R2R dac vs. Delta Sigma type dac

“One review said they ran a pair of speakers. There are quite a few reviews out there. The manual is crap, typical conversion from Chinese. Not as bad as some, but certainly vague.

I took a shot after reading a few very positive reviews because the price was excellent and it was NIB. I usually do a lot more research, but what the hey....seller has agreed to take it back.

H9”

Maybe bad Chinese to English translations?

“Clicking through all the inputs and then full blast sound.”

I’m glad I’m following this thread! As I’m going to hook up a test pair of speakers in place of the Maggies before firing up the rig with the K13 in place.

I hope we don’t have similar issues with our Fiio products.

The K13's outputs are advertised as line levels (minus the headphone side of it). I hope that's not a bad translation and end up blowing up the speakers, even if it's a test pair.

Bummer!

I received a 25% off coupin from HDTracks this morning. So I went ahead and bought and downloaded "The Jazz Side Of The Moon" in DSD 128 & "Jazz At The Pawnshop" in DSD 256. I've been looking forward to listening to the two albums and these albums will be my first ever experience with DSD in my rig. I can't wait to get home and see/hear how the K13 preforms!

I should be picking up a Metrum Acoustics Onyx R2R DAC tomorrow. Looking forward to comparing it with my Benchmark HGC/DAC3.

@Conradicles I wish I was able to give you some comparisons however I only have experience with a single external DAC but I can tell you the Denafrips line has NOT disappointed one single bit.

My system has become extremely revealing regarding the quality of CD recordings and the good to great ones???? I no longer listen to music, I experience it!!

jdjohn wrote: »

I should be picking up a Metrum Acoustics Onyx R2R DAC tomorrow. Looking forward to comparing it with my Benchmark HGC/DAC3.

Awesome! I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Geoff4rfc wrote: »

@Conradicles I wish I was able to give you some comparisons however I only have experience with a single external DAC but I can tell you the Denafrips line has NOT disappointed one single bit.

My system has become extremely revealing regarding the quality of CD recordings and the good to great ones???? I no longer listen to music, I experience it!!

Same here. I'm glad the Denafrips is working out for you so far. Have you taken that thing to the stratosphere (in sample rates) yet? @Geoff4rfc

The purpose of this post is to compare the sound of my new-to-me Metrum Acoustics Onyx R2R DAC to my reference Benchmark Media HGC/DAC3, which is a Delta Sigma type DAC.

The Benchmark DAC3 utilizes an ESS ES9028PRO chip. Benchmark has its roots in professional studio recording gear; they eventually entered the consumer market several years ago. Their equipment is known for being uber transparent, which in a studio environment, is valuable for mixing, engineering, etc. Their primary consumer offerings are DACs, preamps (including headphone amps), and a power amp. Full disclosure: I've used a Benchmark 'stack' of gear off-and-on over the last few years. I started with the HGC/DAC3, which can actually be used as a preamp/DAC; next, I added the AHB2 power amp; then eventually, I bought their feature-packed HPA4 preamp. When used in tandem, the resulting sound is VERY transparent IMO. This appeals to some, but not all. I have found that it can be so revealing as to expose recording/mixing nuances that may, or may not, be desired. It can isolate instruments and voices (lead and backup) to a point that might be overkill for some listeners. At times, you can almost visualize the engineer sliding faders up or down for solos and/or isolation of musical phrases. Of course, the source material/recording dictates how much of this is revealed to the listener. I personally appreciate the resulting sound, although I have tried different power amplifiers to experiment with different end-result flavors.

Now enter the Metrum Acoustics Onyx R2R DAC for comparison. Metrum Acoustics has a slightly tainted history, since the founder left the company after only a few years, and it took them a while to regain their footing after his departure. But, the company has survived, and they continue to offer new products. Following the founder's mission, they have their own proprietary R2R DAC modules, and most of their older DACs can be retrofitted with the newly developed DAC modules, to varying degrees. All Metrum Acoustics DACs are R2R NOS (Non-OverSampling) DACs. The Onyx utilizes four of the proprietary DAC2 modules (two per channel), but can be updated with the latest DAC3 modules. As an aside, and as with most R2R DACs, there is no native DSD conversion.

My initial plan for DAC comparisons was to utilize USB connections, since my Innuous Zen Mk3 streamer only has a USB output. Perhaps foolishly, I thought I could use a USB splitter between the streamer's output, and the two DAC USB inputs. In retrospect, this was a fool's errand. Long story, but in the end, for A/B comparisons, I used a Logitech Squeezebox Touch via digital coax output. As fate would have it, the Benchmark HGC/DAC3 has a digital passthrough, so I was able to route the LSBT digital coax into the DAC3, and then out - via a passthrough output to the Onyx. I was then able to toggle between the two DACs for A/B comparisons.

The difference in sound between the DACs was subtle, but there was indeed a difference...after some time. The Metrum Acoustics Onyx I bought was used, but just barely. The previous owner said he briefly tested the DAC, since he opted for a different Metrum Acoustics DAC/Headphone amp instead. So, the Onyx I bought was not really burned-in. When I first listened to it, the sound was not impressive at all, but I read that these DACs require a significant amount of burn-in time, so I let it run (muted on the preamp) continuously for a few days. I had the classical24 internet radio station running - highly recommended, BTW! Each time I unmuted the preamp, it sounded a bit better. After 4 or so days (100+ hours), it really sounded open and free.

For classical music, the Metrum Acoustics Onyx sounded more like the front row (or maybe at the podium itself), whereas the Benchmark DAC3 sounded more like midway back in the auditorium - not bad, but the soundstage was a bit narrower. The Onyx emulated more of the symphony hall acoustics, whether real, or perceived.

For rock/pop studio recordings, the Onyx brought things a bit more forward, again with real, or perceived, room acoustics. Knowing that studios typically strive for deadening acoustic treatments, I think the Onyx DAC's playback was adding favorable harmonics to the original mix. I hesitate to say it, but I think this could be described as a tube flavor. This could also explain the extra dimensionality I heard with classical recordings.

Given the choice today, I would pick the Metrum Acoustics Onyx R2R DAC over the Benchmark DAC3. Even with the native DSD playback options with the DAC3, I think the Onyx sound is better overall. This really brings into question: is DSD worth all the hype?

I'd say DSD is worth having IF you have a decent collection of SACDs that you have ripped, but otherwise, probably not. For the most part, a high res 24/192 will sound as good if it is treated with care in the mastering.

marvda1 wrote: »

@jdjohn, the founder of Metrum Acoustics has a new dac company, Sonnet Digital.

Yes, and I see you own their Morpheus 2 DAC Did you ever try a Metrum DAC, or did you go straight to the Sonnet?

I went from a L.K.S. mh-da004 straight to the sonnet morpheus.