I’ve been playing with D6S in my setup lately. The PCM filters certainly make a difference. With the right test tracks it was easy for me to hear. It affects the decay structure response of the audio signal; my direct observation is that PCM filtering has an effect on imaging, clarity, and sound blackness. Something that is often misunderstood is what you can’t hear directly will often still affect what you can hear by vibrationally augmenting the behavior of audible sound waves; harmonic distortion.
There are differences in audio equipment. Whether they are audible or not has been highly debated over and over. To be honest, I have yet to see an objective measurement across the human range of hearing for things like DAC's that would show measurable differences or the lack thereof. Subjectively one may feel they do do, or do not hear a difference. Such subjective test and their results vary from person to person. In this regards perception is not necessarily reality, yet every reviewer pro or con tries to state that their view point regarding actual audible differences is the right one. In reality, they can only say their view is the truth for them and perhaps some other like them. IMO it is disingenuous to criticize and mock those who think they can hear a difference or those who think they cannot.
Maybe it's me...but...every time you review a new DAC whether it is $1,000 or a $100 your conclusion is always the same... your usual comment always - the DAC sounds like any other DAC, there is no difference....then, why do you even review anything...maybe switch to reviewing bottled water?...maybe?
Maybe audiophiles should stop promoting nonsense about audio gear-such as all dacs sound different. None of these new dacs do anything different and true A/B tests prove that-along with measurements. It’s pretty outlandish how the typical “reviewer” (read hype nut) claims EVERY SINGLE NEW DAC sounds soooo different and more DYNAMIC and blah blah blah. Same old bullshit, rinse and repeat. Take a look at that while you’re critiquing me for actually doing the work these other “reviewers” won’t. Bottled water has more variation than modern dacs, funny enough.
@@NoThemeReviews This is true to a point. Certain DACs are better as far as noise floor, distortion, etc. Therefore, if the search is for the best testing DAC, then I can see that discussion. But I truly believe those who actually hear differences, it is the result of the system they are using and thus their chain. In other words, they are using amps, preamps, speakers or headphones that color the music greatly, that then is affected by exchanging a DAC. The best example? Run some tube amps (true tube amps -- not stuff that has tubes and looks cool, but a true, low watt tube amp) and change DACs. Your mind will be blown.
I'm not a fanatic audiophile, but a lot of people will laugh at me for saying that different interconnect cables sound different, but I've tested a lot of premium and not so premium ones. Currently I'm testing a rather cheap japanese mogami neglex 2534 and let me tell you, every cable sounds different. It's just that you have to have a high level system to reveal the difference. I'm giving the cable thing as an example., but it's the same with DACs. These things should be the finishing touches on your system, not the beginning. No matter what DAC or cables you use, if your system is not up to the appropriate level, you won't hear anything new or different. It's not that your review is inaccurate, but it depends in what context. I'm not trying to convince anyone, but people should really try to gather experience for themselves and be flexible in their opinions.
Navigating throughout these Dacs and dac/combos has given me a nasty case of paralysis through analysis. What i need is a simple no frills solution to connect my PC and 2 game consoles to headphones and speakers.
@@NoThemeReviewsI wish they made filters that actually did something, like replicate tube sound or something else. I can't hear a difference between any.
No reason to buy another Dac unless you need some additional features. Dacs are a money pit best left alone if you can. If you’re happy with what you currently have, no reason to buy a new one.
@NoThemeReviews LOL I bought the su-1 the other day and I tried my hardest to tell the difference, and I couldn't, no difference in fidelity. I do like the form factor and size, so I'll keep it but otherwise no reason.
I'm looking to move up from a Modi 3 which I bought about a year or two ago, do you think that it's worthwhile upgrading from it? Excellent review, no BS and very pragmatic. Although DACs and audio gear in general is very discretionary and most people can happily get by with what they have already, being able to rediscover tracks you've listen to a thousand times seems to be holy grail for most of us.
I don't think the D6s is a worthwhile upgrade from the Modi. Aesthetically, sure, but it doesn't offer anything sonically that the Modi can't produce. You might want to consider adding tubes to your system instead; that would alter the sound profile a heck of a lot more than any dac ever would. The DarkVoice is a good option with fairly cheap tube replacements; Xduoo has a few, and I'd steer you towards the quad tube amp. Depending on your budget, my personal holy grail for tube amps are the Woo Audio Firefly and Quad PA-One. The Bellari HA540 Mk2 is also pretty good.
@@NoThemeReviews I'm not sure I agree; as someone that has several Modis (the 3, the plus, etc.) and some darn revealing amps and speakers. From a pure, sound perspective, the d-6s is a better DAC and tests better. But the d-6s provides XLR output, which I think is key for those who want to upgrade later to a balanced preamp (like the Schiit Kara) and thus eventually to amps with balanced inputs. It is even a wonderful option should you invest in a balanced headphone amp. Schiit's Modius has XLR, but it tests worse than the d-6s and costs $229. The d-6s also has the following the Modi does not: (1) bluetooth connectivity (I don't care, but bears noting); (2) volume control, that allows you to use it as a preamp; (3) internal power supply; and (4) MQA and DSD encoding (which for those who own CDs, opens a few more doors). In the end, while I love the Modi, it sells for $119 and frankly the additional $80 here is a decent investment because I think the d-6s can actually grow as your system grows to a more XLR heavy system. Sure, you can say that the differences between DACs aren't audible. But if the goal is a transparent and revealing system, doesn't it make sense that each piece in your chain is as high performing and clear as possible? I think so... If that comes with XLR, it seems like a no brainer -- especially at $30 less than Schiit's balanced DAC the Modius.
@NoThemeReviews Hi, do you think it's worth buying a dedicated dac like an smsl for example, to replace the internal dac of the elgato wave xlr? (happy new year)
Happy new year! Personally, no I don’t see the reason to buy a separate Dac when you have the XLR. I’ll tell you why and then what the counter argument is. Generally, interfaces like the XLR made by reputable companies offer excellent value and sound quality. Focusrite is a prime example. It’s hard or impossible to know what Dac these components use because the companies do not specify. However, I have no reason to think the internal dacs are insufficient or sub-par. Professionals use them for a reason-which should be theoretically good enough for “audiophiles” who keep saying they want to listen as the artist intended. IMO, the XLR seems perfectly fine. Its headphone power output isn’t great, but will do the job for most dynamic driver headphones under 300 ohms. If you buy a separate Dac, you’ll still need a headphone amp. As far as I can tell, the XLR can’t be plugged into an external Dac. So you’d have something like the SMSL but no way to use it with headphones or passive speakers unless you already have a separate headphone/speaker amp or buy one in addition to the new Dac. It’s just more money for questionable return. The cheapest Dac/amp combo could cost $200+. Is that worth it? The counter argument from some audiophiles is they’ll claim a separate Dac sounds better or has more dynamic range, etc. That’s the same baloney we hear all the time. Next month’s Dac will be more magical than the one some of these people praised just 2 months prior; rinse and repeat. Dacs and “audiophile cables” are hands down the biggest scam operations in existence. They don’t provide any material improvements and suck a lot of time and money. The music you create and listen to will have its own dynamic range. Good luck finding a track that has more than 12db swing. So, it makes no difference at all that a Dac has 130db dynamic range because it’ll never be relevant. Further, if you listen to lossy files like from Spotify, an external Dac doesn’t make much sense. Those types of tracks are already highly compressed and no Dac will undo that. The vast majority of audiophiles listen to CD quality music, which is generally 16 bit, 44khz. Maybe you can find some albums in 24 bit. Rarely do you find them in DSD. There are practically no albums in MQA (which is a separate issue you should learn about if you get a chance). I suggest you look at your current and expected use scenarios. If you’re not listening to anything over 16 bit PCM audio, then an external Dac makes no sense. The sound cards in any modern device are plenty capable of dealing with that resolution. An external Dac might be useful if you plan on listening to 24/32 bit PCM or DSD or want to decode MQA. I doubt people can really hear a difference in the higher lossless formats, but you have the option. Bottom line: think about the cost and return. You could save the money you might waste on a Dac and amp, and instead use it towards one of many excellent headphones or IEMs. Or just save that money for a rainy day.
@@NoThemeReviews Thank you very much for your feedback, that’s my point of view too. Thank you for your time, your tests and your honesty are so useful for those who want to buy in a useful way. I wish you the best for 2024 at all levels of your life and look forward to continuing to follow your videos. Support from France
@@Vismaiorek Currently the DL200 is on Amazon in the United States for $189.00. I have no idea if the Dl200 is better but he mentioned that it was much more expensive than the D6s but it is actually cheaper.
GM ☕️ Great review ..I believe that the DAC / decoding may give a slight modification of the outputs sound ..but the analog section gives the DAC a flavor to its sound ..I mean some DAC’s have tubes . I’m thinking of saving my pennies for a Mola DAC ..I’m sort of getting to my end game ..in this game as I head into Senior Citizen Land . Great review!
I bought this dac online. I have no remote on my amp and thought this thing would help me out on this. It was going to replace an old, and I thought obsolete, Musical Fidelity. Man, was I disappointed. All the dynamics were gone, base was boomy, voices sounded as if the singers were nervous. There was sound, but no music. I checked and tried everything, at last did an A/B test with the MF because I couldn't believe it. But believe me, I don't like to say it this way but this SMSL is rubbish. For the first time in my life I send something back. The MF is singing again and will stay for a long time.
