How to make the best sounding DAC ever?

Dzerh · Oct 16, 2018

Just add some pink noise (ok, we can argue about the best noise shaping) - the more experience the listener has with live music - the more fine details the listener's brain will create from the noise. And yes, this just a joke, but ... just partially.
I'm curious, how much this phenomenon (recognizing false patterns in noise) is adding to "best sounding DAC" vs "best measuring DAC" discrepancy. And amps also.

I got this idea from @kixx post in "USB decrap..." about "ipurifier"

kixx said: ↑

...The ipurifier 3 eliminates noise from the usb line. It does this pretty good and reliable. This was pretty much noticed on all the gear and combinations. However, it also removes some haze and energy from the music (in fact everything that comes trough it and is audio). This "apparently" makes the sound smoother, giving better separation, higher dynamic range and more bass slam. It's just like many reviews state online ... but is that really the case? Nope! What those reviewers don't tell you is that the haze that gets eliminated, sometimes, has extra detail in it. For example, in derek jones's the nearness of you, you can hear the orchestra conductor flicking his hands in the air at the beginning of the track, directing the timing of the cello and piano. That sound is like hiss, like background noise. But in reality, it's just hands moving trough the air, and the energy that is generated is being picked up by the microphone (a good one is able to do that with ease). You need to attend to live orchestra and concerts in order to be able to tell some of these things.
The neon demon's soundtrack is filled with weird high pitch sounds, almost like a digital triangle, that sweep from left to right, up to down, front to back, and are often interjected by slow bass. On this album i felt the bass looses some bloom with the purifier. It sounds faster, but some of it's warmth is gone. With the ipurifier removed, i was shocked by how much more detail i was able to pick up. The purifier takes away some sparkle, making this album sound tame. I got the same results on most of the music i listened to, and so were my friends able to pick up.

Instruments can be rough and sharp sometimes, and voices can get gritty. Extra energy is often present between guitar cords, cymbals have trailing tizz, the singer breathes, trumpets makes you go "aaahh! piercing!", triangles tickle your ear, the big drum has hum, the cello's cords can have a rising pitch if not controlled, violins can be screechy, piano low notes have "slam", the pipe organ can pound your eardrums with sheer force, and the list goes on... The iPurifier takes some of that away. I don't know what it does (maybe over filtering), but it makes the music sound a bit flat, tame, and boring. It takes away some of the attack ... some of the up in your face detail, and pushes things back a little.

I like my music with a bit of spice and sparkle, alive, interactive, and faithful to it's source in the reproduction. I want to tap my foot, to feel engaged, to feel emotion. The ipurifier screws that up for me so it's a no go. When i do want to kickback and relax, i use appropriate cans for that ... i don't want a "dongle" to decide how my music sounds. ...
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How to make the best sounding DAC ever?

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How to make the best sounding DAC ever?

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