NOS DAC sound more natural

[4est]

I heard a Playback Designs Merlot and it sounded great with PCM and DSD. It is chipless - works on an FPGA. If I understand how it works correctly, it resamples everything to DSD128 and then filters it. So if you input DSD, no conversion to PCM.

 

Not to pick on you, but the Golden Gate was mentioned previously as well. A dac with an FPGA is not NOS as I understand it. Maybe the OP should specify what they mean by NOS. Even the Phasure is not really NOS IMO, even if the OS is being done in software, there is still OS.

 

To my mind, NOS "sound" means NOS period- such as a TDA 15xx or PCM 1704 running straight redbook. Then again, I got in trouble for suggesting a single ended triode amp ought to contain a triode tube.

[4est]

Lampi chipless DSD does not use an FPGA and it does not change the native rate of the bitstream input.

 

Yes, but the PCM version does use an FPGA. Many running the DSD only variants are still likely converting PCM>DSD or DSD64/128>DSD256, and I do not see that as NOS either.

[4est]

For PCM, Lampi's use either a canned DSM DAC chip (not sure what, they don't say if it's AK, ESS, BB, or what) or an R2R (the GG uses an R2R array), none use an FPGA. For DSD playback Lampi uses a chipless module that passes the signal straight to the analog stage, no oversampling. If people with the DSD only version are converting PCM>DSD, or DSD64/?>DSD256/512, they are doing so in their computer, before it gets to the Lampi. The Lampi will play whatever DSD format it is given without oversampling.

 

OK, and so the GG uses the Soekris that does not use an FGPA. My fault, I was thinking of the DIY modules.

 

The people such as myself that are doing the upsampling/conversions in the computer are still upsampling. I think it is misleading and confusing to present such as NOS even if the DAC is not doing the upsampling/interpolation/"upscaling". This was my only point and I do not want to derail this conversation further.