Laptop USB DAC
Oct 30, 2011 at 1:14 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
MisterDeadeye

MisterDeadeye

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I tried to search this, but when the search was based on relevance, the results were from as far back as '05, and when it was based on recency, I didn't find what I was looking for. So, with that said, I'm looking for a USB DAC for my laptop. For now, it'll be used for my headphones(Shure SRH440s... for now), so it obviously needs an out for my headphones. However, I'd also like a standard output(RCA). It's not absolutely necessary, I guess, but I really hate having to use 3.5mm to RCA adapters.
 
Let's say my budget is $200, but if I could get something for cheaper, I'd be closer to being able to get new headphones! Which, I have a feeling, will be some open Sennheisers(but that's for another topic).
 
Oct 30, 2011 at 8:03 AM Post #2 of 17
Hmm perhaps elaborate more i.e do you need the DAC to be able to be mobile and run off battery power, etc? If i were in the market for a sub $100 USB DAC the Fiio E10 would be in the list 
tongue_smile.gif

 
Oct 30, 2011 at 10:47 AM Post #3 of 17
The Nuforce Icon µDAC2 has RCA out. 
 
Oct 30, 2011 at 12:26 PM Post #5 of 17
I love the DACPort, but maybe a bit out of your price range....  You can get an EMU 0202 or 0204 USB that has a fairly clean headphone output with a decent DAC section for well under 200$. 
 
Other than that, for a minimal amount of money, you can get a GrubDAC (cable version probably) and pair it up with a 150 dollar headphone amp with the bonus that you can always upgrade the DAC or Amp separately as you wish.
 
Oct 30, 2011 at 3:42 PM Post #6 of 17
I don't care how big the DAC is, and it doesn't need to be portable. The DACPort is most definitely out of my price range right now, as well.
 
I was looking at the NuForce a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed like a decent choice. Does anyone have anything against the uDAC-2? I don't need to record anything, so the E-MU 0204 seems kind of unnecessary, although it seems to have lower measured distortion.
 
I'm still unsure. Would I be doing anything wrong with getting the uDAC-2? Is the E-MU 0204 better?
 
Oct 30, 2011 at 5:24 PM Post #7 of 17
I have the SHR440s and a new FiiO E10 which was in my price range (under $100) at the time.
 
Given all the hours spent looking at online forums and review sites, the likely DAC for you would be the Audinst HUD-mx1 and then the E-MU 0204 or the uDAC-2 from impressions read so far.
 
If I had to do it over again, an amp only may have been the right route as the newer onboard sound card is quite impressive compared to an earlier model.
 
 
 
 
 
Oct 31, 2011 at 2:48 PM Post #8 of 17

 
Quote:
misterdeadeye said:
I don't care how big the DAC is, and it doesn't need to be portable. The DACPort is most definitely out of my price range right now, as well.
 
I was looking at the NuForce a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed like a decent choice. Does anyone have anything against the uDAC-2? I don't need to record anything, so the E-MU 0204 seems kind of unnecessary, although it seems to have lower measured distortion.
 
I'm still unsure. Would I be doing anything wrong with getting the uDAC-2? Is the E-MU 0204 better?
Click to expand...



The uDac 2 is pretty good on its own. The amp section is not very authoritative though and doesn't show headphones at their best. But it is very liquid and tubey sounding. 
 
Things go bad when you run the uDac 2 purely as a DAC with a revealing amplifier. Basically the uDac 2 has uneven frequency response, it has boosted upper mids that will eventually make your ears bleed. It's not noticeable when using the uDac 2's built in amp because it's not super transparent, it just sounds nice and tubey.
 
Oct 31, 2011 at 2:54 PM Post #9 of 17
Avoid the uDAC-2. Fairly high output impedance but nothing serious, very poor THD from USB especially in the treble, poor crosstalk, and very bad channel balance at low volume. Then there's the whole clipping mess, where the DAC clips with a 0 dBFS signal, remedied with a slight drop in digital volume from the player or OS but still a stupid thing to have to do. The Fiio E7 and E10 will be better in most ways if you want something in the same price range.
 
Oct 31, 2011 at 3:00 PM Post #10 of 17
The udac2 measures poorly and has high disortion, I would link you to the measurements but it's against the rules but just google nwavguy udac2 and it's the first & second results.
I have the emu 0404 usb and while the headphone section is very good sound quality wise it's not very powerful, im not sure if the 0204 uses the same amp section though, The fiio e10 is your best option and theres nothing wrong with 3.5mm jack to rca y cables.
 
Oct 31, 2011 at 11:30 PM Post #11 of 17
I love my Audinst HUD-Mx1. $179, and has a decent amp built in also. I take it back and forth with me to work and use it off my laptop with jRiver at work, and off my Voyage MPD headless PC at home.
 
 
 
Nov 1, 2011 at 10:04 AM Post #12 of 17


Quote:
jrg1990 said:
The udac2 measures poorly and has high disortion, I would link you to the measurements but it's against the rules but just google nwavguy udac2 and it's the first & second results.
I have the emu 0404 usb and while the headphone section is very good sound quality wise it's not very powerful, im not sure if the 0204 uses the same amp section though, The fiio e10 is your best option and theres nothing wrong with 3.5mm jack to rca y cables.
Click to expand...



That's what I heard as well.  I also have the Emu 0404 USB, and at one point of time, 2 Emu 0202 USB's.  Their headphone section is not very powerful like you said, but good sound quality and loud enough to monitor with good phones (which is what they were designed for anyway).
 
Nuforce seems like a can of worms according to a lot of actual measured review sources.  You get what you paid for, but some sure have more than factored that in somewhere in research and development...
 
Nov 1, 2011 at 7:24 PM Post #13 of 17
hi, i'm also looking for a USB DAC in order to avoid using my laptop's crappy in-built sound card. most important to me are cost and size. i like the look of the fiio e10 but anything even cheaper would be great.
 
my brother has some experience building headphone amps, would the grubDAC be a worthwhile project? how does sound quality compare to something like the e10?
 
i'll be listening with my grado sr255s and custom cmoy (thanks to my bro).
 
Nov 1, 2011 at 10:53 PM Post #14 of 17
Quote:
ext23 said:
hi, i'm also looking for a USB DAC in order to avoid using my laptop's crappy in-built sound card. most important to me are cost and size. i like the look of the fiio e10 but anything even cheaper would be great.
 
my brother has some experience building headphone amps, would the grubDAC be a worthwhile project? how does sound quality compare to something like the e10?
 
i'll be listening with my grado sr255s and custom cmoy (thanks to my bro).
Click to expand...


If all you want is a DAC (no need for another headphone jack), look at the Behringer UCA202. Very good DAC for the price. You might need a RCA-to-3.5mm cable or something.
 
Nov 2, 2011 at 12:44 AM Post #15 of 17
The headamp's pico Usb dac could be a nice choice, but its over your budget. 
 
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