New member ... Minimalist DAC?

[binarypie]

Howdy Y'all!

I'm here and originally joined to follow some ZMF threads but I also have a question about DACs.

I currently have a little Schiit stack (OG Modius, Joturnheim 2, Lyr 3) and will replace the amps with an Aegis pretty soon.
Part of this change will be either hiding the Modius or replacing it with something else.

I saw the Phantom DAC from Woo Audio and thought that might fit the bill to clean up my desk, etc.. However, are there other options I should look at?

Thanks for the input!
~ bp

EDIT: Added the example dac from woo audio

 

[Lohil]

Hard to tell what you're looking for, the Modius and Joturnheim 2 are already pretty minimalist... you can get something like a Fiio e10k but it sounds like you're looking for higher end stuff than that

 

[binarypie]

Hard to tell what you're looking for, the Modius and Joturnheim 2 are already pretty minimalist... you can get something like a Fiio e10k but it sounds like you're looking for higher end stuff than that

I forgot a word!

I was looking at the Phantom DAC from Woo Audio. This is what I mean. Basically being able to hide the dac portion of my chain and not have a giant stack of boxes on my desk.

 

[MindBreak]

I forgot a word!

I was looking at the Phantom DAC from Woo Audio. This is what I mean. Basically being able to hide the dac portion of my chain and not have a giant stack of boxes on my desk.

You could stick with a Schiit DAC and go Modi MB2. It is small enough to tuck away if you really want to go for a clean/minimalist setup. Just make sure to measure out the length for the interconnects to decrease the chances of the cables showing.

 

[dunring]

Why not get some longer cables and relocate the DAC out of view? Also there's some nice black glass 15" monitor risers I use for larger stacks to get the finished look.

 

[binarypie]

Why not get some longer cables and relocate the DAC out of view? Also there's some nice black glass 15" monitor risers I use for larger stacks to get the finished look.

This is likely what I'm going to do but I never know what magic exists out there .

 

[dbull12]

Really depends on what sound signature and presentation you're going for. Aegis only has single ended inputs so unless you're going to use a transformer you'll want a DAC that doesn't have really degraded performance out of its single ended outputs. Chord Qutest is very small and only has single ended outputs so that could work, but its presentation leans more analytical and some find it fatiguing, although it's also known to have rounded transients and be a bit soft while still having that analytical, very microdetail-forward sound.

Soekris dac1421 is another good single ended DAC that's fairly small. I had it prior to my current DAC and it has a neutral sound that's not fatiguing but is less lush sounding than many other R2R DACs, which often lean towards more romantic sounding presentations

 

[Lohil]

I forgot a word!

I was looking at the Phantom DAC from Woo Audio. This is what I mean. Basically being able to hide the dac portion of my chain and not have a giant stack of boxes on my desk.

Oh that's pretty cool, I didn't even know about that one, tbh I'd be a little worried about the DAC being so close to PC itself but a good USB extension cable would be good there