MRC001
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2014
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Mine isn't for sale!
The WM8741 isn't SOTA anymore (not based on the numbers) given new offerings from Sabre & AKM. But some of these DAC chips can be finicky to implement, as evidenced by the Sabre "IMD Hump" that many DACs using this chip had, and some did not. But I think we don't hear the DAC chip as much as we hear how it is implemented on the board and the downstream analog stage. The Soul has some nice DSP features, but IMO the analog stage is what sets it apart from other DACs and where it really shines, with its switched power supplies, balanced topology, frequency-shaped internal feedback, and unique volume control.
The WM8741 isn't SOTA anymore (not based on the numbers) given new offerings from Sabre & AKM. But some of these DAC chips can be finicky to implement, as evidenced by the Sabre "IMD Hump" that many DACs using this chip had, and some did not. But I think we don't hear the DAC chip as much as we hear how it is implemented on the board and the downstream analog stage. The Soul has some nice DSP features, but IMO the analog stage is what sets it apart from other DACs and where it really shines, with its switched power supplies, balanced topology, frequency-shaped internal feedback, and unique volume control.