Dac recommendation of up to $50

[Renato Fury]

I intend to buy the Magni 3 but at the moment I can not buy the Modi Multibit, but even I would like to use a cheap dac myself, I do not expect it to work miracles but if it can reduce possible noises or other faults as much as possible already Is it good for me, and so, any suggestions ?

 

[cossix]

I intend to buy the Magni 3 but at the moment I can not buy the Modi Multibit, but even I would like to use a cheap dac myself, I do not expect it to work miracles but if it can reduce possible noises or other faults as much as possible already Is it good for me, and so, any suggestions ?

Do you get interference and noise from your current setup? Because if not, it's better to wait. DACs under 50 bucks may not be any better than any motherboard audio chip

 

[Music Alchemist]

I use the Behringer UCA202 audio interface. (Had high-end DACs before. Focusing on speaker upgrades now and won't get back into high-end DACs until that's taken care of.) It's a DAC, ADC, and DDC. So in addition to using it as a DAC, it can be used for recording and can output optical TOSLINK to another DAC. (It also has a headphone amp, but it's not worth using.) It only costs $30, but I'd put it on the same level as the Modi 2 in terms of sound.

 

[Renato Fury]

Do you get interference and noise from your current setup? Because if not, it's better to wait. DACs under 50 bucks may not be any better than any motherboard audio chip

To tell you the truth I do not hear any noise, but one person told me that if I connected the Magni 3 directly to the sound, then the amplifier could increase the noise, but I do not think I can amplify what does not exist right ? So I guess I do not really need one.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I intend to buy the Magni 3 but at the moment I can not buy the Modi Multibit, but even I would like to use a cheap dac myself, I do not expect it to work miracles but if it can reduce possible noises or other faults as much as possible already Is it good for me, and so, any suggestions ?

Hifimediy DACs, $42+.
https://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs?sort=p.price&order=ASC
Or for a cheaper DAC, $23.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PCM2706-US...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
Or even cheaper USB DAC, $12.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ELE-EL-D01...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

[Dulalala]

To tell you the truth I do not hear any noise, but one person told me that if I connected the Magni 3 directly to the sound, then the amplifier could increase the noise, but I do not think I can amplify what does not exist right ? So I guess I do not really need one.

If you currently cant hear any noise, odds are you won't have an issue. However, no audible noise doesn't mean there is no noise. Every system has noise, even the most expensive system will have some noise, it's just not enough to be audible.

The amp or DAC isn't the only thing that determines whether or not you will hear any noise. Your headphones/IEM sensitivity matter too. A more sensitive transducer is more prone to picking up noise than a less sensitive one.

 

[Jerda]

second hand Dragonfly Black and you have a Top Shelf MQAcapable DAC that you can use alone to drive IEMs too.

 

[Fake Amethyst]

For 50 bucks, your options are pretty limited but I personally doubt you really need an external dac if you can't hear any noise. The zishan z2 can be used as an external dac and it's pretty solid specs wise