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My First DAC

post #1 of 7
4/4/11 at 5:30pm
Thread Starter 
New user here; Just looking around to see if I can get a DAC for under $200. If possible I would like to get a Headphone amp & DAC in one.
I looked around a little bit and have seen lots of people rave about a uDAC. Mostly I would like some recommendations from you guys so I can improve my listening experience.
I was looking at this http://www.headfonia.com/audinst-hud-mx1-dac/
How do you guys feel about it?

Also, in terms of use... I'll be listening to every type of music and film through it; It will be sitting on my desk in my college apartment, something small would be nice.

Thanks guys.
Edited by blizardwizard - 4/6/11 at 9:55pm
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post #2 of 7
4/4/11 at 8:11pm
Which headphones will you be using? Some are easier to drive than others. You'll want an amp capable of powering them.
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post #3 of 7
4/4/11 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 
Right now, I plan on using my Sleek Audio SA-1s and I'm getting Shure SE345s for my birthday; but those are built for mobile so I doubt amplification matters. In a couple of months I would like to get a pair of Senn. or Grado; big headphones. I haven't really decided. I'm mostly worried about getting the hiss out of my speakers and headphones; and improving the clarity of their sound.
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post #4 of 7
4/5/11 at 1:17pm

Though I've never listened to it personally, I've had a good impression of the Audinst DAC/amp you mentioned based on what I've read. I like that it can be plugged into external power for better performance with larger headphones, but yet is small enough to transport easily and can also run directly off a laptop's USB port. The headphone jack is driven by the high current AD8397 chip, same as the well respected high performance version of AMB's Mini^3 amp (there are significant differences between the two of course, but this might give you an idea of what the Audinst is capable of driving).

 

One other ~$200 option that is quite popular lately is the FiiO E7 + E9 combo. The E7 is a DAC (and portable amp) with the E9 as the desktop amp. Taken together the footprint is larger than the Audinst, and the E9 always requires external power. But the E9's amp is very powerful and can drive pretty much any headphone you throw at it.

 

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post #5 of 7
4/5/11 at 1:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoga Flame View Post

One other ~$200 option that is quite popular lately is the FiiO E7 + E9 combo. The E7 is a DAC (and portable amp) with the E9 as the desktop amp. Taken together the footprint is larger than the Audinst, and the E9 always requires external power. But the E9's amp is very powerful and can drive pretty much any headphone you throw at it.

 


+1

You can start off with the E7 for your IEMs.  And then scale up to the E9 when you get your full-sized cans.  Either units on their own are good as or better than anything at their price point.

 

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post #6 of 7
4/5/11 at 10:58pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mkubota1 View Post




+1

You can start off with the E7 for your IEMs.  And then scale up to the E9 when you get your full-sized cans.  Either units on their own are good as or better than anything at their price point.

 



 


+2 E7 + E9 is such a good way to start.

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post #7 of 7
4/6/11 at 9:54pm
Thread Starter 
OK. I've made a sort of decisison between 3.
The E7 + E9.
The Audinst
The Matrix Cube

Then in summer a pair of Grado R80is

Do you guys know how easy it would be to hook up a speaker amp to these DACs?
Planning on getting a couple loudspeakers, and maybe a bigger sub for apartment parties next fall.
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