[Raez]

So I have the iBasso D3, and I'm looking for a DAC, under $300, that will noticeably improve upon the SQ.

Please only post if you have heard the D3, because otherwise, you comment is null.

Thanks!

 

[mrarroyo]

Hi Raez, I have owned the D3 and IMO either the D4 or the D10 are better sounding. If you do not need the optical/coaxial features then go for the D4 which IMO sounds better via USB than the D10 and you save some money. If you sell your D3 you would have about half the cost of the D4. Later you could even get a TopKit from HiFlight. Good luck.

 

[jeycam]

Personally, I'm going to buy a Little Dot's DAC_I or DAC_II - it suits that price range very well and seems to be a nice DAC, too.

 

[Raez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi Raez, I have owned the D3 and IMO either the D4 or the D10 are better sounding. If you do not need the optical/coaxial features then go for the D4 which IMO sounds better via USB than the D10 and you save some money. If you sell your D3 you would have about half the cost of the D4. Later you could even get a TopKit from HiFlight. Good luck.

If it changes your opinion, I don't need portable whatsoever, and used is fine.

 

[Bowedtoothdoc]

I have the D4 and just ordered the Little Dot DAC 1. Unfortunately, it will be some time before I can report any comparisons between the two. Probably a couple of weeks at the earliest. I think the DAC portion of the D4 is improved over the D3, so not sure if I can help you out.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raez /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it changes your opinion, I don't need portable whatsoever, and used is fine.

After checking out your rig I would suggest you try to find an used Oritek V4 through V4.2. I found the Oritek to be very musical and engaging, you should be able to pick on up for under $400.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Agreed, the D4 USB DAC is better than the D3, and slightly better than D10 via USB, but if you can use optical the D10 can do native 24/96 hires music files.

Also consider the Pico DAC-only as one of the best USB DAC's out there (USB receiver > I2S > AD1796 ASRC chip to upsample to 24/96 > Wolfson WM8740). And the $99 Nuforce uDAC which is very close in sound but also includes a very nice headphone amp section (USB receiver > I2S > ESS Sabre 9022 DAC with oversampling and DSP jitter reduction but not upsampling).

Both have line out, but the Pico DAC gives you both RCA and 1/8" line-out to connect two amps. The uDAC has RCA line out, or 1/8" headphone out, and only one is active at a time, but it adds S/PDIF coax out as well. They both run off USB power alone, no batteries.

If pressed hard I would say the D4, D10, Pico and uDAC are all close enough to just pick them based on features.

 

[Raez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed, the D4 USB DAC is better than the D3, and slightly better than D10 via USB, but if you can use optical the D10 can do native 24/96 hires music files. Also consider the Pico DAC-only as one of the best USB DAC's out there (USB receiver > I2S > AD1796 ASRC chip to upsample to 24/96 > Wolfson WM8740). And the $99 Nuforce uDAC which is very close in sound but also includes a very nice headphone amp section (USB receiver > I2S > ESS Sabre 9022 DAC with oversampling and DSP jitter reduction but not upsampling). Both have line out, but the Pico DAC gives you both RCA and 1/8" line-out to connect two amps. The uDAC has RCA line out, or 1/8" headphone out, and only one is active at a time, but it adds S/PDIF coax out as well. They both run off USB power alone, no batteries. If pressed hard I would say the D4, D10, Pico and uDAC are all close enough to just pick them based on features.

Ahh okay, but are they a noticeable improvement for somebody who doesn't have the most fantastic ear of all time? Again, doesn't need to be portable, doesn't need USB.

I'm just thinking of all these dacs out there: Zhalou, Zero, Pop Pulse, Little Dot, and many more.

Thanks!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ahh okay, but are they a noticeable improvement for somebody who doesn't have the most fantastic ear of all time? Again, doesn't need to be portable, doesn't need USB. I'm just thinking of all these dacs out there: Zhalou, Zero, Pop Pulse, Little Dot, and many more. Thanks!

I don't know if I can answer that. The other ones on your list I haven't heard, and I spend 95% of the time with a portable DAC/amp and Macbook using the headphone out to listen, rather than line-out into another amp. I found the D3 to be nice as a DAC/amp but not quite as engaging as the D10 and D4 have been, and I don't recall the D3 line-out getting me excited, although it wasn't disappointing either. However, I did spend a bit of time with the Pico DAC and uDAC feeding a larger amp (Amphora, A-3, EF5, EF2), and they are very good DAC's for that, and I think the difference is noticeable enough if your phones are good enough to hear the improved micro-detail and ambience or soundstage.

My experience with budget desktop DACs is more limited than with the portable DACs. For desktops on a budget (out of what I have heard), I would say the DACMagic and Headroom Micro DAC are both slightly better than the D3 via USB, but for $400 each may not be worth it for the small improvement unless you also need optical and coax. But, the D4 and D10 will have a similar improvement (via USB) for a better price than DACMagic or Micro DAC. If you want to listen to 24/96 optical, the D10, Micro DAC or DACMagic would be a good pick, but the Pico DAC only via USB will match the performance of any of those three when those are used via optical.