My journey in audio in general has actually been on the short side. I would say I have been privileged with good advice and direction to help me avoid the constant merry-go-round and side grades that are quite common in this hobby.
Recently, I was fortunate enough to have savings and opportunity to dip my toes in a “top-tier” DAC, the LampizatOr Amber 3, following the shoes of @Polygonhell and @Towa. @M0N also has a lot of experience with other LampizatOr products as well as the Amber 3. After a day of listening, some friends were asking if the upgrade was worth it, so I wanted to share my journey of DACs. It’s a common statement and misconception that DACs don’t do much or that it does the least in your chain. While I noticed less differences compared to changing speakers/headphones or amps, I certainly could tell an obvious difference. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as you move up in gear, others will tell you that you should upgrade your electronics as well. Although that sounds like an unnecessary expense since your speaker/headphone powers up or sounds fine, I think higher-tiered products is capable of taking advantage of better electronics.
My first DACs were the ODAC and the SMSL M100. Both of them “do the job.” They don’t do anything well, but there isn’t anything to hate either. The advantage of the SMSL is that they tend to add features. I still have mine and it it’s a nice all-in-one.
My next step up is the Bifrost 1 Multibit. This is when I had my first a-ha moment when I heard vast differences. The most notable one is sound stage and dynamics. The sound stage was wide and tall that fills my entire room. Music had punch and was more fun to listen to. I was more likely to get up and dance around (sorry for the imagery).
The step after there was the Bifrost 2. This was a logical step up since Schiit offered a discount to upgrade. This did everything the Bifrost 1 did, but better and more. Now, I would still say the BF1 is an amazing value buy, especially if you are strapped for cash, you can probably get a used one for much cheaper than before. The sound stage was even wider and taller yet. There was more of a visceral feeling and the timbre was improved. Instruments sound like they should and vocals are clear and accurate. This was essentially my “end game” DAC for a while.
Now after the wall of text, I finally land to the Amber 3. The last DAC I will have to buy unless I do a complete overhaul on my entire system. This DAC is certainly retails over 3x the amount of the BF2, does it perform 3x better? No. So what does it do and is it worth it?
What a top-tier DAC does is keep everything that previous DACs do, but does it better and adds on top. While the sound stage did not get wider or taller, it remains the same, BUT… what it does is add depth and layering. Now when I close my eyes, I can actually imagine an actual stage there. It wasn’t a wide and tall sound stage for the sake of being as wide and tall as possible – it is accurate. The imaging is superb. I can now accurately point out where the guitar is or the violin or the vocalist. It takes me a significant step closer to believing a performance is in my room. The timbre is greatly improved as well. I can easily lie to myself that a guitar is actually playing in my room, etc.
So, I hope these observations help. While you move up to a higher-tier, it usually upgrades everything you looking for, but not as much as you think, but what it does add are the intangibles that you never though you wanted until I heard them. I think they are important steps and observations towards believing a real performance is happening in my room, so while it wasn’t the largest return for the money, it was worth it to me.
