[wankski]

hey kids,

pretty keen to get onto a USB DAC for my laptop which is just using onboard s/c...

anyone know the difference b/w the alien dac and the hotaudio dac destroyer?

from what i can tell the alien uses pcm 2702, whereas the hotaudio gets the 2705 or 2704.... what do these numbers really mean?

trawling thru the site, apparently the 2702 has a higher SNR ratio and i assume its better as the higher end hot audio offering also uses it (much more expensive)...

any words of wisdom?

the alien is only marginally cheaper, but i should be able to build it ok, i'll get the pcm pre-soldered and do the rest myself.

thanks

joe

 

[yourstruly]

The 2702 is a better DAC, so the alien would be the better out of those two. The alien is cheaper because it's a DIY project, so if you could do it, that would be the better choice.

 

[zeckwsr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wankski /img/forum/go_quote.gif from what i can tell the alien uses pcm 2702, whereas the hotaudio gets the 2705 or 2704.... what do these numbers really mean? trawling thru the site, apparently the 2702 has a higher SNR ratio and i assume its better as the higher end hot audio offering also uses it (much more expensive)...

hi
where do you get that the destroyer uses 2704/5 how about the rest of the family?

which of the hot audio models uses the 2702?
cheers

 

[yourstruly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeckwsr /img/forum/go_quote.gif hi where do you get that the destroyer uses 2704/5 how about the rest of the family? which of the hot audio models uses the 2702? cheers

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/hot...ml#post5258773

This thread should tell you what you need to know. The DAC Supreme uses the PCM 2702.

 

[paara]

Pacific Valve & Electric Company Pacific Valve Giga Lab Moon DAC This is a better alternative then the hotaudio supreme

 

[wankski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeckwsr /img/forum/go_quote.gif hi where do you get that the destroyer uses 2704/5 how about the rest of the family? which of the hot audio models uses the 2702? cheers

hey,

for buying here: HOTAUIOD.COM - HAND MADE AUDIO PERFECTION click on first link

the 2702 is featured in the supreme as mentioned, but also the DAC straight model, which from what i gather is the same thing but with less output to the phones... the supreme is meant to power hard to drive phones, but the dac straight is intended for output into a dedicated amp.

 

[wankski]

thanks for the comments guys...

i see on the TI site, that the 2702 is not recommended for new design... any idea why? the 2704,05 etc are still active...

I would like to know what actual differences are? still, good to know that the alien has been deemed superior so i'll def look at it some more...

the giga lab looks ok - but unfort as you would have guessed i'm limited by the $$$, what i listed is <$100 USD...

If i do get the alien, i'd wanna know that it does a good job and i won't upgrade it for mid range headphones (looking at K250s, dtx800 or possibly 990pro). If the alien is a bit of a waste of money, then i s'pose i'll have to save the pennies...

any idea how the alien compares to the asus xonar u1?

cheers!

 

[srserl]

The Alien is a fine dac for the money and was the first dac I built. There is an even less expensive 2702 dac out there...the Bantam dac. It is basically a redesigned Alien to be smaller and use a more commonly available voltage regulator. Instructions can be found at diyforums.org, parts at beezar.com, or in a kit form from glassjaraudio.com (he also offers a presoldered 2702 option).

 

[wankski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by srserl /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Alien is a fine dac for the money and was the first dac I built. There is an even less expensive 2702 dac out there...the Bantam dac. It is basically a redesigned Alien to be smaller and use a more commonly available voltage regulator. Instructions can be found at diyforums.org, parts at beezar.com, or in a kit form from glassjaraudio.com (he also offers a presoldered 2702 option).

thanks for the hints mate... right now annoying jeff re:alien vs bantam... any idea on which one is s'posed to be better? cheaper is always a good thing..

the diy site says of the bantam 'the board uses fewer electrolytic capacitors than' the alien... unclear as to whether this is a good thing? or which one is s'posed to be easier to build....

 

[srserl]

The Alien and Bantam dacs should sound very similar, but I have not heard the Bantam yet (building one now); the Bantam was a redesign of the Alien, and is a very similar circuit. Both designs have output coupling caps to get rid of the dc offset, and those are the caps having the most influence on the sound.
The build difficulty is the same for both. The Bantam has the best instructions and support...just follow the step by step instructions on the diyforums.org site and go over to the DIY forum on this site if you have any questions.

 

[wankski]

Thanks mate - looks like i'll be ordering one from jeff!

 

[netsky3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yourstruly /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 2702 is a better DAC, so the alien would be the better out of those two. The alien is cheaper because it's a DIY project, so if you could do it, that would be the better choice.

So, the destroyer is a crap?

I think that sounds like my audigy

I've spent 50$ for nothing...