[scootermafia]

I don't know enough about circuits and electronics to instantly understand exactly how a product works based on looking inside it.

Compare this complicated looking DAC:
YuLong stereo audio decoders DA1955DAC - eBay (item 110217626895 end time Dec-18-08 05:44:17 PST)

http://www.dhgate.com/p_ff80808117d9...4a681a44.html# <-- bigger pix

To:

moodlab

What's going on in each?

One is very complicated, the other is not. I know that the Moodlab does not have any op-amps or upconversion in it. The moodlab is also roughly half the price of this Chinese monstrosity.

The Yulong appears to have little cooled transistors in it, the way a power amp would, but I don't exactly know what they're for.

The person to give me a satisfactory explanation for this will get $5 paypaled, since it's not that simple an answer and I appreciate your time.

 

[scootermafia]

The stupid caveman in me says "More shiny parts means better sound" but the Moodlab is pretty well reviewed despite its very simple design...you don't need a lot of parts in a DAC although some companies seem to have a lot going on inside theirs.

 

[scootermafia]

I also know that the Moodlab has a "passive" output stage. I guess this means no amplifying is going on. What are the ramifications of this? Why would I want a DAC output to be amplified in any way?

 

[tfarney]

This won't be a $5 answer, but it's the one I have: There are plenty of people, audio pros and designers among them, who will say that competent, contemporary DAC chips, properly implemented (ie: the manufacturer's directions were followed) all sound pretty much the same. There is a bit of sense to this. It is a very mature technology and the chips are designed to be integrated simply into all kinds of consumer audio devices. The DAC with the complex output circuit is the exception, not the rule.

Of course this would mean that the big difference between the DAC that comes as a part of a basic CD player and an esoteric audiophile DAC is another stage of preamplification, something that most audiophiles would usually avoid like a used handkerchief, so the notion doesn't get much love on audiophile boards.

Tim