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DAC advice requested! - Page 3

post #31 of 43
7/19/10 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 

morning *bump*

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC, Preamp)
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Cambridge - Dac Magic - Digital to Analog Converter
post #32 of 43
7/20/10 at 3:32am

What about the new Musical Fidelity M1?


We don't have a distributor/dealer for MF in new Zealand but asked Len Wallis Audio in Sydney and a rep said they're expecting units at the end of the month at $799AUD.

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post #33 of 43
7/20/10 at 3:35am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Norman View Post

What about the new Musical Fidelity M1?


We don't have a distributor/dealer for MF in new Zealand but asked Len Wallis Audio in Sydney and a rep said they're expecting units at the end of the month at $799AUD.


Yup, I forgot about that one though someone (can't remember who), said that it was pretty much the V-DAC with some improvements so we won't have a clue on how it will perform. But I'll have a look to see what people say about it.

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post #34 of 43
7/20/10 at 4:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melorin View Post

Any other suggestion about a relatively cheap but good DAC, which can be used by any digital sources, not just by PC?


Any other idea of a good DAC with spdif input and RCA output under $150?

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post #35 of 43
7/20/10 at 8:41pm
Thread Starter 

*morning bump*

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post #36 of 43
7/21/10 at 4:43am

The good thing about lower end gear is that you don't really have to worry about cables and small tweaks, most of which will lead to only small yields in sound quality improvement because lower end gear just smooth over microdetails with a nice warmth. In fact the only tweak I think may be necessary with forgiving dac/amp is headphone recable if the cable is particularly thin and long so you don't get choked bass. Flaws in recordings and setup become more obvious with the dac19 which I believe is due to its bigger soundstage and quicker microdetail retrieval, but having experienced DSP3 in the ref 3 (replaced by Digital Interface) I must say it does a good job compensating for bad transport and digital cable. If you get the sparrow or fun you can just plug and play and never really worry about accessories, if you get dac19df or dsp (Now that I experienced dsp3 I would recommend it over DF unless you like emphasis in high frequency performance which can be interesting) there may be other things you will want to upgrade down the road to make full use of the dac19, ie additional power filtering, DIY 12-14 awg power cables, decent interconnects, and 24 or thicker awg headphone cables.


Edited by haloxt - 7/21/10 at 4:47am
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post #37 of 43
7/21/10 at 5:27am

I would check out the xindak dac-5 its one of the best DAC's I've ever heard, I use it straight from the optical of my macbook pro and I've never heard it sound as good as it does with any other dac I've used

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post #38 of 43
7/21/10 at 7:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by haloxt View Post

The good thing about lower end gear is that you don't really have to worry about cables and small tweaks, most of which will lead to only small yields in sound quality improvement because lower end gear just smooth over microdetails with a nice warmth. In fact the only tweak I think may be necessary with forgiving dac/amp is headphone recable if the cable is particularly thin and long so you don't get choked bass. Flaws in recordings and setup become more obvious with the dac19 which I believe is due to its bigger soundstage and quicker microdetail retrieval, but having experienced DSP3 in the ref 3 (replaced by Digital Interface) I must say it does a good job compensating for bad transport and digital cable. If you get the sparrow or fun you can just plug and play and never really worry about accessories, if you get dac19df or dsp (Now that I experienced dsp3 I would recommend it over DF unless you like emphasis in high frequency performance which can be interesting) there may be other things you will want to upgrade down the road to make full use of the dac19, ie additional power filtering, DIY 12-14 awg power cables, decent interconnects, and 24 or thicker awg headphone cables.


thanks haloxt, points noted. I really want to get something that I'm able to keep. I'm not big on buying and then selling, but perhaps I should learn to do so, but I really don't like making losses when I don't have the finances to do so at the moment I guess.

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post #39 of 43
7/22/10 at 8:04am
Thread Starter 

*bump*

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post #40 of 43
7/22/10 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melorin View Post


As well as Musiland Monitor 02? I can put it onto a CD player, connect them through spdif and works?


Yes, you can check the digital "output" of the CD player and the "input" type of your DAC but i bet the onboard DAC of the CD player will sound better than the musiland.
 


Edited by Omega17TheTrue - 7/22/10 at 4:03pm
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post #41 of 43
7/22/10 at 10:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Omega17TheTrue View Post




Yes, you can check the digital "output" of the CD player and the "input" type of your DAC but i bet the onboard DAC of the CD player will sound better than the musiland.
 


I guess it must be an expensive CD player that beats the musiland.

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post #42 of 43
8/26/10 at 9:38pm
Thread Starter 

just for the record, I went with the NuForce HDP and am waiting for it to be shipped over now

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post #43 of 43
8/27/10 at 3:48pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by cravenz View Post

just for the record, I went with the NuForce HDP and am waiting for it to be shipped over now


Congrats!  

 

I think you should be pretty happy with it.  I got to hear it at the Denver Summertime Meet a few weeks ago and liked it a bit more than the Centrance.  

 

Let us know how you are getting along with it once it arrives.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC, Preamp)
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Cambridge - Dac Magic - Digital to Analog Converter
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