...it appears to me that the true criterions of achievement regarding the DDDAC1794 are now spreading more around within DIY-circles...
let me quote some guys from Austria:
"The sound really is unbelievable most of the times, of course depending on the input-file, you can't enhance a bad sound-production/mastering.
But when the input is good the output is awesome, mostly equal or beating the vinyl (of course there also remains the question of origin/production), but this leads to constant discussions between us, one favoring vinyl, the other digital. Let's take the best of both worlds..."...
..."DDDAC vs. Vinyl: this was the most interesting challenge for sure with the additional difficulty in finding similar or identical productions (on the issue:
http://dr.loudness-war.info/ ).
So here are some examples we compared, ranging from 16bit/44,1kHz to 24bit/192kHz.
1) Fleetwood Mac – Rumours vs 24bit/88,2kHz: digital is ahead, much clearer, more dynamic, vinyl sounds dull in comparison. (I must say the vinyl seems to be worn out and played too often, I got it from a friend).
2) Michael Jackson – Thriller: we had different CDs (16bit/44,1kHz) ripped and played with DDDAC, at first vinyl was ahead, then we found a mastering which beat the vinyl clearly in every department.
3) The Police – Every Breath You Take (Best-of-Compilation): this was rather astonishing....after fixing a problem with the rotation speed of the Dual 704 we listened to the record to see if it's alright. Then we were blown away by the unbelievable sound of this record, very good production obviously (I heard the vinyl for the first time this day).
Later we compared it to 24bit/88,2kHz – vinyl won. About a week later I put it on again and compared it to a different 16bit/44,1kHz mastering....and the DDDAC was ahead, I couldn't believe it, but there it was.
4) DiMeola/McLaughlin/DeLucia-Friday Night in San Francisco, live: we compared it to 176kHz, 88,2kHz, 44,1kHz....vinyl won every time. It feels more alive and vibrant, the digital is sounding a bit dry in comparison, but nevertheless perfect. Hard to explain with words.
5) Boston – Third Stage: This was close....both sounding very good. The DDDAC though has more power, more bass (as always). But also the highs are very clear and sounding similar to vinyl. But interestingly the digital sounds more open and spatial overall.
6) Chris Isaak – Wicked Game (Best-of-Compilation): for a long time this was my favorite record to impress people with, show them the quality of vinyl and Dual 704, I never thought digital could come close. But it does, 16bit/44,1kHz and it sounds better overall, more dynamic, more open, the highs are pretty much identical. Still the record sounds very very good of course.
7) ZZ Top-Eliminator: we compared it to 192kHz....vinyl record also sounding very good, DDDAC sounds better in every department, more powerful, more dynamic, better sound stage.
–-
So in the end the DDDAC beats them all (with one exception- the vinyl-live-concert)..."
contrarily to those who still passionately object digital stream they have reached another level in development and reproduction: "...mostly equal or beating the vinyl..." and "...one favoring vinyl, the other digital..."...this is presumably that what most are looking for, isn't it?
if you want to read more, go here:
http://www.runeaudio.com/forum/runeaudio-with-raspberrypi-and-dddac1794-nos-t484.html