MH79
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I'm using an m-audio delta 44, and it seems to have a nice sound. How can I find how it stack up against things like the emu 0404 usb for example?
How do I find what DAC is in my soundcard?
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d-cee
Headphoneus Supremus
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your avatar is mesmerising...
but anyway, back on topic
usually looking at the sound card will have the DAC's model printed on the surface of one of its chips
but on another note, it's kind of hard to judge a device's sound based purely on its DAC chip, because so many things come into play. eg. receiver, analogue output gain stage and things like power supply, board layout and topology and quality of passive components used
best to examine devices as a whole rather than focusing on individual parts
edit: but this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=229391
has exactly what you need
but anyway, back on topic
usually looking at the sound card will have the DAC's model printed on the surface of one of its chips
but on another note, it's kind of hard to judge a device's sound based purely on its DAC chip, because so many things come into play. eg. receiver, analogue output gain stage and things like power supply, board layout and topology and quality of passive components used
best to examine devices as a whole rather than focusing on individual parts
edit: but this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=229391
has exactly what you need
MH79
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Exellent link, here's the DAC:
M-Audio Delta 44 & 66-AK4524 (Envy24,AKM AK4524)
Well, it's got this breakout box, so I may take it apart and see what other bits are in there apart from the DAC.
I guess it isn't quite as good as the EMU, but I wonder how it would stack up against something like the AlienDAC? I've ordered the kit, but I guess the best way would be listen to both sources, and see which one I prefer.
M-Audio Delta 44 & 66-AK4524 (Envy24,AKM AK4524)
Well, it's got this breakout box, so I may take it apart and see what other bits are in there apart from the DAC.
I guess it isn't quite as good as the EMU, but I wonder how it would stack up against something like the AlienDAC? I've ordered the kit, but I guess the best way would be listen to both sources, and see which one I prefer.
Quote:
Precisely. While I thoroughly agree that the DAC chip itself doesn't define the total character of the analog output, I find that AK and AD tend toward the "less warm/sweet" side with Cirrus and BB on the other. That's just a broad generalization, however, not an absolute distinction.
I like the AK "house sound" on truly well-recorded acoustic material--I feel as if I am "hearing it all" without embellishment--maybe a bit on the cold side, whereas lesser recordings that are mastered on the edgy side might sound, on the whole, more realistic via a system based on BB/CS chips.
The top DAC chips all seem to be an equal distance from the "bull's eye of perfection", just in different directions from the center.
| Originally Posted by MikeHunt79 /img/forum/go_quote.gif .....but I guess the best way would be listen to both sources, and see which one I prefer. |
Precisely. While I thoroughly agree that the DAC chip itself doesn't define the total character of the analog output, I find that AK and AD tend toward the "less warm/sweet" side with Cirrus and BB on the other. That's just a broad generalization, however, not an absolute distinction.
I like the AK "house sound" on truly well-recorded acoustic material--I feel as if I am "hearing it all" without embellishment--maybe a bit on the cold side, whereas lesser recordings that are mastered on the edgy side might sound, on the whole, more realistic via a system based on BB/CS chips.
The top DAC chips all seem to be an equal distance from the "bull's eye of perfection", just in different directions from the center.
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