# Do all DACs sound the same? **URL:** \ **Category:** Audio Gear Talk\ **Created:** [May 10, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196 "2022-05-10T22:04:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Neil\_Snyder](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/neil_snyder/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@Neil\_Snyder](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/Neil_Snyder)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/123 "2022-05-14T16:29:46Z")
I guess the OP has never used a Chord Dave connected to a Chord M Scaler. The differences between DACS are very significant unless you buy cheap dacs with the same chipsets. ---
**Author:** ![blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/blbeczech82/32/167113_2.png) [@blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/blbeczech82)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/124 "2022-05-14T16:34:51Z")
@David_Hamby and @struts thank you for your time and contribution. I’m still somehow convinced that regarding DAC, what I feed in as digital file I should get 1:1 exactly out. This is ultimate DAC. What you describe are general pros/cons of digital reproduction. If DAC tries to compensate/correct something coming from digital (by chip, by filters, by analog path design,…) I’m OK with it but that’s not what I’m looking for. If we speak about transients, shouldn’t they be solved by increased sampling frequency? Today’s DACs can handle 705.6 kHz so transients can be sampled sufficiently. Indeed then recording frequency should be also higher. ---
**Author:** ![blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/blbeczech82/32/167113_2.png) [@blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/blbeczech82)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:42pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/125 "2022-05-14T16:42:14Z")
> [@Neil\_Snyder](#): > > I guess the OP has never used a Chord Dave connected to a Chord M Scaler. You’re right, I never used so cannot compare. I believe they use one of three chip brands on market anyway. So if there is any difference in SQ, it’s intentional by design trying to improve something or tuning according theirs taste. It’s quite usual that based on research there is some preference of sound by most people which they try to achieve. And then people say it sounds excellent but it’s not 1:1 in/out which purists like me look for. ---
**Author:** ![AA\_Parky](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/aa_parky/32/78417_2.png) [@AA\_Parky](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/AA_Parky)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/126 "2022-05-14T16:44:58Z")
> [@blbeczech82](#): > > I believe they use one of three chip brands on market anyway. Both are FPGA. ---
**Author:** ![WiWavelength](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/wiwavelength/32/50562_2.png) [@WiWavelength](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/WiWavelength)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/127 "2022-05-14T16:54:23Z")
> [@Neil\_Snyder](#): > > I guess the OP has never used a Chord Dave connected to a Chord M Scaler. > > The differences between DACS are very significant unless you buy cheap dacs with the same chipsets. Is this “differences…very significant” assessment per your subjective experience? > [@Headphones have spoiled me](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/headphones-have-spoiled-me/198376/20): > > Im gonna be 81 in July and partially deaf in my left ear. I have a sensorineural hearing loss so if i get enough volume my ability to hear the entire frequency spectrum is possible. If the answer to the aforementioned question is affirmative, do you think that you are a capable and reliable witness for audio comparison at this point? See your own self disclosure quoted above. How would you fare in an ABX test between level matched DACs? AJ ---
**Author:** ![Marian](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/marian/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@Marian](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/Marian)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/128 "2022-05-14T17:05:55Z")
> [@blbeczech82](#): > > DAC tries to compensate/correct something coming from digital As I said before, a non-aliased digital signal represents a unique analog waveform. There is nothing to improve on once the signal has been digitized. Errors introduced by improper digitization (e.g. aliasing, jitter, inadequate dither etc.) cannot be undone during D/A. ---
**Author:** ![Neil\_Snyder](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/neil_snyder/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@Neil\_Snyder](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/Neil_Snyder)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/129 "2022-05-14T17:18:47Z")
Extremely well. Given enough volume in my left ear, i hear the entire frequency range. Reason i use a sparkos labs aries ii amp. ---
**Author:** ![blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/blbeczech82/32/167113_2.png) [@blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/blbeczech82)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/130 "2022-05-14T17:56:48Z")
Unless they want to intentionally customize/equalize SQ so it may sound “better” to some people? ---
**Author:** ![Marian](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/marian/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@Marian](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/Marian)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/131 "2022-05-14T18:36:33Z")
Yes, unless, although that’s a futile exercise. If you have room correction or other custom DSP, the DAC should not interfere. ---
**Author:** ![blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/blbeczech82/32/167113_2.png) [@blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/blbeczech82)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/132 "2022-05-14T18:41:38Z")
I fully agree. ---
**Author:** ![killdozer](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/killdozer/32/211569_2.png) [@killdozer](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/killdozer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/133 "2022-05-14T20:20:00Z")
> [@musicjunkie917](#): > > All one has to do is look at the Dynamic Range database to see this. Objective measurements rather than ears to establish the best recording? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![wideopensource](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/wideopensource/32/31096_2.png) [@wideopensource](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/wideopensource)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/134 "2022-05-14T20:47:05Z")
I think that we should do away with sound engineers and have robots perfect recordings according to math. ---
**Author:** ![Marian](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/marian/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@Marian](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/Marian)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 9:36pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/135 "2022-05-14T21:36:57Z")
> [@wideopensource](#): > > have robots perfect recordings according to math. That’s what REW, Dirac, Audissey and other equalization techniques do for specific environments. ---
**Author:** ![wideopensource](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/wideopensource/32/31096_2.png) [@wideopensource](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/wideopensource)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/136 "2022-05-14T21:41:18Z")
Coool/char ---
**Author:** ![tripleCrotchet](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/triplecrotchet/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@tripleCrotchet](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/tripleCrotchet)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/137 "2022-05-15T12:35:19Z")
> [@musicjunkie917](#): > > Today’s remasters of older recordings are, more often than not, not as good as they tend to be compressed with less dynamic range. The fact that you don’t know this is curious. All one has to do is look at the Dynamic Range database to see this. Maybe. But the DRD is not a reliable source. At least to this sound engineer who was astonished to see the claims being made for the dynamic range of Vinyl and CD mistering’s of his own recordings. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/n-AE9dL5FG8/maxresdefault.jpg "Why the TT Meter doesn't work on vinyl") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-AE9dL5FG8) ---
**Author:** ![musicjunkie917](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/musicjunkie917/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@musicjunkie917](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/musicjunkie917)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/138 "2022-05-15T13:54:35Z")
Clearly I was talking about digital masterings. Why would you think vinyl masterings are even part of the conversation. Also, no one said the DR database was definitive for every single album out there. The best masterings do not necessarily have the most dynamic range. But, the best masterings of older digital releases are not the modern compressed masterings that are a result of the loudness wars. ---
**Author:** ![tripleCrotchet](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/triplecrotchet/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@tripleCrotchet](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/tripleCrotchet)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/139 "2022-05-15T13:56:35Z")
> [@musicjunkie917](#): > > Clearly I was talking about digital masterings. So is the engineer. That’s the point. ---
**Author:** ![tripleCrotchet](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/triplecrotchet/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@tripleCrotchet](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/tripleCrotchet)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:58pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/140 "2022-05-15T13:58:52Z")
> [@musicjunkie917](#): > > no one said the DR database was definitive for every single album out there. You were clearly implying that. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Barbour](https://community.roonlabs.com/letter_avatar/bruce_barbour/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@Bruce\_Barbour](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/Bruce_Barbour)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/141 "2022-05-15T15:00:58Z")
> [@blbeczech82](#): > > That sort of old-schoolers somehow missed the digital age. That kind of comment shows you are not familiar with the work of the reviewers in question. ---
**Author:** ![blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/user_avatar/community.roonlabs.com/blbeczech82/32/167113_2.png) [@blbeczech82](https://community.roonlabs.com/u/blbeczech82)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196/142 "2022-05-15T15:22:51Z")
True. I’m not familiar with their work, if they hear difference using Etherregen. Then any other statements about what he hears or not, what is good or not, is not reliable (even if he’s increasing his reliability by sitting in his oscilloscopes museum dusty corner). I believe if there would be audiophile air humidifier to improve SQ with enough high cost and luxurious look, he will hear difference too. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Io4SDi5hLxs/maxresdefault.jpg "UpTone Audio EtherREGEN audiophile switch") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io4SDi5hLxs) [Previous page](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196.md?page=6) [Next page](https://community.roonlabs.com/t/do-all-dacs-sound-the-same/201196.md?page=8)