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DAC to go with Little Dot MKIII and Macbook

post #1 of 3
5/25/11 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 

So I am looking to get a DAC pretty soon because it seems like that will be the next best upgrade for my setup. It doesnt need to be portable or have a built in amp since I will be pairing it with my LD MK3 amp. I will mainly be listening with my HD598's.

 

My budget is going to be less than $150, the main ones I have been looking into are E-MU 0204 and the FiiO E7. I know FiiO has some DAC's on the way as well, soo im not sure if i should wait and just get one of those.

 

Has anyone paired the 0204 with a MK3 by chance? Do you think the 0204 will be a good upgrade from the standard card in my macbook?

 

My headphones already sound amazing, I just want to complete my setup and a DAC seems to be what I need. Besides an RCA-Mini cable, which I am still skeptical about a cable changing the sound enough to spend over $20 on one.

 

Thanks everyone! atsmile.gif

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post #2 of 3
5/28/11 at 6:39am

unless things have changed, i believe the EMU requires windows-only drivers, so it won't work with your macbook.

 

in your price range, i'd look at the nuforce uDAC. it's tiny, USB powered and you can run a set of RCA's to your little dot. i used this very setup for quite a while and it worked nicely.

 

if you can bump your budget a bit, i'd look at the HRT music streamer II. it's a pretty large improvement over the udac and is a very enjoyable pairing with the LD. it's what i use now.

 

 

hope this helps....

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post #3 of 3
5/28/11 at 6:48am
Thread Starter 

I looked into the E-MU 0204 and it looks like it is compatible with Mac and other users use it with their mac too. That Music Stream II looks tempting though, it has exactly what I need and nothing more or less. The 0204 is tempting though because it is only $87 right now from AudioTopia on eBay.

 

So would you say that a DAC gave your a good improvement over you Mac's onboard sound?

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