It should be noted that the A8Xs mentioned above retail for $2,000 a pair, while the Emotivas run a full $500 less.

Of course that's bumping up against your price limit at $1,995, but there's always the DAC1 HDR for $1,595.

In that price range I would probably go with the Benchmark DAC2 HGC. Looks like they offer a 30-day trial, so not much risk to give it a try in your system.

On further inspection, I think the faceplate is probably not aluminum, but MDF with some type of hard lacquer or veneer applied. The screws on the front are not allen, but Torx (the star pattern), size T10. 

Also, as you can see from the picture of the emotiva, the corners of the faceplate are rounded, meaning a traditional rectangular grill would leave you with protruding corners...   Of more concern may be the fact that any grill you put over the faceplate will cover the volume knob in the...

The airmotivs are great speakers. The faceplate seems to be made of a moulded piece of aluminum; I wouldn't recommend drilling or otherwise poking holes in it if you value the speaker's acoustic properties.   My suggestion would be to attach a grill using some kind of 3M or Scotch product...

If you do decide to go the powered speaker/ separate DAC & preamp route, you might want to take a look at some of the offerings from a Chinese company called "Topping." You can find their products at http://www.tpdz.net/en/index.htm

Quote:   Short answer: probably yes (depending on your computer's DAC, as noted above). BUT, if you plan to get even a relatively inexpensive DAC in the future, the short-term difference in sound quality, IMO, is not enough to justify choosing the Aktimate over the Airmotiv.  ...

Thanks for the reply. The base is very good on my Airmotiv 5s, especially considering their diminutive size, but I plan to add a powered sub in the near future for a little extra oomph on the low end. That seems like a simple, effective and relatively inexpensive way of setting up a nice 2.1...

I can second the recommendation for Emotiva's Airmotiv 5s. Great pair of powered monitors on sale on emotivapro.com now for $399 I believe. The Airmotiv 4s are 50 dollars less. You'll need to pair them with a preamp/dac combo for best results, but temporarily, all you would need to play them...

KillerPiglet, what differences did you notice using the Vlink192 vs. USB to the DAC?

ljsegil, the svs sb-1000 seems like it would make a good combo with the airmotivs. I'm curious how you set up a 2.1 system with powered speakers such as the airmotiv 4s though. Do you have a preamp or are you running RCA or XLR to the speakers/sub directly from a DAC?

Yes, I see the headphone out as more of a bonus as well, but it would still be nice to know it wasn't merely an afterthought on their part. I don't expect it was designed to power a pair of HE-6s, or compete with dedicated head amps, but Emotiva is known for offering a lot for the money.

Has anyone heard when this new DAC is due to be released, or any word on features/functionality? I'm thinking of purchasing the Emotiva XDA-2, but could be persuaded to wait for the pro DAC if there is a huge difference in sound quality and features. 

I would also be interested in hearing your impressions of the headphone out on the xda-2. I'm thinking of pairing it with my airmotiv 5's and using it as a preamp with the speakers and a blu-ray player, as well as a headphone amp.