Schiit Bifrost vs. the original Peachtree Dac-it

mzkmxcv said:  "Even Schiit’s flagship DAC won’t be as accurate as the two I mentioned above that are much cheaper. Like I said, only their Modi 3 is worth buying."

Is that so?  How do you know?  What criteria did you use for that assessment?  What does "accurate" mean?  Are you informed by something you read on "Audio Science Review"?  https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-topping-dx3pro...

If your hobby is testing devices, then I suppose a definition for "accuracy" can be posited, a hypothesis established, and a series of tests could be run to determine whether a device meets the criteria (and to what degree those criteria are met).  This may be an enjoyable pursuit, but many of us do not have the inclination nor the test equipment to do this.  And I guarantee most of us do not have the electronics background to meaningfully interpret the test results, and even if we did how do you map the test results to a subjective listening experience?

The Schiit Yggdrasil measured poorly on John Atkinson's bench, but many professional reviewers liked the way it sounded in their systems.  I have a closet full of DACs, and they all sound different.  I am currently using an original DACMagic in my main system, a Schiit Modi Multibit for my headphone stack, and am trying to order that Topping DX3 pro (see review above, out of stock everywhere, maybe I have to wait for the next MassDrop) to replace the audio engine D1 in my desktop system (both headphones and Audioengine A2 speakers).  I sold the BiFrost Multibit because I couldn't tell much difference between it and the Modi Multibit.  I really like the Schiit Modi Multibit, and have had it in my main system (it sounded great, but it is different).  I have it in my headphone setup because it looks cool stacked with my Schiit Vali.

You just can't make a blanket statement saying that "so 'n so DAC is the only one worth buying."  There are many different flavors out there and sometimes you will buy a DAC because it is readily available from a reliable source (like a dealer you might have a relationship with), or because it just looks cool and you want to try it out!

and even if we did how do you map the test results to a subjective listening experience?

Thats super easy, if any distortion/non-linearity/errors/etc. are below established audibility tresholds, then it’ll be transparent. THD+N of -130dB vs -140dB is not meaningful for usage as they are both below the noise floor of any room, even though it’s easy to say the latter is better. A DAC that has a frequency response of +/-0.1dB is better than +/-0.2dB, but they’ll sound similar and be audibly better than one that’s +/-1dB. IMD that’s 60dB below the fundamental will be inaudible with music (may be audible for test tones).

Indeed, getting concrete values for what’s transparent is difficult, but if the values are far better than any human tests have shown, than that’s good.

mzkmxcv:  I agree with you.  But my "Mimby" has been oodles of fun, and I still highly recommend it for someone who wants to try out a different flavor of DAC without breaking the bank.

@kahlenz

Yeah, that’s why I tried to stress that I’m talking about accurate playback. I want all my gear transparent, and add DSP to taste, rather than not add any DSP and try and mix and match gear that colors the sound on its own. Simply different philosophies.

mzkmxcv:  that accuracy agenda is out the window as soon as the recording engineer hooks up a mic.  Accurate to what?  The natural tone and timber of the acoustic event?  The engineer's concept of how it should sound?  The artist's vision of how he/she wants his/her music to come across?

When you add playback systems and varying room acoustics, the idea of "accuracy" becomes absurd.  Everything that comes in contact with the original signal is going to color the sound.  There is no such thing as accurate.

At best, playback systems should be designed for the pleasure of the listener.  That includes colorations of all sorts.  It really boils down to what you want to listen to, and what, for you, best conveys the feelings and emotions of the music.