PCM1792A vs ESS 9010-2M, which one sounds better?

[akbal]

Do both sound pretty much the same?

[pooger]

The sound of the actual DAC chip is less important than the power supplies and I/V stage (that connects the output from the DAC chip to the rest of your stereo). There's also the input stage, whether USB, spdif, etc. that affects the sound, as does circuit board layout etc.. Maybe someone can add in that has experiences listening to enough DACs using both chips to draw a comparison. But my short answer is that I wouldn't choose a DAC based on just the chip used.

[akbal]

Interesting, I wonder if the iFi iPurifier help with the input stage.