Here's another goodie...
But in a good way?

 

For audiophile enthusiast listening? Sure. A DAC is probably the least important bit of the chain for end user experience. The important place for a DAC is in the beginning of the process. Even then, it's importance on the checklist is fluid. Especially in a bedroom studio, knowledge of process will trump any gear.

That said, all other things being equal...if you run a raw intake session (not a single track like this guy did, full session - we'll say at 40 tracks) through a Behringer UMC or Focusrite Scarlett (both provide great values for different needs, not gear shaming) and then a RME UFX or Digi/Madiface with some Ferrorfish or Orion or similiar and you cannot hear the difference between the raw tracking then I'll have to assume your favorite pastime is traveling each date of a Sunn 0))) tour and raw-dawgin' the shows

 

Remember that boomers hearing decrease as they age. Take that video with a grain of salt.

Test for yourself.

 

i dont believe this.. i can hear difference!

 

one thing i have learnt thanks to being in the audiophile community is that there is legit differences on dac chips: from their performance to how their implementation makes the audio sound


EDIT: video by crinacle (know in the audiophile community). although it is mainly for dongles, he goes in a little more explanation of differences

 

Last edited: Apr 21, 2025

Not claiming golden ears or anything but its pretty easy to tell the difference between a low end ESS Sabre chip and a Cirrus Logic chip or AKM in lower end audio interfaces..once you get into the £1000 price bracket the differences are splitting hairs and a matter of preference. For cheap interfaces though i wouldn't touch anything that isn't based on ESS Sabre e.g MOTU M4. The difference in DA conversion is quite stark because ESS Sabre handles clock jitter better at those price points and Cirrus Logic chips are garbage until you get to Lynx Hilo, Antelope Goliath territory, Burr Brown are weird and AKM are sort of inbetween all 3. In terms of true to input though at the lower end i would stick with whatever uses ESS Sabre chips. The circuit around the chip is going to be rubbish quality anyways no matter which one you get as they can only be powered with USB C and draw no more than about 3 volts

 

If only. My eardrums were raped to oblivion in claustrophobic rock/metal bars in Turkey long before I'd ever heard of Sunn 0))).
When I listen to them I only hear triangle waves.

 

I don't personally give a shit about what DAC chips are in use, I give a hell of a lot of shits about the electronics around them.

And because there isn't a test bench where you can compare the chips with identical electronics I find comparison tests pretty useless.

 

Hah, one time a friend got mad when I said they "just sound like a synthesizer"

 

This is going to be a great thread, there's already a few nutjobs already who believe in the fairy dust and all of the DAC nonsense audiophile swear by.

There are two truths about any DAC debacle: people don't know how digital audio works, and people don't know how to read a spec sheet.

 

Ok Foster.

 

One time on a one lane country road my 200,000 miles under the hood 1984 Honda Civic beat a 1996 Ferrari Spider and the Ferarri couldn't overtake me...Honda's are demonstratably better cars.

 

I'm too old to hear the difference if there are any these days. I buy audioz interfaces based on physical i/o vs features vs support, thus my affection for my RME. Also, I do lo-fi music. I don't mean the genre, rather I have a lo-fi sound, so that takes all the worry out of it.
Pretty convenient.

 

There are several different DAC chipsets on the market, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most popular options for audiophiles include:

- ESS Sabre: The ESS Sabre chipset is widely considered one of the best options for high-end audio systems. It offers exceptional detail and clarity with a low noise floor and minimal distortion. Many high-end audio products use ESS Sabre chipsets, including the popular Chord Hugo 2 DAC.

- AKM: AKM is another popular chipset manufacturer known for producing warm and natural-sounding audio. AKM chipsets are often used in mid-range audio products, such as the popular Fiio M11 Pro digital audio player.

- Burr-Brown: Burr-Brown is a well-known name in the audio world, and its DAC chipsets are highly regarded for their accuracy and detail. Burr-Brown chipsets can be found in a wide variety of audio products, from amplifiers to digital-to-analog converters.

Which DAC chipset is best?

Which DAC chipset is best for you ultimately depends on your personal preferences and budget. If you're looking for the highest possible quality, an ESS Sabre chipset is probably the best choice. However, if you prefer a warmer, more natural sound, an AKM chipset may be a better choice. Burr-Brown chipsets are also a great option for those who value accuracy and detail.

 

Pfhht !_!
Nonsense re. warm or accurate
A DAC should do the exact function, based on a reference maximum voltage supplied to it.

All the magic happens in the post-filtering buffers.
In fact some DAC amp producers give you options of which OP-AMP chip to slot into their output stage.

 

I've been making music a long time, I started with analog tape and was an early adopter of digital in the 90's... so I've heard many different converters over the decades. Up until the 2010's it was easier to hear the differences in converters but today the differences are subtle, yet still there IMHO. I found that converter design and quality clocks really make a difference in converter sonic signature. Today I have my PARIS converters next to my Audient iD44, next to my Lynx Hilo and not only can I hear the differences I can show the differences. The newer iD44 and my Hilo are close in sound though, but I love the Hilo's tight low end better, especially when capturing a mix coming off my API.

I find in most cases if you track an entire song anyone will hear the converter differences when the mix is done... but no converters make or break the song. IMHO we spend too much time in debate about things like converters that in the end don't amount to much at all. All my production, microphones, and mix choices play a much bigger factor in the songs sound than converters do today.

I say buy the best converters you can afford for your needs and just get busy creating music.

 

Man, stop asking "AI" every single question. That's a bad habit. A DAC is — and should be — precise and "cold" as hell. That’s it.

 

Ethan Winer has already proven multiple times at AES conventions & on Youtube that no human can hear a meaningful nor measurable difference between DACs... Its all placebo effect. & unless you've ever participated in a true ABX test you have no say. Don't take my word for it. Just watch some of Ethan's videos.

 

I would have preferred a more complex, full range signal, a proper finished mix. By all means, with repetitive structure too. Auditory memory is too short.

That said, I'm hoping the result would be the same.

 

Never forget, audiophiles CAN hear differences even in bit identical files if they are stored on SSD vs. HDD, with different memory timings or CPU usage. You can't measure it, but they can hear it.

You can physically prove that no human can walk (bare feet at normal speed) on (liquid, non frozen) water, but there are billions of people thinking that it is possible.