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DAC for Hifiman HE-5/EF5 combo?

post #1 of 14
12/10/09 at 12:03am
Thread Starter 
Hello, I'm seriously considering getting this headphone/amp combo, but I was wondering if I can temporarily (a few months) use them with my MP3 player (Sandisk Sansa Fuze) or with the PCMCIA card in my laptop (Audigy 2ZS)?

Will they still sound decent? Or do I need to get a "proper" DAC like a Headroom Ultra Micro DAC right away?

Thank you!
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

HiFiMAN HE-5
post #2 of 14
12/10/09 at 12:10am
The fun of this journey is seeing how your upgrades improve as you grow. Get your amp/HP now and enjoy.
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post #3 of 14
12/10/09 at 7:12am
use what you have temporarily then when the time is right upgrade. Nothing beats the first time you fire up a proper dac with your speaker or headphone combo.
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post #4 of 14
12/10/09 at 8:26am
I'm getting one as well. I really enjoy the Linn Classik Music as a DAC with my other equipment. It's just that it's nowhere near my computer where I would be listening with my HE-5/EF-5 combo.. Can anyone recommend something that plays music as flawlessly in the ~$500 category? DAC only would suffice.
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post #5 of 14
12/10/09 at 12:16pm
Just enjoy the combo with your current source, then get a "proper" DAC later on.
Testing different variations of gear is part of the fun.
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post #6 of 14
12/14/09 at 4:57am
My new Devilsound 2.1 is a USB to RCA cable with a high quality in-line DAC.

It's as simple as swapping out your interconnect, with dramatic results. Way more dramatic than spending $400 on a high-end RCA or USB cable.

The most complicated part, in fact, is coming up with the $400
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post #7 of 14
12/17/09 at 11:47pm
the nuforce udac looks great for a value dac.
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post #8 of 14
3/20/10 at 9:33am
what about v-dac with this combo? Has it good synergy with this combo?
Anybody?
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post #9 of 14
3/20/10 at 9:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeW View Post
the nuforce udac looks great for a value dac.
Headphoneaddict stated that the uDAC was very good for the HE-5/EF5 combo
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post #10 of 14
3/20/10 at 10:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fantoon View Post
Headphoneaddict stated that the uDAC was very good for the HE-5/EF5 combo
Better than e-mu 0404 or v-dac?
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post #11 of 14
5/18/10 at 3:39am

I am currently using the combo with a DacMagic and it does wonders, very customisable. I use the linear phase right now, but still need to get to know the other settings.

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post #12 of 14
6/18/10 at 1:28am

I am also in the same position, looking for a new DAC for this combo, with quite a modest budget. uDAC looks decent other than that it can't play 24/96 files, which I have quite a bit of. Does anyone have any experience with the V-DAC with this combo?

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post #13 of 14
7/23/10 at 8:02am

So am I. I am thinking about getting the maverick d1 as a source for the ef5. Then I can switch between ss and tube for headphone out. Has anyone heard of this combo?

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post #14 of 14
7/23/10 at 8:27am

I find the EF5 sounds better with a DAC that is brighter sounding, mine sounds great coming out of the Gamma2. 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

HiFiMAN HE-5
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