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Best External Dac to Improve Sound Quality

TheNinjaNextDor

I'm saying my super camping knife with justin bieber picture on the side is just as good,  and if you stick it in your ear it even sounds the same as his music.

I have a broken Studio's 6.3mm adapter, it helps my monitors brightness issue. 

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I have a broken Studio's 6.3mm adapter, it helps my monitors brightness issue. 

exactely, and if you tell people this they don't get it. completely irrational :unsure:

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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exactely, and if you tell people this they don't get it. completely irrational :unsure:

Implying I can be rational, or that any stuck up audio prick can be. 

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Implying I can be rational, or that any stuck up audio prick can be. 

not you, but implying that in general when it comes to audio people are irrational and no matter how much evidence you give them, if the information means they can't have what they want or that their $2000 amp only cost $100 to make and ship and the rest is status symbol tax (akin to buying the i am rich app).

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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not you, but implying that in general when it comes to audio people are irrational and no matter how much evidence you give them, if the information means they can't have what they want or that their $2000 amp only cost $100 to make and ship and the rest is status symbol tax (akin to buying the i am rich app).

I'm just as irrational, while it be over other things, I believe the both of us would be hard pressed to find someone not irrational about something. I just suppose its easier to find irrational "audiophiles" then most anything else. 

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I'm just as irrational, while it be over other things, I believe the both of us would be hard pressed to find someone not irrational about something. I just suppose its easier to find irrational "audiophiles" then most anything else. 

 

I might be irrational, but it is complicated for me given my Autism.

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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I might be irrational, but it is complicated for me given my Autism.

Know the feeling, manic depression with hyper cyclo thymia makes fun times out of all times. 

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Know the feeling, manic depression with hyper cyclo thymia makes fun times out of all times. 

do what I do, just listen the music. :D

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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Short answer: They don't,  Humans can't tell the difference between DAC's.

 

 

Long answer: If there is a discernible difference between two devices it most certainly will be the output stages of the device (e.g the amp) not the DAC.  Also this is the net,  there is no way to guarantee that any claims made are backed up with actual blind tests, or that the tests were carried out properly.  This it what makes it so difficult to be realistic in the audio realm.   I realise this puts every statement I make in the same "take cautiously" basket, however I think at the end of the day that logic and a rational understanding of audio technology will win out.

So your claim is that the DAC doesn't effect the sound, but can you show me proof that all DACs really sound the same? I know people like to make fun of the "audio snobs" for spending more money than they have to, but I haven't seen any proof that everything actually sounds the same.

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So your claim is that the DAC doesn't effect the sound, but can you show me proof that all DACs really sound the same? I know people like to make fun of the "audio snobs" for spending more money than they have to, but I haven't seen any proof that everything actually sounds the same.

 

All companies that produce dacs take very accurate measurements of their performance, this is so their clients (I.E sound card and usb interface makers) can design their product.  When these measurements are all compared they are within a bulls roar of each other.  For example:

 

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=24&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=328&DownTypeID=1&GetDown=false&Downloads=true

 

Download the ACL 1150 data sheet and you can see just how detailed the testing is (analog out starts at page 81)

compared to the cirrus logic equivalent:

 

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cirrus.com%2Fen%2Fpubs%2FproDatasheet%2FCS4382_F2.pdf&ei=oG3TUsrIMYGMkwXihYHQDg&usg=AFQjCNGDjzbXkRCK1JzU0OzVdASfZbCwqg&bvm=bv.59026428,d.dGI (the analog measurements starts on page 5).

 

As you can see these measurements are so close that only test equipment with extremely high resolutions can tell the difference.

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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Am I correct in assuming that an external DAC only helps for headphones or unpowered speakers? Due to the lower output impedance... It would not help in improving the sound of powered speakers right?

 

I'm just as irrational, while it be over other things, I believe the both of us would be hard pressed to find someone not irrational about something. I just suppose its easier to find irrational "audiophiles" then most anything else. 

Maybe because there are so much media publications which critically review (or claim to) high end audio equipment... People reading conclude that the authors are experienced and have tested loads of gear so they trust them. Rather than thinking it's all placebo...

 

Similar to the way people read car magazines knowing that the authors have more perspective due to their experience of driving a lot of different cars regularly.

 

Even if they are wrong they are not that "irrational" because they working with the information that is presented to them.

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Am I correct in assuming that an external DAC only helps for headphones or unpowered speakers? Due to the lower output impedance... It would not help in improving the sound of powered speakers right?

A dac, while necessary, won't inherently help anything. So getting a basic one, like the D3, or making use of your onboard dac, are always your best budget/smart buyer options. 

Really it comes down to the amplifier, and its that part that doesn't help powered speakers since they have their own. 

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Similar to the way people read car magazines knowing that the authors have more perspective due to their experience of driving a lot of different cars regularly.

 

The problem with audio (as compared to cars) is that we rely very heavily on our perception to substantiate anything an audio reviewer tells us, but this is (as psychologists have proven time and time again) flawed due to the way we interpret sensory input.  But with a car, if the reviewer say it looks like a Ferrari and you know exactly what a Ferrari looks like you can judge if that reviewer is fair dinkum or just doing it for the money.  However with audio, if a reviewer says "these headphones definitely reproduce above 20Khz and has a very musical touch and transparency" does anyone know exactly what a "musical touch and transparency" should sound like?  The audio world, particularly reviewers and manufacturers, cannot be held accountable and have a certain "escape goat" in the placebo effect and status style heard mentality. 

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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