"What is the best DAC?"
This is a question I am asked frequently,
where DAC can be substituted for other equipment I review.
Sometimes even equipment I have never reviewed, like cables and headphones.
So time for a clear answer.
I do understand the question.
Audio can be - and often will be - hard to judge by ear if it's not your profession.
With the internet changing the retail channel you often can't even listen to equipment
anymore if you want the bargains - and who doesn't.
But the internet does offer even less certainty.
There are quality brands that only sell over the internet to keep the price low -
or at least lower than when going through the classic retail channel.
But there are also crooks that buy cheap junk, stick a label on it plus a description that
uses all the right fashion words.
Want an example?
A linear power supply is known for improving the sound quality of audio.
But when we speak of a linear power supply,
we mean a linear power supply that was designed for audio.
A simple one, like the Audiophonics I reviewed, will set you back € 90, a very good one,
like the sBooster I reviewed, € 300.
But the iFi iPower was just as good as the Audiophonics
while it was a switching mode power supply.
Browse the web and you will find linear power supplies for less than € 20.
How good those are, is hard to say.
But I won't buy one for review for common sense tells me
that it costs less than proper parts would cost.
If it looks like a rat, smells like a rat and sounds like a rat, it's a rat.
So you might ask again: "What's the best?"
The honest answer is: that depends.
Whether equipment is to your liking depends on a number of factors that can be divided
into two categories: you and your environment.
Your auditory system can be divided into two categories again: physical and cognitive.
The physical aspect concerns your ears: the outer shell, the ear drums, the small bones
called hammer, anvil and stirrup, the oval window in the organ of Corty and the hair
cells in the Eustachian tube.
The quality of the physical part is not only defined by your genes
but also by the care you take to protect it.
See my videos on hearing loss.
The cognitive part also is partly defined by your genes but for a large part depends
on what you learn over the years.
This means there is a social factor, a geographical factor and so on.
Especially during adolescence many references are set concerning social behaviour, morality
and also musical taste.
With that musical taste preferences for particular sound might develop.
Some musical taste might prefer a bass heavy sound as where another musical taste might
demand for very low distortion on voices, and so on.
The 'You factor' alone already makes it impossible to give personal advice
without thorough investigation.
And then there is the environmental factor.
Again, this factor can be split up into two sub-factors:
your stereo set-up and your listening room.
In many cases a stereo is built from several components
that might or might not work together ideally.
One component might compensate for the shortcomings of another component.
Sometimes even changing a more expensive product for a cheaper one might give better results.
Want an example?
At theHBproject.com/en/about my three reference sets are listed.
The lovely Acoustic Energy New Reference speakers in setup 2 sound great when driven by the
Marantz KI Lite amp in that set.
But when I connect these speakers to the NAD C361BEE amplifier, they sound clearly less
than the far cheaper Mordaunt-Short Avant 902 speakers due to the mismatch between the
Acoustic Energy's and the NAD.
And to avoid misunderstandings.
In its price range the NAD amp is by far my favourite.
There are three ways to overcome this problem:
buy all equipment from one sole reputable manufacturer,
have a reputable dealer combine a set for you
or investigate yourself what might combine well.
The first solution might be the least economical but easiest way.
the last might be the most economical but hardest way.
And if you make mistakes, the last solution might turn out to be the most expensive in the end
but it might also teach you more about audio equipment.
The listening room is another defining factor.
In fact, you could see it as a part of your stereo.
The size of the room no only dictates the needed acoustic output - how loud can it play -
but also whether you - for instance - better buy monitor speakers than floor standing speakers
and use a subwoofer of the lows.
If your listening room also is the living room, there are other limitations that come into account.
Aesthetics might limit the freedom to place speakers.
For the same reason acoustic treatment might be a bridge too far.
By the way, I rather have too little acoustic treatment than too much.
But you might have another opinion.
Does that render my reviews worthless?
I hope not.
Equipment I review has been carefully selected and when it appears to be disappointing I
will not spend days of production time to tell you that in a video.
This means that in almost all cases reviewed equipment is worth considering.
I try to indicate the quality of the sound by describing how that device performs in
my three reference set-up's.
If possible, I even describe it in more detail.
But if you want me to give you rock solid advice on what to buy, I might have to work
several days with you to find out.
Unfortunately I can't spare the time to do that unless I would charge you at rather
high hourly rates so I can hire people to do the video post and publishing work for me.
Since we're talking money now, I would appreciate it if you would support this channel through Patreon.
The advantage of working on line is that publishing is relatively cheap and it's a big market.
The disadvantage is that the distance between you and me is rather big and you might not
realise I do this for a living.
A subscription to the e-publishing version of a hifi magazine will set you back $ 15 a year,
the paper version even over $ 80.
I would already be happy if you would support the channel with $ 1 per month.
That will cost you $ 12 per year and and gives you access to extra patron-only videos.
It also makes possible for me to remain independent.
You find the link in the show notes.
My name is Hans Beekhuyzen, thank you for watching and see you in the next show or on
theHBproject.com.
And, whatever you do, enjoy the music.
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