[Mike Wazowski]

Friends, can anyone help with some recommendations/advice, please?

I plan on using my MacBook Pro as a source, connecting mini-optical-to-Toslink.
I've done some homework; there seems to be a bunch of decent Chinese imports from Pacific Valve company, ranging from $250 all the way to $700, my limit:
NOS DAC AH-M1 Modified by Pacific Valve $250
Lite Audio DAC AM Modified $375
DIYEDEN Great March 2 - $399
Moodlab DICE - USB Zero Sampling DAC $425
Lite Audio DAC 60 Modified by Pacific Valve $659
Lite Audio DAC 68 - $699
The folks say those more expensive DACs will beat $1.5K CDPs - what do you think?..
There is also some nice basic explanations they make about upsampling vs oversampling, and also NOS. There is of course is no substitute for a direct listen, but I guess I'll have a chance to, eventually. I am only turning 40 this Fall

Other names I saw mentioned on this forum fondly were Zhaolu D2.5 and D3.0, the former also available heavily modded as OMZ by Oritek Audio. At $599, how does that compare with the offerings from Pacific Valve?
Citypulse 7.2x II DAC with TCXO?
Stella DAC?
Channel Islands Audio VDA-2 $599 (+179 power supply)?

So, what would be a good start for me in this range, something that would keep me from upgraditis for a while?..

Thanks for any help!

 

[Bazile]

Howdy;

I can't speak to the DAC's you mentioned, but my Asus laptop connects fine to my CI VDA2 and its outboard power supply via a mini optical out. If the other end of my cable isn't toslink ( and I honestly dont know) surely, other ends to a cable are possible. Consider the Channel Islands DAC. It's $499 plus $180 for the separate power supply. It seems to have a small following...I'm certainly one. I encourage you to search for CI VDA-2 threads, it does a much better job of selling itself than I ever could.

Bazile

 

[penger]

What about something DIY like the Opus or Buffalo from Twisted Pear?

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazile /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't speak to the DAC's you mentioned, but my Asus laptop connects fine to my CI VDA2 and its outboard power supply via a mini optical out. If the other end of my cable isn't toslink ( and I honestly dont know) surely, other ends to a cable are possible. Consider the Channel Islands DAC. It's $499 plus $180 for the separate power supply. It seems to have a small following...I'm certainly one. I encourage you to search for CI VDA-2 threads, it does a much better job of selling itself than I ever could. Bazile

Thanks!.. I'll do the thread search this (US Eastern) evening, for now looked it up - looks nice, well, distinct in a way I wouldn't mind

I am also adding it to the small list in my original post.
It is actually $599 for the DAC on their website, still 179 for the PS...

I am now ready to get more confused first, but hopefully things will clear more or less after a couple of nights' reading.

To penger:
sorry, I am not experienced in electronics DIY... and would rather not be practicing on something for my own use!

 

[Herandu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Wazowski /img/forum/go_quote.gif .. and would rather not be practicing on something for my own use!

We can't all stay single forever

.

 

[fkclo]

May be you can give the Ultra Fi "iRoc" a try. It is a USB only DAC which will be great for computer hook up. It uses I2S as the transmission protocol, and use a proprietary I/V conversion circuit.

Listed it sells for US$1,495 but you can try your luck at Audiogon where a refurbished one is sometimes available for auction.

I read about it, talked to the designer Larry Moore, and bought one. Unfortunately the PSU that comes with it is for 110V a.c. only so I am sourcing a 220V a.c. power supply before I can use it. I do have high hopes though.

F. Lo

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herandu /img/forum/go_quote.gif We can't all stay single forever .

I'm sorry?.. what do you mean, I didn't get it?..

...
OK, wait - is that that single people may treat the "merchandise" differently because they are not planning to keep it?.. but they can't go on like this forever?
Sorry, I know few things are worse than having to explain a joke or someone deconstructing it. Among those few things are many of those New Yorker cartoons...

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkclo /img/forum/go_quote.gif May be you can give the Ultra Fi "iRoc" a try. It is a USB only DAC which will be great for computer hook up. It uses I2S as the transmission protocol, and use a proprietary I/V conversion circuit. Listed it sells for US$1,495 but you can try your luck at Audiogon where a refurbished one is sometimes available for auction. I read about it, talked to the designer Larry Moore, and bought one. Unfortunately the PSU that comes with it is for 110V a.c. only so I am sourcing a 220V a.c. power supply before I can use it. I do have high hopes though. F. Lo

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately, this is a bit too rich for me right now. There are quite a few amps and DACs in that range that I am sure will do for me well for a long while, but there are all those other expenses in the household, you know... I was initially planning ~$2K US for DAC or CDP + amp, but then turned out we'll need another car (which comes with crappy stock speakers, BTW

), so $1,200 or less now feels a lot more comfortable - and reasonable. I am sure there's ought to be a DAC under $700 for me. If it has to be over $800, then I'll just revert to my original plan for the source - Marantz SA8001, a SACD player. I am just wondering if I could really do cheaper (= get comparable sound for less) and with the flexibility of computer playlists instead of switching discs, postponing that SACD thing for now.

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Wazowski /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately, this is a bit too rich for me right now. There are quite a few amps and DACs in that range that I am sure will do for me well for a long while, but there are all those other expenses in the household, you know... I was initially planning ~$2K US for DAC or CDP + amp, but then turned out we'll need another car (which comes with crappy stock speakers, BTW ), so $1,200 or less now feels a lot more comfortable - and reasonable. I am sure there's ought to be a DAC under $700 for me. If it has to be over $800, then I'll just revert to my original plan for the source - Marantz SA8001, a SACD player. I am just wondering if I could really do cheaper (= get comparable sound for less) and with the flexibility of computer playlists instead of switching discs, postponing that SACD thing for now.

Buy a second hand cdplayer that is either using the KI63, the 1704, 1702 or the 1541, 1541a converter chips and you'll be astowned at how good these cdplayers still sound. There is hardly any advancement in the digital realms, the analogue sections make the bigger difference. Fact is that alot of so called 24 bit players are internally 20 bits!

For 700, i also would have a look at a good second hand rega apollo cdplayer.

I heard a sacd player recently, it was only a few percent better then the cd section. Xrcd and especially k2hd cd's are equally good and you can play those on a normal cdplayer. Some k2hd cd's are to be said even better then their sacd equivalents.

The rega should be better then the marantz...

Also alot of people still think that a 1 box solution is still better then drive/dac combo............

More and more people like the squeezebox 3 and computer setup! Will alo set you back quite some money, since you'll need a good external dac...some even use a new reclocking module in the squeezebox.

 

[Mike Wazowski]

tourmaline, thanks for the input. Yes indeed, Rega Apollo must be something really special. Too bad the new one is $1,200 these days... I'd probably pick one up if it appeared on FS here, although if it were offered for $700, I'd be asking what's wrong with it

About SACDs, I guess it is just that when they first appeared in the news, with the stories how the new Rolling Stones remasters finally sounded "right" - and I could really relate to what they were saying used to be wrong, the "tinny" sound - I wanted it and decided I'd get me a SACD player once they come down a bit in price... It is unfortunate that the format seem to be withering, which does tell me it probably has turned out not that great after all.
Since I have to get a source anyway, I thought I might as well get a midpriced CD/SACD player. But then, on the other hand, it is true that while there are hundreds of SACD titles looking very attractive to me, most of what I listen to is not available on SACD, and likely will never be. Also, controlling the playlist from my computer would be such a great convenience...

[now, a polite request to the audience: let us not slide to a discussion/fight on whether SACD makes any difference vs it is all simply remastering, etc., etc.

]

"... alot of people still think that a 1 box solution is still better then drive/dac combo..." - I'll take this as a pro-SA8001 vote

 

[Happy Camper]

If you are willing to live without the SACD, a used Cambridge Azur 740c would give you a dac for your computer and a player.

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Camper /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are willing to live without the SACD, a used Cambridge Azur 740c would give you a dac for your computer and a player.

I sure am willing

- if I get comparable sound for a few hundred $$ less!.. (I mean, same SQ in Red Book, sorry I didn't mean a distraction by mentioning SACDs). Thanks for your suggestion, sorry but it sounds like I'd be paying for something I won't really need - the CDP part of the Cambridge... Am I wrong?..

 

[gz76]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herandu /img/forum/go_quote.gif We can't all stay single forever .

Hahaha.

 

[jmudrick]

I'm a very happy owner of a Citypulse 7.2x (with Discovery Hi-Fi capacitor and power supply mods). Long, long burn-in but the wait is worth it. Cost me less than $350 with the mods.

Jeff

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Camper /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are willing to live without the SACD, a used Cambridge Azur 740c would give you a dac for your computer and a player.

yes, i would either go with cambridge audio or the rega cdplayers. best of the pack.

Mike, i read/heard that the rega players beat the marantz...

Sacd: the best redbook players beat sacd. And with xrcd and k2hd cd's it is exceedingly close or on par.