castleofargh
Sound Science Forum Moderator
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TI PCM5102AQuote:I considered getting the X3 for a while now. I finally decided to go for the Xuelin 770 based on the comparison made by people who have tried both. Anyway, why did Fiio decide to go with the CS4398? Isn't the CS4398 a lower chip than the WM8740? Someone mentioned that the CS4398 is also used in the AK 100ii. I googled and found out that the iPod touch Gen 2 and 3 used the same chip. Makes it harder to tell whether the CS4398 is a good chip or not. I do get that the CS chip consumes less power but performance wise, seems like a downgrade?
Isn't it funny that these chips are both really really OLD? If memory serves me right they are both used inn products since 2008 - so in electronic terms, grandpa's...
So my question is: Are they that good that there is just nothing much to improve? I want to believe that.
What are the best DAC chips currently?
WM8740
CS4398
ESS9018
TI PCM5102A (added during edit)
Can someone pitch in?
I mean we seem to be rotating in the high end players between these and their variants for quite some time...and from my experience it's the implementation that matters most. I mean the 8740 is in so many things I used. From the Fiio E7 which is a $60 DAC/Amp to the AK100 Mk2 which is a $700 DAP - it seems the price for the DAC chip are really not making any difference....
Who can help with some insider or just more substantial knowledge about these chips?
Cheers,
K
you got it right, the price doesn't mean anything, in fact the choice of the DAC chip doesn't mean much either. the idea than one chip is better than another or that they have some "house sound" is half urban legend, and half implementation choices/mistakes. the chips can all ideally do better than any DAC they're put into. some need more energy, some have better shielding, some are cheaper, some are more sensitive to this and that, they probably all have some secret salsa for noise shaping and stuff, but none of those things really matter comparatively to the choices of implementation or the quality of the amp output.
a few years ago a guy was a loser if his dac didn't have a wolfson chip, then came ESS and that chip alone was like saying that brad pitt played naked with angelina in a movie, they started putting sabre chips in everything for no other reason than marketing "it has a sabre dac go get one!!!". and all this time every so called audiophile had been crapping all over cirrus. but now that some stuff like A&K use them, "what? expensive gears with cirrus? man that chip must be da bomb".
we're not about reality we're just fashion victims. as George Carlin said "it's all BS and it's bad for you".