listening-in

yes, sorry about the double-post. I only saw it after posting my comment. I have done the ABX Comparator with the foobar plug-in. I can score about 80% between 24/96 and 16/44.1 - NOT encouraging. Though I read that 30 tests are needed to ensure a reliable result, with lots of ear rest in between. I hear the difference between the two examples most easily when listening for singers' inhaling and exhaling at the end of notes and also through brush snares/high hats/ cymbals. I need a top-produced album like "The Imagine Project" (vinyl ripped) by Herbie Hancock to hear the difference. I then convert a track down to 16/44.1 and test it against the original in 24/96. I also took a hearing test at Upper Frequency Range (High Pitch) Hearing Test, online and found I could only hear tones starting at 17kHz - can anyone hear the 18-20kHz tones? Thanks for your replies!

Hi everyone, A dumb question perhaps but here it is: Is it bad for the signal to pass through two DACs? It can't be good to add a step in the chain, but is it especially harmful here? I have been using an Asus Xonar Essence ST soundcard, which uses a Burr-Brown PCM 1792A DAC to convert signals(127dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit). Retails for about US$200. Am wondering how pricey a DAC separate I would need to hear an improvement in the sound. If I upgraded to say a Rega DAC or Arcam rDAC, would I need to remove the soundcard, and run the signal off the motherboard's audio outputs? I have about US$1,000 (800 pounds) available for an upgrade and wonder where it should go, as currently the sound is alright but want punchier, tighter. Maybe its the speaker-amp. Incidentally, from the soundcard, the signal goes out RCA jacks through Chord Crimson interconnects to a Rega Brio-R then through Chord Carnival Silverscreen speaker wire to Monitor Audio Silver RX1. Thanks! On a side note, what do people think of the claims made in this science-based article, which holds "there is no point to distributing music in 24-bit/192kHz format. Its playback fidelity is slightly inferior to 16/44.1 or 16/48"24/192 Music Downloads are Very Silly Indeed

Thanks - I have read some Rega Brio owners describe the sound as bright, but not harsh. But that complaint is rare, and may be due to the pairing of speakers. I will demo the Toys, KEF R Series, and perhaps the Paradigm Reference Studio 20 and PSB Synchrony Two B - though those last two would have to be something epic, as they are above the budget I set.

Thanks for the input. I am new to DAC and it has taken me about 20 hours of reading just to get my footing.

One of my KRK VXT4 powered monitors died on me and repair is impossible. So I am looking to upgrade. All my music is on my PC, and my favorite albums are at 24-bit, 88kHz, played through the Audiogate program by KORG. I am thinking about upgrading to a Rega Brio-R stereo amp, at about US$1,200, to power a pair of Sonus Faber Toy bookshelves, for US$1,000. The key link in this setup is the connection between the PC and the Rega. I have the Asus Xonar Essence ST, which acts like a DAC -AV100 High-Definition Sound Processor (Max. 192KHz/24bit) 24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources, with Digital S/PDIF Output:High-bandwidth Coaxial/TOS-Link combo port supports 192KHz/24bit) Question: am I dumb to spend so much money on the amp if it will end up relying on DAC ability of the soundcard? I intend to upgrade to a DAC stand-alone next year. Thanks for any opinions!