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Need help in understanding Resolution of DACs

Discussion in 'Audio Science' started by santoshmanivannan, Jul 5, 2021.

  1. santoshmanivannan

    santoshmanivannan New

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    Hello Everyone,
    I've been spending a lot of time reading threads here to understand resolution of DACs. I need some help in understanding how to look for DAC resolution and if multitone tests differ from real world performance.. Apologies if I haven't looked enough or asking a stupid question.
     
    santoshmanivannan, Jul 5, 2021
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  2. Marvey

    Marvey Super Friend

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    It's purely subjective. Multitone tests don't tell us much because they are all steady steady and at pre-defined frequencies. It's something that requires experience, although it should be said that most of today's DACs are very good unlike ten or twenty years ago.
     
    Marvey, Jul 5, 2021
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  3. santoshmanivannan

    santoshmanivannan New

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    Thank you for the reply, I have another question but this time related to Amps.. Can amps degrade the resolution of signal coming out of the DAC? if their primary job is to amplify the signal that comes in, how does the degradation happen?
     
    santoshmanivannan, Jul 5, 2021
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  4. Marvey

    Marvey Super Friend

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    Yes, amps can degrade the signal. Basically anything in the signal path will degrade the signal. The question is how much and whether you care or not. There is no perfect device, even a straight wire is imperfect (resistance). The fact that a device has to actively amplify the signal, whether voltage or current, means that it won't be exactly the same.

    The degradation happens because active parts such as transistors and passive parts such as capacitors are not linear in their behavior. This topic is very much open-ended. It's not much different than a photocopier. It's the nature of the universe.
     
    Marvey, Jul 5, 2021
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  5. santoshmanivannan

    santoshmanivannan New

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    Ok thank you! That's some very good info for a beginner like me!
     
    santoshmanivannan, Jul 5, 2021
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  6. Erroneous

    Erroneous Friend

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    Some of us like amps to introduce distortion in a pleasing way, or shape the sound in a way that is pleasant to our ears. I don't think everyone is chasing wire with gain. Degrading resolution in terms of losing bits of details though, that's always a bummer and I think is part of what separates the great (though not always terribly expensive) amps from the bad ones.
     
    Erroneous, Jul 6, 2021
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  7. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    It's not a stupid question. There's a thought attributed to Confucius, "better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without". Only you will know if the flaw is acceptable, or in some cases desired.
     
    yotacowboy, Jul 6, 2021
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