[tianuk3]

Hey guys;
 
So I treated myself to the Graham Slee Solo SRG II a week back and was just wondering what next I should get within budget to upgrade my sound further.
 
I don't own a DAC and am using my MacBook Pro to play music at the moment. What would be the best purchase?
 
I was thinking about a DAC such as the Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2 or the DACMAGIC XS as they are both around the £100 mark and wouldn't want to spend that much more as the Amp cost me a lot.
 
Any recommendations on the next step? also the best interconnect cables out there? I'm using a cheap RCA dual to 3.5mm at the moment just because hopefully a DAC will make this obselete.
 
Many thanks.

 

[billybob_jcv]

I think I would rather have a DAC that just provided a true line-out, not one that also had a built-in amp and SW-based volume control.

 

[tianuk3]

Thanks for the feedback; could you give a recommendation perhaps?

 

[billybob_jcv]

I'm using a Fiio E10K as a DAC to feed an amp. You could also use a Schiit Modi.

I just check the user manual for the Audioquest and apparently it does have a "fixed output mode" - I didn't know that:

DragonFly is also capable of being employed as a traditional fixed-output
source component (such as a CD, DVD or Blu-ray player), and can be
connected to a standard input on a receiver or preamplifier. For this
application, both the music player’s volume control and the main operating
system volume control should be set to maximum. This “fixed output mode”
allows your audio or AV system’s volume control to be in charge.

 

[tianuk3]

Yeh; I was just looking at a 'pure' DAC around the $150/£100 price mark which had good reviews and the Dragonfly 1.2 came up. although it looks a bit basic it even receives WhatHIFI's top DAC for under $300...
 
As I'm coupling it with some nice HD650 headphones and a Graham Slee Solo SRG II I don't really want the DAC to be a weak link in the set up; so would the dragonfly 1.2 or something along these lines suffice? also how important are the 1.5" to RCA cables? I got a cheap £3/$5 but have heard people spending more than 10 times that amount on them; is his really necessary?

 

[tianuk3]

bump; any help?