[ninjames]

Hey guys, I'm just about to order the Little Dot MKIII, and all I have right now is a laptop with the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. I have a question ... is there a DAC under $200, perhaps closer to $100 actually that will be satisfactory with my laptop and the Little Dot? I can't spend much more than that. I will be able to spend a lot more than that on one about a month from now, but I only want to do that if folks think that this will sound fine and still be an improvement for a month just out of my laptop. If so, do I just buy a 3.5mm to RCA cable and plug that into the amp and plug my headphones into the amp? Something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Audio-Cable-Splitter-1-Mini/dp/B00004Z5CP/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1339506723&sr=8-1
 
I saw someone say that the HRT Streamer II is really good and I wanted to, but I was wondering if there was anything maybe even cheaper that might still be good. Let me know, thanks.

 

[Sweden]

Muse DA20 is very good value for money. I would almost say a "Giant killer"
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=MUSE+DA20+&_sacat=0&_odkw=muse+dac&_osacat=0

 

[ninjames]

Quote:

Muse DA20 is very good value for money. I would almost say a "Giant killer"
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=MUSE+DA20+&_sacat=0&_odkw=muse+dac&_osacat=0

I'm not that well-versed in DAC/Amp stuff ... I see a lot of people talking about it here as an amp and not a DAC, is that a problem? I don't want the amp interfering with the Little Dot MKIII, or does it not work that way? As you can tell, I'm a little confused. I am intrigued though. I'd be able to buy that right now no problem, if it's a solid DAC (as in, a nice improvement over my laptop)

 

[Dall]

Have you heard it? I know that Muse with 4X TDA1543 is quite good. But haven´t found anything about sound of DA20. I would appreciate USB input. 

 

[Dall]

Muse DA20 is very good value for money. I would almost say a "Giant killer"
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=MUSE+DA20+&_sacat=0&_odkw=muse+dac&_osacat=0

 
Have you heard it? I know that Muse with 4X TDA1543 is quite good. But haven´t found anything about sound of DA20. I would appreciate USB input. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I'm not that well-versed in DAC/Amp stuff ... I see a lot of people talking about it here as an amp and not a DAC, is that a problem? I don't want the amp interfering with the Little Dot MKIII, or does it not work that way? As you can tell, I'm a little confused. I am intrigued though. I'd be able to buy that right now no problem, if it's a solid DAC (as in, a nice improvement over my laptop)

DAC (Digital to Analog Converter)
The Muse is a USC (& coaxial) digital input to RCA analog output.
It also comes with a simple headphone (analog) output, which I'm guessing is a feature you will not need to use.