What are some of the best DACs out there that extract the most out of regular old 16/44.1 redbook?
I would be very hesitant of buying any Schiit products without measurements. My son bought one of their $400 DACs and it was by far one of the worst performing DACs I have measured. I was measuring it because he was able to readily hear the activities of his PC bleeding through that DAC into his headphones. Here is its S/PDIF performance:Interested in The Schiit (on back order till end of June) but the FAQ is hilarious, a must read.
Any other recommended options in that price range?
http://schiit.com/products/yggdrasil
Thanks but the measurements are not properly documented. I can't tell for example if he used the PC to drive to the signal as I did or the Prism Sound output. Lack of isolation is not going to show up when you use a lab grade instrument to drive the DAC as opposed to typical noisy PC music server.Here is a link to measurements taken of the DAC. Seem damn impressive to me.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/764787/yggdrasil-technical-measurements
Me? No. I had no issue. We returned the box and got a refund. They have issues. What I have shown are clearly design problems in a $400 DAC. Not one problem but multiple. The workmanship on the interconnect was not subject to debate either. Maybe their other DACs are good. I don't know. What I do know is that significant issues existed beyond anything anyone can explain away in nearly $1,000 my son spent between DAC, headphone amp and cables, based on my recommendation of reading their subjective performance on forums no less. Having now egg on my face, I hope you forgive me for warning people to not jump in the pool the same way.I have 2 Schiit products, the Gungnir DAC and the Wyrd and they work flawlessly. Mike Moffatt is no dummy. I recommend their products without hesitation. Sorry you had an issue Amir.
When a device has poor isolation, its performance becomes variable and source dependent. Unless such time that it is shown to not have such issues, then subjective performance unfortunately cannot be relied upon as even if valid, may not be replicated on other systems.We listened to redbook extensively with this DAC last night and it was sensational. So was high rez.
The guy selling hair growth ointment has money back guarantee too . Doesn't mean it is a substitute for proper data before jumping in. There is work and effort involved in buying and returning something.Which is why they have a money back guarantee.
I think I have done my bit to add objective data to the conversation and that was enough for me to write off the company. With so many choices of DAC companies out there, I don't know why I would spend time dealing with a company that put out such poor performing product. You should have seen the soldering job on the cable. I can show a 6 year old how to solder wires better than they had.Try it for 2 weeks and if you don't like it, send it back. My friend did it with the much more pricey Berkeley DAC. He keep the Schiit over that and a PS Audio DAC. Maybe you can order one, test it and let us know.
Which is why they have a money back guarantee. Try it for 2 weeks and if you don't like it, send it back. My friend did it with the much more pricey Berkeley DAC. He keep the Schiit over that and a PS Audio DAC. Maybe you can order one, test it and let us know.
Not sure where you are going with this Tim, but I have had the Gungnir for over a year and am listening to it through Spectral gear and Vandersteen 3A Signatures and it sounds fantastic. NO issues at all, knock on wood.
Wisnon, It cost around $16k. I was not there to audition it.
Which is why they have a money back guarantee. Try it for 2 weeks and if you don't like it, send it back. My friend did it with the much more pricey Berkeley DAC. He keep the Schiit over that and a PS Audio DAC. Maybe you can order one, test it and let us know.
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