Bought a new Dac but not what i expected.
- Thread starter Zax89swe
- Start date
Hi, I got the new V90 dac by music fidelity but I cant hear any diffrences between it and my computer soundcard which cost 1/10 of the price Id payed for the dac. How can this be or is my amplifier to bad sounding (Pioneer 656 from 1991). Expected fine rythmics and insightful sound..
The_Lhc
Well-known member
Zax89swe said:
The difference in DACs is small. Many soundcards have DACs that are transparent.
The only reason for the super expensive ones is bragging rights
(In my opinion)
BigH
Well-known member
The V-dac is only £200 I would not expect there to be much difference, thats what I have found with DACs.
What soundcard have you got?
What soundcard have you got?
Zax89swe said:
The asus actually has a really good dac in it, so not surprised you haven't noticed any difference.
I think you've just come across the wonderful world of overpriced hifi equipment compared to what other real world alternatives are out there
steve_1979
Well-known member
fr0g said:
I agree with fr0g. The difference between DACs is very small to nonexistent IME. I'm not surprised by your findings as I've heard a couple of PC sound cards which sound identical to HiFi DACs.
Blackdawn
Well-known member
BigH said:
only!! I don't agree £200 is cheap for a DAC.
To the OP, what quality/bit rate/type etc are the music files your using? If they are poor quality to start with - it will be worth ripping them again in a lossless format.
I payed 280euro for this dac, my files in flac dosnt sound better then before, I maybe get a little more bass but thats it but for the money I would rather buy a subwoofer instead.
Have you maybe thought of connecting your DAC to your computer via USB instead of via your soundcard's optical output? That's how I'd have connected it. I know some will argue this is a rubbish analogy for a plethora of probably valid reasons, but you wouldn't judge the quality of a new amp by feeding it from the tape outputs of your old one
Look at the websites of some of the companies that actually make DAC chips. They only make two or three stereo ones - there's no huge range of audiophile ones to pick from as people would have you believe when they go on about 'good' or 'better' DACs. They're sold on basis specs which indicate they're capable of delivering sounds way outside of what we can hear.
I had a similar experience when I bought an Audio-GD NFB-12 DAC/headphone amp to use with my PC instead of coming straight out of the motherboard soundcard - which admittedly is probably worse than a discrete sound card such as yours. I could hear some improvement; I think but when I took the DAC downstairs and hooked it up to the digital out from the TV and DVD/CD player I could hear absolutely no difference whatsoever.
I'm now also of the opinion that there is very little to choose between DACs apart from functionality and build quality. As it happens I had other reasons for buying it in that it has a decent headphone amp and line out so serves as an easy way to switch between speakers and headphones. Also don't need to use the computers software volume control anymore for the headphones.
More audiophile hype I think.
I'm now also of the opinion that there is very little to choose between DACs apart from functionality and build quality. As it happens I had other reasons for buying it in that it has a decent headphone amp and line out so serves as an easy way to switch between speakers and headphones. Also don't need to use the computers software volume control anymore for the headphones.
More audiophile hype I think.
BigH
Well-known member
musical0111
Well-known member
i bought a musical fidelity m1 dac feed it apple lossless ,and from blu ray playerZax89swe said:
its is a big step up from my previous system i now enjoy my music.
matt49
Well-known member
MajorFubar said:
+1
There's not much point in playing files through your sound card and then into the DAC. As the Major says, better to connect via USB. You'll need to set the PC sound up so that the DAC is acting as the PC's audio device and the sound card is being bypassed. The V90's user manual explains how to do this.
The MF won't be dramatic improvement.
That's not because "all DACs are the same". It's just that any Hifi DAC below £500 is going to be compromised. Even further still if a PC is the source.
A DAC chipsets performance (like ALL electrical components) are subject to how they are implemented.
For years hifi designers have gone to great lengths to isolate electrical, radio, and mechanical noise. It's funny how all of that common sense disappears when designing a product to go on the end of a (electrically very dirty) PC/MAC.
I heard the Naim DAC V1 a month ago, and yes it sounded very good, but it was embarrassed by the full Naim DAC playing the same WAV file off a Corsair memory stick!!!
A better working environment for the chipset (with absolutely NO internal jitter), plus with no electrical ties to a dirty source. But it comes at a price.
And the Pioneer was not a bad amp back in the day really.....those Wharfedales though.........urrghh.
That's not because "all DACs are the same". It's just that any Hifi DAC below £500 is going to be compromised. Even further still if a PC is the source.
A DAC chipsets performance (like ALL electrical components) are subject to how they are implemented.
For years hifi designers have gone to great lengths to isolate electrical, radio, and mechanical noise. It's funny how all of that common sense disappears when designing a product to go on the end of a (electrically very dirty) PC/MAC.
I heard the Naim DAC V1 a month ago, and yes it sounded very good, but it was embarrassed by the full Naim DAC playing the same WAV file off a Corsair memory stick!!!
A better working environment for the chipset (with absolutely NO internal jitter), plus with no electrical ties to a dirty source. But it comes at a price.
And the Pioneer was not a bad amp back in the day really.....those Wharfedales though.........urrghh.
matt49 said:
Nonsense. The optical output is free from any electrical inteference and almost certainly bit-perfect.
whiskywheels
Well-known member
matt49 said:
+1 No wonder he can't hear any difference; he's still hearing his soundcard!
I can't believe that people still don't know how to use an external DAC with their PC or laptop.
BigH
Well-known member
Optical out is the worst of the digital connections, most of the time the sound becomes smoother but detail suffers. USB or coaxial would be the better way to go. Just tested this myself with optical from my Dune mediaplayer and afterwards USB straight from the pc to the dac. In my opinion the USB was ahead soundwise and was more consistent and detailed.
whiskywheels said:
You better believe it buddy boy. Not only that but I have no ruddy idea what you lot are banging on about.
whiskywheels said:
No he isn't... The optical output is a digital pass-though, bypassing the soundcard entirely.
It's exactly the same as what comes out of the USB; digital PCM data. No more, no less.
We're still not quitting on the digital voodoo BS?
chebby
Well-known member
whiskywheels said:
Because to 99 percent of 'normal' people (who probably don't even back-up their computers, or use the most rudimentary anti-virus software, or know what the acronym DAC means) this stuff is 'woofle dust'.
I have had blank stares from people when I say 'LAN cable' or 'network cable' or 'router'. They have them but haven't got a bl##dy clue they've got them because "a bloke from [insert ISP name]" did it for them. (Or a relative who "does computers".)
Well put Chebby , pretty much all of your post applies to me :cheers:
Pooters eh , I just fudge it or call in the geek ( usually because I have lashed something up ).
Pooters eh , I just fudge it or call in the geek ( usually because I have lashed something up ).
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