Five DACs, Blind Test ($400 to $9,000)… Here’s What I Heard
This week we did something a little different in the shop. Four of us spent an entire afternoon listening to five different DACs in the same system, level-matched and mostly blind. We played the same tracks, took notes individually, took a guess at which DACs we were listening to and compared impressions at the end. The DACs ranged in price from $400 to $9,000, and as you’ll see, the results weren’t entirely what I expected. This wasn’t about declaring a universal “winner,” but about understanding how these DACs present music in a real system, under controlled conditions. DACs in this video: BorderPatrol Zola ($4,000) Schiit Audio DAC ($400) BorderPatrol SE (discontinued, originally $1,600) WiiM Ultra Streamer/DAC ($1,000) Mojo Audio Mystique Z ($9,000) Thanks for watching. Greg Volti Audio https://voltiaudio.com/

Hybrid Horn vs Fully Horn-Loaded — Which Is Better

Are Big Woofers Slow?

Something is jamming GPS over Europe. Here's what we found

Perfect Sound Forever: Why Aren’t We There Yet? w/ Rob Watts, Chord Electronics' Audio Consultant

Hey Audiophiles, no impulse buys! Be patient, be disciplined!

Inside the World of Hi-Fi | The Pursuit of Perfect Sound

I Spent $250.00 on This Omega Project Watch, It's a Disaster, But It's My Disaster Now...

Amps Under $1000 | A Tech's Perspective | Part 2 of a Series

DACs - You CAN'T hear the difference - PROVEN!

A New Midrange Horn Design — In The Works

AXPONA 2026 Day 3 – Convention Center Walkthrough Volti Audio One Take

AXPONA 2026 – Great Show… and Good to Be Back | Volti One-Take

Tubes vs Solid State — Could It Be That Simple?

What's Going On at Volti Audio?

Your Next DAC Choice Depends on This | R2R vs Delta-Sigma Explained

IP Attorneys Break Down Fender's Legal Claims

Building the PERFECT Linux PC with Linus Torvalds

Build Your Dream Partscaster Guitar!

Horn Speakers — How Much Power Do You Need?

