My Finally Beautiful Digital Sound post from March 2014 created a lot of interest and still gets quite a few visits.
These days I'm often asked what I'm using for digital in 2016 and I'm pleased to say I'm still using the "old" Philips TDA1541 R2R dac chip.
I still haven't heard a modern dac chip that gives the same ease and musicality - the new delta sigma chips are much better than the earlier ones, but still don't quite give that overall fatique free listening experience the olde R2R dac chips like the 1541, PCM1702, 1704 etc.
I'm using state of the art FIFO buffering and USB to I2S direct into the 1541. This enables play of hi-res up to 384Khz . So its a combination of the old and new digital process's.
I also use a no-usb approach , which is also FIFO based , and I2S direct . IMO this sounds even more natural and organic than the USB approach, although the difference is not startling, just again a more relaxing, emotive and musical sound.
Over the last few years DSD has gained some traction in the audiophile world. Every new dac seems to be DSD capable , and I've spent a fair bit of time playing around with DSD dacs and DSD implementation.
Make no mistake, DSD can sound very good .
But at its essence , any method, whether its the PCM derivatives - MP3, FLac, AIFF, etc or DSD, SACD, DXD etc are only as good as the original recording .
A good sounding DSD , just like PCM , requires a very good recording technique and equipment , if its a poor recording being DSD wont "fix" it or sound any better.
A very well recorded MP3 file will sound far better than any mediocre DSD recording .
Another method gaining some popularity is up-sampling PCM to DSD 512 or higher. Again, this can sound very good, but is also dependent on the quality of the original recording .
And this method requires heavy computer power and an almost obsessive dedication to going to all the trouble of doing this.
I did it for a while, but then came to realize I was missing the basis of why I enjoy fooling around with all this- the enjoyment and satisfaction of listening to music.
And it all comes down to the quality of the original recording, so isn't it just as meaningful to concentrate on what really makes a difference rather than concentrating on the small differences between playback methods, whether PCM or DSD etc.
I think its vitally important to get a speaker and system that really appeals and talks to you.
It should be so good that you would consider it a lifetime choice if needed .
Speakers and preamps count far, far, more in your system than any dac, and have so much more effect to give you the music that you want to listen to.
Get the basics of your system right, find the speaker you can listen to, and enjoy all day long.
When you have that right you will enjoy listening to music and not fretting about whether your missing out on the latest dac of the month.
