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CD Player or DAC Tough Decision Coming Up

Art K. said:
That's not an issue for me. I would always leave a DAC on 24/7. You don't?
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He's saying you can't turn the upsampling off.

Art K. said:
I clearly understand your perspective "EngineerNate", mine is exactly the opposite. The only measuring device worth anything to me are the two on either side of my head. I trust my ears first.
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You win today's trophy for indecipherable quotation mark usage. :P

Ears are finicky and change in their perception day to day and hour by hour. What sounds good at 9 PM may sound harsh and awful at 9 AM the next day. If there's one single component where objective measurement is what matters, it's a DAC. It literally has one job, and if it's doing that with significant measurable problems in the signal it's not doing it right. I for one wouldn't want to spend $2k on a device that has objectively measurable performance issues, regardless of how I thought it sounded. Of any piece of equipment the DAC is the one that should be MOST reliably measured by objective means. It takes a digital file and turns it into an analog signal. It should do so without coloration and with a minimum of distortion and noise. If AC line frequencies are bleeding into the output signal at any measurable level (as in the Schiit measurements) or you have resolution problems (What's the point of using DSD when your DAC is struggling to hit 16 bits?) it fails at the most basic level.

Measurements aren't the only thing that matters, but they are a useful tool in sorting the wheat from the chaff. A DAC that can't pass muster on the most basic objective level shouldn't be worthy of anyone's consideration. That lets the manufacturers get off on releasing crap flawed equipment at exorbitant prices.

Cheers,
Nathan
 
Wasn't that difficult to decipher.

Measurements are the only thing that doesn't matter to me. You go on and measure. I'll listen.

"If it sounds good and measures bad, then you are measuring the wrong thing!" Words I live by.
 
Check this thread and then see what folks think. There are a number of DAC's listed that supposedly measure well and sound mediocre to bad. None-the-less this is my purchase and not yours. My money and not yours. I'm looking at purchasing a DAC that sounds good. Measurements are not important to me. A lot of great audio components that measure poorly and sound great...and also the opposite.
 
EngineerNate said:
Find me a DAC that measures good and sounds bad in a blind listening test and I'll eat my foot. ;)
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Emphasis added. You are of course free to spend your money as you see fit. I read the thread and I saw botrytis and others making recommendations that were dismissed out of hand without any real evidence, even an "I listened to one of those and it sucked," all the assertions about the TEAC at least were based on nebulous, "people say it doesn't sound good" statements. My question would be-what people, in what environment, and under what conditions?

We obviously think about things differently so I'll make that my last statement and let your thread be. :beerchug:
 
It's kind of like playing pin the tail on the donkey vs darts.

A hearing test will often reveal the validity of scientific measurements.

It is a poorly guarded secret that some "audiophlies" prefer specific types of distortion. It confers "warmth" to all their music.

I am "cursed" by being both a scientist and a music lover. I am not a gearhead. I seek gear that is neutral and true to the performance.

And yes, the equipment that I suggested has passed listening tests by experienced music lovers and reviewers.
 
I wouldn't leave a Class A amp on 24/7. From everything I've read, experienced, and heard from dealers I would always leave a DAC or CD player on 24/7. They sound better and better as days go on. That's just me though.

I ordered the Schiit. I should see it sometime next week.
 
Congratulations!
I believe in your trained ears, so if that jitterfull dac sounds better than your cd players, than measuring is not that important after all..
 
Art K. said:
We'll see. I don't think any of my top dacs adressed jitter.
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Welcome to the Gumby Club! I hope you'll post your impressions once you get it.

Just for the record, this is what Schiit themselves say about how the Gungnir handles jitter:

"Adapticlock™: Unique Clock Analysis and Regeneration
Both versions of Gungnir include our proprietary Adapticlock system, which provides for both exceptional jitter performance and rock-solid, glitch-free connectivity. Adapticlock analyzes the incoming signal quality and automatically routes it to the best clock regeneration system—either VCXO or VCO-based. And, it does all of this without altering the bit depth or sample rate of your original music."
 
Thanks, Dave. I'm waiting for a 2 meter coax digital cable to be deliverd to connect the DAC to my Oppo. I have a 1 meter so last night I just connected the DAC to my little Luxman player and played the first couple of minutes of 4 songs and have to say that it isn't as bad cold as I had heard. It has a long way to go to be warmed up. The clicking happens when the CD is first loaded and then when you hit play and it starts.
 
Another variable. Those of us who put in a request to purchase an Oppo UDP-205 when available received an email indicating that there is a chance that that could be soon. If it sounds good enough it could allow me to get rid of a bunch of boxes. Also the clicking on the Schiit might be an issue. I could probably live with it but a good quality one box solutions is very tempting.
 
I was hoping for : "you were right guys, maybe not the best choice", but who knows maybe it needs to burn in..
anyway if you are accustomed to serious cd players, is hard to beat them, one box solution will be even worse..
 
sonci said:
I was hoping for : "you were right guys, maybe not the best choice", but who knows maybe it needs to burn in..
anyway if you are accustomed to serious cd players, is hard to beat them, one box solution will be even worse..
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I have no idea what you are talking about.

What needs to burn in? Did I say that the Schiit sounds bad?

I'm really unclear as to what you mean.
 
Art K. said:
What needs to burn in? Did I say that the Schiit sounds bad?
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It does, doesn't it?
Considering the usual words you use after buying audio components, I guess the Scmitt is not that great, but honestly I don't really care..
Enjoy it!
 
Yes it needs to run in. I neither indicated that it sounded bad or good. I tell it like I hear it and go from there. That means as the sound changes I discuss it. Whether it is from bad to good or vice versa. Never ceases to amaze me how folks respond in confusing ways to threads that they don't care about.

Back to when I said that I had taken delivery of the DAC. I will start listening this weekend. Which starts today.
 
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