For you to understand my subjective evaluations, here are the definitions of the terms I will use in the description.
Resolution is the ability of the sound card to reproduce clearly all the sound sources in a sound scene. A high-resolution card can “draw” the sounding objects against a dark background so that the objects do not get fuzzy or intermingle. The resolution is lacking if you don’t feel the distance to the sounding objects.
Lack of depth versus flat scene. In the former case, all the objects are too close to the listener but the resolution is not poor since you can tell that the objects are at a different distance from you. In the latter case, the objects all merge into a solid wall of sounds and there is no resolution at all.
Transparency is one more constituent of high resolution. Sounds and echoes do not merge together. There is always a perceivable layer of air between sound sources.
Coloring, particularly of vocals, is the addition of unnatural or irritating intonations to the timbre. Coloring often provokes a desire to switch the sound off but never to make it louder.
Tonal balance is the perception of the total volume of all the objects sounding at different frequencies. Comparing the tonal balance by quickly switching sound sources allows to easily discover a coloring as it makes a certain range of frequencies stand out above the rest.
Micro-dynamics is the sound card’s ability to reproduce the quietest sounds and reverberations in all detail. For example, a struck string is going to get quieter and quieter, but its timbre must remain the same until its sound goes out completely.
Detailedness, as opposed to micro-dynamics, does not tell anything about how natural the quiet sounds are. Some sounds can be heard but you won’t know their origin.
In any case, if you are interested in a value for money DAC/Amplifier series, I would personally recommend FIIO. They have a range of DAC/Amplifier to suit your needs and I have a Fiio E7 for portability and Fiio E11 for the desktop. You will definitely notice a different in sound quality along the lines of the above described article.
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