HE-500, LCD2, D5000, DT770, SR80, on a speaker amp (Emotiva mini-X A-100) Project - Page 63

I'd go for the Saber chip

The 11.32 is the entry level Sabre from Audio Gd - its WM8741 equivalent is the 15.32. The audio gd dacs all have a slightly smooth/warm sound. The sabre is not as warm as the wm8741. If you just want a budget dac, go for the 11.32. 

 

The amp section of the 15.32/11.32/5.32 is identical - plenty of power (can drive he-6 even) - but flat + congested sounding. Lineout bypass the amp so if you got separate amp. 

thanks guys.
i guess im just trying to find the best dac and amp for the he500 under $450 that has optical input. i was going to get the emotiva w speaker taps and wait to get a dac but that would be at least two months w no dac and most people said to get a cheap combo for now and upgrade later.

thats kind of discouraging that audio gd amps sound flat and congested.

any amp and dac better than audio gd for my budget??

Err not really. The amp section of the 11.32/15.32/5.32 are mediocre (aka the amp that comes integrated with the budget dac). IMO the dac alone is worth the cost; amp part is just extra topping :p. Meanwhile my Audio Gd C2.2 (discontinued) is a pretty amazing amp for the price - but costs more than the 5.32 alone. The Roc/SA-31/Master 8 are all well-regarded agd amp also.

 

Under 450 - good dac - good amp in one is pretty hard to find. There's the Agd Compass 2 (USB/Optical/Coax input, Sabre dac, amp section with same topology as the C2.2). Your best bet would be buy an emotiva/t-amp; and spend the rest on a dac. Do you need the input to be switchable - or just need a dac with optical?

Edited by khaine1711 - 3/9/13 at 8:12am

Err not really. The amp section of the 11.32/15.32/5.32 are mediocre (aka the amp that comes integrated with the budget dac). IMO the dac alone is worth the cost; amp part is just extra topping . Meanwhile my Audio Gd C2.2 (discontinued) is a pretty amazing amp for the price - but costs more than the 5.32 alone. The Roc/SA-31/Master 8 are all well-regarded agd amp also.

Under 450 - good dac - good amp in one is pretty hard to find. There's the Agd Compass 2 (USB/Optical/Coax input, Sabre dac, amp section with same topology as the C2.2). Your best bet would be buy an emotiva/t-amp; and spend the rest on a dac. Do you need the input to be switchable - or just need a dac with optical?

i can get he500 with emotiva mini x and required cable all used but still under warranty for $ 875. ttvj has new he500 for $629 for 3 days only. when you say do i need the input to be switchable, im not sure what you mea but i do need it to have optical and usb input.

if i buy used i will have $175 for a dac. if i buy new i will have $450 for dac and amp.

not sure why it posted like that... weird ps3 browser
Edited by xd00bx - 3/9/13 at 8:41am

 

Dac with USB + Optical. Let's say $175 for a dac; the only thing I can think of is the Audioengine D1/Audinst MX1/MX2. I don't think they're worth the price, but it's the only budget dac with both optical and usb. 

 

The compass 2 is 499, so it's outside your budget for new. Assuming most t-amp and the x-mini cost ~220, that leaves 230 for Dac. Still few choices there .

 

If you are really patient you can find an used He500 ($550); used bifrost with USB ($300) and an amp of your choice (X-Mini/Hifiman EF-5/Trends 10.2SE/Various T-amps).

 

If you gotta buy now I'd say go for the new He500 + a new X-mini and a cheap dac till you upgrade. My reasoning is that in case you don't like the X-Mini, you still have 30 days to return the amp. Making a speaker tap cable is simple - you can just cut the wire and tie it directly to the speaker terminal (no connector = best connector )

Edited by khaine1711 - 3/9/13 at 9:08am

thanks for the advice...

i think for now i will buy the he500 new and get either NFB-5.32 or NFB-11.32 so i can listen immediately. later i will upgrade to a much better amp. you say the audio gd stuff is worth the price just for the dac alone so it seems like a bargain.

still not sure which to get though

NFB-5.32 is $430 including shipping

NFB-11.32 is $350 including shipping

which is the better choice considering ill be plugging the he500 straight into it for now and ill want to use it for just dac when i upgrade my amp down the road?

I'd go with the 11.32. 

 

$430 is like a few inches away from next "level up" - which imo the 5.32 is not.

 

Btw don't forget to swap pad to velour the moment you get the He500 

Edited by khaine1711 - 3/9/13 at 11:07am

Looks like the 5.32 cost more.

 

It is a pretty good price for a brand new set considering how rarely these are for sale. You'd have to read up on the different DACs, but I can't see much else in the specs that separates these two. The components of the 5.32 look to be of higher quality, especially the transformer, which is something to consider. Keep in mind you'll be paying shipping from China and paypal fees on these, so you may want to check out the amplification section here on head-fi if you want to save a bit. Of course, you won't have the selection and you'll need to sift through it. Good luck!

For those who use build speaker taps with some resistors, does it matter what kind of resistors are used? Does the type differ if using one in series or parallel?

 

The resistor needs match the load that you will be using in output. Depending on the way your amp is wired (I've done tube amp rebuilds not SS), usually in parallel but you can end with a series.

I meant does it matter what *kind* of resistor. Foil, wirewound, etc. 

Metal film resistor - this is what Mal has in his setup he had Brian at BTG-Audio build:

 

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=RN55D4990FB14virtualkey61300000virtualkey71-RN55D-F-499

 

You'll just need two for the positive lines.  

 

Thanks. How about for the high power ones run parallel? I currently have a sparse few 10W wirewound and 5W carbon film on hand. Does it make a difference?