[Pariah1]

Edit: Sorry guys, must of been too long!


...who could use some advice.

I've been lurking around this site for a couple of weeks now and decided to join since it seems knowledgeable and friendly.

I've decided to get an external DAC, and am leaning towards the USB ones. I want to keep the budget around $100 to $150, but can go up to $200. I'll list some I've been looking at, most of which I found from this site:


***SilverStone Ensemble EB01 $90

***SuperPro 707 USB DAC $110

***Fubar II USB DAC $137


KingRex UD-01 USB DAC $177.65

Sumiko Pro-ject USB Box $160

Beresford TC-7510

Trends Audio UD10.1 Lite

iBasso D2 Boa Silver $165

Zero DAC $140

Zhaolu D2.5C DAC & Headphone Amp $199.00

DAC in a box Super Pro $79.95

UHA-3 USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier $189


Pacific Valve:

***Musiland LILO USB DAC $99

Giga Lab Moon DAC $185

Musiland / DIYEDEN SVDAC06 USB /Coax DAC $169

Lite Audio DAC AH $180


HOTAUDIO:

***MARK IV" USB DAC HEADPHONE AMP / AMPLIFIER $140

HOTAUDIO SUPREME PCM2702 BUFFERED USB DAC $199


As you can see it's quite a list! But the first 3 are the top ones and the others with asterisks are as well. The rest are in no order of preference.

So what would you recommend? From what I understand USB is a good way to go, although I do have digital outs on my computer as well. I want to hook the DAC into a receiver or amp (I'm currently amp shopping too), via RCA cables (easiest? I'm not sure if a line out would work as well) to an AUX output. I like a bright, detailed, articulate, fast, tight sound with good imaging and soundstage.

PS: I don't care about the DAC having a headphone amp or not as I tend to think that the combo would not be as good as just a DAC and later, if needed, I could look into getting a seperate headphone amp. But I might be wrong...

TIA!

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

dont forget the 404 LINK

 

[Pariah1]

Thanks, I've seen that one on this site as well, but I don't want a whole crazy recording mixer thing, just a DAC in a box lol. It would have to sound really good for me to spend that much on it compared to another in that price range.

PS: Are any mentioned above compatible with Windows Vista? I would think they would just be recognized by the comp as a device on the USB port and not need their own drivers or compatibility.

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

I'm still xp user.

 

[paara]

Hi, It is not easy to choose a DAC there are many choices, and no reviews that compare a lot of them.
I ended up buying the Hot audio Supreme (costs 150 not 199$) its baby brother, the HOTUSB1, has gotten some good recommendations. And the supreme is buffered so it would drive your phones without an amp, but still letting you ad an amp later.

 

[phandrew]

what headphones are you going to be using?

 

[Pariah1]

There are a lot of choices and not a lot of professional reviews. I tend to make a huge list too of any audio gear I get in an effort not to miss out on some good choices. But I can't find them all!

That Hot Audio supreme is on sale, didn't catch that. I have seen fans of Hot Audio on here. However it doesn't say if it's compatible with Vista and also that it has a "warm" sound. Warm sound is fine (I have some vintage receivers), but not my favorite. I don't want cold or clinical either, but just nuetral leaning toward bright with lots of detail.

Edit: Just read that the Hot Audio Supreme "Self Installs - No drivers necessary" so I assume it will work with Vista or any operating system.


Some general questions:

I thought all USB DAC's were buffered? No?

Does the sampling rate really matter? (I'll be using FLAC).

How important is the chip and opamp? Are certain models better than others?

Thanks!

 

[Pariah1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phandrew /img/forum/go_quote.gif what headphones are you going to be using?

I have some Senn HD 595's. But I'll mostly be listening via speakers, kind of background music, not critical listening. But I don't want it to sound like crap as it does now with my factory soundcard.

I'll hook the DAC into a receiver or amp and use the phone out on that, unless I get a DAC that has a phone out that is better, or later get a seperate headphone amp. The headphone hookup isn't that much of a concern to me now.

 

[hotaudio40]

The HOTUSB1, MARK IV, and SUPREME all have very warm, non critical sound.

They are all virtually noise free and work with almost all operating systems,

Windows SE / ME / 98 / 2000 Professional
XP / XP Professional / Vista English Editions / VISTA 64
Apple Computer Mac OS™ 9.1 or later English edition
Apple Computer Mac OS X 10.0 or later English edition
OS: Ubuntu Linux

Pretty much every operating system has drivers built into them to handle the chips.

Just plug it in and your listening to music.

Thanks,
hotaudio40

 

[Pariah1]

Thanks Hotaudio (Dave?). Your stuff sounds great, except the "warm" description. I like neutral to bright, at least for this system. I have vintage receivers that are "warm" but I don't use them for more than background mellow music, which they are great for.

However, in your thread, people describe your DAC's as more of what I'm looking for (tight, detailed, quick, etc.), so I don't know what to think! lol

So many choices...I'm getting there!

 

[ledzepberkeley]

I am having this same search myself

I just bought some Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohm, and am looking for a nice dac/amp. As for your top 3, I think that the Fubar II is only a standalone DAC, while some of the other devices on that list are DAC/amp combos, like the iBasso D2, which can double as a standalone amp. It looks like you want the two to be separate however, which in theory if you allow devices to specialize they can do that one task better so you'll have better sound, I guess it just depends on how much cash you want to throw out for marginal gains. I heard good things abour the Fubar, iBasso, and the Mark IV, but then again these are more popular ones so they get more exposure than the others.

If you decide on a DAC/amp combo please post, I'm doing that search too

Right now I'm leaning towards the iBasso D2 or D3.

 

[oldson]

MF v-dac is worth a try too.
pleased with mine . prefer it to zero (modded, although not hdam)

 

[Pariah1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ledzepberkeley /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am having this same search myself I just bought some Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohm, and am looking for a nice dac/amp. As for your top 3, I think that the Fubar II is only a standalone DAC, while some of the other devices on that list are DAC/amp combos, like the iBasso D2, which can double as a standalone amp. It looks like you want the two to be separate however, which in theory if you allow devices to specialize they can do that one task better so you'll have better sound, I guess it just depends on how much cash you want to throw out for marginal gains. I heard good things abour the Fubar, iBasso, and the Mark IV, but then again these are more popular ones so they get more exposure than the others. If you decide on a DAC/amp combo please post, I'm doing that search too Right now I'm leaning towards the iBasso D2 or D3.

Well I'm still looking, but my list has changed! In no order of preferrence:


Fubar II USB DAC $137

KingRex UD-01 USB DAC $177.65

Blue Circle Audio USB Thingee $170

HOTAUDIO SUPREME PCM2702 BUFFERED USB DAC $150

Trends UD-10.1

Sumiko Pro-ject USB Box $160


So I upped my price a bit and know I don't want an NOS DAC. I agree about the judgement that a piece of gear that does one thing will do that better than another that does mulitple things for the same price. I don't really need a headphone amp either, at least not yet.

So I'm still looking, and one reason is because professional reviews of DACs are hard to find, and even user reviews on some of these! I just bought and picked out a new DAP within a few days (Sansa Fuze 8 gig) in contrast, because there are great reviews (professional and user) on DAPs! But to pick a DAC has proven much harder for me. I'll make some decision soon though.

 

[Pariah1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldson /img/forum/go_quote.gif MF v-dac is worth a try too. pleased with mine . prefer it to zero (modded, although not hdam)

That looks good, but according to this:

Musical Fidelity V-DAC review - whathifi.com

It wouldn't be what I wanted because I want clarity over mid range warmth. At least I could find a review of that one though!

 

[oldson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pariah1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That looks good, but according to this: Musical Fidelity V-DAC review - whathifi.com It wouldn't be what I wanted because I want clarity over mid range warmth. At least I could find a review of that one though!

i wouldnt go solely on what , what hifi say.
have you read the thread on here?
i would not say it lacks detail, at all.
if you are like most you will end up collecting them anyway