Which DAC/Amp do you recommend? - Page 2

I recommend the Wavelength Audio Proton. I have the Cosecant V2 and love the sound, however I would like to get the proton and forgo the power supply with little or no sound loss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by baabaa4 

estreeter I don't quite understand, is the mysterious DAC X, a HRT Music Streamer II?

If it is, I read some reviewes that rate it not as good as the Audinst HUD mx-1. Not to mention that it's only a DAC and it doesn't have a built-in Amp, and no headphones connection, so it's not an option for me anyway (and it cost a 100$ more...).

 

Well, anyway I decided to buy the HUD mx-1, I read a lot of positive reviews on it, and for only 143$ it actually costs less then the selling price for the Nuforce uDAC-2 in my country. 

I guess anything will be much better then the onboard sound I'm experiencing right now.

And I have read reviews which claim the opposite is the case, but this is a very *subjective* hobby and you will soon realise that many of the reviewers have no more credentials than you or I - they may have heard more expensive kit, but they have no background in terms of :

- working in a professional studio, in any capacity

- any career in the music industry, either as a musician or critic

- any electrical engineering/electronics background which might suggest that they actually understand a circuit diagram

Don't get me wrong - I am all for 'the man in the street' giving their impressions of a new piece of kit, and I value the contributions of several such people at Head-Fi, but the reviews can never tell you what YOUR experience will be with YOUR music, YOUR ears and YOUR kit, particularly headphones. If you spend long enough reading reviews you will find that even two long-time professional reviewers working for the same magazine can have very different views of the same box of electronic joy, although its usually further up the chain than the MSII or the HUD. I can point you to a review of a very expensive Luxman DAC where the author is forced to refer readers to another review of the same DAC in an effort to balance his negative impressions - no question that anyone hoping to spend 5K on a DAC would have wanted a second opinion after reading the review.

By all means, enjoy your new toy, but I'd postpone any comparisons with the MSII until you have heard both with your music/ears/kit. At the price you quoted, it sounds like a bargain.

estreeter
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by baabaa4 

Hey,

 

I want to buy my first DAC/Amp, and in the past few weeks I've been trying to decide which one will be best for me. I'm quite new into the audio world, so I'm not looking into high-end gear, just for a good entry level DAC/Amp. After reading a lot of threads in your forums I narrowed my choices into these 3 DACs:

 

1. NuForce uDAC-2

2. Maverick Audio TubeMagic D1

3. Audinst HUD MX-1

 

 

I'm planning to use the DAC/Amp connected to my PC via USB. Most of the time I'll use it with my Audio-Technica  AD700, but also with my Altec Lansing ATP3 computer speakers.

My main goal is to improve the sound quality of my pc (right now I'm using Realtek HD ALC 888 onboard audio...), and to really get the most out of my headphones and speakers.

I'm hoping that a DAC will improve the SQ when I play games, and also when I watch movies and hear music.

 

I'm leaning toward the Audinst HUD MX-1 cause they gave me a good deal - I can buy it just for 143$, but would love to hear any reccomnedations you have, especially from someone who has expereince with any of the DACs in combination with the AD700 headphones.

I was also thinking about the Xonar STX, but for some reason I'm more attracted to buying a DAC/Amp then a sound card (unless you think the Xonar can give me a bettter SQ for my needs).

 

Thanks

What is your Maximum budget ?

I know that AD1955 DAC (and DAC with a sound not too warm) sound great with "average" speakers like ATP3 or Logitech Z2300 (for me average means that's not monitors or audiophile grade speakers).

My advice would be you to get a "Matrix Mini-I" or if you can afford it a Yulong D100, and if you want cheaper a DAC Zero with USB and OPA627 (sounds really good for a small price).

I prefer DAC with socketed OPA (like the Maverick D1 or DAC Zero) so you can tune your "sound flavor" easily, but if you really want to keep your DAC for a while, i advice you to make a "great jump" and go for a device with a good headphone amp and a good DAC.

I dont know about any of those, but I personally love my iBasso D1. I got it here for around 130 dollars and havent plugged anything into my laptops headphone jack since. And for christmas I'm getting a new macbook so I can use the optical out on that and save a USB port.