How much $ for a "vinyl equivalent" sounding DAC?

Great comeback!

 

In that case, you could even just get the Benchmark DAC1 which is discontinued but found used would be a lot cheaper!

 

Not sure if this will matter, but be advised the Marantz -- like many such devices -- will not output digital from the SACD layer. From the owner's manual:

• Signals that can be output using digital output are
digital audio signals from the CD layer of the Super
Audio CD, CD, USB (front), USB-DAC, COAXIAL,
and OPTICAL.
• Digital audio output is stopped during playback of
the HD layer of a Super Audio CD and USB-DAC
(DSD signals and linear PCM signals that have a 32
kHz sampling frequency).

 

I have been away from this thread for a while and trying to catch up. This is as spot on as can be and really covers the whole audio spectrum. In the past year on two occasions I have had the good fortune to hear 15 ips analog tapes on incredible systems. It is mesmerizing how real and good the music sounds from well made analog tape (and ridiculously expensive in today's world to do RTR). OTOH, in today's world where we digital files are here, there and everywhere all you have to do is press one button to start the system and another button to start the music.

 

Wow, this brings back memories, the Magi 650 was my first cd player.

 

Man denigrates wife's listening skills but is prepared to make an exception when it justifies his profligate spending. An interesting position.

 

RT, Every DAC that I know of has some amount of jitter in its processing of every single bit. Thus, every DAC that I know of is somewhat inaccurate. Sorry.

 

I am trying to understand what you are telling us about your friend. There is no such thing as an SACD rip of a vinyl album. There is such a thing as a DSD "rip" (meaning a DSD recording of the vinyl playback) of the vinyl. If this is what you mean, in what physical form was the DSD recording that he brought (optical disc of data file)?

 

no issue, thanks. don't have many SACDs and they sound fine on redbook mode.

 

Sorry for the confusion. DSD rips were from optical SACD media. Vinyl was just in reference to my own collection which includes that same title on vinyl. I think the 2003 remaster of DSOTM is similar between vinyl and SACD but I don't think they can be identical masters, just similar. I have the 2003 DSOTM vinyl and listened to a rip of the 2003 DSOTM SACD in both stereo and multichannel compared to my vinyl copy. That's about as close a comparison as I can make, I think.

 

I don't believe folks are talking about jitter in in the context accuracy is being mentioned. Feel free to still worry about jitter in 2017, however.

 

Firstly, commenting in a passive-aggressive way without quoting me is rather disrespectful but I'm seeing a pattern about you that is becoming undeniable.

Secondly, if that's what you got from my post, you might want to take up some reading comprehension classes as your skills seem to be too dull to grasp the concepts I wrote about.

I'd suggest keeping this thread on topic but you seem hellbent on wanting to derail it. Bravo.

 

My gut instinct is vinyl system costing:
<$500 then equivalent DAC cost 50¢ to $1
$500 - $1000 then $1 : $1
$1000 - $2000 then $1.50 : $1
$2000+ then $2 : $1

 

Fits my experience. But I mean, this surely calls for an array of graphs!

 

Which 'concepts'? At least we can agree on one thing: I definitely need comprehension classes to understand your untenable position.

For example, when you say, "What are your grounds for believing people should love and embrace neutrality? Because you do?" I didn't use 'love' or 'embrace'. If I did, quote me. If you were to add a 'warm' (whatever that means musically I do not know) bias to all your music then what might have been 'cold' (what it that?) will become neutral, neutral (do you allow 'neutral'?) will become 'warm' and 'warm' will surely become too warm. Sorry, totally baffling! But you seem not to hear any pleasing CD recordings.

P.S. Sorry not to have quoted you. Here is the quote:

"My wife's listening skills are mediocre at best and she certainly wasn't happy about the expensive vinyl setup I brought into the house and even she stopped in her tracks when she heard the same mastered material being spun. Considering this, I believe her reaction and approval after the fact carries much more weight insofar as testimony for the inherent pleasing unique sonic characteristics of vinyl." (Strat-Mangler)

And another, similar:

"Digital might have some advantages on *paper* but even my wife who has no real listening skills prefers vinyl!" (Strat-Mangler)

['highlighting' is mine in both quotes]

 

My wife can't tell the difference between SD and HDTV. That's not a "denigration," it's a fact, one which she would not dispute or take offense to. Non-critical listeners work as great foils or maybe controls is the better word; if THEY notice a difference, that says a lot. Generally speaking, those people rarely, if ever focus on stuff like we do.

 

Since you started this, answer me this. Is it denigrating to my wife to say that she has not the palette to understand the dishes I create, as a chef, because she hasn't lived or breathed it like I have for so long? And where do you get the stones to tell someone that their spending habits on, anything, are profligate; as if you know anything about him or his financial situation. If you don't like the subject matter of this thread, by all means, move on. Some of us are actually interested in responses to the OP question.

 

Thank You Todd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Really have no idea what our point is. My posts were quite clear, but I'll spell things out for you. If somebody whose listening skills aren't great can easily identify the vinyl of the same mastering of an album to be more pleasing and does so enthusiastically without prompting and considering how that person had a negative bias against me purchasing all that expensive equipment to begin with, the emphatically positive stance she took afterwards should be convincing of the impact the vinyl has when compared to the CD equivalent.

I'll be blunt. I don't care what you think. My ears (and anybody else's) easily hear a major difference which cannot be denied. Considering how much this stuff cost me, part of me wanted to be unimpressed so I could return it all for a refund and instead buy some other guitars but figured I had nothing to lose by giving it a go. The difference floored me and I'm not an easy person to impress.

If you can't hear what I and others hear, consider yourself lucky. You'll manage to save money, time, and effort by not needing to buy all that equipment or having to operate it in order to be satisfied with your sound. Being candid, I'd switch with you if a I could. But man,... get over it and leave people in peace if their ears are better than yours! Being lectured by people who are either clueless or arrogant and pushy can be EXTREMELY annoying! I should not have to defend my position to strangers when even tone-deaf people remarked on the superior sound coming from the vinyl.

This is my very last post to you on this topic so don't even bother replying.

 

Tony,

Curious, what exactly is ambience in your case? Any particular song example?

You said CD is missing ambience. Is it the same when you listen via headset from you Marantz player?

How about playing back same ripped song from your computer via USB to your Marantz player, listen with your headset and your amp + speakers? Also missing ambience?

How about listen to the same ripped song in your computer directly via headset, still missing ambience? From your phone? From other play back device like your car?

 

You appear not to understand the contradictions in your replies. Despite your having said this previously:

"Some may actually prefer digital for the same reasons I dislike it now but that is neither here nor there as sound appreciation is entirely subjective and to be blunt, if 1000 people prefer X when I loathe it and favor Y, then that's all that matters."

So why does it matter what your wife thinks? If sound appreciation is 'entirely subjective' how can you know that anyone else's experience is really like? If that were true then there'd be no point in eliciting anyone else's opinion to bolster your point, be it your wife's or anyone else's.

 

But really, it was Your post, (which I called odd), that was very odd and not logical.

 

So you're comparing a CD and vinyl record that contain the same mastering? Which title is it?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

 

I am with those who say there is a trade off between detail and smoothness or warmth. It may be an intentional manipulation of the frequency response in an effort by the designer to voice the DAC, or it could be something else changing the delivery. Don't laugh, but my recommendation is the $169 Audioengine D1 hooked up with Toslink and an Apple charger for the power supply. If you don't like it, there is a 30 day trial period.

The Teac DAC's UD-301 and UD-501 are said to be slightly short of detail, but long on warmth.

ESS chips have a reputation for lots of detail with a lack of smoothness.

 

I don't play vinyl nearly as often since I had my gungnir upgraded.