Here are the results of the DAC G2G
7 Evaluation Areas (scored + or – to the Control):
Range: - 5 = Very Poor / + 5 = Excellent
1. Soundstage Recreation - Like a real stage, a soundstage should have width, depth, and height. Do the speakers disappear and the instruments appear separated? Is there a sense that a voice or instrument is in a particular place in the room?
2. Clarity - Transparency - Resolution - Is it easy to hear into the music, detailed and clear? Can you hear the subtle changes in one instrument while some other instrument is playing very loudly? Is this done without sounding bright, sizzly, etched, strident, harsh, and overly analytical? Do you notice more or less information available from each instrument and it's individual notes?
3. Airy - Spacious - Open - Conveying a sense of space and ambiance. A hear through quality that is akin to clarity and reveals the subtle information that is fundamental to a spacious sound. Do instruments sound like they are surrounded by a large reflective space filled with air? Is high frequency response delicate and extending to 15Hz + without peaks?
4. Bass Response - Is it tight and fast / weighty, sturdy and warm / or woolly, tubby, bloated and boomy?
5. Transient Response - Attack - The leading edge of a perceived sound. Good transient response makes the sound as a whole more dynamic, live and realistic.
6. Sweet Sound - Often used when referring to cymbals, percussion, strings, and sibilant sounds. Lack of peaks in the response, flat high frequency response, low distortion.
7. Ear - Mind - Body Reaction - How does the overall presentation make you feel? Is your body becoming relaxed or tense? Does the music cause a positive reaction (toes tapping, emotional response, etc.)? Do you want to turn the volume up or down? Do you want to listen longer, or keep changing tracks in an attempt to find satisfaction?
Associated Equipment Used:Rega Planet 2000 (recently checked out by Rega) as the Control and Transport
Bryson BP25 preamp
Aragon 8008 BB amp
Swan D2.1SE standmount and Vandersteen 2W sub
Zu Cable SW’s
Alpha Core, Aural Symphonic, Zu Cable IC’s
HAVE Cable Coaxial
All the DAC’s were evaluated in the seven areas listed about in a +5 to – 5 scale of the Control, which was zero. There were eight evaluators but only six were used because two of them were not blind to the DAC’s (myself being one of them). I will state that my assessment was not different than those blinded to the identity of the DAC’s.
First and foremost this evaluation is just one in many you can find throughout the Internet and is only being posted here as another reference point. We in no way are indorsing any manufacturer. The conclusion reached by the group was it was difficult at times to tell the difference between the Control and the DAC, even in Round 1.
The only way to know how a piece of equipment will sound, for me, is to insert one into my system or hear it on a familiar system. Internet or magazine reviews provide and invaluable source to vet a piece of equipment.
My wish was for all participants to arrive safely and have fun listening to some great music, perform an evaluation and enjoy the company of others.
Round 1 Overall Scores:Lite Audio D60 = +45 Strengths were in areas of Clarity – Transparency - Resolution, Air – Spacious- Open, and Soundstage Recreation.
Bel Canto DAC2 = +34 Strengths were in the areas of Clarity – Transparency - Resolution, Sweet Sund and Ear – Mind – Body – Reaction.
PS Audio DAC3 = +34 Strengths were in the areas of Clarity – Transparency - Resolution, Air – Spacious- Open, Sweet Sound, Ear – Mind – Body Reaction.
Benchmark DAC1 = +21 Strengths were in the areas of Air – Spacious- Open, Bass and Bass Response.
Mytek = +9 Strengths were in the areas of Clarity – Transparency – Resolution, Bass Response, Ear – Mind – Body Reaction. To be frank, I rated this one equal to the Benchmark.
Round 2 Overall Scores:Constantine = +4 Strenghts were in Soundstage Recreation and Clarity – Transparency - Resolution
City Pulse DA2.0e 2 = 0
Citypulse DA7.2x 2 = 0
SoundPro 707 = -9 Shortcomings were basically in all areas but mostly in Sweet Sound and Ear – Mind – Body Reaction. No one liked this unit.
This round was very difficult to separate the Control from the DAC (except for the 707). If someone had a universal player like an OPPO and wanted to see if a DAC would upgrade the overall sound in their system, Round 2 proved you can do it for under $500. With some inexpensive DIY moding, one could probably go toe-to-toe with any of Round 1 contestants
Especially in Round 1, the differences between the DAC’s were pretty subtle (aka detectable only by deranged audio chuds, which none of us are LOL) and just a matter of overall tonal "flavoring"...and in some cases the physical appearance of the unit (that is why it is a good thing to have a blind test).
The scores respresent the summed total of the 6 people's scores. Since there were 7 categories ranging from -5 to +5, then each scorer could give the DAC overall a +/-35. So, if someone loved a DAC, and gave it 5's throughout, the score would be a +35. Then, if everyone had given the DAC +5's throughout, then multiply the +35 by 6 (for the number of people) and you would get 210. Therefore, the total score for any DAC could have been between -210 and +210. Therefore, even a summed score of +45 for a DAC means that it is not that different than the Rega.
If you have any specific questions, there were three other AC members at the G2G who will gladly assist me in answering them.
OBTW, the Food (biased opinion) = 1000 points, off the charts in every sense you can thing off.
After everyone left, I moved the Zu Druid's downstairs to determine if a change in speakers would cause one (me and my wife) to hear the differences in DAC’s come through more than the Swan’s…nope, same results. Kenny, even with the Vandy Sub and a different room, the Druid's sounded about the same and Gina’s comment about them – unchanged.
