MaxBuck]

My vote is "none of the above."

DACs are IMO a pretty much entirely solved problem.

 

[APPLEKID]

One more thing.
It will be nice that DAC can be bus-powered. USB3 or TB might be enough to provide enough electricity. Additional PSU seems unnecessary in most cases, unless it need to drive electrostatic earphones.