bflat
Headphoneus Supremus
guys...help me to understand something please on desktop vs 'regular' DACs.
my friend (has the wadia 122 dac) isn't interested in the hugo2 as it's more portable and desktop oriented
than, i presume, a wall wart based DAC with it's own power supply...i'm just trying to understand the diffs between buying a hugo2 vs, say, a benchmark dac3 or sim 280D.
i have only powered speakers as desktop (focal alpha 50) ....might get the Kef LS 50 wls...so i presume I have no need for a more robust DAC....
or am i missing something? still trying to understand the pros and cons of each before i make a purchase.
You are asking about 2 different characteristics:
Power source - battery versus direct AC. Both can deliver clean power to the DAC circuitry. Just because a DAC is battery powered doesn't mean it's only meant for portable. Chord TT is an example of this.
Form factor - there are no official industry standards, but generally speaking you have the following:
- Desktop - anything that is not portable or transportable
- Portable - runs on it's own power and can fit in a pocket
- Transportable - runs on it's own power but too large to fit in a pocket
Neither of the above can be equated to "quality". You have desktop DACs that are under $100 and you have battery powered DACs that costs thousands. At the end of the day, you have to decide how you want to use the DAC and most importantly how does it sound to your ears.