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Do DAC/Amp's sound different (alien.top)

submitted 1 year ago by Early-Hunt1052@alien.top to c/headphones@hi-fi.community

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My experience with this is I've had 3 different Dac Amps DAC x6 was the first one I had which I did not have any reference to before switching over to a Schiit Magni 3+ and Schiit Modi 3e (Both give plenty of volume). On the Hifiman Edition XS using the DAC x6 the sound was very claustrophobic and warm compared to using the Schiit stack which was much wider and neutral sounding, for me this was a huge upgrade. To add to this I also tried this on a portable DAC Amp which is the DC03 Pro which soundstage sounds closer on the side but a bit sounds warmer. What's your experience?

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[–] ThatGuyFromSweden@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Yes and no. The DAC X6 has roll-off in the bass and treble, altering the frequency response. It might also not have the power headroom to fully reproduce the total dynamic range of the music. The performance might also decrease as current output goes up. That's not uncommon.

DACs today are pretty much all "perfect" so that's a non issue unless we get into R2R stuff. But amps can have deficiencies. Some present problems or traits that are more or less apparent depending on the characteristics of the headphone or IEM you plug into them.

Also, it's very hard to properly compare source gear, because not having a perfect volume match will significantly skew your impressions. And confirmation bias is always a factor in our perceptions.