Hi
@601red,
Hello. I ordered Drop's (massdrop) THX AAA 789 amp. Looking for a nice DAC to go with this. I plan on using the balanced inputs on the 789. Now, can someone teach me something. When it comes to picking a DAC to go with this, does a single DAC chip or dual chip matter?
The simple & honest answer is
NO but also depends on how the DAC chip or chips or implemented which accounts for more than that the number of chips involved.
The only real difference technically between
Single VS DUAL DAC or even multi DAC, is channel separation & potentially
'better' SNR, THD, etc values as well as dedicated signal grounding per channel as opposed to shared grounding with a single chip unless a maufacturer actually separates the ground & or channels when they wire up the circuit, etc
The real question then becomes whether you can hear the difference between the Single, Dual or Multi Dac chip.
Some people claim they can & all the power to them but it depends on what you can hear & perceive yourself soundwise, not what someone says you should be hearing.
Not to mention head shape, ear shape, ear canal shape also matters, as well as other components in your audio chain, etc which also can include how power or electricity is distributed from the mains also factor, sometimes more significantly than a listener may realise.
Another thing people fail to account for in DACs, regardless of whether it is a standalone unit or has a built in amplifier, is the amplifier section also matters, perhaps more than the DAC as the DAC is simply a chip & won't do much on it's own.
If the amplifier section, standalone or built in, is crap then no matter how good or fancy that DAC chip is or what implmentation, it isn't going to matter, which is why a good amp matters too, usually a whole lot more than the DAC chip.
For example, to use a real world case, say you want a strong water flow to wash something, doesn't matter what it is, eg, dishes, car, etc.
You would likely use a high pressure washer or high pressure water hose to get the work done as opposed to a filling the sink or using a regular hose, etc.
Not only will you be using less water & completing the task quicker but the result is more obvious.
Or put it like this, you have a 500 HP engine with turbo but don't bother to tune the tubro or the actual engine for that matter (Pure Power, right?) or if it is a manual, you don't adjust the timings for lower shifts so it doesn't take 60 seconds per shift when you can do it within 10 seconds, etc.
That 500 HP will still perform worse overall than a 250 HP engine with turbo fully tuned & timed for that average 3 to 8 second shift per gear or even automatic drive.
Also, the mileage would be considerably better on that lower HP mainly due to the tuning too.
Here's a couple of DACs available on Drop, for example. How about the SMSL M500, with a single ESS ES9038pro..... or Topping's D70, with a dual AK4497.
The main difference, aside from what I already mentioned above, between the DAC chips you mentioned from Drop aside from the Single VS Dual implementation is some people will argue Sabre VS AK DAC chips sound different...
How different will depend on you & mileage varies.
Personally & subjectively, I don't hear a whole lot of difference between the two sonically but technically, I often seem to prefer the AK DAC chip implementation as it does sound smoother, organic & warm (my preference) as opposed to colder, potentially cleaner & just power from a Sabre.
Certainly, there will be those who disagree but that's my opinion & preferences but implementation is the most important thing here as is circuit design as pointed out already.
For that reason, that's why R2R exists which technically don't use DAC chips or very rarely but it all comes down to wiring, electronic components & circuit design.
The last point I will add is, depending on the chip implementation once again, Dual or Multi Chip DACs, do benefit from balanced designs, whether the circuit are truly balanced or not is relative & depends on said circuit design, as the left & right channels can or are more easily separated out as stated earlier in my explaination though this doesn't mean it's better either.
Hope this makes sense, feel free to ask more.
Hope you have a great day !
