How to improve source with a 150$ budget

[AudioBully]

Hello,

I have a 150$ budget, and I want to improve the sound out from my computer and portable player.
Currently in home I play my music (FLACs and V0 MP3s) through an on-board sound card to my Alessandro MS-1s, or using my portable Zen Touch. When out I use CX300, although their getting worse lately.
I actually much prefer the sound from the Zen to that from the computer.
I love the sound of the MS-1s from the Zen, and I would like to improve it, and of course the sound from my computer.
I travel between home and university, so I would like something that can be moved from one computer to another, and maybe even used without a computer, just as a headphone amp.
Due to all of those requirements, I think the best option for me would be a USB DAC combined with a headphone amp, and the main contender I looked at is the Total Bithead.
I wanted to know if there are better alternatives for my needs, or should I just go ahead and order the Bithead.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[jet87]

While I've read the TotalBithead isn't a slouch, I'm not sure you really need an amp for the MS1's when using your Zen. I'm sure an amp will help, but my pair is driven just fine by my old Archos player. You'd probably see better gains through a dedicated headphone amp.

I haven't paid too much attention to Head-Fi and the market for about a year, so I'm sure others will have better advice. If you could extend your budget (sorry about your wallet...) to $200, you could probably get a separate USB DAC and amp. I enjoy my Go-Vibe v4 a ton; the newest model is $99. The Silverstone EB01 DAC is available for under $90 from Newegg.

While this solution isn't as portable as the Total BitHead, it would probably last you a while longer since you could upgrade one component without sacrificing the other.

Best of luck!

 

[AudioBully]

First I'd like to thank you for your suggestion, but because I live in Israel, the prices I'm paying eventually are higher, when including shipping and taxes, and reach 200$ on the bithead alone.
I checked headroom for international orders info, and it seems that they won't under-declare the order, to save the buyer taxes.
Therefore, I'd like to know if there are alternatives that can be ordered from more "international-friendly" stores, and fit my needs.

Maybe I'll just order the Silverstone DAC, and postpone the amp until I see the improvement I get from it... Are there other 100$ DACs worth checking?

 

[465]

How about a better headphone? I think headphone gives the biggest result of improvement, among others (dac/ amp).

Have you tried listening to different setups with the same headphone?

 

[bigshot]

Try equalizing the output. If you have the software to do that, you might be able to solve your problem for free.

See ya
Steve

 

[AudioBully]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 465 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about a better headphone? I think headphone gives the biggest result of improvement, among others (dac/ amp). Have you tried listening to different setups with the same headphone?

I don't think there are headphones in the 150$ range, that will be a major improvement from the MS1. Even if there are, I have such a bad source (on-board), that even now I can clearly hear that it is the weakest link in my setup, and that I don't utilize the MS1's full potential.

It's very hard to find quality audio equipment in Israel, so I haven't had a chance to hear my headphones with different setups other than mine...

Right now the Silverstone DAC seems to be the best option for me, but I wonder if it has enough power to drive the MS1 without an amp, and if the result will be any good.

 

[xenithon]

Edirol UA-1EX as in my signature. Can be used with true ASIO output; has headphone out; has analog out for when you want to add an external headphone amp; and has digital out for when you want to add an external DAC. Pretty cheap too and I think you should easily be able to find it in Israel.

Cheers,
X

PS. bidiyuk chazarti mi Israel - ze haya magniv!

 

[islewind]

The Total Bithead is a nice all-in-one package for what you describe. My laptop has typically poor onboard sound and the combo of DAC and amp is just what it needs. My desktop has much better onboard sound and I prefer just using an amp (Little Dot Micro+). It sounds the Bithead would work well for you.

 

[islewind]

On second thought, how important is flexibilty, incremental updgading, and portability to you? If you want an all-in-one solution, I do think the bithead is the way to go. If not, the Edirol UA-1EX or M-Audio Transit plus any one of a number of budget amps would be the solution.