[pearljam5000]

Is Pico still king or are there other options in the price range?was looking also at the V-DAC but can't decide.
only interested in SQ and not connectivity etc...
any suggestions,comparisons are welcome...

 

[somestranger26]

V-DAC, used DacMagic, Pico, Little Dot DAC_I, VALAB NOS DAC, Keces DA.131/151, and Audio-GD Compass are some options to look at for <$350.

 

[bearmann]

Write the Matrix Mini-i on your list, too...

 

[menchi]

Guess it depends on what is 'best:'

USB DACs with the 'popular' WM8740 chip:
-Pico USB DAC (Upsampling, Wolfson WM8740)
-LittleDot DAC_I (Wolfson WM8740)
-iBasso D4 (Dual WM8740)
-Used DacMagic (Upsampling, Dual WM8740)

USB DACs with favorable impressions:
-Keces 151 MkII (Burr-Brown PCM2702)
-VALAB NOS DAC (8x TDA1543)
-MF V-DAC (Upsampling, DSD1792)
-E-MU 0404 USB (AK4396)
-Audio-GD Compass

Async USB:
-Musiland Monitor US 01

Curious about the NuForce Icon HDP too...

 

[Sherpa83]

I would recommend the iBasso D10 Cobra and the Audio gd compass.

 

[Currawong]

pearljam5000: What is the DAC to be used for/with?

menchi: The DA chip, if anything, has the least effect on the sound quality of a DAC, in general. I believe the whole Wolfson DAC thing came from various people who stated that when Apple went from using Wolfson DACs to Cirrus Logic DAs in the 6th gen iPod that they went from a superior to an inferior sound. The WM8740 actually has relatively poor performance measurements compared to a great many other DA chips.

 

[pearljam5000]

@currawong
i don't know which headphones/amp yet,but i just want a good source without the need to upgrade for years and just to be happy with it without feeling i am missing a whole lot.
what's weird to me is that once the Pico came out it was considered a giant killer that sounded as good as many 1000$ DAC's,and this doesn't seem to be the case anymore lol.

btw thanks for all the suggestions,but i would like to avoid any chinese DAC's because i read there are many problems with them and i am assuming they will not last for many years hehe.

 

[Currawong]

Do you have a budget? I wouldn't single out a single country as producing good or bad products, by the way but possibly focus on the reputation of the individual companies.

 

[pearljam5000]

Hello,thanks for your help.
my budget is 350$ USD or less
humm i have nothing against China,or Chinese people of course

it's just that i'll feel more secure to buy from a big company and not some small company from China,i'd like to keep my mind open but at the same time i have read alot of posts of people with defective chinese DAC's that are having alot of problems so i'm a bit worried,but i guess it's just a matter of luck too...
anyways i guess this means i'm going to have to choose between V-DAC, Pico and Dacmagic...
Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you have a budget? I wouldn't single out a single country as producing good or bad products, by the way but possibly focus on the reputation of the individual companies.

 

[tav]

I purchased the IBASSO D4 a few weeks ago and have been very impressed with the sound quality and flexibility of the product. Sounds great with Sennheiser 600's on the headphone output. I've also used the fixed output to feed my big rig stereo with very good results.

Highly recommended and the customer service from IBASSO has been outstanding. As for long term durability, IBASSO provides a typical 1 year warranty. The fit and finish and overall feel of the IBASSO is excellent.

It fits in just fine with my vintage Classe amp/preamp and FOCAL Audio BE1007 speakers.

 

[AmanGeorge]

I'm like my HRT Music Streamer+ a lot - I use it every day, it's very tonally rich and smooth. Its size and the fact that it doesn't need to plug into anything but a computer also makes it extremely convenient if you need to move it around.

 

[Necrolic]

HeadRoom Micro DAC, Audio-GD Compass, Pico, etc.

All good options.

 

[mrarroyo]

Nevermind.

 

[Graphicism]

Unless you need portability skip the portable amps completely, Audio-GD Compass would be a much better buy.