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Which DAC measurements do you like to see next?

Jim777

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@amirm I'd like to humbly request a review and measurement of the NAD C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC, possibly with the HDMI expansion card.
I believe it is a very nice proposition for a stereo (2.1) Home Theater and HIFI system, it supports the Dirac room correction system, and it even has a phono input!
I use it connected to my Apple TV via HDMI, I have B&O active speakers and subwoofer, it sounds really nice and it does everything without fuss.
Thanks!
- Fabio

I'd like to add another +1 for the NAD C 658 (with HDMI if possible). If it performs well, it's an awesome feature set!
 

raduschka

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I apologize if this isn't the way it's done, but I add my vote to the sabaj D5. It looks like a Gustard :) It has the same ESS chip. I wonder if it outperforms, ifi and mojo etc. Thank you
 

Kevin1

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I would be interested in seeing your analysis of the Odroid N2 single board computer’s on-board DAC. The on-board DAC plays up to 384Khz / 32bit and the manufacturer claims:

“Dynamic range and SNR is near 100dB and Total-Harmonic-Distortion is lower than 0.006%. You can enjoy Hi-Fi sound quality without an external expensive audio DAC.”

https://www.hardkernel.com/blog-2/odroid-n2/

I own an N2 that I am using as a fanless HTPC running CoreELEC to play lossless audio files from my NAS. I was originally planning to buy a USB DAC like the Khadas Tone Board or Topping D10 but the on-board audio on recent nightly CoreELEC builds sound great to me and have eliminated any audible flaws. Early builds had frequent pops/crackles on volume or media change. I’d love to know how the N2 measures up versus the leading budget DACs.
 
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amirm

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I would be interested in seeing your analysis of the Odroid N2 single board computer’s on-board DAC. The on-board DAC plays up to 384Khz / 32bit and the manufacturer claims:

“Dynamic range and SNR is near 100dB and Total-Harmonic-Distortion is lower than 0.006%. You can enjoy Hi-Fi sound quality without an external expensive audio DAC.”
If those specs are right, 0.006% translates into SINAD of 84 dB which would put in the bottom bucket of DACs tested.
 

Kevin1

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If those specs are right, 0.006% translates into SINAD of 84 dB which would put in the bottom bucket of DACs tested.

I appreciate the info and this forum. It is very refreshing to read about the objective performance of audio equipment.
 

Roen

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If those specs are right, 0.006% translates into SINAD of 84 dB which would put in the bottom bucket of DACs tested.
And the specs are generally quoted as ideal.
 

starfly

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This one sure looks good on paper
Yeah, very curious to see how it measures up against its competitors, such as the NX4. Monoprice's Monolith was a bit of a disappointment, especially given the price.
 

hayche

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Hi. I would really like to see you measure a ipad headphone jack or iPhone. Thanks
 

KenG

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I would like to see the Sound Performance Lab (SPL) Phonitor x, xe or e measured. Most of you probably have never heard of the company which is likely because SPL was exclusively a studio professional brand but lately has stuck their foot in the consumer market. I've noticed that quite a few audiophile online retailers like headphones.com have started carrying their Headphone Amp/DAC combos.

I was recently at a headphone retailer here in Phoenix and had a chance to listen to some Audeze cans (LCD-3 and LCD-4Z) on them. I had never heard of SPL before this but I came away really impressed.

You can find their Amp/DAC combo's here:
https://spl.audio/professional-fidelity/phonitor-x/?lang=en
https://spl.audio/professional-fidelity/phonitor-e/?lang=en
https://spl.audio/professional-fidelity/phonitor-xe/?lang=en

They seem to attend RMAF and some of the CanJams.
 

barrasman

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Beresford appears to be a small company in the U.K., which like Parasound in San Francisco, California, designs high quality audio gear and has it manufactured in Taiwan. Their $235 Caiman DAC/Preamp/Headphone Amp is their flagship product, and has a devoted following. (I assume that they call it a preamp simply because it has a volume control that can be bypassed.) Stanley Beresford himself sometimes posts at The Art of Sound, an unabashedly subjective-audio oriented forum with about 15k members.

If anyone has a Caiman SEG DAC to loan to Amir, it would be an interesting addition to the ASR collection of DAC tests.

View attachment 14329

I have this DAC, and I would like to see how it fares against the competition... although it might be troublesome to send it to @amirm since I'm in Lisbon, Portugal :-~
 
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amirm

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Hi. I would really like to see you measure a ipad headphone jack or iPhone.
I have an iPhone now but when I will get to it, I don't know.
 
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amirm

amirm

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I would like to see the Sound Performance Lab (SPL) Phonitor x, xe or e measured. Most of you probably have never heard of the company which is likely because SPL was exclusively a studio professional brand but lately has stuck their foot in the consumer market. I've noticed that quite a few audiophile online retailers like headphones.com have started carrying their Headphone Amp/DAC combos.

I was recently at a headphone retailer here in Phoenix and had a chance to listen to some Audeze cans (LCD-3 and LCD-4Z) on them. I had never heard of SPL before this but I came away really impressed.
I saw this at an audio show. They sure look nice but too expensive for me to buy.
 
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