A DAC that sounds musical

What do they mean when they say that a DAC sounds musical, or that it sounds more musical than another DAC?

 

Less hifi correct and more warm and engaging. =)

 

That some reviewer thinks that one DAC compared to other DAC s he/she has heard before has more PRaT. Than he has experienced before in his opinion, room and synergy with the components he has connected.

 

It could mean that the DAC is broken. It could mean the the reviewer is FOHS. If it's a very accurate sounding DAC and yet has better performance than the other, which make it present music in a more convincing illusion of "being there" or sometimes "of having the musicians present in the room" then that is perhaps what is being described as "musical".
-Bill

 

When I hear terms like this, I have to interpret it as how it relates to me. So to me when he says more musical, I think he means the music moves him, because that's what music does for me...or not! You know...some music through some systems just sound like music without conveying any real emotion or feeling. No excitement, passion or romance to the feeling, so when that happens some of us say that music has no soul. Now the term "Soul Music" as late as the early 70's use to be a popular term to describe the sound of the Black American style of music..Issac Hayes, Al Green, James Brown. Even some of the civil rights music of Nina Samone and Marvin Gaye was thought of as soul music because it touched a lot of regular common people, black and white because of the passion and feeling they brought to the music....so in today's America many use that term to describe the music...all types of music when it relates to you in a way that moves you. In certain circles today when talking to others about music they may say, "that music has soul".....another term for musical. The dynamics and the passion or romance of the music can be felt with in.

 

Sometimes musical means distortion (which isn't always bad except when it is), sometimes it just means "better".

Worth mentioning is the measurement-champ Topping D30 that replaced a Directstream DAC might measure ruler-flat and all that jazz, but it sure ain't musical.

 

It's anybody's guess! The ideal DAC puts out exactly what it's given, a faithful representation of the digital data, period. The output will be exactly as "musical" as the input. If a DAC deviates from accuracy by introducing distortions, some people might like how that sounds, and call that DAC more "musical". DACs with falling high-frequency content or added even-order distortion may make bad recordings sound better to some people, but the problem is with the recording, not the DAC.

In a world of all high-quality recordings, the most musical DAC should be the most accurate DAC.

 

Less fatigue, less digital "glare".

 

What you say makes perfect sense but I'm not sure why some DACs have PRAT, the same as some amps and decks.

However some time ago we had a thread about what the hell does PRAT mean.

 

You feed it with Kanye West, but you hear Mozart.

 

= "magic fairy dust" sprinkled by reviewers in hopes readers click the Amazon sponsored link.

 

I don't believe PRAT or whatever is an inherent characteristic of any audio gear. The designer can do things to change the sound, like play with frequency response or harmonic structure or output impendence and emphasize certain frequencies in the music. A listener might call that PRAT, or "musicality" or "glare" but those are just individual interpretations of that sound.

And by DAC here, I mean the DAC chip and its associated analog circuitry.

 

However PRAT is fundamental to music and some equipment have it, the first time you come across it your whole perception of what's going on changes and from what I've heard it's a characteristic of some DACs.

If you can't explain it doesn't mean it doesn't exist and it's not 'sound' as you describe it.

 

Where can I get one of those?!
-Bill

 

Yep. Human perception is just that; it's all one continuous hallucination. We mammals even do it in our sleep.
-Bill

 

DAC's can differ in quality in many respects. The DAC chipset is only beginning of the equation. The quality of the analog output stage is probably even more important between two DAC's using the same chipset. The input receiver/clock determines the timing/jitter performance. In the old days, high jitter DAC units sounded worse..more harmonic distortion easily measured. And DAC chipsets are not generic. Two Burr Brown chips can sound different than two from another manufacturer. That's one reason many manufacturers prefer Burr Brown over other lower cost options.

Got to look at the complete package and listen for yourself.

 

It's easier and cheaper just to buy some Mozart CD...it would sound musical on any player.

 

And yet audiophiles are largely immune to placebo - a rather gifted bunch!

 

Superior jeans and all. One would never wear a Lee when a Calvin Klein was available.
-Bill

 

IMO, "accurate" is better for all genres, masterings, etc. "Musical" may not be.

 

Musicality is like pornography... you may not be able to define it, but you know it when you see or hear it.
.

 

This review might give you an idea of how some people see the difference:

BorderPatrol Digital to Analogue Converter SE

 

Here's another interesting review, of my DAC, from the producer and artists and how 2 different DACs reproduce the performance they've recorded.
Rega Research DAC-R D/A processor

The Rega's compared to the Benchmark DAC2 and here the qualities of the Benchmark are reviewed, with what appears to be a similar conclusion, it's what sounds like 'music' to you.
Benchmark DAC2 HGC review | What Hi-Fi?

 

I've been pondering "accurate" as of late. I've certainly used this descriptor often enough. What does it mean to us as music lovers and audiophiles/gear-heads? Accurate to what exactly? Of course we want authenticity, a faithful representation, but it seems to me if we weren't in the studio and we all use different gear, how do we know? Never mind different rooms, hearing, and taste. (One person's slow and boomy is another's "just right".) Seems to me "musical" is a very personal interpretation. Ultimately, I think it comes down to taste or preference. "Accurate" is a nice concept but is it realistic?