Can a $99 DAC make THAT much of a difference?

With all the recent discussion of new DAC technology, I decided to dip my toe in the DAC-y waters.

I purchased a Schitt Modi and attached it to a Mac Mini. Prior to this I had the Mac Mini attached to a Denon AVR-4310ci using an HDMI cable. This setup has worked well and has the benefit of being able to go all the way up to 192kHz/24 bit using the DAC in the Denon.

Anyway, the output of the Modi is attached to analog inputs of the Denon. It sounded "better", but not awesomely so. I almost resigned myself to an apparent inability to hear what so many others seem so smitten with.

Then, I did a little research into what it would take to play a DSD download. There are free DSD files available that sound incredible, but are mostly classical. The Modi is a PCM DAC, not DSD. Enter Audrivana Plus. This Mac-only software will convert DSD to PCM on the fly. But it has a much more important feature that really breathed new life into my iTunes library:

"Direct" and "Integer Mode". This enables the player to bypass the codec(s) in the OS and stream the bits directly to the USB DAC.

I can't say enough about how much of a difference this has made. I have sound quality from ALAC 44/16 files that I never imagined possible. Seriously, this has made so much of a difference, I might even look into a higher quality USB cable.

Apparently "Integer Mode" is only available through USB. It just won't work with the HDMI.

A word about DSD: The Modi only goes to 96/24, so Audrivana resamples to 88/24. On a 192-capable DAC, it will resample to 176/24. While I was able to achieve this through the HDMI, it didn't hold a candle to the sound quality of 88/24 in "Integer Mode".

After this experience, I will be getting a 192kHz-capable USB DAC in 2014. No doubt.

 

Glad you got a nice improvement. I think DSD is still in the early stages. My hope is that it gets easier to work with and more classic rock titles come out.

 

Just so I'm clear . . . Are you saying the DAC didn't make a big difference with your existing digital iTunes files until they were run through Audrivana's Integer mode prior to decoding?

 

I'm resampling DSD, so I see this as a stopgap solution before possibly acquiring a DSD DAC in the future. I have exactly 2 DSD files that are demos I downloaded for free.

The point I was trying to make is that I never realized how good my iTunes library could sound (ALAC 44/16) until I streamed it in "Integer Mode" to the Modi. My respect for 44/16 has increased by an order of magnitude!

 

Okay, thanks, that's good news . . .

I edited my original post after re-reading your OP, so I think I got it. That's encouraging.

 

Nice post.....it may be worth noting, however, that an entry level DAC, such as the $99 Modi, is likely close or on par with the Denon. Denon makes nice gear.

Put that Modi into a cheap Sony or other budget receiver and you would notice a greater difference.

 

I can tell you this: The Modi playing a ripped ALAC file to analog inputs in the Denon vs. an Oppo 980h playing the same CD streaming bits to the Denon over an HDMI cable: The Modi wins hands down. It's startling how much better it sounds.

I would never have believed it had I not heard it myself.

 

It's amazing what bitperfect playback sounds like compared to audio that has been resampled by a mixer on your OS. I still think that a high percentage of people who are listening to audio through their computers (even some audiophiles ) are not enjoying the quality sound they should because of covert resampling/mixing that is the default for most sound applications and OS's. If you do not have a DAC with sampling rate lights you may never even know that your supposed 16/44 is really being played at 16/48 after having been resampled by a poor quality mixer. Or worse, your HDTracks 24/96 version of your favorite album that you just had to rebuy is also being resampled to 16/48

 

When Barry Diament was around here he confirmed that on a Mac computer iTunes can provide bit perfect playback. No need for other applications.

 

My understanding is that "bit perfect mode" was not available to standard applications in OS 10.7 (Lion) and OS 10.8 (Mountain Lion). I don't know precisely the details, but apparently the audio data was being transformed to floating point (and back?) before being shipped to the DAC. So to get iTunes back to "bit perfect", you would need something like BitPerfect. That application sits between iTunes and the DAC. When "play" is clicked on iTunes, BitPerfect actually streams the data to the DAC. I think Barry was talking about OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard), which apparently is bit-perfect.

 

A clarification: "Bit perfect" and "integer mode" are not necessarily the same thing. The Modi is not capable of integer mode, but I believe the Bifrost and Gungnir are.

I think the improvement I'm hearing is that Audirvana is delivering bit-perfect data to the DAC.

 

I don't know what they do, but I will try one some day. I use a Mac so Pure Music will probably be the one I will try. I like the guy, Bruce Robison, the few times I talked to him, and a personal link is often enough for me to make a choice. I am interested in the mode that pulls the data off the drive into a memory buffer and streaming that to the DAC (I use FireWire).

 

You don't even know the guy's name is Rob Robinson?

{that was my Metralla snarky response reply }

 

My wife streams music from her Mac to an Apple TV which in turn is connected to a Denon AVR-3808-CI via HDMI. Being unfamiliar with Macs, do you happen to know if the BitPerfect app would benefit her audio-wise in this situation?

 

Any idea where things stand with Mavericks and/or the latest iTunes?

 

I bought a Fiio X3 which has a much better DAC than my iPod Touch or Sansa Clip Zip. It sounds noticeably better.

I use CD-quality FLAC ripped through EAC and the DAC in the Fiio definitely makes those FLAC files of mine sound good.

 

Nice mini-review on the Modi and also about finding out about some of Audirvana's way cool features! The integer mode is great, and I really like how Damien supports it with frequent upgrades. I often play my DSD files the way you do on my AQ Dragonfly at work, and they sound great.

And, no need to hide under chairs! You might just find trying a higher quality cable will work for you, also.

Congrats on the Modi.

 

I agree, and I think if you corresponded with Damien, he would tell you the same thing.

 

The Fiio's a pretty nice device.

On the whole, my experience is that the "stand-alone" DACs sound appreciably better than those in many AVRs. I have an Arcam AVR280, and it has a very good DAC, but the standalone ones I've owned or heard sound notably better.

 

Guys, BTW, for those of you using iPhone 4s, 5s and iPod touches as portable "DACs", there's a way cool app from Onkyo called Onkyo HF that lets you play high-res files in their "native" resolution out of the headphone jack of those devices. iTunes limits the output on the headphone jack to 16/48, but the actual DACs in those devices supports at least 24/96 (and very possibly 24/192).

Onkyo HF is available from the App Store for $9.99, and for an extra $5, you can unlock the HD feature that provides additional functionality that allows the playback of your high-res files.

Onkyo HF will automatically grab your iTunes content and put it into the app, but you have to move the your high-res files in "manually" using the file move and sync feature under the Apps tab for the Onkyo HF app. Once you do, they appear in a list under the HD tab in the app on your device, and you can play them!

I've been using this app for two months now, and I have to say it sounds great! Much better than straight iTunes out of the headphone jack.

 

It has supposedly been restored in Mavericks. All this and more over at the Computer Audiophile forum.

 

Damn - that was a bad mistake.

Somehow I knew his name was something like Robinson but wanted to check the spelling of his last name, so googled "Robinson and Pure Music" and just copied in the reference to "Bruce Robison" without checking carefully what I was looking at.

http://www.puremusic.com/65bruce1.html

 

Just giving you friendly grief. Rob is a very nice man and his software is excellent as are his phono stages.

 

I wasn't aware he designed phono stages too. I thought he was a software guy.

 

Rob's a really sharp guy; PhD in an engineering discipline, IIRC. He designs a phono stage that is optimal for use with Pure Vinyl, his needledrop and digital playback software.