Quote: Originally Posted by TSi 169 euro is still 200$+ USD My point was that the difference in price here in the Netherlands is not so small: 100 euro is about 160$. In dollars the K701 here is 425$. It may be that the K701 is much more expensive here than elsewhere. If the...

Quote: Originally Posted by TSi for the price it has against k701, it doesnt justify to get one... if only if its drops to 150$ish Depends on where you are. Here in Holland the cheapest price for the K601 is 169 EURO, the K701 starts at 269 EURO. In many stores the difference is...

Quote: Originally Posted by Steph86 which one of these are better? 1. Zhaolu 2.5c with upgraded headamp 2. Keces DA 131 3. Yulong DAH1 Simple question, difficult to answer. I don't know of any reviews of these three. Hence, you'll just have to go by what everyone says about...

Quote: Originally Posted by 2162 so what is everyone's final recommendation (k601 vs dt 880) is the build quality of the k601 any good? I don't know about the DT-880, but I did listen to a DT-860. The build quality of the DT-860 disappointed me. The K601 feels much better. I must...

Quote: Originally Posted by PITTM I am kind of wary of the keces as I have heard SOOO many bad things about chinese made gear and have tried to buy products that are really solidly built(like the woo). I haven't seen the woo, but do have the Keces. I can tell you the Keces is...

Quote: Originally Posted by JamesL Hmm.. I'm kind of disappointed to hear that tubes really aren't for the k601s. I think I'd love to lay back and just watch the tubes start doing its thing, rather than stare at a big chunk of metal. Its a placebo effect definitely.. but often times...

Quote: Originally Posted by glitch39 in reading posts, you do not want to go optical or coaxial if going through a PC, due to internal noise. Better to go USB, to isolate line noise and lower the noise floor. For me, that is the way I'm playing my music so I went that route instead...

I second the Keces DA-131. I haven't heard the DA-151. They are different designs. The DA-131 is designed to a higher spec, but the seller seems very enthusiastic about the DA-151's performance. This seems to be confirmed by many on this forum. I can only comment on the DA-131 and I am stunned...

Quote: Originally Posted by vvanrij Sounds good. A combination of a LD MK3 + DAC would be too expensive for me however. In the ZERO's review it sais it has a 'tubey' character, and it also allows all opamps to be replaced (plug and play style ) but the stock ones seem to be really good...

I bought a LDMKIII to go with my K601. I can't comment on solid-state, other than the headphone jack on my AV receiver. That's not a really fair comparison ;-) I must however say I like my LD very much. I still have the stock tubes in it. The sound can really change with other tubes. That's one...

Got it right. The difference is quite obvious too (using K601's and DA-131 dac). The cymbals sound louder and more 'airy' on the 320 sample, for instance. However I must say that I too, thought that the difference would be greater. Maybe this particular sound sample is not the best to test the...

Quote: Originally Posted by oldson Penchum thanks for the advice. after reading your reviews i am set on something from the LD family! i still have a shortlist of, mk3 , 4se and mk5. i will be using pc as source only initially. then later adding a dac (keces 131 or zero). my pc...

Quote: Originally Posted by oldson oicdn point taken! do you know where i can find an "in depth" review on the 131. either on here or elsewhere? cheers Oldson, I will post a review here at head-fi on the KECES DA-131 after 200 hours of use. Right now I'm at 40 hours of use...

I have just received my DA-131. I will write a review later, but first I'll let it burn in a bit. Right now the original OPA604's are still in there (and already I can hear details I haven't heard before). Soon I will change them for LME49710's. I'm curious how that changes the sound. I will...

K601

I just ordered the Keces DA-131. Ignoring the poll results (after 41 votes the ZERO has a comfortable lead, followed by the Beresford) I decided the buy Keces. It fits the budget and judging from what I've read about these DAC's (note that I haven't heard any so this is based on just reading...

Quote: Originally Posted by maarek99 Well, now I've done it...a keces-131 is on its way. I've been really disappointed with soundcard dacs (emu 0404, x-fi prelude etc) that an upgrade seems necessary. So which one is better sq wise, a keces-131 or the 151? If they both have the LME...

How would the ZERO perform with a Little Dot MKIII tube amplifier? I heard that the ZERO is warm as it is, so I wonder if combining it with an already warm tube amp is a good idea? My headphones are AKG K601's. Any ideas anyone? PS Modding isn't really my cup of tea, so rolling opamps is...

Quote: Originally Posted by fetalgoat How would a cheap dac compare to an auzen prelude? ... So I have the same interest as the OP I guess if it can give me significantly better sound than the prelude can on it's own. I don't have $500-$1000 to spend on a dac though. Yes we...

Quote: You've probably thought through this, but polling doesn't eliminate the presence of fanboys either; sometimes forcing people to choose one encourages "bandwagoning" (w/ name recognition, etc). It's because of this that yourwork's cut out for you. My two cents is to look for...

I think the exact search in the second link was "DAC recommended". Of course I did the search and read hundreds if not thousands of posts. It's difficult to choose the right DAC on individual observations. There are loads of discussions about opamps and such. Comparisons with regard to SQ...

Simple question, difficult answer. Question: what is the best cheap DAC out there? A few things to note: I'm interested in the DAC itself, not the headphone amp that some DAC's have. The DAC will be connected to a tube amp (LD MKIII) which in turn drives a pair of K601's.

The Beresford has the advantage of multiple inputs and is a bit easier to get here in Holland (the UK is part of the EU so no customs hassle etc.). How much beter is the ZERO straight out of the box? Reading the forums I get the impression that the Beresford is pretty good out of the box...

I understand your point with regard to the chipsets used in the two DAC's. The PCM1793 is newer and appears to be in a higher class than the PCM1716 (which seems to be replaced by the PCM1780). In theory you're right. But I'm sure there's much more to a DAC than just the chip. I'm wondering...

... I would buy a dedicated DAC instead of using the DAC in my Sony STR-DB940 reciever? And of course also which DAC should I get? My current line up is: Computer Realtek ALC889A (Foobar2K - bitperfect) -> Toslink -> Sony STR-DB940 -> Xindak AC-01 interconnects -> LD MKIII -> AKG K601 I...