[Mad Dude]

Hello Head-Fi'ers,

I've been reading these forums for a while and found lots of useful information here, but now I require some advice by professional audiophiles! I recently replaced my Senn HD595 with a pair of AKG K701's. Although the phones sound wonderful, even with my budget amp (Little Dot MK III), i think the AKGs can do more.

Since I do not have an external DAC right now, I guess getting one should be the next step in upgrading my rig. For serious music listening, I exclusively use CDs as source, played by my ten-years-old Panasonic SA-PM03 Micro System (which still works nicely). Using my PC as source would be a nice-to-have feature, but it's not really important to me. So my primary concern would be to improve the sound quality when using CDs.

I have to admit, I have never owned an external DAC, so I don't know exactly what to expect. Should I spend a bit more money on something like the Cambridge DAC Magic, or should I rather buy an inexpensive one, like the Little Dot DAC 1 and save some money to buy a better amp? I have a budget of around $300-$400, but I could spend some more money (up to $600) if the result will be worth it. (But I guess it would be a bit pointless using a $600 DAC with a $200 Amp?)

Regardless of the cost, I'm looking for something that sounds neutral and doesn't color the sound, and it should be solid and last for a few years.

So, any recommendations are welcome!

[size=xx-small]and sorry about my english.[/size]

 

[pwnRhasta]

The cambridge audio dacmagic seems pretty legit in that price range.

 

[TopQuark]

For $600, you can get a used Benchmark Dac1. LD Dac_1, Matrix Mini-I, DacMagic, Beresford, PS Audio DLIII are in that price range. I went with a cheap Matrix Mini-I for $330+ because of excellent hardware - 2x AD1955, AK4113, balanced outputs, excellent board quality, and of course, sound:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/mat...hp-amp-441960/

 

[Mad Dude]

Okay, thanks for the replies! The CA DAC Magic seems to be a good choice, regarding my budget... Something like the Benchmark DAC1 would probably be an overkill with my amp.

But the Matrix Mini-I looks very interesting as well! In direct comparison, which one is to prefer? I have found very few reviews on the Matrix...

 

[pj_rage]

I don't own any high end DACs myself, but the new nuforce HDP sounds like a heck of a piece of equipment that is in your price range. A high end DAC plus a high end headphone amp in one, for $450. I haven't heard how the DAC in it compares to the CA dacmagic specifically, but according to HPA in his thread in this section, it seems to compare favorably and beat many top DACs costing 1.5x as much. And you also get a headphone amp that compares to other amps costing 1.5x as much as well. You might poke around in the HDP thread and see what you think, maybe see if anyone has had a chance to compare it to the dacmagic.

 

[mamba315]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj_rage /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't own any high end DACs myself, but the new nuforce HDP sounds like a heck of a piece of equipment that is in your price range. A high end DAC plus a high end headphone amp in one, for $450.

I have the HDP and dearly love it, but I should point out something posted by K_19 in the HDP thread in regards to pairing it with K701's:

"* K701: IMO, not that great of a synergy. This combo to me sounded extremely cold and plasticky. Synergy wise I felt that even the simple uDAC -> K701 sounded better than what it did here, but perhaps for people who strictly crave for detail and accuracy, it'll still be good to them as they indeed still do those things extremely well."

If the OP is serious about wanting a neutral sounding DAC, I think the HDP warrants consideration here. It definitely pulls its weight for the price, no doubt about it.

 

[Mad Dude]

The HDP looks tempting, I have to admit... I would not use my K701's with it anyway, I prefer tube amps. But I will also get a pair of Grado SR325is' soon, and it could be nice to have a small solid-state amp for them, since I don't know how well my Little Dot MKIII can handle low-impendance phones.

I think I will wait for some more reviews on the HDP and decide later what to buy. Thanks for the advice!

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamba315 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the HDP and dearly love it, but I should point out something posted by K_19 in the HDP thread in regards to pairing it with K701's: "* K701: IMO, not that great of a synergy. This combo to me sounded extremely cold and plasticky. Synergy wise I felt that even the simple uDAC -> K701 sounded better than what it did here, but perhaps for people who strictly crave for detail and accuracy, it'll still be good to them as they indeed still do those things extremely well." If the OP is serious about wanting a neutral sounding DAC, I think the HDP warrants consideration here. It definitely pulls its weight for the price, no doubt about it.

Yeah, I still do think so in regards to HDP when used as an amp alone... bit too cold and overly accurate together IMO.. but it should probably be noted that I do tend to like things bit more on the warm side in general. So strictly for accuracy and neutrality I do feel that HDP does a great job while powering it more than adequately.

 

[Mad Dude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif [...] I do tend to like things bit more on the warm side in general. [...]

So do I. That's why I prefer tube amps... Regarding the DAC, I'm still not decided. The CA DAC Magic, the nuForce HDP and the Matrix Mini-I all seem to be a good value. However, the DAC Magic is still my favourite.

 

[lordsegan]

The Matrix Mini and LD DACI provide excellent value.

 

[Ypoknons]

We're all waiting for a mini-i and HDP comparison.

 

[Mad Dude]

After reading through the entire HDP thread (phew!), I think I will get the mini-i. I have no doubt that the HDP is an excellent DAC/Amp/Pre-amp combo, and the HDP's built in amp is likely superior to my Little Dot MKIII, but there is a considerable chance that I would not like it since i don't really like solid state amps in general.
Additionally, according to K_19 and other people, both the K701 and the SR325i(s) are not a really good match with the HDP.

As DAC, The mini-i is probably not on the same level as the HDP, but it should still be a distinct improvement over... well, whatever piece of crap is inside my SA-PM03

I also like the fact that the mini-i does not need an external power supply and has a native Toslink input (the HDP needs an adapter).

The HDP would cost me ~$500 shipped while I could get a mini-i for less than $330. For the $170 I'd save, I could get a used Senn HD600... I always wanted a pair as an addition to my K701s.

Does anyone think this is a bad decision, and that I should get something else?

 

[atothex]

Vintage DACs own nub faces all day. All damn day.

Maybe if I were budgeting >$10k or <$100, I'd look into current stuff.

 

[Covenant]

Within $300-$400, I'd go the Pico DAC, everytime. Nothing I've heard at that price can touch it.

 

[Mad Dude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif Within $300-$400, I'd go the Pico DAC, everytime. Nothing I've heard at that price can touch it.

Thanks, but the Pico DAC is not an option for me, I need at least one optical input. The Pico is a usb-only DAC, if I remember correctly.

Using a PC as source is secondary to me, I prefer to play CDs directly. (Although it would be nice to try some 24/96 material)

@atothex: what would you recommend me to do, then? Spending >$10k on a DAC is just a little over my budget

So far, the mini-i seems to be the best choice for me, and my wallet thinks the same.