(Multiple choice) What are the audible differences between DACs, and or high end vs low end DACs (read above, for reasonable design)
Resolution/detail
Soundstage/imaging/”localization”/sense of space/"openness"
Tonality/timbre
Bass, mids, highs
Instrument/sound separation
Left/right channel separation
"Dynamics"
Clarity
More/less "natural"
More/less "hard" (in a bad way)
"Metallic sound"
Frequency response
Distortion (not frequency response)
Noise floor
Jitter
Other
(Multiple choice) What aspects/areas cause audible differences (read above, for reasonable design)
DAC chip
Analogue
PSU
Isolation/shielding
Jitter/clocking
PCB layout
R2R vs DS
Balanced vs SE
Other
If any: at what general price point do DACs become indistinguishable or near indistinguishable (Dedicated DACs or DACs within a DAC/amp)
<$10
$20-$50
$50-$100
~$100
$100-$150
~$150
~$200
$200-$300
$300-$500
$500-$1000
$1000-$5000
>$5000
Approximately how much does your DAC (dedicated or DAC/amp, if you have one) cost vs your headphones/speakers
<5%
5%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
75%
100%
150%
200%
300% or greater
How much correlation do you believe there to be between measurements are perceived sound
None
Very little
Some
Moderate amount
50/50
Measurements tell most of the story
Measurements tell almost everything
Measurements are the only thing that matters
What DAC do you use?
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