[sheldaze]

Any thoughts on this one?

It has 384/DSD and costs only $149 from a well-known company. What do you guys think?
They have it posted on their Facebook site:
 
https://www.facebook.com/CEntrance

 

[toxicdrift]

Indiegogo campaign is on
 
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dacport-hd-high-res-music-finally-affordable/x/9109633#/story

 

[sheldaze]

I guess we'll know a much more about the sonics when the CEntrance other Indie GoGo project, the HiFi-Skÿn, comes to market. This little box has the same guts. And from the video, Michael Goodman seems to have full confidence in the simplicity of the DACport HD, relative to the complexities he encountered while putting those parts into the mobile Skÿn.
 
No worries too on getting this project funded - it was close to 50% funding in only 2 days!

 

[doublea71]

I just went in on it - they have a good track record and they expect to ship in September. I almost got a Dragonfly 1.2, but decided to go with an unknown commodity. I've heard the original Dacport (I think it was the original, anyways), and it wasn't bad, just outdated. Hopefully this is going to be a kickarse dongle dac/amp.

 

[sheldaze]

Excellent! I hope you and I enjoy it when it comes out!
 
My take on the DragonFly is it was a very important product to come to market - a key step in making HiFi more approachable. It was low cost, high quality, easy to use - just plug it in, no drivers required. I personally did all my initial computer audio playback experiments using it. I listened to iTunes, quickly found out my Apple computer was "confused", and reset my Apple back to the native bit-rate of the music. Then I started using Amarra and Audirvana+, and moved onto high resolution music.
 
However I also feel that the DragonFly is just slightly dated. Everything I've heard since has been a little better - a little smoother, a little less grain, and more musical in interesting ways. I think the original DACport had a singular mission, which was to feed power-hungry headphones. But I have the sense that with everything CEntrance has done and learned from since, and with chipset and USB implementation advances, this will be the first true opportunity we'll have to hear an inexpensive CEntrance product with modern technology.
 
I have high hopes!

 

[racer11]

me too. these directly compete with the firefly and meridian explorer 

 

[kdejonge]

Does anyone see a reason this wouldn't work with iPhone, using a powered hub?

 

[sheldaze]

  Does anyone see a reason this wouldn't work with iPhone, using a powered hub?

I posed this question directly to Michael Goodman through the Indie GoGo project - you will have no problems!
Using a powered hub, you are good to go!
 
I'm getting the impression that the folks at CEntrance are really good people 

I just wonder if they ever sleep 

 

 

[kdejonge]

awesome!

 

[sheldaze]

For anyone reading this, there are only 2 weeks left for the deal

 

[loudspl]

"Output power into a 32Ω load: over 500mW"
 
....Is this per channel or total output power?

 

[sheldaze]

  "Output power into a 32Ω load: over 500mW"
 
....Is this per channel or total output power?

Sorry, I don't know. I looked at their old power specs, and couldn't guess from those either 

 
I can offer that there have been comparisons made between it and the Apogee Groove. The Groove definitely has lots of power, so a comparison says to me it must be adequate. @HarmonyAnneHicks and @MikeMercer have been writing short little tweets for weeks. Would be nice to make the goal (10 people in the next 2 days), at least to make a statement 

 

 

[alpha421]

Glad to have backed this project. Looks like it'll meet it's goal by tomorrow.

 

[sheldaze]

7 hours left! The suspense! The drama! The 3.5 people who still need to buy this thing 

 
In all seriousness though, it seems to be the makings of a fantastic product. I've no clue why there aren't more people backing it at the introductory cost of $149 

 

 

[doublea71]

They don't need to meet the crowdfunding goal to make this thing - they said awhile back that they've received enough interest from retailers to go forward even if the target wasn't reached.