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Originally Posted by donunus  Is this dac warm and laid back like how marantz cd players are supposed to sound? I havent heard either the microdac or any of the current marantz cd players and would like to know if using the microdac on a basic pioneer dvd player would step up the sound to a 300 500 or 800 dollar cd player price level in sound.
Ive heard that getting a 500 dollar dac usually is comparable in sound to using a 1500 dollar cd player in sound quality. True???
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The Micro DAC is certainly warmer and fuller sounding (and more enjoyable) than my old iBasso D1 (my first DAC) or my spare Super Pro DAC 707. The Micro DAC was what replaced the D1, which I thought could sound a little thin via the line out with the wrong amp. The D1 worked well enough for me when I put AD797 in the amp section and used the D1 as a preamp, feeding the headphone out into my full size amp; but with the HR Micro DAC I don't have to double amplify the signal to get good timbre and tone now.
The Micro DAC with my Sony portable CD players like D-EJ2000, D-NE20 and D-E999 can sound like a full size $500-800 CD Player when feeding a full size amp. Using the Micro DAC with a really cheap CD player sounds as good or better than my Marantz CD5001, depending on the quality of the transport - and I really do like the CD5001 as great bargain CDP that sounds like a more costly CDP. So that is saying a lot. As a matter of fact I was perfectly happy running the CD5001 into my Dark Voice 336i via the analog out for quite a while. The CD5001 analog out is is actually an upgrade over the iBasso D1 DAC line out, and while not quite as good as the Micro DAC or Apogee mini-DAC it stands up well against them.
I was only looking for a better DAC because everyone else told me that I needed one. I was sooo close to buying either the Ultra Micro DAC or a Cambridge Audio 840c when I came across Iron_Dreamer selling his Apogee with Sigma 11 PSU. After hearing what a good DAC can do, I replaced the iBasso D1 portable with the Headroom portable Micro DAC and never looked back. The Micro DAC is still capable of stepping in for the Apogee for a while, should anything happen to it that needs repair - it's that good.
The step up from the iBasso D1 to the Micro DAC is about the same as the step up from the Micro DAC to the Apogee (usb or optical). But we're talking about subtle refinements that bring further resolution and transparency to the music, depending on the quality of your program material or transport. And we're comparing a $250 DAC to a $399 DAC to a $1195 DAC.
The funny thing is, I have said the Micro DAC USB was extremely close (if not identical) to the Pico USB in my tests, and the Micro DAC optical was another 5% improvement over the Pico - yet Iron_Dreamer replaced the Apogee he sold me with a Pico because he only needed USB and thought the Pico was better at USB. I respectfully disagree, but if he says the Pico is better as a USB DAC/pre-amp than the Apogee, and I say the Micro DAC is as good as the Pico as a USB DAC, then you see just how close they really are.
