How much difference will a high-end DAC make?
Jan 21, 2021 at 4:10 PM Post #181 of 274
The OP needs to drag his feet to a dealer (COVID permitted) and listen. My "best" means nothing to OP; all I can do is tell OP which direction to take, but OP needs to do the work of actually listen and decide.
 
Jan 21, 2021 at 4:55 PM Post #182 of 274
The OP needs to drag his feet to a dealer (COVID permitted) and listen. My "best" means nothing to OP; all I can do is tell OP which direction to take, but OP needs to do the work of actually listen and decide.

That's the plan... but stores are closed until at least Feb 8 where I live. Will definitely try to get some demos when it's possible.
 
Jan 21, 2021 at 6:31 PM Post #183 of 274
In Aisa? Good bit more hifi stores in Asia than the states.
 
Jan 21, 2021 at 6:51 PM Post #184 of 274
In Aisa? Good bit more hifi stores in Asia than the states.

I'm in Canada. Couple of nearby have some high end stuff listed online, I will see what they have in store.
 
Jan 21, 2021 at 11:08 PM Post #185 of 274
It is why we use DDC with external clock, then S/PDIF coax or optical will sound the same as USB. :)

Hmmmm... not that I've listened to optical for some time, but, doesn't optical have less bandwidth than USB?
 
Jan 22, 2021 at 1:47 AM Post #186 of 274
Hmmmm... not that I've listened to optical for some time, but, doesn't optical have less bandwidth than USB?
Is the coax input 384ksamples/s (PCM & DSD DOP) not good enough?
http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/DI20HE/DI20HEEN.htm
Optical is still limited, but my point is that the external clock can synchronise frequencies, eliminating jitter. If your DAC has I2S input, you will use it - of course, but older DACs do not have I2S or you can find it incompatible.
 
Jan 22, 2021 at 9:27 AM Post #187 of 274
Well, at least with your ears cleaned out you're listening to "your" truth.
Exactly because my "truth" and your "truth" can differ when it comes to lifelike sound.
 
Jan 22, 2021 at 10:40 AM Post #189 of 274
Exactly because my "truth" and your "truth" can differ when it comes to lifelike sound.
Removing earwax doesn't help. It is where the truth lies...
 
Mar 26, 2021 at 4:22 PM Post #190 of 274
Wow can't believe it's end of March already. I've been trying to purchase the Bakoon since early Feb and just got it 2 days ago, it took forever but it finally arrived, as well as my Sonnet Morpheus DAC.

I was pretty set on getting the Bakoon due to the raving reviews and posts I've read praising it but man the DAC purchasing decision was tough. 1 week I was set on getting the DAVE, next the Holo May, then Wavedream... In the end, my purchasing choice actually came down to form factor. I've mentioned it before but I just can't get over how massive some of the Dacs are, like 20-40lbs and almost 1.5' long, just too much and I really want to keep things small. I also couldn't demo any of the DACs mentioned in this thread since in Canada none of the dealers I spoke with had them and they all had to special order it.

So with these 2 new toys, I've come up with an order of how I want to test them so I can tell exactly what is improving what:

WM1Z -> Bakoon (compare Bakoon vs Manley)
Morph -> Manley (compare Morpheus vs 1Z as source)
WM1Z -> Manley -> Bakoon (impact Manley has as a pre-amp)
Morph -> Bakoon
Morph -> Manley -> Bakoon (theoretically, this should give the best sonic quality? but who knows...)

So far I've been mainly listening to the 1Z->Bakoon. First impressions vs the Manley Absolute Tube amp is, well, the Bakoon sounds more like a tube amp than the Manley does... The first few minutes I heard the Bakoon out of the box was man, it sounded THICC, like it's got such a rich, tonally dense, and full bodied sound, but at the same time, much, much better extensions in the highs, bass about the same with the Manley in push-pull mode. Bakoon's soundstage is bigger, more holographic, and overall more detailed all around. In a way, the Manley tube amp sounds more referenced and neutral while the Bakoon's sound signature is warmer and even more euphonic, which is right up my alley.

Final note on how gorgeous the Bakoon is in design, it came beautifully packaged and it really makes me wish more audiophile gear were designed with a similarly small footprint.
 
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Mar 26, 2021 at 5:06 PM Post #191 of 274
Wow can't believe it's end of March already. I've been trying to purchase the Bakoon since early Feb and just got it 2 days ago, it took forever but it finally arrived, as well as my Sonnet Morpheus DAC.

I was pretty set on getting the Bakoon due to the raving reviews and posts I've read praising it but man the DAC purchasing decision was tough. 1 week I was set on getting the DAVE, next the Holo May, then Wavedream... In the end, my purchasing choice actually came down to form factor. I've mentioned it before but I just can't get over how massive some of the Dacs are, like 20-40lbs and almost 1.5' long, just too much and I really want to keep things small. I also couldn't demo any of the DACs mentioned in this thread since in Canada none of the dealers I spoke with had them and they all had to special order it.

So with these 2 new toys, I've come up with an order of how I want to test them so I can tell exactly what is improving what:

WM1Z -> Bakoon (compare Bakoon vs Manley)
Morph -> Manley (compare Morpheus vs 1Z as source)
WM1Z -> Manley -> Bakoon (impact Manley has as a pre-amp)
Morph -> Bakoon
Morph -> Manley -> Bakoon (theoretically, this should give the best sonic quality? but who knows...)

So far I've been mainly listening to the 1Z->Bakoon. First impressions vs the Manley Absolute Tube amp is, well, the Bakoon sounds more like a tube amp than the Manley does... The first few minutes I heard the Bakoon out of the box was man, it sounded THICC, like it's got such a rich, tonally dense, and full bodied sound, but at the same time, much, much better extensions in the highs, bass about the same with the Manley in push-pull mode. Bakoon's soundstage is bigger, more holographic, and overall more detailed all around. In a way, the Manley tube amp sounds more referenced and neutral while the Bakoon's sound signature is warmer and even more euphonic, which is right up my alley.

Final note on how gorgeous the Bakoon is in design, it came beautifully packaged and it really makes me wish more audiophile gear were designed with a similarly small footprint.

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Make sure they are broken in before real critical assessment. Most high end components require several hundred hours. Normally 200 to stabilize then they will sound slightly better, slowly over the next few hundred hours. I would never decide unless the difference was night and day with Less than 400 hours on each component.
 
Mar 26, 2021 at 5:10 PM Post #192 of 274
Make sure they are several hundred hours before real critical assessment. Most high end components require several hundred hours. Normally 200 to stabilize then they will sound slightly better, slowly over the next few hundred hours. I would never decide unless the difference was night and day with Less than 400 hours on each component.
A DAC needs 'several hundred hours' to be 'broken in'?
 
Mar 26, 2021 at 5:11 PM Post #193 of 274
A DAC needs 'several hundred hours' to be 'broken in'?
Yes. It will become more natural sounding, less edgy, the bass will solidify.
 
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Mar 26, 2021 at 5:13 PM Post #194 of 274
I turn on any component and run it 24 hours a day for a week (not tubed) . After a week you can hear a noticeable difference, after 2 weeks much more. At this point it will be settling down. Frequently sound quality will fluctuate wildly in the 100 - 150 hour range. i don’t like running big tube stuff all night, so I start it up when I get up and shut down before I go to sleep. but that is me. How apparen the difference depends on the component. The better the components and system the bigger the difference.
 
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