[FinalAura]

Hello all. Its been a while since i've been here.

I recently upgraded my video card and have no room for my soundcard (x-fi xtremegamer) in my pc. So i'm looking for a new external usb dac to fulfill my audio needs.

I have a pair of Swans m10 speakers and only use speakers with my comp. I don't care for surround sound, so a stereo channel is fine. I also don't really use headphones much, so a headphone amp isn't necessary, but would not hurt. The dac will only be used for my computer, for near-field listening. 80% music, 20% games.

When I was reading this forum back then, the best dac to go for was the zero dac. Does that still hold true today? I'd rather not purchase something through ebay/hong kong though...

So far I've read about the uDAC is one of the best currently. I've also heard some good things about the fubar II. Are there any dacs better than these two in my price range?

Thanks so much all.

 

[kunalraiker]

gamma lite, available used for $90.00

 

[FinalAura]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do You know where I could purchase one of those?

Any other suggestions/input are welcome. Also, doesn't have to be USB.. can just be external with spdif/coax

 

[transient orca]

I can't say which one is the best, but the option is quite numerous.

Commercial product

music streamer II
udac
Cryo Parts USB Pro 707 or Pop Pulse U-II
musiland 01/02
Zero dac
Trend Audio
Fubar
VaLab none over sampling dac (used)

Some of the Chinese DACs are most easily found on EBay


DIY

Gamma 1 Lite/Full ( I think there is one available in the FS forum, or you can pm MisterX for a quote. You may even be ambitious enough to build one yourself.)
Hifidiy DACs (Available on Ebay)

 

[FinalAura]

Thanks! I'm leaning more towards the udac since I'll be able to use headphones with it if I ever get some good ones. I saw the gamma lite in the f/s thread, but i can't find any comparisons between the two.

I'm worried the udac won't sound that great with speakers though. It should provide a great improvement over onboard audio with speakers, right? Would the udac be a logical choice?

More input is welcome.

If it helps, i listen to mostly pop rock and classical music mostly.

 

[transient orca]

You do need a headphone amp to enjoy gamma-1 properly, plugging headphones directly into it may not work the best. The udac conveniently has a built in headphone amp.

The udac itself is probably not enough to power a good pair of speakers. Nuforce does offer a relatively inexpensive power amp, but that's another $200.

Nuforce.com | Icon AMP

 

[FinalAura]

Actually, my swans speakers are self-powered, so that shouldn't be a problem, I believe.

Swans M10

Headphones are the of least priority, but if they do need an amp with the gamma... i'd rather not go that route. The highest end headphone I'd probably get would be the AD700. I've read those don't really need amping. I already have some JVC rx700's which i'm quite happy with already, though I use my swans 95% of the time anyhow.