[ipumuk]

A few weeks ago I was looking for a 50€ DAC.

The main reason was to get rid of my computer noise which was getting worse the better my equipment got. i could literally hear my mouse moving or the harddrive working.

From all the suggestions i received i liked the hotaudio destroyer best.
I bought it directly from dave's ebay store. he answered all my questions within minutes, which i found pretty amazing and gave me confidence in his products.

eBay Store - Personal Audio: Headphone Amplifiers

the dac arrived after 3 weeks (free delivery to germany) and so far it is everything i was hoping for. the output delivers clean destortion free sound. it worked flawlessly with windows 7. no drivers needed. just plug n play. in addition to that, I can now connect my stereo receiver and my headphone amp at the same time.

i dont think i will need another source for a long time. although my sound system costs only around 400€ the bottleneck to every song i listen to is the rip or recording quality.

i can suggest this dac to everyone who already has an amp and needs a noise free source!

 

[userlander]

congrats.

hotaudio is underrated imo, mostly I think because their gear doesn't come in little shiny metal coloured boxes like pico, ibasso, RSA, etc. And I'm not saying anything negative about those products, of course, just about HA being underrated.

Team Black Plastic FTW!

 

[Kics_Repins]

Does this mean I would not have to purchase a sound card? like the xonar d2x for example?

 

[ipumuk]

a dac = digital analog converter is a soundcard.

a dac usually comes with very few features but wit a very good processing unit to turn the digital input into an analog signal.

if you do not need any recording or mixing or after effect features get a dac.

 

[Armaegis]

I purchased a DacDestroyer about a half year ago and have been very happy with it. Service was very prompt and delivery within the week. Just plug'n'play, and it makes itself your default device. Feels fairly solid; I literally keep it in an old sock and toss it in my bag for transport.

The first time I used it for dj'ing, I even had a couple people come up to me afterwards and comment that the music that night sounded better, and this is coming off low/mid end PA speakers.

At home I just use it as a dac/amp, although I listen through SR80s which don't really need the amping so I can't make much of a judgement there.

I have limited points of comparison (as I do not dabble in the typical head-fi gear), but it is miles better than my onboard sound on my desktop and laptop computer, not to mention significantly cutting out (but not eliminating) machine noise/group loops. It is noticeably better than my Turtle Beach Micro usb sound card. In terms of sound quality I would say it is about on about on par with the M-Audio Firewire Solo and Echo Indigo DJ, but doesn't amp as well.

edit: I wish he'd combine components and make a portable dac/amp already

 

[Kics_Repins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipumuk /img/forum/go_quote.gif a dac = digital analog converter is a soundcard. a dac usually comes with very few features but wit a very good processing unit to turn the digital input into an analog signal. if you do not need any recording or mixing or after effect features get a dac.

I would only use this to listen to music in conjunction with my pc via my A2 and AH-D2000 do you think this would be a better purchase at $50 then say a Xonar D2X at £86? I don't have a sepearte headphone amp

 

[Armaegis]

The HotAudio dacs will amp only as much as a usb can provide. If you're using heavy cans, you'll probably want something with a bit more meat behind them. That said, HotAudio does have higher power dac/amps like the Mark IV and Bit Perfect. He also makes dedicated amps, but I've never listened to those.

That said, I do feel that HotAudio is a very good value. Lacking in features and aesthetics, but the price is hard to beat.

 

[ipumuk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kics_Repins /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would only use this to listen to music in conjunction with my pc via my A2 and AH-D2000 do you think this would be a better purchase at $50 then say a Xonar D2X at £86? I don't have a sepearte headphone amp

I would never buy an internal soundcard. A lot of people switch to external dacs just to get rid of all the interference inside their computers.

also do not pay for features you do not need like surround or recording abilities if you do not need them. spend only money on features you need.

if you do not have an amp and do not want to spend a lot of money I suggest you buy a dac + amp combo with an extra power supply. you will get clean sound and power for very few $.

the seller as well as the product have a decent reputation:

HA NG27 USB Sound Card + Mini Headphone Amp - eBay (item 350240031937 end time Dec-12-09 03:42:35 PST)

I haven't tried but I would have bought it if I had not had a amp yet.

if you want to spend more money (150-200$) get a the destroyer and a seperate amp of your choice.

having seperate components in your sound system will allow you to upgrade efficiently in the future. but it is more expensive in the beginning. if you do not plan on spending much more it is probably not worth it.

 

[SirDrexl]

After getting a DAC, I still use the Xonar D2's Dolby Headphone for games and movies, and the sound processing (EAX "emulation" or whatever they call it) is good for games as well.

An external DAC isn't going to have these features, but it's fine (or I should say preferable) for unprocessed 2-channel listening. If that's all you need, an internal sound card isn't necessary as others have said.

 

[Kics_Repins]

Thanks for the tips guys, I have gone of the idea of a sound card now and will most likely purchase a AUNE HIFIDIY.NET Mini USB DAC + Headphone Amp MK2 when it comes back into stock.

 

[ipumuk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kics_Repins /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the tips guys, I have gone of the idea of a sound card now and will most likely purchase a AUNE HIFIDIY.NET Mini USB DAC + Headphone Amp MK2 when it comes back into stock.

good choice! please share your impressions once you get it! the stats of this device are very promising.

 

[elanma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipumuk /img/forum/go_quote.gif A few weeks ago I was looking for a 50€ DAC. The main reason was to get rid of my computer noise which was getting worse the better my equipment got. i could literally hear my mouse moving or the harddrive working. From all the suggestions i received i liked the hotaudio destroyer best. I bought it directly from dave's ebay store. he answered all my questions within minutes, which i found pretty amazing and gave me confidence in his products. eBay Store - Personal Audio: Headphone Amplifiers the dac arrived after 3 weeks (free delivery to germany) and so far it is everything i was hoping for. the output delivers clean destortion free sound. it worked flawlessly with windows 7. no drivers needed. just plug n play. in addition to that, I can now connect my stereo receiver and my headphone amp at the same time. i dont think i will need another source for a long time. although my sound system costs only around 400€ the bottleneck to every song i listen to is the rip or recording quality. i can suggest this dac to everyone who already has an amp and needs a noise free source!

A quick question. Can I use this to connect to USB on my pc and then take the output to some powered amplified computer speakers (or indeed my Hifi). It has a headphone jack but you mention putting this through an amplifier as well. Doesnt it drive headphones or do I need a DAC and an amp.

help I am a bit confused about the whole DAC/amp combination.

 

[userlander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elanma /img/forum/go_quote.gif A quick question. Can I use this to connect to USB on my pc and then take the output to some powered amplified computer speakers (or indeed my Hifi). It has a headphone jack but you mention putting this through an amplifier as well. Doesnt it drive headphones or do I need a DAC and an amp. help I am a bit confused about the whole DAC/amp combination.

If the speakers are powered that means they already have an amp. You can connect them to this just like you would connect them to a sound card.

 

[elmer_42]

I've been thinking about getting a PA2v2 for my SR 80s, has anybody tried this with the PA2v2? I don't think I'd even need it, but I figured I might as well check.

 

[miloxo]

Agree, good value.

I was my first 'hifi' purchase after my AD700s, and made improvement, not huge, but for $60, very nice! Esp. for people with onboard/noisy internal SC's. I upgraded from a generic $20 SC.