[Bobsama]

What of the Meridian 519? I tried searching for all three of those suggested DACs on eBay, but no results appeared. I'm right now leaning closes to buying a kit amp and DAC and basically building them into a 2-chambered box.

 

[bixby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobsama /img/forum/go_quote.gif What of the Meridian 519? I tried searching for all three of those suggested DACs on eBay, but no results appeared. I'm right now leaning closes to buying a kit amp and DAC and basically building them into a 2-chambered box.

Try audiogon for used DACs.

If I were you I might try the HRT Music Streamer for $150. Yes it is USB but I am sure your computer has USB. And It is RCA out. Probably will sound as good as any NOS Philips based chip set you could make or buy.

There is a used HRT Music Streamer Plus right now for $175 and it has received very good reviews.

I had one of the best of the NOS breed years ago and it just sounded lifeless. Even with my Grados!


Another one to keep a look out for is Musical Fidelity V-dac. Lots sold on A'gon recently.

good luck!

 

[Bobsama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bixby /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try audiogon for used DACs. If I were you I might try the HRT Music Streamer for $150. Yes it is USB but I am sure your computer has USB. And It is RCA out. Probably will sound as good as any NOS Philips based chip set you could make or buy. There is a used HRT Music Streamer Plus right now for $175 and it has received very good reviews. I had one of the best of the NOS breed years ago and it just sounded lifeless. Even with my Grados! Another one to keep a look out for is Musical Fidelity V-dac. Lots sold on A'gon recently. good luck!

The reason I especially want Toslink instead of Coax (which isn't even a choice) or USB (which is limited in bandwidth--which isn't really THAT bad but it can be annoying) is because I want it electrically isolated from the computer. Running audio out of a stock computer is a pretty lousy idea; running audio out of an overclocked computer only aggravates it further. I'll take a look and bookmark AudiogoN, so thank you for the tip to look there.

 

[joe_cool]

Take a look at some of the "mini" dacs on eBay.

 

[bixby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobsama /img/forum/go_quote.gif The reason I especially want Toslink instead of Coax (which isn't even a choice) or USB (which is limited in bandwidth--which isn't really THAT bad but it can be annoying) is because I want it electrically isolated from the computer. Running audio out of a stock computer is a pretty lousy idea; running audio out of an overclocked computer only aggravates it further. I'll take a look and bookmark AudiogoN, so thank you for the tip to look there.

I think your thesis makes sense. But I have also heard nice setups where the card in the computer was connected to a dac via coax. And when compared to the toslink on the same card the difference was actually in favor of the coax spdif output. I believe it is all in the implementation of the output. Some Toslink connections can sound poor, as can Coax, or USB.

Electical isolation is only one hurdle to overcome. And I am not sure what you mean by USBs limited bandwidth. Yes 24/96 may be a limit for one who has lots of files at higher resolution. But many don't and get too caught up in the specs of the medium when the real concern for great sound is usually upsampling at the dac. If you mean bandwidth as in USB handling the stream from disk, it will not be an issue with most files. The sound quality is going to depend on the players handling of the stream and not the pipe to get the bits there.

In any case you will have lots of Toslink connected DACs to choose from in the used area if you are patient. Good luck.

 

[haloxt]

Have you considered the new н¨ÍøÒ³ 1

Basic USB version should be ~$180 shipped, basic BNC ~$155 shipped. The maker said it should be about the same sound quality as the audio-gd FUN but with less functions.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/aud...ac-amp-483188/

 

[Bobsama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bixby /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think your thesis makes sense. But I have also heard nice setups where the card in the computer was connected to a dac via coax. And when compared to the toslink on the same card the difference was actually in favor of the coax spdif output. I believe it is all in the implantation of the output. Some Toslink connections can sound poor, as can Coax, or USB. Electical isolation is only one hurdle to overcome. And I am not sure what you mean by USBs limited bandwidth. Yes 24/96 may be a limit for one who has lots of files at higher resolution. But many don't and get too caught up in the specs of the medium when the real concern for great sound is usually upsampling at the dac. If you mean bandwidth as in USB handling the stream from disk, it will not be an issue with most files. The sound quality is going to depend on the players handling of the stream and not the pipe to get the bits there. In any case you will have lots of Toslink connected DACs to choose from in the used area if you are patient. Good luck.

Most DACs I've looked at (by no means all; just a handful) say that USB bandwidth is limited to 16/44 or 16/48. Toslink is typically considered limited at 24/96 (occasionally 24/192), and Coax/BNC at what? 24/384+? I can live with 16/44 if I must; I'd actually love to have Toslink, Coax, and USB. That way, my desktop can run with Toslink, my laptop can run with USB (which wouldn't be as frequent use and would likely not natively support Coax), and then Coax to perhaps let a DVD player do double-duty; a CD transport and to improve sound quality if I decide to watch a movie. As far as DVD players, I've found that most any DVD player has satisfactory visual quality (since display is tech-limited to the extreme, I've never been much of a videophile) though audio usually suffers a reasonable bit. Running it as more of a transport and having the D/A converter on a decent DAC seems to be the better choice. And I don't even know what consumer equipment uses BNC (Coax), so I figure I don't have to worry about that.

@Haloxt;
Does the Sparrow have RCA outputs available? While I enjoy headphone audio, I've had much more a focus towards listening on my stereos. With two pairs of vintage Polk loudspeakers (1984: SDA-1's and 1990: Monitor 5's), I've been able to more fully enjoy loudspeakers. Other than the lack of RCA outputs (I think?), the Sparrow looks excellent. I don't really need Preamp (RCA) Out or Line (Analog RCA) In, I do need DAC (RCA) Out. Though I suppose that, if I wanted to make my system a bit more portable, using a headphone amp/DAC's preamp function with my power amp may be a very good idea. Hmm, perhaps the FUN Basic?

 

[haloxt]

The sparrow can do preamp out of the headphone jack, and for 30 cents you can order a stereo to 2x rca adapter. According to the owner of audio-gd, you shouldn't worry about sound quality degradation putting sparrow preamp instead of dac out into line-in.

If you don't need all the swappable module options of the FUN, I'd suggest the sparrow for the smaller form factor (most audio-gd products are huge, draw out the dimensions of the FUN before you get it).

 

[Bobsama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif The sparrow can do preamp out of the headphone jack, and for 30 cents you can order a stereo to 2x rca adapter. According to the owner of audio-gd, you shouldn't worry about sound quality degradation putting sparrow preamp instead of dac out into line-in. If you don't need all the swappable module options of the FUN, I'd suggest the sparrow for the smaller form factor (most audio-gd products are huge, draw out the dimensions of the FUN before you get it).

Huge doesn't phase me; my power amp is just as deep (not even including the cables), much wider, much taller, and MUCH heavier than the (relatively) tiny FUN. The real question about the FUN is whether or not that the USB module ($27) can be swapped into the Basic version. And I'm not sure I like the Sparrow as it's without dedicated RCA outputs. Not saying it's bad (it looks much more suitable for an headphone-only rig), but I wouldn't be comfortable with the TRS-to-RCA cable, especially as I may well forget to turn off the power amp and accidentally cause damage.

For what it's worth, I'm leaning back towards a Little Dot DAC_I. Sort of wobbling in my seat, really. More or less asking myself, "will a $60 DAC from eBay sate my lust for better audio?" And, "is $300-350 worthwhile for just a DAC?" Also, "would quality (to my loudspeakers, at least) suffer if I bought a $300-350 DAC/Headphone Amp instead?" Mind you, I'm a Starving Student quite literally. My belly is begging for lunch already (and the cafeterias are closed F/S/S)

 

[bixby]

You wouldn't be in Kingston by any chance?
I went to URI ages ago.

 

[haloxt]

No, usb module won't fit in FUN basic version.

 

[Bobsama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bixby /img/forum/go_quote.gif You wouldn't be in Kingston by any chance? I went to URI ages ago.

Nr, I'm not far from The Hill though. In the Arts District, Downtown with something like ten or twenty thousand students. My uni has about 10k students at this campus, and houses at least 2k of us, probably closer to 3k or 4k.

And thank you, Haloxt. If the USB module would have been compatible, that'd practically be a slam dunk for the FUN-Basic. Version A is a bit expensive and the locking 1/4" TRS jack isn't THAT important to me (it'd be a nice addition I suppose). That moves the FUN behind the Little Dot DAC_II, I think, at least in the HPA/DAC selection. What's that rackmount DAC with the balanced XLR outputs? I think it was <$200 shipped. Once again, size hardly matters (17" wide is perfectly fine with me) and there ARE XLR to RCA cables.

The Little Dot DAC_I remains in the forefront, at least as a choice for DAC-only.