[worldtipper]

While I can hear a difference between cans like grados, senns, beyers ect that's because the sound sigs are quite different. However, don't notice much of a difference at all when amping my dt880's (250ohm). I use an e11 and e9 for amps. So, do you think I, with my un-keen ears will be able to enjoy the benefit of a DAC or should I save my money? I wouldn't want to spend more than $150, so pretty much in the "budget" zone for DAC's.

 

[hodgjy]

Differences between properly implemented DACs are very subtle.  If you are willing to spend $150 on a DAC, consider the HRT Music Streamer II.  It is a smoking DAC and easily competes with DACs in the $300 range.  You will not do better on a DAC less than $300 than the HRT.

 

[worldtipper]

Hmm that's the exact DAC I was considering. I was also thinking about building either a y1 or y2 from AMB labs, any experiences on how those compare to the HRT streamer?

 

[Yoga Flame]

Quote:

Differences between properly implemented DACs are very subtle. 

x2
 
There's a big and obvious jump in sound quality when going from bad onboard laptop sound to a basic external DAC. But upwards from there it takes a lot more effort to tell whether any perceived differences are real or imagined.
 
 
Quote:

Hmm that's the exact DAC I was considering. I was also thinking about building either a y1 or y2 from AMB labs [...]

Going the DIY route can be very fun and rewarding. You will need a some patience putting a DAC together yourself because of the surface mounted ICs though. In terms of features, the y1/y2 has the advantage of multiple inputs and an optional external power supply in case the computer USB power is too noisy. I have a y2 and it is a very nice DAC. Never tried the HRT Streamer myself though.
 
Another fun DAC project is the grubDAC. It's USB only, but it costs less and you can get all the parts in a kit from beezar.com.
 

 

[mikeaj]

You're using a DAC of some sort, or else you couldn't get any sound.  As for whether or not an external dedicated DAC will make an improvement that's audible and worth the money, really depends.  There's a wide range of performance from various integrated audio solutions, like the onboard sound of a laptop or desktop.  If yours doesn't have weird noises or any problem you can detect, the difference upgrading from that already could be pretty subtle.  Or maybe it could still be significant.
 
It's pretty difficult to compare two different DACs just by switching back and forth between them since it requires some time and effort to do so (unless you have some special setup), so it's hard for anybody to a get a good gauge on the difference in sound rather than just the difference in sound they may be expecting to hear.  Also people rarely level match and so on, so I'd recommend caution reading to closely into a lot of listening comparisons out there.

 

[Focker]

I'm not a big believer that pricey DACs are significantly better than less expensive ones. I just bought a little Audioengine D1 and that's all I will need for my system. I love the way my system sounds right now and it even has a headphone amp built into it that I can use as a back-up. The build quality is excellent and the money I saved will go toward another pair of headphones down the road.