Firstly I have zero experience in all the audio, so the thing is I got the Moondrop Aria (after my first Chi-fi CCA C12) and I find the sound never got enough full/rich as my liking compare to the CCA C12 (which is V-shape I believe) even though its more clear & detail for sure. I did tried the Aria (stock cable) with the cheap Faaearl dongle (DAC ALC5686) & the Qudelix 5K (DAC ES9218P) with my S22 Ultra and have the same result mention above (So i just order the Shouer S12 and waiting for delivery).

But then I just receive the Hiby WU1 (DAC AK4331) and to my suprised the Aria sound much more full/rich and impressive (maybe abit less clear) with it.

So I just wonder if DAC usually do have much effect on the sound? ^^"

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kazuviking t1_iu8byid wrote on October 29, 2022 at 10:12 AM

Check the bt codec, some phones roll down the highs in AAC or SBC.

Advanced-Membership1 OP t1_iu8hkar wrote on October 29, 2022 at 11:26 AM

I did have ldac for both qudelix 5k & wu1, now im thinking maybe something wrong with my stock cable ^^"

KingMedieval t1_iu8dqqy wrote on October 29, 2022 at 10:37 AM

Usually it doesn’t affect sound to a noticeable degree.

Advanced-Membership1 OP t1_iu8hhiw wrote on October 29, 2022 at 11:25 AM

Ya, so the posibility is something wrong with my cable maybe ^^"

QTIIPP t1_iu8j1u5 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 11:44 AM

Dac and dac/amps can make a difference, it’s just not often that significant, or is hardly apparent at all. There are outlier comparisons though where it can be quite noticeable.

dimesian t1_iu9vkyo wrote on October 29, 2022 at 6:10 PM

I've used a couple of portable DAC/amps with AKM chips and others with ESS chips, they sound different and in close line with how their characteristics are often described. The AKM devices also sounded noticeably warmer than using the headphone socket on my phone. I now use two DAC/amps from IFI mostly, one has Cirrus chips the other has Burr Brown, similar but not the same sound. I don't claim that the chips are solely responsible for the sound difference, manufacturers may voice their products in some way, I would expect this in a competitive market.