Do new audio formats work on older dac?

[LucB]

Hé, I've got a question about dac, I want to invest in a good soundcard for my new audio setup. The dac of choice is the Objective2 rev.B odac + amplifier combo. It's pretty exspensive but worth it. But here's the question if I buy this dac now (or any dac for that matter) will these dacs still work with new audio files in the future. Like aac. I dont really know how this conversion works. Is it then worth is to buy this dac now, or should i buy a less expensive one an buy another in 3 years or so.

[Guest Kloaked]

Audio equipment doesn't work like CPUs or GPUs do. You won't have to upgrade in normal cycles to keep up to speed on the "best performance" for audio. Your DAC and amp will be fine probably forever until they invent a way for humans to actually hear more than what we do.

[LucB]

7 minutes ago, Kloaked said:

Audio equipment doesn't work like CPUs or GPUs do. You won't have to upgrade in normal cycles to keep up to speed on the "best performance" for audio. Your DAC and amp will be fine probably forever until they invent a way for humans to actually hear more than what we do.

So when new audio files come around that wont be a problem?

[Guest Kloaked]

1 minute ago, LucB said:

So when new audio files come around that wont be a problem?

If by files you mean format, probably not. The audio formats that are currently being used can run on just about anything and they're not going to be made obsolete any time soon. MP3 has been around since the 90s and it's still being widely used.

[Dackzy]

I would not get a O2 and ODAC, they are simply overpriced (unless you get it for about 150$), a Schiit stack would be better

[LucB]

14 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

I would not get a O2 and ODAC, they are simply overpriced (unless you get it for about 150$), a Schiit stack would be better

The schiit stack will cost €125 each (€250 total)  while the objective 2 only cost me ~€230

[Dackzy]

6 minutes ago, LucB said:

The schiit stack will cost €125 each (€250 total)  while the objective 2 only cost me ~€230

definitely worth the extra 20€, the Fulla 2 i also a amazing combo for only 125€.

What kind of headphones are you planning on using?

[LucB]

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

definitely worth the extra 20€, the Fulla 2 i also a amazing combo for only 125€.

What kind of headphones are you planning on using?

I am using the audio technica ad900x. When is saw linus review on the shiit stack he compared it to the objective 2, and he said he couldnt hear the difference, plus the objective 2 has more features... why should i buy the schiit stack? What's the difference between the objective 2 and the fulla?

[LucB]

5 minutes ago, LucB said:

I am using the audio technica ad900x. When is saw linus review on the shiit stack he compared it to the objective 2, and he said he couldnt hear the difference, plus the objective 2 has more features... why should i buy the schiit stack? What's the difference between the objective 2, the fulla and the shiit stack?

 

[SSL]

5 minutes ago, LucB said:

I am using the audio technica ad900x. When is saw linus review on the shiit stack he compared it to the objective 2, and he said he couldnt hear the difference, plus the objective 2 has more features... why should i buy the schiit stack? What's the difference between the objective 2 and the fulla?

 

How does the O2 stack have more features? You're referring to the O2+ODAC, right? In fact, the Fulla 2 has more features for less money. Just get that.

 

Also, DACs do not play "audio files". Most consume a PCM audio stream that is packaged in software before being sent to the DAC. It's up to your player software to support different file formats.

[Dackzy]

32 minutes ago, LucB said:

I am using the audio technica ad900x. When is saw linus review on the shiit stack he compared it to the objective 2, and he said he couldnt hear the difference, plus the objective 2 has more features... why should i buy the schiit stack? What's the difference between the objective 2 and the fulla?

linus and audio is like a bike guy talking about cars.

The stack is higher quality in every single way, by more features you mean pre out, right?

Most people cannot hear the difference between good onboard and a 500$ combo, so there is that, some can, but most can't or think they can, but when the blind test, then it turns out that their braine tricked them...

 

The objective o2 has more power behind it, but the fulla 2 is half the price, and gives you pre out. 

The Fulla 2 is also have more than enough power for those headphones, I would not recommend going above 150€ for a combo for those headphones, simply because it doesn't make much sense, when you look at the audio quality side of things

[SSL]

I'm not sure why the OP can't just read product pages, but I'll take the time to summarize here. Fulla 2 has:

1. Line-In, allowing it to function as an amp
2. Line-Out, allowing it to function as a DAC
3. Pre-Out, allowing it to function as a DAC/pre-amp or pre-amp
4. Digital USB in and auxiliary USB power so that it can be used with low-power devices, and of course function as a DAC/amp
5. A way better volume knob
6. Smaller footprint

 

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

The objective o2 has more power behind it, is a tiny bit cleaner

 

I'm sorry, what?

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, SSL said:

I'm sorry, what?

I took a quick at the speces, because there is no way I can remember those ontop of my head

 

This is what the fulla 2 does: Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 360mW 

While the o2 does: Max Output 33 Ohms 613 mW

the only other difference is that the THD goes from 0.003% on the fulla 2 to 0.0016% on the O2, which doesn't matter, but the power output shocked me a bit

[SSL]

3 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

I took a quick at the speces, because there is no way I can remember those ontop of my head

 

This is what the fulla 2 does: Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 360mW 

While the o2 does: Max Output 33 Ohms 613 mW

the only other difference is that the THD goes from 0.003% on the fulla 2 to 0.0016% on the O2, which doesn't matter, but the power output shocked me a bit

 

In what way was it shocking?

[LucB]

So you would say get the schiit stack, if that's to expensive get the fulla 2. Am i correct?

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, SSL said:

 

In what way was it shocking?

Well I did not think that the o2 was around the 600mW mark, but in my brain I remembered it as something close to 500mW, so yeah. Not really shocking per say.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, LucB said:

So you would say get the schiit stack, if that's to expensive get the fulla 2. Am i correct?

just get the Fulla 2, no need for anything above it. You don't need the power that the magni 2 can give you and the DAC in the Fulla 2 is plenty fine

[SSL]

2 minutes ago, LucB said:

So you would say get the schiit stack, if that's to expensive get the fulla 2. Am i correct?

 

Get the Fulla. If you go full audiopeel later on, you can start throwing more money at the problem.

 

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Well I did not think that the o2 was around the 600mW mark, but in my brain I remembered it as something close to 500mW, so yeah. Not really shocking per say.

 

But .003 vs .0016 hardly merits being called cleaner. Unless we can hear distortion a couple order of magnitudes below 1% now.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, SSL said:

But .003 vs .0016 hardly merits being called cleaner. Unless we can hear distortion a couple order of magnitudes below 1% now.

true, hence "which doesn't matter ". Some guys care about that .003 vs .0016, because you know some people just want as low number as they can get.

 

I should probaly edit this out " is a tiny bit cleaner" since it doesn't really matter at all.

[SSL]

1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

I should probaly edit this out " is a tiny bit cleaner" since it doesn't really matter at all.

 

You read my mind.

 

People that care about numbers should probably stick with onboard audio rated at 144dB and shit like that.