Do i need a DAC? - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by justie 

hm...now i juz need to decide between udac2 and e7..lol..the udac seems to be better for speakers but i also kinda like the idea of having a portable preamp for my headphones..lol...will the 3.5mm jack on the e7 work wif my speakers? will there be a difference between using a 1/8" jack and RCA inputs from my speakers? but in the first place would the e7 work wif my ipod touch? XD

yes, no, yes

make sure you read the reviews on the E7 before you buy. For about a $100 there are better options out there if you ask me. 

Look around, there are reviews comparing the Hot Audio DAC to the uDAC where the Hot Audio takes the cake. Don't forget that Nuforce and Fiio are actively marketing their products on this forum. They are much bigger companies with more employees that the guy that single handedly makes all the Hot Audio DACs. This doesn't mean the uDAC and E7 are better, they're just more actively present in the forums. Try to read beyond the hype, compare the specifications and user experiences and make your choice based on those, not on popularity or marketing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by khaos974 

No name mp3 player -> beta22 -> HD800 or an another good pair of cans sounds a lot better than
MSB Diamond DAC -> beta22 -> ibuds.

 

To be more accurate, My opinion is that most digital sources, including cheap mp3 players, computer outs, provided that they have no glaring issues, have reached the point where they are not crap anymore. On the other hand, speakers and by extension headphones often have often have obvious issues, such as muddy bass, absence of mids... even the expensive ones.

Another way to put it is that when switching gear, I hear a bigger difference when switching transducers than when switching digital sources.

 

If you feel like continuing the discussion, use PM, we have been derailing this thread enough.

 

Sources can have obvious issues such as muddy bass, absence of mids...  aswell, i would of course replace the speakers/headphones first if the source is ok as in it's not the best but perfectly useable, if the speakers/headphones and the source are both as bad/good, i would replace the source first.
This discussion is on topic with thread do i need a dac (do i need a better source), on topic with this thread which one out of, onboard laptop soundcard - M-audio av40 / hd280 pro , would you replace first the onboard laptop soundcard is defintly the weak point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by justie 

hm...now i juz need to decide between udac2 and e7..lol..the udac seems to be better for speakers but i also kinda like the idea of having a portable preamp for my headphones..lol...will the 3.5mm jack on the e7 work wif my speakers? will there be a difference between using a 1/8" jack and RCA inputs from my speakers? but in the first place would the e7 work wif my ipod touch? XD

You don't have to go with the E7/udac2 but i recommend them as great value for money dacs and they both have high-end chips, the main differences between the 2 are the udac2, has 24bit processing and digital outputs, and colours the sound slightly, the E7 doubles as a portable amp, has bass boost options and has a very netrual sound and flat freq responce , i have the E7 and plug speakers into it no problem, longs the speakers are active with there own amp it's fine, my speakers sound great out the E7.

1/8" jack and RCA  are both analog outputs there will be no auditable difference between them but maybe rca is a bit better because it carrys the channels seperatly.

The E7 looks nice as in "looks" nice but I prefer that analog type setup the uDAC-2 uses te the E7.  I feel digital buttons will break and give issues way before that single volume knob, and the knob just feels more authentic to me.

Directly comparing the two the E7 does not support 24bit/96kHz nor does it have a true pre-amp/line out function

On the favor of the E7 is the internal battery so you can use it for a in line amp for a portable device.

So weigh out those options.  For me I never use headphones that my devices cant drive directly because I use IEM's for portable devices because I like them to be portable (stuff the ipod in the pocket and the giant headphones where?) I also wouldnt be wanting to piggy back the E7 to my device.

In terms of portability my laptop the smallest thing I may use my 'big" headphones for I can easily fit the udac-2 and my headphones in my bag and its powered by the usb so no need for a battery.

I do not use the 24/96 support on the udac-2 so I didnt pay for that but its nice to know it is there.  I actually do not use the pre-amp/line out part of it either but that is something I wanted incase I ever want to use it for my desktop instead of my laptop.

If you do not want a pre-amp there is the uDAC-2 HP that only had the headphone out for a price much closer to the E7 ($99.00)

Id really like to get my hands on the E7 to do a comparison.  Also seems almost all comparisons I see made against the uDAC-2 are actually comparing the older model the uDAC (1) they supposedly made some pretty big changes between the two.

Still to each his own, until several people do a shootout review of all the mainstream products and compare them side by side with the same setup your pretty much stuck with recomendations made by people that have only a one sided story

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRG1990 

 

I would disagree ,

 

1. Quality of mixing and mastering of the musical material.

2. DAC

3. Amp

4. Speakers/headphones

 

If your source is crap, then even the best headphones and speakers will still sound crap.

 

 I agree with you on this. That is what I have been saying for years though with headphones there is radical differences in quality that seems difficult to overcome with even the best amps. Even mediocre speakers can sound very very good with excellent DACs & amps though

what does a dac do ? i know its an analog to digital convertor but why would you need that coming out of an ipod or laptop? Also, what about an amp, which one makes headphones sound better and exactly how does the DAC work? I have an ms 400 and on my iphone 3gs it sounds crappy compared to on my desktop so i want an amp or dac whichever will help 

It's not an "analog to digital convertor ". it's a Digital to Analog converter -> hence the name -> DAC .. or in other acronyms: D/A Converter .

a DAC, is a device which converts digital signals into analog signals.

Just think of your mp3 file, as a whole paragraph of notes with words with rhythm (and so on...), written in a strange language..

Now, you need a translator, which will translate the mp3 file, to the analog signals -> the language understandable by your Phaitons.

The better the translator (the DAC) is, the better the "source quality" is.

of course, if you hear 32kbps mp3 files. or you just hear music through "YouTube", there isn't much information to translate there.. so you can now say, that the "signal quality", or, "source quality".. is just low.

a DAC will only translate the file, to the signals (the "language"), later understandable by your Amp. (later, the headphones / speakers).

the Amp. is needed here, to boost the signals, so the headphones will be able to "hear" them loud enough, so you could hear them, too.

When you say that the sound from your iphone is "crappy", compared to the sound which comes from your desktop -> you're actually saying, that your desktop DAC/Amp device, is better than that of your iPhone's.

If you want to "upgrade" the iPhone's SQ (acronyms for: "Sound Quality") , you'll need a Portable Headphone Amplifier.

there are many, and usually, they are cheaper, compared to desktop Headphone Amps.

As always, in the audiophilia arena, there are always exceptions regarding the cost,

I think that the biggest comparison made (someone will eventually correct me if i'm wrong) , is in this link:

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/214588/review-portable-amp-roundup-56-portable-amps-reviewed-and-compared-final-update-12-20-10-added-rsa-sr-71b

You are welcome to ask any question you might now have

-Eyal