Mr Ee
Major Contributor
Because sometimes different actually is better.
Connecting external dac to ultra
- Thread starter Bozzz
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- wiim ultra
hgo58
Major Contributor
I would have liked a more serious answer but maybe that is all that is into it.Because sometimes different actually is better.
Difference can be easily obtained by EQ. So what is it that makes the difference people are going after?
I confess to not using the Ultra DAC for my main speakers (they are all dsp and 8 DAC channels) but it’s excellent for my headphones setup where the Ultra line out feeds the excellent little Topping L30 and the hard to drive Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro.
Mr Ee
Major Contributor
Ok, for instance I prefer the dac in my Hegel over the ultra.
Is it vastly different? No.
Is it noticably different? Yes.
Could it possibly be related to the analog cables and Hegel analog inputs themselves? Maybe.
But whatever it is, I prefer the Hegel. Somehow it's just more enjoyable.
hgo58
Major Contributor
I have tried several different DACs and can hear some small differences but nothing that can't be done using EQ.
I don't hear any changes in the so called soundstage or things like that. So maybe my ears are not good any more?
Changing amplifier or the speakers, do however make a huge difference. Just moving the speakers changes the sound more than changing the DAC.
So still curious on why people invest so much in the addition DACs?
EQ is not a tool to remove every possible difference.
hgo58
Major Contributor
What is the difference then?
For example you will not correct the jitter this way. Or distribution of the harmonics.
Who do audiophiles still concern themselves with jitter?
These are 2 different chips - Wiim has 9038 and Fosi has 9039, but the most important thing is the implementation of a given chip!
Because I can....
slartibartfast
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Because they can
Mr Ee
Major Contributor
I sit on a sofa for my main setup.
Just sitting forward on the seat makes a difference - I assume it's because I don't have the sofa back right behind my head.
So yes, there are certainly many other options than changing the dac.
But why not, it's fun, mostly! (Until you need to justify it to strangers
Hard enough justifying it to the better half.)Why not? Because someone on ASR said that it's a solved thing?
slartibartfast
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What does it even sound like?
Mr Ee
Major Contributor
You can use Distort software to familiarize yourself.
what does jitter ACTUALLY sound like?
In a previous post we had an encounter with jitter in audio. The talk about jitter is hard to miss these days. There are plenty of products on the mar...
www.sereneaudio.com
What does jitter ACTUALLY sound like? (jitter test tracks)
The following website has some simulated jitter test tracks: What does jitter ACTUALLY sound like? There are seven versions of each sample. Three have periodic jitter, three have random jitter, and one is the original - untouched. In the samples we have 2µs (microseconds), 4µs, 8µs, 16µs...
www.audiosciencereview.com
hgo58
Major Contributor
Audio Electronics: Is Digital Jitter Really a Problem?
Since the dawn of the digital era decades ago, the timing error known as "jitter" in A/D/A converters has been accused of harming audio fidelity. Some people claim that jitter adds audible distortion and noise, affects bass fullness, and even harms stereo imaging width and depth. This article...
Conclusion
Assuming you watched the video, I think the most important revelation is that even 10 times more jitter than is usual for inexpensive audio devices is innocuous and doesn’t harm the music. The usual scapegoats “fullness and width” are clearly not affected by the addition of jitter noise. Even with the jitter at 10µs, which is huge and limits the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to only 35dB, you can appreciate the power of the masking effect.