How much difference will a high-end DAC make?

[BassicScience]

Class D for headphone? You need like 2watts max not 200

I should have said for the Susvara, specifically. I wouldn't use it for many other cans. For the Susvara, it's a match made in heaven, as it is for just about any speaker.

 

[rangerid]

I should have said for the Susvara, specifically. I wouldn't use it for many other cans. For the Susvara, it's a match made in heaven, as it is for just about any speaker.

Can you give me some examples? I am not at all familiar with them

 

[BassicScience]

I still own the Utopia in addition to the Susvara. For a basshead, I wouldn't recommend the Utopia.

 

[JDFlood]

I prefer very good quality tube equipment... not that it sounds like tubes but that it approaches accurate very closely from that side of the spectrum. Even my DAC is tubed. i didn’t get it because it was, but because the way it sounded.

The approach many people use is to review the award winning DACs at the highest level of performance. So, Berkley immediately comes to mind. Zero In on the company that has the sound you want. High end companies have a house sound... the kind of sound they are going for. Then chose a product in your price category. Trickle down will allow them to have superior performance in the price category and over time give yourself an upgrade path. Buying a product that is a one off may not be in your best interest, or be as compatible with the rest of your system. I am very partial to Audio Research since the first preamp I owned of theirs 40 years ago. Although I have owned all sorts of equipment, time reaffirmed the company and my tastes were heading in the same direction. I am not a Mark Levenson or MacIntosh person, or Magico... all great equipment... but not to my taste.

 

[BassicScience]

Can you give me some examples? I am not at all familiar with them

Just do a google search on "hypex class d amps". I use a NAD M22 V2, but there are several alternatives. I see units from Apollon and Nord, among others.

EDIT: The Hypex amp and power supply modules are also sold to DIYers, if you are inclined in that direction.

 

[rangerid]

I still own the Utopia in addition to the Susvara. For a basshead, I wouldn't recommend the Utopia.

Susvara's bass level is the probably the lowest I will accept, they were boreline too little but the other aspect of the headphones are just so impressive I was willing to overlook it. Still I barely listen to any techno & bass focused music on the Susvara right now. They are just magnificent for every other genre tho and if my music taste is different they'd no doubt be my fav headphones.

I prefer very good quality tube equipment... not that sounds like tubes but what approaches accurate very closely from that side of the spectrum. Even my DAC is tubed. i didn’t get it because it was, but because the way it sounded.

The approach many people use is to review the award winning DACs at the highest level of performance. So, Berkley immediately comes to mind. Zero In on the company that has the sound you want. High end companies have a house sound... the kind of sound they are going for. Then chose a product in your price category. Trickle down will allow them to have superior performance in the price category and over time give yourself an upgrade path. Buying a product that is a one off may not be in your best interest, or be as compatible with the rest of your system. I am very partial to Audio Research since the first preamp I owned of theirs 40 years ago. Although I have owned all sorts of equipment time reaffirmed the company and my tastes were heading in the same direction. I am not a Mark Levenson or MacIntosh person, or Magico... all great equipment... but not to my taste.

Tubed DACs... interesting, something else for me to look into. I do enjoy a good tubey sound...

Just do a google search on "hypex class d amps". I use a NAD M22 V2, but there are several alternatives. I see units from Apollon and Nord, among others.

Sweet thanks. Might be a dumb question, but how exactly do I connect headphone to speaker amps, do I need to buy special cables again?

 

[chesebert]

Hifiman has a speaker adapter box.

 

[rangerid]

Hifiman has a speaker adapter box.

Very nice! But man, all these efforts just to drive headphone you'd think they'd make them more efficient in the first place...

 

[chesebert]

Very nice! But man, all these efforts just to drive headphone you'd think they'd make them more efficient in the first place...

Likely to improve bass response.

 

[rangerid]

Likely to improve bass response.

That'd be the dream!

 

[BassicScience]

Sweet thanks. Might be a dumb question, but how exactly do I connect headphone to speaker amps, do I need to buy special cables again?

I bought a simple custom adapter from a guy on eBay. Spades on one end and a female balanced jack on the other. The Hifiman adapter box has some shunt resistors, which you don't really need. Just be careful not to unmute at high volume.

 

[iamoneagain]

I still own the Utopia in addition to the Susvara. For a basshead, I wouldn't recommend the Utopia.

Yeah, I’d agree with that. But really out of the Arche, it’s not lacking bass, impact, weight, or warmth. Possible that Utopia setting on it helps fix issues it would have out of other amps.

I’m also going to see if source makes any difference with the Arche. I can compare roon directly out of Intel Nuc compared to Stack Audio Link II. I have a linear power supply on its way.

Sorry to derail thread since supposed to be about high end dacs. But I would first make sure headphones are properly amped and then can start upgrading the dac. For me, micro detail and precise timing aren’t as valuable if the headphone doesn’t already have proper weight and impact.

 

[JDFlood]

Susvara's bass level is the probably the lowest I will accept, they were boreline too little but the other aspect of the headphones are just so impressive I was willing to overlook it. Still I barely listen to any techno & bass focused music on the Susvara right now. They are just magnificent for every other genre tho and if my music taste is different they'd no doubt be my fav headphones.



Tubed DACs... interesting, something else for me to look into. I do enjoy a good tubey sound...




Sweet thanks. Might be a dumb question, but how exactly do I connect headphone to speaker amps, do I need to buy special cables again?

 

[JDFlood]

If you like tubey sound the best way to get it is through the amp. 300b is likely to be your tube. So look at the Woo WA5. I wouldn’t necessarily look for a tube DAC. Mine is $17K... and you hear more nuances on a speaker system than headphones.

 

[iamoneagain]

Changing source on Arche actually makes less difference than it did on the Chord mscaler/Dave. There’s improvement with Link II but nothing like Danacable adds to the mix.

So for me I’d place order of importance:

Headphones
Amp
Headphone cable
Dac
Source