BassDigger
500+ Head-Fier
Try a search for enob. Effective Number of Bits
Thanks mate,
That's a 380 pages thread, can you perhaps point me to the relevant page?
I don't think there is a strong correlation with price in my rankings. For example, note these expensive DACs that I did not particularly care for:
- PSA DSD $5,999
- PSA PWD2 (new production, not upgraded) $2,995
- Chord Hugo $2,445
- Lampizator $4,950
- Lampizator Big $6850 (starting price)
- Eximus DP-1 $3,150
- Teac HA-501 $799 (not that expensive, but horrid)
- Mytek Digital Stereo 192-DSD $1695 (not that expensive, but unlistenable)
Since I am no longer updating the list, I may as well mention many other expensive DACs that I also do not care for:
- Anything from MSB. Good stuff, but too expensive for what you get.
- Anything from Wadia. I don't like their house sound.
- Anything from Meridian. I don't like their house sound.
- Resolution Audio Cantata.
- There are a few more, I can't name them off the top of my head.
I know of PS Audio's reputation as a company, but credit is due to where they succeeded (the PWD1 units upgraded to 2).
Have a Monarchy 22B on the way. Had a similar question about the PCM63 versus the PCM1704. Is the 63 a better sounding DAC chip, Mr. Poon said he would send me 1704s if I wanted to upgrade to 24 bits from the current 20. Good or bad idea?
Edit: Plenty of info on the 22B, but none on the upgrade (is it one?).
Stick with the PCM63s. 1704 is a downgrade.
The ICs are not pin for pin interchangeable. They are totally different packages.
The extra 4 bits appear to give the PCM1704 110, 112 dB dynamic range vs the different iteration of the PCM63's 100, 104, 108 dB DR. All of this as well as the 0.2 dB difference in low level linearity you mentioned are audibly transparent to human hearing though.
Those DR figures aren't apples to apples. Note in the small print that A-weighting is adopted for the PCM1704 - this normally makes the figure around 2dB better than an unweighted measurement.