[Advil]

I just bought one of these that I found before school on ebay! I'm really excited, I might be picking up a decent Marantz transport too so this will be awesome! I'm really really pumped for it. I know it's decent for it's price but could I have done better for 100 bucks shipped?

Theres 23 more here.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Entech-Number-Cr...QQcmdZViewItem

 

[ecclesand]

I was looking for one of those a while back

...purchased something else instead. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[Cid]

Considering how cheap that is, I highly doubt you could get anything better. Let us know how it sounds! If it's good I might grab one too.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Woah, looks like you stumbled upon one of those secret caches of it

I too was looking for a 205/203.2 awhile back but gave up looking, so I got the 0404 instead

EDIT:

Quote:

Item Specifics - Item Condition Condition: Used

Where in the world did he find 23 used Number Crunchers?

 

[db597]

How much better is the DAC of the number cruncher over the DAC of the X-Fi? Is it noticable? Or do I need to look further up the price ladder?

 

[Advil]

It's considerably better than the DAC of the X-Fi, I know this because I heard a friend of mines used out of the X-Fi's front bay optical out. The best part is that you can use all of the X-fi's features while using this DAC. I'll probably be using optical out on my X-fi and Coaxial out of my CD player.

I'll post a comparo if you'd like, I think one is in order.

I wonder if they're really used.. .hmm.

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Advil /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll post a comparo if you'd like, I think one is in order.

Yeah, a comparo would be most appreciated. I don't have a front bay, just the bare card. Can it still be hooked up to the DAC (I've never added an external DAC before). And what's the difference between the 203.2 and 205?

 

[iPodschun]

This is exactly what I was asking for in my thread. I'm on this, thank you for the link.

 

[Advil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPodschun /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is exactly what I was asking for in my thread. I'm on this, thank you for the link.

When I saw your thread I was going to post a recommendation for this DAC, however they're pretty hard to find. I accidentally came across a batch of them. I hope you like it, let us know what you think of it, I sure will!

 

[clarke68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif And what's the difference between the 203.2 and 205?

Mostly form factor and functionality. The 203.2 is smaller and has 2 inputs (optical and coaxial) that you switch from the rear panel. The 205.2 has an additional coaxial input, front panel switching, and a phase inversion switch.

The other thing is the 203 has a "3-pole filter" and the 205 has a "5-pole filter", but I have no idea what that means, and I'm not sure I could hear the difference.

I had a 205.2 for a while...an excellent budget performer that I enjoyed quite a bit. The Entech stuff was designed by the same guy who designed a lot of the Audio Alchemy gear (Peter Madnick), but uses newer (read: better) parts and is generally available cheaper because Entech never really got a huge following the way AA did.

 

[santiu]

Great... now this thread has made me also buy the Entech!

ugh... stupid head-fi

doesn't help that i also impulsively bought a pair of condenser mics this morning... my wallet hurts

 

[Advil]

Well I demand we all put together an impressions thread upon arrival. This is my first dac so I don't know what to expect!

Any reviews or impressions on this thing already? What type of sound should I expect?

What optical cable should I buy? I need one long optical and one short coaxial.

 

[mrarroyo]

+/-$100 delivered is a very nice deal. Look forward to your impressions. Enjoy it.

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by clarke68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had a 205.2 for a while...an excellent budget performer that I enjoyed quite a bit. The Entech stuff was designed by the same guy who designed a lot of the Audio Alchemy gear (Peter Madnick), but uses newer (read: better) parts and is generally available cheaper because Entech never really got a huge following the way AA did.

Thanks for explaining the differences. I hadn't heard of the 205.2 model until this thread!

 

[keanej6]

adding an external dac made one of the biggest sonic improvements in my system. biggest noticeable difference for me was the clarity and the instrument separation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Advil /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I demand we all put together an impressions thread upon arrival. This is my first dac so I don't know what to expect! Any reviews or impressions on this thing already? What type of sound should I expect? What optical cable should I buy? I need one long optical and one short coaxial.