kphinney;495029 Wrote: > > My thought was to move my TP to the cabin to replace my SB3 and CI > Audio DAC, yet after two days of side by side I really can't identify > any differences. > > .... > > My question to you is:: At what point did you experience a system shift > great enough to differentiate between the SB3 and a TP, and then, what > jump had to occur for you to notice a difference between a good DAC and > the TP? Can a $1200 SB3 + DAC = a $2000 TP in an otherwise $5k system. > > > Obviously, a SB3 playing mp3s into a clock radio will sound just as > good as a TP. When did you hear the shift? Hi,
Having comparing tens of dacs, I'll try to explain how I see things: First of all comes the evaluation process : Some days what you will consider a "better" dac will be the one that is more "detailed", other days it will be the one which gives a better overall result (ie which is more "natural sounding", lower distortion in the mid-range 500Hz-2kHz). You have to be careful in that more "detailed" doesn't mean more "simplifying", btw. Worst of all, the preference will shift from one record to another, as naturally music "directs" you in paying attention to certain details and dismiss others. In other words, you need patience and a constant reference point. Second comes the room acoustics and (to a certain extend) the rest of the system: amplification and speakers. Always keep in mind that room acoustics is not perfect, a 12dB boost (or slop) at certain frequencies is not an exception, but often the rule. If this boost magnifies a particular area where the dac is good (or bad) it will certainly influence your overall image of it. Same if the slop hides the point where the dacs are different. Same happens with the amplification and speakers, but to a lesser extend. Third comes the listening position : always keep the -exact- listening position (as closely as 1 inch) when comparing : room acoustics on certain frequencies may vary up to 9dB two inches away. You can do nothing about it. According to my experience, a few years ago, "good dacs" started at about £1500. Comparing "good dacs" is clearly a matter of taste and musical preferences. In fact they are all "good sounding" but one can prefer a particular sound (especially in a certain room with certain amp and speakers). But as a whole, differences are rather small. As better clocks and ASRC became the rule, the "good dac" price tag shifted down to £300. And it continues to drop. As a result, I'm not amazed you find no big difference (if any) between the CI dac and the TP. But I would advise you to give both a better (more relaxed) listening before deciding : how about listening to each of the for a bout a week, without switching ? This way, you'll be able to decide if there's really a difference (or not) and also, you'll decide which one you prefer. ;) -- Themis SB3 - North Star dac 192 - Cyrus 8xp - Sonus Faber Grand Piano Domus ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Themis's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=14700 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=72542
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