[Mochan]

Amps are far more important than DACs. DACs don't do that much and the differences between DACs are negligible. 

 

[Mochan]

This is like the only time I have ever agreed 100% with Uncle Erik. It's a nice feeling.
 
Quote:

The whole "source first" thing is from a marketing campaign spawned around 40 years ago by Linn.

Back then, a good turntable truly was important. It still is, when it comes to analog.

But digital happened in the following 40 years. Digital is awfully good, even on a $29 DVD player.

Also keep in mind that the marketing campaign was kicked off by a guy who thought that having an undriven speaker in the room ruined audio quality. No joke. He thought that having an unpowered speaker or two around ruined things. He had his backside handed to him in some double-blind tests, though. Still, this mythology hangs around like a bad cold. Digital sources just aren't that important. Level-match them and hear for yourself.

Great audio has never been cheaper. The problem is that people are now hung up on status symbols, not quality.

 

 

[Happy Camper]

A properly matched amp is as important as the headphone. The source (today's digital) is pretty even but there are improvements to be heard with better output design. The amp, DAC, cables & cords will mask or expose more of the signal. Our goal is to find the right pieces that make the whole chain sound right for us. When the music just flows effortlessly and commands your attention, you may be a head neck.

 

[Ceja-Blu]

Thanks for the no-nonsense conversation about "source" hardware. I can still connect my 10-year old $45 -dollar Sony Discman to my DAC /Amp and it is indistinguishable from the $800 NAD 565BEE player in my studio.   Headphones and amps make all the difference in the listening universe.
Combinations of headphones and amps will yield more chatter in a single post than a trip to the ladies room at the Bellagio.  Bring it on.

 

[Albedo]

Some even have the nerve to claim SQ improvement when changing their DACs wall wart from switching to linear, maybe they are battling cognitive dissonance as the means to justify their purchase.

 

[fubar3]

Quote:

What do DACs and amplifiers do to sound and which is more important in the audio equipment chain?

Good amplifiers are more important since they help troubleshoot problems in the music source. But DACs, whether built-in or standalone, are becoming more important since they enable music distribution.  CDs are becoming scarce, vinyl is only a niche, what can we do but download a file and feed it to a DAC?
 
I recently bought a DAC/amp and it sounds the same as the DAC computer output.  Perhaps my current setup is not refined enough.
 
 

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Good amplifiers are more important since they help troubleshoot problems in the music source. But DACs, whether built-in or standalone, are becoming more important since they enable music distribution.  CDs are becoming scarce, vinyl is only a niche, what can we do but download a file and feed it to a DAC?
 
I recently bought a DAC/amp and it sounds the same as the DAC computer output.  Perhaps my current setup is not refined enough.

CDs are digital. They require a DAC.
 
What do you mean by amps "troubleshoot problems in the music source"?

 

[Happy Camper]

I'll let the poster explain his terminology but trade "troubleshoot" for "expose". A more resolving amp will expose any weaknesses in the source and it becomes noticeable.

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

I'll let the poster explain his terminology but trade "troubleshoot" for "expose". A more resolving amp will expose any weaknesses in the source and it becomes noticeable.

A more resolving headphone exposes weaknesses. The amp just feeds it a strong signal.
 
I'm quite skeptical of amp "transparency", provided it has a flat frequency response and low noise. This would be an interesting experiment to try, though. Hook up several amps of varying "resolving" qualities (by which I imagine you mean prices) to expensive DACs and ABX them, then hook them up to cheap DACs and ABX them. If amps really do reveal source weaknesses, the differences heard using the cheap DACs should be greater.
 

 

[twylight]

recording (cd/lossless) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> amp >dac
 
 
room treatments > everything for speakers

 

[fubar3]

Quote:

CDs are digital. They require a DAC.
 
What do you mean by amps "troubleshoot problems in the music source"?

Happy Camper provided a good answer about troubleshooting.
 
I think the most important... amps or DACs .. would be the one which presents the biggest problem.  A good amp follows the input signal, but a DAC just provides an approximation of the signal captured in the recording process where an ADC slices the signal into bits and bytes.  So I think the digital components are most important.
 

 

[caracara08]

so if DACs are all the same, where is the cut off price wise where one can get the "best" dac for the lowest cost?  please dont say the e7 either. 

 

[khaos974]

Call me a hypocritical if you want, but I still want a DAC that is technically perfect even if I don't believe I could tell apart (blind) two "sufficiently well designed" DACs.
This is the reason why I plan to purchase a Benchmark or Lavry unit some day, Anedio also seems to make a very good DAC (but it lacks an XLR out).

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Call me a hypocritical if you want, but I still want a DAC that is technically perfect even if I don't believe I could tell apart (blind) two "sufficiently well designed" DACs.
This is the reason why I plan to purchase a Benchmark or Lavry unit some day, Anedio also seems to make a very good DAC (but it lacks an XLR out).

There's nothing wrong with that.  Of course I want one one of those too, for pretty much the same reason, so maybe I'm biased...

 

[redwarrior191]

so.. this thread + http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/521988/amp-a-b-comparisons = all DACs and SS amps sound the same?????