~$300 DAC + AMP for Rastapants 2 - Is it worth the upgrade vs. Bravura?
Oct 16, 2011 at 5:23 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
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I've decided to sell my Bravura. I'm sick of it not being compatible with any *nix OS I've tried, so I'm thinking of buying a DAC + AMP.
I also bought the FOSTEX T-50 RP and the tools and materials to mod it to Rastapants II. They should arrive on Thursday.
 
I want a DAC and an amplifier for under $300. I will only use them to feed my Rastapants II, no speakers or anything else. USB or Coaxial, though I preffer USB (is there any difference between USB and Coaxial (Realtek on-board, P67 Extreme4 board).
I don't care if it's a DAC+AMP combo or a DAC and an AMP in different boxes. I'm able to build an AMP like the Milllet MAX from diyforums.com, but I don't think I'm able to build anything with SMD components, yet.
 
Thank you very much, Head-fiers :3
 
Oct 17, 2011 at 1:18 PM Post #2 of 14
Come on guys, help me please :3
 
Oct 17, 2011 at 1:39 PM Post #3 of 14
Two that come to mind:
 
Matrix Mini-i
Little Dot Dac-II
 
Not sure how they perform specifically with the Fostex though. 
 
You might have better luck with a FiiO E10 for the dac, feeding a dedicated amp. M-Stage? 
 
Oct 17, 2011 at 3:11 PM Post #4 of 14
USB vs Coaxial?
 
I've read that coaxial is better. Is it still better than USB if I'll be using on-board coaxial port?
 
Oct 17, 2011 at 4:15 PM Post #5 of 14
usb has gotten a lot better in the last few years so I would just use whichever is convenient
 
Oct 18, 2011 at 5:32 PM Post #6 of 14
OK. I've just seen the Schiit amplifiers and the Schiit brand and, wow. I love that brand. I love how they speak to the people, the design of their devices and the 5-year warranty, so I think I'll grab a Schiit Asgard as amplifier for my Rastapants II. The only problem is that that renders my budget to just 50$ (maybe 100$ if it's worth it). What DAC (Coaxial or USB, I don't care) do you recommend me for the Asgard? 
 
Oct 18, 2011 at 5:44 PM Post #7 of 14
 
Since you bought the Fostex T50RP, naturally I recommend you the Fostex HP-A3 DAC/Amp. :wink:
 
 
Typing "DAC" into ebay will yield many pages of results, too.
 
If you are capable of DIY'ing your own Amp as you stated above, I think you should do that (such as the objective2) and spend you budget on the DAC section.
 
Just my imho.
 
Oct 18, 2011 at 6:18 PM Post #8 of 14

The only problem with the HP-A3 is that it's 450$, and right now I only have 300-350$ available to spend in my hobby. And yes, I'm capable of building my own amp as long as it does not have any SMD components, since I've never done that and I preffer to practice with something else for SMDs, not to mention I don't have enough equipment to solder SMD properly. So, what DAC do you recommend me if I get the Objective 2? 
 
And what DAC would you recommend me if I decided to get the Schiit Asgard?
 
Quote:
kiteki said:
 
Since you bought the Fostex T50RP, naturally I recommend you the Fostex HP-A3 DAC/Amp. :wink:
 
 
Typing "DAC" into ebay will yield many pages of results, too.
 
If you are capable of DIY'ing your own Amp as you stated above, I think you should do that (such as the objective2) and spend you budget on the DAC section.
 
Just my imho.
Click to expand...


 
 
 
Oct 19, 2011 at 3:18 AM Post #9 of 14
 
Apparently the Objective 2 is a neutral, powerful amplifier that just 'does what an amp should', and adds no colour.
 
There are very limited impressions on the O2 so far, but my hunch is that it won't have any particular synergy with certain DAC's, and just be transparent, at least that's what I hope, so if you build the O2 then you should have the freedom to choose whichever DAC you want, AFAIK...
 
If you have $300~350 available I recommend you build your own amp and spend the rest on a high quality DAC, so you have $200~$250 available for the DAC.
 
I have limited listening experience with the multitude of Dac/Amp's out there... but I recommend you get something with a high-end Sabre ESS or Asahi Kasei (AKM) chip, personally I have a DIY Sabre ES9023 DAC and it sounds excellent!
 
You can go for something cheap like the Fiio E10, or you can save up money for the JUST ANNOUCED Audio Technica USB DAC/Amp ... that's what I'll be doing :wink: it will be released in late November.
 
Oct 20, 2011 at 3:39 PM Post #11 of 14
Sorry for not answering, Windows decided it was time to stop working and I had to reinstall everything.
 
From a "possible Xmas upgrade" point of view, would you recommend me to build the Objective 2 and get a DAC, or get a better DAC and use a cMoy (anyway, I need/want a portable amplifier) until I get a better amp. Or save for that Audio-Technica one (link please, can't seem to find it)
 
Oct 21, 2011 at 10:33 AM Post #13 of 14
An analog, smooth and musical sound, though I also like instrument separation, if that's what you mean.
 
Thank you for everything you're doing, kiteki. :3
 
 
 
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