[Applefapple]

I have never bought any DAC before, and just recently purchased a pair of GRADO 225, and a Little Dot I+. I have not yet received them, but after a lot of reading on this site, I have decided I need a DAC as well (connecting to a Macbook)
Money is a little tight but I can stretch. Would the Alien DAC be sufficient for this setup, or would the KECES 151 be better? (150 dollar difference)
Thank you!

 

[tebolos]

Hi Applefapple,

I was in the exact same position as you are a few weeks ago. My Little Dot I+ arrived a few days ago and I have just placed an order for the Keces 151. I'll let you know how it sounds when I get my Keces 151. Should arrive within a week.

I've read somewhere that both the Alien DAC and the Keces 151 share the same PCM2702 DAC chip. However, other components in the Keces have better build quality. In theory, the Keces 151 will sound better than the Alien DAC. How much better (or if its is worth the $150 difference) I can't say.

How good is your soldering skills? Are you willing to spend hours building the Alien Dac and, if needed, spend some time troubleshooting in case the Alien Dac doesn't work the first time?