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Need DAC for Audioengine A5 - No Amp Required.

post #1 of 8
8/1/10 at 5:18pm
Thread Starter 

I was looking to get a portable DAC for my laptop in order to run my Audioengines. I was interested in the Nuforce uDac, but Im not sure how well this will work since the Audios are powered speakers and the uDac has an amp.

 

Any suggestions?

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post #2 of 8
8/1/10 at 5:55pm
The amp is nbd, in fact, it's beneficial as you may get greater volume output without distortion.

The uDac is slightly underpowered for your A5s. I'd suggest a Musiland 02 or Maverick TubeMagic, but there are plenty of other options out there most in the $150 range).
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post #3 of 8
8/1/10 at 5:55pm

uDac has a line out..

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post #4 of 8
8/1/10 at 7:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xombie11 View Post

The amp is nbd, in fact, it's beneficial as you may get greater volume output without distortion.

The uDac is slightly underpowered for your A5s. I'd suggest a Musiland 02 or Maverick TubeMagic, but there are plenty of other options out there most in the $150 range).


How can a line output be underpowered for a set of speaker with a amplifier built in?

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post #5 of 8
8/2/10 at 1:41am

Maybe he is saying that the other DACs sound better than the uDAC with the A5 which is possible. If he is saying line output is underpowered for active speakers then that doesn't make sense

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post #6 of 8
8/2/10 at 9:44am

Perhaps I should have used the word "underperforming."

 

The uDac is self-powered via USB. That there is a sign that you're probably not getting the best output in terms of SQ, especially for your A5s--I don't mean that you wont be getting enough wattage. As far as portability goes, it's a great DAC--but I doubt you'll be carrying your A5s around with you wherever you go, which is why I suggested two models that are slightly larger and externally powered. However, if you want the benefits of a portable headphone amp, and don't want to spend >$100, the uDac is your best bet.


Edited by Xombie11 - 8/2/10 at 9:45am
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post #7 of 8
8/2/10 at 1:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xombie11 View Post

Perhaps I should have used the word "underperforming."

 

The uDac is self-powered via USB. That there is a sign that you're probably not getting the best output in terms of SQ, especially for your A5s--I don't mean that you wont be getting enough wattage. As far as portability goes, it's a great DAC--but I doubt you'll be carrying your A5s around with you wherever you go, which is why I suggested two models that are slightly larger and externally powered. However, if you want the benefits of a portable headphone amp, and don't want to spend >$100, the uDac is your best bet.


I'm really getting tired of seeing Audio Religion sorts of replies around here...

 

While uDAC does seem to measure a slight bit better than a lot of onboard, it's still not on par with $80 sound cards from ASUS. Saying that USB doesn't have enough power is silly, though it probably won't get much volume to a highly resistive/insensitive headphone. For his purpose of using the line outs to his speakers or an amp, it would be fine for sure.


Edited by Dalamar - 8/2/10 at 1:09pm
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post #8 of 8
1/17/11 at 1:50am

all the connections you needed, try MAV-AUDIO D1 DAC. i got my audioengines and a laptop, paired it with this dac. definitely worth every penny!

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