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Best DAC around $100-$150? - Page 2

post #16 of 38
2/8/10 at 12:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by angle_sh00ter View Post
The musiland monitor 02 US is a great little DAC. I can strongly recommend it.
I've just been confirmed that it even sounds very good on the HP out w/ a cd3k, too bad that now that I want it...it's chinese new year, and noone can ship it to me before the first of March
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post #17 of 38
2/8/10 at 1:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nyjets28 View Post
why would you NEED a dedicated dac just because you're gonna get a dedicated amp later on? i've never read that anywhere. if you're just gonna connect audio cables from the dac/amp combo to the amp, then there's no way that it would even drain power through audio cables.
My comments about a dedicated dac were based on the fact that my brother has to keep his D10 on charge mode while only using the dac portion with his Little Dot MK3 or it will drain the battery and won't work properly while only connected via usb. I tried my D4 via usb today with his MK3 and there wasn't any problem at all. So apparantly there is an issue with ibasso's D10, which apparantly isn't meant to work with a dedicated amp, at least via usb only. This is the only explanation. I didn't mean to cause a ruckus.
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post #18 of 38
2/8/10 at 2:56am
The Zero is very easy to mod too if you get that. I think $175 is a fair asking price for this.
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post #19 of 38
2/8/10 at 8:55am
Well, for what it's worth, you CAN get the Zero from the same seller for a bit cheaper ($165 shipped)

Zero on eBay.

However, that's the version with the inferion OPA2604 chip instead of the OPA627. Also, you can trust that seller. Coolfungadget is a member here and he has member of the trade status. Also, that IS the 09 version. No other version has USB.
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post #20 of 38
2/8/10 at 10:52am
OPA2604 is a big fail indeed.
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post #21 of 38
2/8/10 at 11:12am
Is the Zero still recommended that much now in this range? I thought that the udac and the musiland recommended in this thread surpassed the zero quite handily according to the threads based around them.
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post #22 of 38
2/8/10 at 11:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBigCW View Post
Well, for what it's worth, you CAN get the Zero from the same seller for a bit cheaper ($165 shipped)

Zero on eBay.

However, that's the version with the inferion OPA2604 chip instead of the OPA627. Also, you can trust that seller. Coolfungadget is a member here and he has member of the trade status. Also, that IS the 09 version. No other version has USB.
The 2604 is definately a downgrade in comparison to the OPA627 which is one of the most expensive opamps for audio there is. On many audio sites and in many designers opinions it is considered to be one of the best audio opamps there is. Opinions vary though and the opamps supporting circuit has a great deal to do with the devices overall sonic signature.
If you get a version with the 2604 I would pull it for any number of better opamps.
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post #23 of 38
2/8/10 at 11:27am
I have two DAC/AMPs around this price range.
Aune (desktop, coaxial spdif & usb) and ibasso D2 boa (portable, usb).
Both of them can drive my AKG 271s well, for ibasso D2 boa you need to turn the volume to fairly high though.
Soundwise I like Aune a little more, ibasso D2 boa is a little bit to cold and relatively underpower.

Quote:
Originally Posted by apyy View Post
I am looking for a dac with a built in headphone amp for around $100-$150. Right now I am using my HD555's directly plugged into a headphone jack (terrible I know). Anyways, in the future (when I get some more money), I plan on buying a nicer set of headphones and an amp, but I would like to buy a decent DAC right now.

I have noticed that most people suggest the uDAC at around this price range, but I am looking for a desktop DAC and not a portable DAC. I was thinking about getting an old, used zero but I can't seem to find any on sale and the ones sold on ebay are over my budget. Upgrade ability is important to me, so I want a DAC that will work with my current HD555's and eventually something like the HD650's or Grado RS1's. I am open to all suggestions and would be more than willing to buy used if the price is right. Also, USB input would be a big plus.

(If this is in the wrong section, I'm sorry!)
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post #24 of 38
2/8/10 at 2:08pm
I've just purchased a Hotaudio DAC-EXTASY based on reviews from here.

List price is $199 on his site, but you can get a decent deal by emailing him and making an offer.

DAC-EXTASY USB HIGH-FIDELITY PC STEREO DAC w/ LINE-OUTS [DAC-EXSTACY] - $139.00 : HOTAUDIO.COM, Hand Made Audio Perfection!
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post #25 of 38
2/8/10 at 10:15pm
Thread Starter 
Do you guys know anything about the Topping products? Not much came up in google
Topping TP-30 [TP 30] - US$86.99 : Gyratech International Online Store

Class T Amplifier : Gyratech International Online Store
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post #26 of 38
2/9/10 at 12:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stokitw View Post
I have two DAC/AMPs around this price range.
Aune (desktop, coaxial spdif & usb) and ibasso D2 boa (portable, usb).
Both of them can drive my AKG 271s well, for ibasso D2 boa you need to turn the volume to fairly high though.
Soundwise I like Aune a little more, ibasso D2 boa is a little bit to cold and relatively underpower.
That Aune looks like a really nice DAC. The impressions I've read so far on it seem to be very so/so. What are your thoughts on the sound of this unit?

-sid
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post #27 of 38
2/9/10 at 2:42am
This USB DAC/Tube headphone amplifier would serve your ears and your budget very nicely @edit:$169: IMHO; you can find positive reviews here at Head-fi:

HiFiMAN EF2A USB Headphone Amplifier
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post #28 of 38
2/9/10 at 2:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grokit View Post
This USB DAC/Tube Amp would serve your ears and your budget very nicely @$139:

HiFiMAN EF2A USB Headphone Amplifier
You scared me there. For a moment I thought the price of the EF2 dropped 30 bucks since I ordered one last week.

It's $169 + shipping.
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post #29 of 38
2/9/10 at 11:20am
the two points on which the Monitor 02 kills the competition are:

1)-external PSU, even though it's a cheapo SMPS...it doesn't need the filthy 5V from your dirty ATX PSU(HDD's make the 5V/12V jitter go up the roof apparently)

2)-bit-perfect/automatically bit-matched async USB drivers up to 24/192 in KS/ASIO....a cheapo PCM27xx TI chip is 16/48 max, uses the crappy windows built-in audio USB protocolol(no KS/ASIO)...and god knows how the sample rate matching occurs(I could easily foresee windows resampling everything @48kHz )

about SQ? not sure...but 32 bit digital volume attenuation will always kill a crappy analog pot.

if I don't like the SQ on the 02 w/ my cd1k(same drivers as cd3k), it'll be about time that I get one of these sexxy chinese tube amps

but apparently it's very solid on easy to drive headphones...don't expect miracles on an hd650 or k701, though.
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post #30 of 38
2/9/10 at 11:29am
I will look forward to your comparison of it to the STX and ST. I have very limited experience with this stuff, all i know is the musiland was a giant leap from my onboard realtek which I used to think was pretty damn good.
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