dafiend wrote: > ... Your perceived difference in sound quality is likely a placebo > effect. > > Yes, your Benchmark DAC likely measures better than many other gear, but > there's a point where differences are too small to be perceived by human > hearing.
That I decisively disagree with. I can hear a clear difference between the Benchmark and the Audioengine even when I use them both exclusively as headphone amplifiers. There is more resolution. I will always know which one I am hearing with. The question is whether the difference is worth over $1.7k. For most it surely isn't. For me it is worth every cent. :-) It's also clearly a function of the equipment that follows the DAC. And it is measurable, as in channel separation, noise floor etc. But far more importantly, it can be heard. When I am home, or next to a better source, I would never ever plug my Shure SE535 or Grados into my Samsung S5. For prolonged, dedicated hearing it is... an emergency solution only. Compared to any above, it is muddy and congested. ...pablo Server: Virtual Machine running Ubuntu 12.04 + LMS 7.7.3 on VMware Player System: SB Touch --optical->- Benchmark DAC2HGC --AnalysisPlus Oval Copper XLR->- Creek Destiny Power Amp --AnalysisPlus Black Mesh Oval->- KEF LS50 Other Rooms: 2x SB Boom; 1x SB Radio; 1x SB Classic-> MusicalFidelity M1PWR -> Totem DreamCatcher ------------------------------------------------------------------------ pablolie's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3816 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=102252 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
