[neks0ne]

After searching threads and looking through archived posts....I think Ive narrowed it down to two options for a cheap Dac/Amp combo.

Phone: HD650
Source: Hackintosh(azalia)/Xbox360/HK154
Amps:
USB DAC+Headphone Amplifier(PCM2707+DIR9001+PCM1793) - eBay (item 130293465989 end time May-11-09 23:20:30 PDT)

Tianyun Zero DAC Preamplifer and Headphone Amplifer amp - eBay (item 180341981342 end time May-29-09 12:51:11 PDT)


There is also a Octavart on the for sale forums for about 15 bucks more then those prices. I wont be offended by answers that say "none of the above"

 

[Keyser Soze]

Ive just started looking into getting a DAC and headphone amp with USB input. So far ive been considering the following:
IBasso D2 Boa
IBasso t4
Nu Force Icon & Icon mobile
Fubar III
I dont know if youve looked into these but they might be worth considering.
Id be very interested to hear your thoughts on which-ever device you decide on getting.

 

[alexofc69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keyser Söze /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ive just started looking into getting a DAC and headphone amp with USB input. So far ive been considering the following: IBasso D2 Boa IBasso t4 Nu Force Icon & Icon mobile Fubar III I dont know if youve looked into these but they might be worth considering. Id be very interested to hear your thoughts on which-ever device you decide on getting.

I have iBass D2 Boa. Awesome!! Get it!! Great price too!!

 

[neks0ne]

I hear alot of good things about the Ibasso line. One of my deciding factors is based also on the Dac having Coax, or possible optical in. I defintiley know alot of headfier's recommend just an amp, or just a dac....

I just want to experiment first and see if my receiver is giving me anything close to what a smaller sub 200 dac/amp can deliver.

 

[h.rav]

iBasso D10 has Coax and Optical in.

 

[neks0ne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h.rav /img/forum/go_quote.gif iBasso D10 has Coax and Optical in.

This is true, now can you find me one?

 

[ericlikeseatin]

i was in a similar position recently and ended up purchasing a travagan's white dac/amp. a rather comprehensive review can be found here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...-black-321463/

the dac has both usb and analog inputs and sounds fantastic for a solid state amp.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericlikeseatin /img/forum/go_quote.gif i was in a similar position recently and ended up purchasing a travagan's white dac/amp. a rather comprehensive review can be found here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...-black-321463/ the dac has both usb and analog inputs and sounds fantastic for a solid state amp.

Also, Head-direct will be showing a new desktop tube usb dac/amp at CanJam 2009.

And, Skylab, MoNelly and I just reviewed the StyleAudio CARAT-TOPAZ DAC/amp which was a great DAC and a decent amp built-in. StyleAudio Topaz Amp Eval / Review Thread - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Then there is the Apogee mini-DAC and Duet which are quite good.

 

[Haoting]

Why not take one for the team and report back to us regarding the $75 Xiangsheng DAC-01. It would be nice if they took a picture of what it looks like inside.

Hefei XiangSheng Electronic Co.,Ltd - Display - Products - DAC-01 24BIT / 96KHZ Multifuctional Decoders

 

[neks0ne]

Thanks for the replies....

I will look at the HeFei now.....and might just do that.

Thanks Eric, The Travagan looks nice, however its only USB in for the DAC. I need Optical or Coax.

 

[Haoting]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neks0ne /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies.... I will look at the HeFei now.....and might just do that.

If you do go with it, please let us know how much they charge for shipping. Btw, HeFei is the city. The brand name is Xiangsheng.

 

[Myloveamplifier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neks0ne /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies.... I will look at the HeFei now.....and might just do that. Thanks Eric, The Travagan looks nice, however its only USB in for the DAC. I need Optical or Coax.

It do have USB ,Optical and Coax for the DAC.

 

[ivan2]

i like my zero =)

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivan2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i like my zero =)

Unfortunately they have a reputation for randomly dying. I just hope these other Chinese manufacturers make better quality gear.

 

[Haoting]

Well, I would take Currawong's comments with a grain of salt since he's just a Audio-Gd super-fanboy who only promotes one Chinese company: Audio-Gd. To give the impression that all Chinese hi-fi manufacturers (besides Audio-Gd) have doubtful quality based on some faulty Tianyun Zero DACs is unfair. Besides Tianyun isn't even considered one of the top-tier hi-fi Chinese manufacturers.

I would like to hear what others have to say about their experiences with Chinese branded gear. I can vouch for the quality of Swans speakers because I have used their products for a few years without any product failure, and my new Xiangsheng tube hybrid integrated amp works just fine.