seanadams Wrote: > There isn't a simple answer to this. SB2 uses the PCM1748, but the DAC > chip alone does not dictate the performance of the whole system - it > can be somewhat better or much worse than the data-sheet specs > depending on the design. Since the DAC chip is only one component of > the whole clocking + power + DAC + amplification process, the only way > to really do a head-to-head is to listen blind, or measure the complete > systems under identical test environments. However, even then, there is > no such thing as an exhaustive test. > > As a rule of thumb though, I would estimate that most standalone DACs > more than 5 yrs old, regardless of price, will have lower performance > than SB2. The price/performance of these chips, like CPUs, memory etc, > improves with each iteration: performance levels that are relatively > inexpensive to reach today were completely unavailable a few years ago.
The SB2 is a worthy technology to be sure. I really enjoy the sound of a Toshiba SD-9200 in my system, but I find that the Toshiba sounds only marginally better than the SB2 when I use superior interconnects with the SB2. The Toshiba uses a Advanced Multi-Bit Delta Sigma DAC (from Analog Devices). I don't know anything about this DAC, nor much else about the internals of the Toshiba, but I love the way it sounds in my system. However, it's a CD player with more than a few undesirable quirks, and it hasn't the cool factor the SB2 brings to my system. I've been auditioning the Toshiba and have decided to not get it and continue to use the SB2 with my own hard drives instead. Nonetheless, I find myself in audiophile hell. Now I want a superior external DAC for my sb2. You know how it goes. (sigh). -- GreenMan _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
