ok I got to like page 5 before I just decided to skip here because im going to get updates for this thread anyway
has anyone posted any FR graphs here? :S
has anyone posted any FR graphs here? :S
I would suggest to try to demo or spend some time with "affordable" "good" desktop dacs. The sony is an amazing unit, for a premium DAP, but dap dacs are normally low quality, and that sony is no exception. Try stuff like a RME, or topping A90, but maybe RME is the best sigma delta dac for the price, and costs 999$, it's a great delta sigma dac and should sound better than your sony. You can also get an ARES2, which would be a great r2r ac for the price, different sound from delta sigma. And finally a god but cheap elta sigma dac, like e30 or heresy or jds dac or gheselly... even those can sound better than your sony. I say can, because your ears have the last word.I don't have any experience in desktop DACs since I've always been an IEM/portable set up type of person. I actually haven't been in the audiophile world since late 2013'ish and just returned in November this year when I bought the Stellias which I love and remain my favourite headphones. I was driving them from my iPhone 6 and iPod nano and they still blew my mind since I was upgrading them from some CIEM I bought in 2010.Then I found a massive improvement in sound when I upgraded my source to Sony WM1Z. At that point I was still reluctant to fully commit to a desktop setup.
I eventually decided to expand beyond the portable world and added an full sized tube amp (Manley Absolute) and now I am considering adding a full sized DAC to replace my WM1Z. However, I am really unsure to HOW MUCH improvement upgrading a DAC will yield considering I am in the believer that headphones > amps > dacs in importance.
To give an idea of how I hear improvements, since buying the Stellia, I've researched/tried open back counterparts including Utopia, LCD4, Empyrean, HD820, and Susvara. All of them except the Susvara had a major deal breaker somewhere in sound that I couldn't overlook. Susvara is the only 1 that did nothing wrong to my ears and I bought those to complement my Stellia. In comparison, the Susvaras are clearly a level above Stellia in every comparable category like sound stage, imaging, separation, detail retrieval, dynamics, etc... How much improvement I perceived in technical performance from Stellia to Susvara is what led me to asking the question in this thread.
The improvements were noticeable but it definitely wasn't night and day difference. For example, I heard small details in songs on Susvara that I never heard on Stellia, like maybe a bell in the background somewhere, echos, or small bass beats in the distance, nothing major, just little extras here and there. Images had a sharper outlines around them and so forth. It's hard to put a numerical value to these improvement but if I had to I'd say it's 10-15% improvement in technicalities.
So, if I perceive a 10-15% performance improvement from Stellia to Susvara, how much improvement will I perceive if I upgrade from WM1Z as my DAC to something like TT2+MScaler or DAVE?
I am aware of the diminishing returns in each dollar spent. However, is the performance gap between the DAC in the WM1Z and something like TT2 greater than that of the Stellia to Susvara, leading to more significant improvements overall?
Edit:
To expand a bit on what I am looking for, I enjoy WM1Z's rich, organic, laid back sound signature. I do NOT like forward, aggressive, analytical & bright sound signatures.
My "perfect" or "ideal" sound signature is warm, natural, slight bass/treble emphasis, wide & deep soundstage for EDM/Trance/Techno/Retro, hip hop/rap, r&b, and pop (I don't listen to any other genres). Extracting every last detail & technical precision isn't as important as overall enjoyability of the music
I have to agree. In general, desktop DACs are much better than even very high end DAPs. I have a A&K SP1000 and it is good for travel but all my deskops have been better.I would suggest to try to demo or spend some time with "affordable" "good" desktop dacs. The sony is an amazing unit, for a premium DAP, but dap dacs are normally low quality, and that sony is no exception. Try stuff like a RME, or topping A90, but maybe RME is the best sigma delta dac for the price, and costs 999$, it's a great delta sigma dac and should sound better than your sony. You can also get an ARES2, which would be a great r2r ac for the price, different sound from delta sigma. And finally a god but cheap elta sigma dac, like e30 or heresy or jds dac or gheselly... even those can sound better than your sony. I say can, because your ears have the last word.