fusedpro
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2008
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I want to preface this by saying that I have no knowledge on DACs or DAC technology, so forgive me.
There's a pretty hefty price difference between these two products, but is it worth it? To be completely honest, I have no idea what 24/96 (HRT MSII) means or what 24/192 (Fiio D3) means, but from that standpoint, wouldn't the latter option be better? My music is mostly in 320kbps MP3 format, VBR MP3 (btwn 200 and 300 kbps), and some FLAC if that matters at all.
My headphones are currently undecided, but it will more than likely be either Sennheiser HD580 or HD598 and will definitely be amplifed by a Schiit Asgard (already own this). I will be listening from my computer which has an HT Omega Striker soundcard, which apparently is the weak link in my system, so a DAC was recommended.
I am looking for a dedicated DAC, I do not need any combo of the two, so that's why I ruled out anything from AudioGD (unless you all can convince me otherwise) and the uDAC 2.
So, what makes the HRT Music Streamer II so much more expensive than the FiiO (also applies to why other high-end DACs are so expensive)? FiiO has both optical and coax while the MS only has USB. I'm okay using either, but I always thought optical/coax was better? My only concern is that I think a USB solution would be easier to switch between my headphones and speakers, but again, I could be wrong. Which would you recommend given my situation and budget -- doesn't have to just be the two mentioned in the title -- no more than $200 shipped?
There's a pretty hefty price difference between these two products, but is it worth it? To be completely honest, I have no idea what 24/96 (HRT MSII) means or what 24/192 (Fiio D3) means, but from that standpoint, wouldn't the latter option be better? My music is mostly in 320kbps MP3 format, VBR MP3 (btwn 200 and 300 kbps), and some FLAC if that matters at all.
My headphones are currently undecided, but it will more than likely be either Sennheiser HD580 or HD598 and will definitely be amplifed by a Schiit Asgard (already own this). I will be listening from my computer which has an HT Omega Striker soundcard, which apparently is the weak link in my system, so a DAC was recommended.
I am looking for a dedicated DAC, I do not need any combo of the two, so that's why I ruled out anything from AudioGD (unless you all can convince me otherwise) and the uDAC 2.
So, what makes the HRT Music Streamer II so much more expensive than the FiiO (also applies to why other high-end DACs are so expensive)? FiiO has both optical and coax while the MS only has USB. I'm okay using either, but I always thought optical/coax was better? My only concern is that I think a USB solution would be easier to switch between my headphones and speakers, but again, I could be wrong. Which would you recommend given my situation and budget -- doesn't have to just be the two mentioned in the title -- no more than $200 shipped?
