[santiu]

hoping you guys can point me towards the right direction.

I'm looking for something small which is key. The input is a Panasonic portable CD player via Optical connection. Amp is a C&C Box which power HD580's. Any suggestions for a small footprint DAC? Hoping to find something with a footprint no bigger than the CD player. Something around the size of my amp would be perfect

Also, do you guys think there will be a marked improvement by going to an external DAC? I'm sure you get that question all the time, i just have never used an external DAC with a CD player, so I'm not familiar with the type of improvements to be had. Is it of the same order of magnitude as going from the internal soundcard on a laptop to a decent external DAC, or is it a smaller difference?

thanks a bunch for any suggestions

EDIT: No longer concerned about size. Now I'd just like to find a solid, well tested DAC that will serve me well out of the box without tinkering with it (don't mind tinkering later, just don't want to HAVE to tinker to make it sound good). Hoping to find something around or under $300.

 

[socrates63]

Have you looked at the Headroom Micro DAC? I'm not familiar with too many smallish DACs (transportable or portable).

 

[vcoheda]

The HR Micro DAC sounds like a good recommendation. Small and well regarded. I would check the DAC thread in this section.

 

[jdimitri]

Spitfire DAC from firestone sounds very nice..
Very small and looks great as well

 

[santiu]

Okay, so I did some research and tried to figure out what I'm looking for. No longer concerned about size. Now I'd just like to find a solid, well tested DAC that will serve me well out of the box without tinkering with it (don't mind tinkering later, just don't want to HAVE to tinker to make it sound good). Doesn't need USB, but should have at least coax and optical inputs.

Hoping to find something around or under $300. I read that the Headroom Micro-Dac is a pretty solid unit, it fits my price-range, and also seems to be well vetted and tested. But I've also read that you can do better for the price, so I'm looking to see if there are any other options out there.

thanks a bunch for any suggestions.

 

[ds-]

Would the Entech Number Cruncher be any good? Seems to be pretty good price off ebay right now.