Tagged: DACs

USB, coaxial and optical into a DAC: which digital input actually changes the sound, and when the difference is real versus imagined.

The DAC chip gets all the marketing attention, but the analogue output stage after it does most of the work shaping what you actually hear.

MQA's unwinding wasn't a fluke. It's a lesson in what hi-res audio actually needs from a format, and what was always marketing.

The chip inside a DAC costs a few dollars either way. Here's what actually separates a $500 converter from a $30,000 one — and where the money genuinely goes.

"Bit-perfect" gets thrown around like a spec, but it's a plumbing claim, not a sound quality one. Here's what it actually guarantees.

A $150 DAC and a $2000 DAC often measure almost identically. Here's what the extra money is really buying, and why it's usually not "better sound" in the conversion itself.

A client once asked me to fit a $1,200 network switch into his rack. Here's what a switch can and can't change about digital audio, and where the money's better spent.

Upsampling and oversampling get lumped together and spruiked as a feature. Here's what a DAC actually does to your signal, and whether it's worth caring about.

USB, coax and optical into the same DAC can measure and sound different, but not for the reasons forum folklore usually gives. Here's what actually changes.

MQA has folded and DSD never really took off. Here's a bargain-hunter's honest guide to which hi-res formats and services are actually worth paying extra for.

NAS, local rip or a streaming service subscription — does storage location change what hits your DAC? I pulled the signal path apart to find out.

Jitter, oversampling and digital filters get spruiked hard in DAC marketing. I break down which of these actually change what you hear.

Bits are bits, but the analogue stage after the DAC chip in your streamer still colours what your speakers do. Here's what actually matters.

MQA's collapse left a lot of confused shelves of "Masters" tier subscriptions. Here's what actually changed, and what to do about it.

ESS, AKM or a "flagship" chip name tells you almost nothing about how a DAC sounds. Here's what genuinely separates a good one from a dud, on any budget.

A DAC engineer's take on why speaker matching starts upstream — how digital volume, output stage and streamer choice interact with standmounts and floorstanders.

DAC before or after the preamp, streamer or separate box: where the conversion happens in your chain affects noise, volume control and cable runs more than the chip inside it.

Splitting out what a DAC upgrade genuinely changes from what only acoustic treatment and correction software can fix, so you spend on the right layer first.

The chip inside your DAC gets all the marketing. The output stage that actually drives your headphones gets almost none. Here's what to check.

More digits and higher numbers don't automatically mean better sound. Here's what bit depth and sample rate actually do — and where the real gains stop.

Output impedance shapes how your headphones actually sound. Theo Mensah explains the engineering behind the number and what it means for IEMs, planars and dynamic cans.

Cheap DACs vs expensive ones: Dave Okafor shows what $150 and $1,500 actually buy, and where diminishing returns kick in hard for your system.

Build a serious headphone system for your desk: how to choose transducers, match amps, pick a DAC and set up the desk, with spending advice from Sofia Laurent.

Apple Music lossless gets a reality check from Apple's own VP. Theo Mensah explains what it means for serious Australian listeners and their gear.

The Gustard R30 reignited the R2R debate. Theo Mensah explains how discrete ladder DACs differ from delta-sigma and what it means for Australian buyers.