Comparing two DACs - One cheap, one expensive
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Wednesday August 27, 2025
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
@craft-o-matic399 replies to @AudioMasterclass: I have to be honest dear sir. I didn't care for the sound of any of these DAC units. However, if I had to choose one, I would reluctantly choose DAC X.
Really enjoying your channel! I will subscribe as soon as I finish this comment. Thank you!
Lisa
@leosgolf replies to @AudioMasterclass: I listened on a simple macbook air M4 and I thought A & X were the same. The most defining feature for me was a more holographic effect in the clips with the electric guitar section ... the sound simply had exta depth and width to beside me instead of just coming from the macbook ..maybe distortion that I liked more as well.
@666-og: if your system is cheap dn't bother you won't hear much different, good dac are for good system, your cheap system cannot
@swagonman: Ok this is crazy. I think X=A after just listening to it on my iPhone 18 Pro Max speakers. Is that insane or what???? My prebias going in was that I wouldn’t hear any difference unless I downloaded the files, and then it would be very subtle or difficult. I’m not confident in my opinion using the iPhone — I could be wrong. But that was my impression (X=A) after just one listen. I have unusually great ears for a 61-year-old, BTW.
@philbreen7152: Very little difference, I doubt anyone could tell a cheap dac from an expensive one in a blind test.
@andyfidler5022: I prefer DAC A.
@joeg3763: Some people might not notice a difference, or care, but yes, there are differences. Once you convert the signal to analog, you are still amplifying it and sending it off to the next component, so they can sound different just like any other part of the system. What will always be true is speakers are the most important part of the chain, and what will be most dramatically different sounding when compared, but a DAC shouldn't be a bargain piece if you can afford something $500 or more.
@timothygrupp: Sales person? Sales Executive?? I will refrain from using my favored term for the scum....err, sorry; restraint lost. What is X? Well in a perfectly digital world it is A or B; as to discerning betwixt the pair, I can´t. The only appreciable difference that I have heard is when I switched to a USB C DAC Dongle with Dual Chip (CX31993 + MAX97220), Hi-Res 32bit/384kHz. Internet listening tests are in my estimation not viable nor informative. Lemme know when the analog internet arrives.
@tonykazz2779: Cables make greater differences
@os6219: Both are pretty much meh, DACX=DAC A. DAC B sounds better to me.
@Uuhuuuuuyyyyyyyyy_urujejdjdjjd: I dont understand. How can I test your DAC through a video that has to be processed and reproduced by my DAC. Is there a point to this or am I just missing it entirely?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @Uuhuuuuuyyyyyyyyy_urujejdjdjjd: I’ve covered this point several times in my DAC reviews. I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching them all.
@the_best_michael: Stumbled over this a bit late. Thanks for the test and all the nerdy details. My only gripe (generally, not just in this particular instance): I wouldn't call something with an amplifier stage a DAC. But that's what people call them (DAC/Amp combos), so I guess realistically there's nothing anyone can do about it.
@chenting71: Duke
@elgolelgol8075: X is A A have more space is more live than B but the difference not worth 16x maybe 500€ is logical price
@Soldrv2036: You can hear a difference. I have 5 dacs, two audio notes, and you can absolutely tell the difference . Of course if your cd player sucks it doesn't matter how good your dac is, your sound is going to suck
@sdmmam: delta sigma trash vs delta sigma garbage. wow fantastic test
@703elee: the problem is there are 2 different things going on that too many people conflate. On the one hand there is cheap vs expensive and on the other hand there is good vs bad. There are a TON of GOOD cheap dacs (as well as BAD expensive dacs) but there are also a TON of BAD cheap dacs. When you compare a GOOD cheap dac to a GOOD expensive dac and you see that a GOOD cheap dac sounds really good.....people make the leap to I should just get a cheap dac bc this video proved it. Really, the 2 should be separated (and for the most part, most people do this intrinsically) by setting a BUDGET and then finding what works. These comparison videos are silly ....you could just as easily picked a cheap dac that sounds crappy (like lets say an average laptop computer soundcard)
@robertthweatt1900: X=A. B has a top end. Samsung phone.
@ChrisGarner-cd3ms: As a £60 Fosi DS2 dongle-dac user for on the go- 510mw/32ohms through my balanced cable using UAP PP, bit perfect setting. I am very pleased to say that my 62 year old ears didn't notice any changes in quality at all. Btw, I'm a birder and can recognise every British breeding species by ear, including a large number of vagrants and passing rarities. Moreover, I can still hear the wonderful song of the (Winter ) Wren, a British species, whereas most of my pals of similar age,and many younger, cannot hear it's piercingly high frequency and powerful song for such a tiny creature. My point, there are no issues with my hearing. Have it!
Regards, and thanks. Love your channel.
@Pootycat8359: I didn't notice any difference. However, BOTH sounded BETTER than almost ANY music I've ever heard on Youtube.
@techeteri: X is B, the expensive - but I immediately noticed the DAC A is a bit sibilant. And B has a better tember on the piano. A is also very detailed and accurate too. Both are good.
@hongkyhendrawan5002: I cant point which one better between ifi neo idsd and chord hugo tt2, i have both.😅
@rolandlickert2904: I used a DAC in the 90th and an esoteric transport. I paid 1000 Singapore dollars for it at that time; it was the cheapest DAC in town (CALLED COBALT).
@johnrus7661: Problem with this is by the time you listen to the end of one DAC. You cannot remember what A sounded like because of failable musical memory. I play violin and piano to a high level. Think orchestral level. And there could be obvious differences and I wouldn't know. And I have better musical memory than most.
And thats why these ABX tests in general are useless unless the differences are gargantuan. And often the results they are no better than random. Not because there is no difference. But you cannot draw any conclusions like that relying on musical memory stuff you aren't familiar with. Especially when you choke the differences between an AD and DAC.
@scottblack7096: Interesting comparison -- a 90 pound DAC vs a 1700 pound DAC. But why not extend this16 to I price ratio comparison scenario, to another 16 X more expensive (to 27,000 pounds) , and 16 X yet again (to 435,000 pounds!!) Yes, then do exist in that range!
@prashantgawand404: 20 year old person only should judge.
@Intheyear2525.: The answer is simple.
1. Listening on my phone and over ear headphones over my subscribed internet, Bluetooth and WIFI the test is ridiculous . Way too many variables.
2. My ears may have some wax dumbing down to where the tiny differences don't present themselves as they should.
3. I believe though, if it's really worth a damn, that B seemed to be up front closer than A.
@DayNightAudio: i was just enjoying the music and forgot to juge.
@BobTheCat1994: Cutting through all the Techno-Babble, if you can't hear the difference between a cheap DAC and an expensive DAC, then HiFi probably isn't for you.
@somethingandahalf: This just randomly popped up for me 😅 man, the Valkyrie is great.. there is that subtle.. timbre? I'm not well versed in the terms but when drums and guitar play there's that notion of clarity where you can hear that timbre which on the other dac you could still hear but not as clear and defined. Is it a 1600$ difference? Absolutely not 😅 that being said I think X is A and if I'm wrong, well, even more certain I'd never pay over 100$ on a dac 😂
@Audfile: I have a Gustard X26 Pro. Fully balanced. Dual mono, dual chip, class A power supplies. Extremely audiophile and you could cook an egg on it. Just bought an Emotiva XSP-2 preamplifier and decided to try the on-board DAC. How much delicacy, tone, texture, accuracy, have I lost? ZERO! For the record I have R3 Meta bolted into bespoke sand filled Kef stands, nearfield, Ganfet amps with Ganfet power supplies. For those who will say I'm not resolving enough 😂😂😂
@terryprater8115: From Wikipedia: "An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. An audiophile seeks to achieve high sound quality in the audio reproduction of recorded music, typically in a quiet listening space in a room with good acoustics." By this definition, we are all "audiophiles". I'm tired of hearing this term tossed around as if it were something sacred and unobtainable to most of us.
@terryprater8115: I'm very surprised that you would make a video about comparing two DACs. Just one year ago, you claimed in another video that you couldn't hear any difference between using a DAC and not using one. What changed your mind?
@g-mail4743: I soldered the internal wiring on my Polk R200's DAC A = DAC X , DAC B is so rich
@petermartin9494: Ok, what dac is A and and which is dac B?
@tortordenful: If you had been "clever" you could have switched dac's between dac-x segments and really given us a test 😂
@kappa408: Dac A
@wayneromanowicz8525: Listening to these dac's side by side would take a bit of thought to decifer quality. I believe preference might come in over a period of time listening through a competent system to which one you would prefer. That opinion could be translated into a level of ear fatigue or comfort level as you go forward with a choice. Any which way the final judgement doesn't jump out at you per say, unless told/revealed the identity ahead of time, your not placing a heavy bet on a sure thing with what you hear.
I purchased a Sony Progressive scan CD player in the very early 2000's and use this through my Yamaha RN-600. Although the 600 has a Sabre 32 bit dac compared to the Sony's 24 bit I find the quality of sound good, so much so I haven't wired the Sony yet to by pass it's 24 bit signal. However, I do notice a bump up in quality of sound when streaming directly through Yamaha's 32 bit, it's cleaner more natural sound appears slightly better than the Sony's cd play. Does it equate to $1000 difference...........no. The science of splitting hairs remains to be seen, I'll leave it to the experts.
@ThinkingBetter: A DAC is seriously poorly designed if this is the way you can hear it sounding different on a YouTube video. A DAC can nowadays quite precisely track the analog output against intended digitally stored audio waves and should not be questionable in other than the highest treble when LP filtering Red Book 44.1kHz 16 bits music. But unless you are in your teens or early 20s, you are unlikely to also hear such difference...yet again, assuming the engineers designing the DAC know what they are doing. Same goes for jitter. There is no audible jitter if the DAC is properly designed. Any DAC needing external re-clockers and special USB cables to become sonically transparent have some serious design flaw. Throw out such DAC.
@drbarney1000: The R2R ladder DACs were considered the best there is, but they rely on precise resister values to sound good. But as years pass, resistors change their value and lose some precision. A high-cost audio component must last for years without degradation before I want it. Newer DAC chips have much higher resolution than is possible through an R2R. They are less costly.
@gj8550: Trying to hear the difference between 2 DACs on a YouTube Video that you are watching on a phone or tablet is borderline absurdity. If Youtbe hasn't filtered out the nuances, your playback devices would certainly masked a good portion.
@tailwagga7701: More body to DAC B
@donmason356: dac X is dac A in my blown out ears.
@santanubhattacharya9102: My thoughts: DAC X is the Duke thingy.
I am not an audiophile under any circumstances, heck cannot afford being one. But I could hear, may be incorrectly, some subtle difference between the cymbal crashing between DAC A and B. And X corresponded more towards DAC B, which apparently is the Duke
@patbarr1351: Cute! An "analogue internet" wouldn't be helpful at all. There would still be miles of transistors, amplifiers & transformers in the signal path. Why not an "acoustic internet" with CNC machined tin cans connected by audiophile-grade string?
@twentyeight00000: I listened on my iphone 16 plus, jbl in-ear headphones and there is not much difference, I think I cant hear the difference 🤷♂️
@OrazCostanzo: Unless your superhuman or a cat you cant hear a difference
@Anyoldtime48: No brainer for me based on very limited budget. Listening via my 2012 Audioengine D1 (24 bit) to work past the internal Apple card....and new HD 599s after my HD 595's gave up the ghost on the right channel. Would have liked better headphones, but got what works for my budget. Similar specs to the 595's, and circumaural open back. Still forced to use an adapter from 6.35 to 3.5mm (on the Audioengine) and the Douk will provide me with the larger headphone plug input. Plus the RCA outputs on the back which I might find use for at some point. Thanks much for the video!!
@wreckingopossum: Either DAC X = DAC A, or I have gone crazy. DAC B is noticeably better. When you started playing DAC X I thought I had accidentally gone backwards in the video.
I watched the video on a OnePlus 10T, wired, USB-C to USB-C to powered on Shure Aonic50 Gen 1 headphones with Bluetooth disabled on the phone
@MarkJSage: For whatever reason dac B seemed to have just a bit more richness or fullness. But I don't think I could justify spending that much money for the other one for such a small return.
@Gouemu: Since I don't really speak English, I just listened to the sound test using my FiiO FT1 headphones and let AI handle the rest by pasting both the test and reveal video links.
I guessed DAC X was A, and that B was the pricier model because it sounded clearer and had a stronger attack. Turns out my ears were right on the mark.
It was a lot of fun!
@Urizen61: I have to admit I can't hear a difference. I like buying stuff that is well-built, stuff that is going to last. But I can't tell the difference between the two. Would I be able to tell the difference if I was in the room? It's possible, but I'm skeptical.
@vendelius: I heard a nice difference .. alhthough the cheaper dac was still adaquate
@vendelius: I didn't know Ifi has such expensive products.. Fun video... Thanks
@jones5311: DACX sounded like DAC A to my ear. Im no audiophile, I’m still trying to decide the type of sound I like.
@jacquesw8725: Oh yeah let's listen through youtube to get great sound to compare A to B! Unreal the idiocy here!
@AudioMasterclass replies to @jacquesw8725: Hahahaha. The whole world now knows that you’re the idiot. IDIOT haha. Hahahahaha.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @jacquesw8725: Replying to my own comment for the benefit of comment readers, this commenter failed to observe that the description box of the video has links to WAV downloads, so YouTube audio is irrelevant. I announced this clearly at https://youtu.be/h_fw6QFE4tQ?t=314 before the test. Of course there are still limitations to this test even with downloads, and I comment on these in detail at https://youtu.be/h_fw6QFE4tQ?t=98 I suppose I should apologise to the commenter for being a bit harsh, but I can't be bothered.
@jacquesw8725 replies to @jacquesw8725: @AudioMasterclass AWE baby got his feelings hurt? LOL I know the truth does hurt sometimes! And btw, you have had close to 50K views on this video. How many of those viewers do you think have a system that can reveal the differences? And frankly this is all subjective even with great components! Who's the dummy now? hahahahahahahahahahaha
@CareyMoulton: DAC X is the Douk,
@aderau-t5c: DAC B and DAC X sound slightly better than DAC A. But the price ratio is crazy 16:1
@peterhuynh6640: Dac B sounds better. Dac X is B
@charlesromney: I think DAC x = cheapest one.
@maeitea-ti2fh: Oh what the heck. You can clearly hear the difference, even without downloading files
Fullness of DAC-B. On DAC-A you can hear distortions on first seconds.
I would never go for DAC-A.
@Mister_Shane: I’m not familiar with either DAC, so I don’t know which is which. What I hear is that I can’t stand the overly crispy, crunchy highs in DAC A. DAC B has smooth highs but excessive mid bass. DAC A reminds me of a cheap ESS. DAC B reminds me of 90s PCM56A Burr Brown Sony CD players.
@gammaraider: I've fiddled around with different DAC's too here at home. Even in a direct A-B test I can't hear any difference, which is exactly as it should be, unless your DAC is deliberately colouring your music. Thanks for telling it like it is.
@0cch10 replies to @gammaraider: what category dac are we talking about, and not to be a dck,, but an alternative conclusion might be your system isnt revealing it because of flaws that obscure differences
.. but I dont know, I don't know the details
@_enex5505: I've watched the whole thing and ignored both models of the DACs and which one is the better one. All I can say is, to my ears, B sounded better and X was B. Am I correct? No clue yet
@_enex5505 replies to @_enex5505: In my defense to this response in particular, I've listened to this audio through YouTube. I've decided to compare audio A with audio X and both sound different (again, on YouTube). Not only that, after AB testing both audios (just with the drums) I can differenciate which one is the audio A and which one is the audio X. HUH?
@ltdrd2024speed: 2 is x
it's obvious
@xray111xxx: It is what you heard. No wrong answers. Unlike the Audiophile cognoscenti would have believe how wrong you are. Stop sweating it, and love the music, and put the analysis away. Life is too short.
@arturogonzalez-arquieta7882: To me, DAC X is the first one. I do hear a difference. Big difference,
@asterixx6878: DAC A is the better of the two. It's more open and crisp.
@ruderabbit797: we, watching from a monitor or TV will not even know the dif, so yea, a fun showing. Loved the Passive Aggressiveness of this. 🤣 I felt the Valkyrie was B and X. Though liked the mellow tones of A. I'm a strong, yet mellow mid listener.
@WeThrowPie: I'm pretty sure those glasses are for trans people or something.
@claptrap22: I find those that say they can't hear a difference interesting. The Douk sounds quite fine, but it definitely sounds smaller and more compressed than the iFi, by comparison. The ring on the snare hits is more apparent and rich on the iFi and cymbals shimmer more, fore example
@virgogreg: A reverse phase summing test would be interesting
@AudioMasterclass replies to @virgogreg: It would indeed be interesting but clock drift makes it impossible. I did come across a software that claims to correct this drift but I doubt if my ancient Windows laptop would be up to it. In any case I'd have to wonder whether it would cause more problems than it solves. I'll keep an open mind and if I find a solution I'll try a test.
@hagbard72: B but I could live with A, especially given the prices.
@RetroVHSFest: Listening to files with the YouTube compression is pretty funny
@AudioMasterclass replies to @RetroVHSFest: What's really funny is the number of people who complain about YouTube audio despite me saying exactly this... https://youtu.be/h_fw6QFE4tQ?t=314
@apolloxiii5574: I don't hear any difference, the YouTube compression algorithm and my computer DAC makes everything sound the same, maybe the original soundtracks makes a difference.
@bikeman123: So we are listening to a analogue recording that has been converted to digital and then is played through a dac to convert back to analogue, which is then recorded as an analogue signal and converted to digital then uploaded to youtube who compress it and then we convert it back to analogue on whatever device we use to listen to it. 😂
@SuperDeepfield: X=A=iFi
@andrewstafford-jones4291: I have 4 differnt DAC's at price points up to 3K.
The presentation of all the DAC's is all completely different and the most expensive one is simply in a different class to the others.
Speakers are SCM100ASL (Active) in the latest specification.
@voiceofreason9238: I haven't read any comments. DAC X is the same as DAC A and I determined that SOLELY from listening to the sibilant "s" from the female vocal and comparing . I heard sibilance from DAC B. I'm not sure about this next thing, but I think I liked the piano better on DAC B, the difference is so subtle.
@_TheRealGod: I was hoping for DAC Donald!
@bradtowne2305: Listening to two different DAC's, through the cheap DAC on my laptop is clearly, the way to tell the difference.
@whizzkidd4: I like b
@raypena1516: they all sound good. hard to say which one I like the most.
@michaelgahan2968: I must be blessed bc my DAC on my iPhone streaming to my system with Bluetooth receiver sounds just as good
@chahyadirusli5219: Dac X
@Farhan-xu6rr: Dac B wins, more body, more space between instuments, voice is better and more real, less hursh, i can hear the ambient, enjoyable. The X was Dac A. It's more flat. I didn't even play with my setup. I downloaded and listen from my phone using airpod pro. Hope I'm right
@duaneselby6743: I'm going to say X was Dac A. The music just lacked depth and body; it just felt thin and flat. On Dac B, the music had more depth, was warmer, fuller, and more detailed. Im listening on my Hegel 120 and Focal Stellias.
@bogdanniculescu4941: B the best
@عبدالسلاماحمدعبدالكريم-ص3ك6ج: لا تنفع افضل الاجهزة اذا العيب في التسجيلات في اختلاف بين استدويات التسجيل وكذلك علم مهندس التسجيلات وكذلك كذب الشركات تكذب وتغش
@andreasrochow5170: Once again, I was able to see just how well my DAC and stereo amp work together with the Quadral “Amun X” floorstanding speakers. My favorites in the test were the DAC A and DAC X. May I ask why you don't carry any acoustic bass models in your lineup?
@mariusandvickipessah6535: I have noticed that almost every week there is a new DAC reviewed on YouTube which the reviewer claiming that it’s a huge breakthrough or a game changer . Many times it’s the same company with a minor tweak with a concomitant change in the model number and increased price . Yet there has been almost no mention of Schiit DACs at fraction of the price . The adjectives used to compare the DACS are reminiscent of a menu at an expensive restaurant . I advise checking your amplifier and speaker ohms to make sure you have enough power . Position your speakers properly or invest in a good preamp that would improve the sound of your system better than the DAC and don’t forget decent cables . Great review !!! I agree that the sound of DACS don’t make that much of a difference . I’ve owned a Schiit Yggy for years and I’m in heaven .
@donk1822: I can hear the differences between my Audiolab's various filter options quite easily, I always end up on the optimal transient whenever I've scrolled through them blind, but I can't hear any difference between them, DAC X could be either to my ears.
@NickPuentes: Ultimately, the difference is very subtle, but I think DAC X sounds like DAC A.
@jacquesmertens3369: I have partial hearing loss and I can no longer hear very low or high frequencies. But I think X = A = neutral, dry and B = slightly warmer with a bit of added resonance.
Therefore I assume A (and also X) is the cheaper one, B is the expensive one.
@gianlucabassi8853: My vote for A
@archiemadison764: DAC A sounds more lifelike
@paulstubbs7678: There WAS an analogue 'internet', it was the old analogue phone network - however unsuitable for this use.
I think 'X' was the Douk K5
As for the inversion, it's got to be the internal design of the K5, as lead wise the only one that can do that is a miss wired balanced lead, that I don't think you were using. I used to think this does not matter - as long as both channels match, however I've seen some banter of late on YT telling of the horrors of signal inversion.
In one of my setups I have a cheap plastic combo DAC/ADC where I played with its USB feed (that is also it's power) running it through a filter and a linear 5V power injector - It now sounds WAY better. to the point I am no longer looking to replace it.
Darn, I just noticed this video is 8 months old - Yikes I hate it when YT does that to me.
@jonathanstarr3568: Thank you for this test. Financially speaking, I could only ever afford the first one to begin with and now I will not regret my decision.
@bobc3997: What a ridiculous idea. We're listening to it streamed by low-fidelity YouTube.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @bobc3997: You’re an idiot. I’ll let you figure out why.
@philipw7058: The comparison is infantile and shows no understanding of audio,the more revealing a system is,and if the room has treatments or not, witch will make the room more revealing,that is the criteria for hearing difference’s in audio electronic sound difference’s,this need to compare audio devices is ridiculous,it comes down to topology that the designer implements in his design, all Dacs are not designed equally that’s what makes this video childish and was a waste of my time
@AudioMasterclass replies to @philipw7058: Haha, the classic audiophile snob’s riposte. “Your system is insufficiently resolving therefore anything you say is meaningless”. “Anything I say however is true to the utmost degree, even if I offer no evidence to prove it.” Thank you for the entertainment. I had a good laugh.
@philipw7058 replies to @philipw7058: @AudioMasterclasslike I said childishly answered,the only thing ignorant people can do when they don’t understand anything is to laugh,I guess you think all audio electronics sound the same ,people like you are a joke and I’m the one that got a good laugh and won’t waste my time watching any of your ignorance,go get a better system or get your hearing checked
@alexbucher5179: What comes on top is that hearing a difference doesn't even necessarily help you on your decision. The difference can be positive with certain audio material and negative with another one. As to say there is no loudspeaker or room, DAC, Amp or even an instrument that is universally better in everything. Just different.