[dgm]

Well, I'm really excited right now. For Christmas I got the HeadRoom Micro Headphone Amp (finally an amp for my K601s!). It really sounds wonderful just plugged directly into my computer's optical audio out, but my question is, is the Micro DAC worth it? I did a little research and apparently my Intel iMac computer has a "AC97 Audio" sound card system. Any responses are appreciated.

Regards,
dgm

 

[GreatDane]

You must have it connected with an analog output from your PC. The Micro DAC does make a cute companion for the Micro Amp but I feel there are better values out there. I was seriously looking at some DACs from Pacific Valve at or below the price of the Micro DAC.

All reviews that I've read do seem to compliment the Micro DAC but imo there seem to be better priced options that may be appealing to you.

 

[dgm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif You must have it connected with an analog output from your PC.

Well that's funny, it works perfectly fine coming from the optical output of my computer.

 

[Snacks]

Optical and headphone out are integrated into one on iMac.

 

[dgm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snacks /img/forum/go_quote.gif Optical and headphone out are integrated into one on iMac.

Oh. Jeez. Well that explains it.

Anyways, what will the difference be between my setup, and if I added a DAC? That's what I'm getting at.

 

[plaidplatypus]

I don't have an iMac but I grabbed this from the Apple website:

"Audio Built-in stereo speakers, built-in microphone, optical digital audio output/headphone out, optical digital audio input/audio line in "

Apparently the 1/8" headphone out is shared with the optical out. The optical out will require an optical cable that is termianted to mini optical or you can get (2) toslink to mini optical adapters from Headroom here. The digital in on the Micro DAC is a shared mini optical/ 1/8" mini coaxial input in addtion to the USB input. Line out on the MicroDAC is 1/8" mini stereo.

 

[slwiser]

One word, YES. That is i am for the Headroom MicroDAC! My only issue with it was its battery life. The MicroDAC will be miles ahead of the Intel solution.

It may be that the Apple designers know how to deliver a proper signal out of the Intel chip unlike what Dell does with its use of the Intel's AD97 codec. Dell uses something from Sigma Tel as their codec for the AD97 audio chip. This shows that Dell designers do not know high end audio. They probably let the designers at Creative advise them. If the Apple iMac solution it is anything like what Dell does it up-samples to 48 kHz which is a fractional up-sampling. It would be better if it could have been 2x or some other whole integer. Note even though the Dell computer I have has a digital out via SPDIF it always provides a 48 kHz signal into my Lavry. My Lavry always is locked onto 48 kHz with my new Dell.

I am waiting for my M-Audio USB Audiophile to come it to bypass the Window's Kmixer which does the signal mangling since Dell's audio solution only supports waveout and Directsound. There are other solutions that you can get other than the MicroDAC. Every once in a while you can get a great deal around here on a used MicroDAC.

 

[Snacks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgm /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh. Jeez. Well that explains it. Anyways, what will the difference be between my setup, and if I added a DAC? That's what I'm getting at.

I'm not an expert on DAC or anything, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once or twice. Apparently a DAC will improve the 1's and 0's, the digital to anaglog conversion from Mac/PC to Amp to Headphone.

Possible scenario's not including interconnects are:

iMac->Headphone (good)
iMac->DAC->Headphone (better)
iMac->Amp->Headphone (better)
iMac->DAC->Amp->Headphone (best)

Do you need a DAC...what are some good DAC's...what's a DAC, search will help in the meantime here and here are a couple of thread to get your creative juices flowing.

 

[silverrain]

My portable DVD players also have a shared 1/8 jack for optical out and analog line-out -- and I, too, wonder if a DAC will make enough better sound to make getting a micro dac worth it.

On my computer, I just use line-out, and it's passable enough to suit me, for the small amount I use the computer's sound for anything, so I don't really care TOO much about the USB part of a dac.

However, the line-out on my best portable DVD player (Panasonic LS91) sounds *really* good thru my HR micro amp, so I wonder about the benfit of a matching HR micro dac. This DVD player WAY out-performs all 4 of my portable Panasonic CD players, so it must have a pretty good DAC already in it.
But, I wonder -- am I missing a really good thing sound-wise -- maybe the micro dac would uncover even more sound performance?

 

[chouman]

Another vote for yes on the micro dac. I too got the micro amp with desktop module first. The two have excellent energy together (which they should given they are both from Headroom). Noticeable improvements will be the smoothness across the frequency spectrum and you'll hear more details than before. I use mine with USB and it sounds fantastic. I say keep checkin out the for sale forums to see if you can get a good deal on one. Or put out a WTB ad out since head-fiers are always looking to upgrade. Good luck!

 

[Sordel]

The Micro DAC isn't the cheapest DAC on the market, and to my ears it doesn't make much difference to the sound (better ears may differ), but it's a nicely engineered product which looks great with (and is designed to complement acoustically) the Micro Amp. Moreover, it really isn't expensive and is a cost-effective upgrade to the signal path. I find the Micro Stack to be more revealing than most of the music on my PC can really take, so be prepared to be dissatisfied ... but yes, buy it! (You know you want to ...

)

 

[stewgriff]

Yeah, your soundcard's gotta go. If you want a better value, you can get the Silverstone EB01 for $90. It, the Micro, and any decent DAC I guess, will provide a lot of clarity and extension compared to the noisy AC97. This link says that the EB01 isn't too much of a step down from the Micro DAC.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...EB01+Micro+DAC

Edit: Sorry, didn't see that you had an iMac. Forget foobar.

 

[RockinOut]

Yes. To me the Micro DAC made a huge difference in my rig and my ears.

You can click on my signature for more info on my iBook portable rig and my experiences with the Micro DAC.

I'm really, really big on DAC's. Doesn't really matter which. Most should be better than onboard sound and digital audio/MP3 players.

I'm so happy with my rig that I really stopped keeping up with the newest, latest, best value DAC's.

Why I like MicroDAC:

I like small stuff generally. This was my main issue.
3 inputs: usb, coax, optical. Can be used with different transports/computers.
I like HeadRoom service.
I was planning on getting a MicroAmp. They look so good together. There's a lot to be said about looks, for me anyway.
I like transportable options: size, battery power.

Soundwise with my rig: Gives some extra power, improved sound texture, depth. Music I can feel. Very nice bass and soundstage. Not harsh or grainy. Clean. Black.

There are many DAC's out there, depends on your needs and preferences.

It's even better that you have optical inputs. USB can sometimes cause ground noise depending on one's rig (there are fixes around this: 3-to-2 prong adapter, run on battery power, use AirPort Express optical input as I do).

When on battery power on MicroDAC, batteries can be rotated left to right occasionally to improve battery life as one side will go out quicker than the other (credit to TheSloth). This trick works well. Most of the time I use AC power.

DAC? I say a definite yes. Which one is another story.

When I'm ready to replace the iBook, I'll get a MacBook with optical out. But for now my rigs been really nice and no desire to change it.

If you do go for a DAC, you may also be able to use upsampling depending on the DAC. Check TheSloth's HeadRoom Module Archive thread for details on how to do this in Mac OS X. I've never tried it (only works with direct optical link to the Mac). Some people like upsampling, others don't. Just another option for you to try.

Have fun and enjoy your tunes!

 

[RockinOut]

Another nice thing with Mac OS X: It's bit-perfect when using iTunes.

No need to mess with kmixer, ASIO, Foobar.

Very much just plug-and-play.

Having said that when I use my rig with a PC, even with kmixer, it sounds really nice. Much better than standard onboard DAC.

 

[Snacks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewgriff /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, your soundcard's gotta go. If you want a better value, you can get the Silverstone EB01 for $90. It, the Micro, and any decent DAC I guess, will provide a lot of clarity and extension compared to the noisy AC97. This link says that the EB01 isn't too much of a step down from the Micro DAC. If you get a DAC, make sure to get ASIO or kernel streaming for foobar or winamp; it provides more accurate bits for the DAC than, say, iTunes. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...EB01+Micro+DAC

The Silverstone EB01 for $90 sounds like a good deal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewgriff /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you get a DAC, make sure to get ASIO or kernel streaming for foobar or winamp; it provides more accurate bits for the DAC than, say, iTunes.

On Apple's iMac the default player is iTunes are you saying that programs like "ASIO or kernel streaming for foobar or winamp" will work better "provide more accurate bits" with an iMac?