[Dr Strangelove]

Hey there,
 
since the onboard audio of my Lenovo U410 often suffers from a a lot of electrical noise (high-pitched buzzing) I am currently looking for a cheap, external replacement.
The DAC is supposed to power a pair of RHA's 750i with 16 ohms and should have a low noise floor. I have already tested some cheap devices such as a USB soundcard from Speedlink (very low budget brand) and a ASUS U1. They both did not suffer from any buzzing (just from their inherent noise) so I guess the USB outputs of my laptop are basically fine.
Another thing I examined was to compare the onboard SQ with the audio of my Audient iD14 and a Musical Fidelity V90 HPA. With my RHAs - to be honest - I could not tell a huge difference between those, at least not to such an extent that could justify the price of this combination. So I guess that I won't really profit from a premium DAC in this case.
Concering the device I am looking for, this finally leads me to the requierements:
 
- low price; maximum of ~100$ (which is almost the price of my RHAs... just for the balance)
- should be as compact as a USB drive
- (relatively) clean sound and low noise floor
- available in the EU; Germany if possible (shipping from outside of the EU would cost me additional 19% of tax for import)
- compatible with Windows (10)
 
Is there any device you could recommend?
I have already done some research but could not find a huge variety of DACs that fit the recuirements listed above. However, here are some that I have easy access to in my region:
 
- HiFimeDIY Sabre Tiny [40€/44$]: cheap and (relatively) clean sound but fragile housing and 1/8 jack?
- Audioquest DragonFly Black (v1.5) [100€/110$]: solid build and sound quality
- M-Audio Micro DAC (the cheaper one with 16bit/48kHz) [90€/100$]: could not find a lot of reviews, but looks ok so far
 
Some others:
- nexum Aqua [was available for 79€ at Amazon the other day; sadly out of stock meanwhile

]: another kickstarter; specs look good so far; told to work with windows
- Schiit Fulla [£97.5 incl. shipping on their EU-Store]: if I'm not wrong, Schiit produces high quality stuff; size would still be ok for me
 
Would be glad if you could give me some further advice, if there are any other devices I should take a look at or whether it is actually worth it spending that much in relation to my pair of headphones.
 
Best regards,
Dr. S.
 
PS:
I also tried Fiio's K1 some days ago but it had a higher noise floor than the other cheap usb cards I have tested.

 

[liquidzoo]

You could get a FiiO E10K or A3 in that range (same thing, but the A3 is cheaper).

You could also get the K1 or Q1 in that range, but I've never seen those so have no idea how they perform.

All were found on Amazon.de

 

[god-bluff]

Look out for the Cyrus soundKey due soon, hopefully

 

[Dr Strangelove]

You could get a FiiO E10K or A3 in that range (same thing, but the A3 is cheaper).

You could also get the K1 or Q1 in that range, but I've never seen those so have no idea how they perform.

All were found on Amazon.de

 
Thank you for the quick response!
 
I had a E10K (first rev.) once and it sounded quite ok for its price. But I guess it would be way too bulky and heavy for mobile use.
If possible, the DAC should only be as large as a USB drive. Or very thin and light at least so I could tape it to the aluminum front of my notebook

 
Actually, I have tried the K1 some days ago, totally forgot to mention that. But my experience was not that great after all. The sound was overall ok. Nothing special but still good enough for the price I guess. But, there was really a lot of white noise with the one I got. Even higher than on the other cheaper soundcards I tried so far. Tried it on different PCs, USB plugs and with different headphones (Degauss Labs Noir in this case). No chance, sadly.
In the end I decided to send it back :/
 

  Look out for the Cyrus soundKey due soon, hopefully

 
Thanks for the advice.
I have already seen that one on kickstarter the other day. But I am not sure how much it will cost me in total (including shipping). In the description they said it will be £99 retail for those who haven't backed...

 
 
Edit:
Im currently thinking about getting either the Shiit Fulla or DragonFly Black 1.5.
Any ideas, which one could perform better with some in-ear headphones?

 

[Dr Strangelove]

Anyone?