[havox]

Thinking of gettif a bit better dac since I plan on upgrading my ad700s to some better cans like ad2000s or an equivilent and was wondering it it would be worth it to up my budget and buy a bit better dac if so which. Or should I buy a dac and then get a amp/preamp(not sure wht a preamp does but anyway) which I would have about 200 for the amp and around 600 for new cans (would buy used)

 

[Bloodoath]

Cambridge Audio - DacMagic ... Turns and leaves the room.

 

[Pepsi]

I'd say a dac + amp combo would sound better than just a single of either. The DacMagic, Keces Mk2, Pico Dac are all great Dacs ranging from 300-400 shipped. I would recommend WooAudio/Little Dot for amp that would sync pretty well with either of the dacs.

 

[havox]

Hmm you guys are making this very hard. Arethese dads much better than the audio-gd compass? I will be using the dac on my comp for gaming, movies and music (pop, rock) and like I said will eventually upgrade my ad700s to ad2000s. Also o heard the USB on the dacmagic isnttoo great and I should use a USB-optical. Wouldthat b better?

 

[a_recording]

The Nuforce HDP will be out very soon.. you should stick around and wait for reviews of those.

 

[Zeroblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by havox /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thinking of gettif a bit better dac since I plan on upgrading my ad700s to some better cans like ad2000s or an equivilent and was wondering it it would be worth it to up my budget and buy a bit better dac if so which. Or should I buy a dac and then get a amp/preamp(not sure wht a preamp does but anyway) which I would have about 200 for the amp and around 600 for new cans (would buy used)

Judging from the reviews and stuff, I think you'd like the Audio-gd Compass or FUN, since they go for 300ish USD and are already very good combo DAC/amps.

As for what a preamp is, here's a quick explanation in terms of speakers.

Source -> Preamp -> Power amp -> Speakers

While power amps deliver raw power, they don't have any way of controlling it. Preamps basically give you control over that power (in the form of a volume knob), and then push that controlled power to the speakers. Naturally, you should always have your source at 100% and then control that with the preamp. Having another preamp will at the very least give you finer control over the power that goes into your speakers. Or headphones.

 

[Currawong]

havox, you have started no less than 5 threads with similar questions when one would suffice. It is very annoying trying to help someone when you can't see everything they've been thinking or considering in one place. It's very easy, if required, to edit the original post and click "Go Advanced" and edit the title as the discussion changes towards what you want to find out about. Think about this please.

By the way, Zeroblade's diagram is the wrong way around. It should be:

Source (eg: CD player or computer + soundcard or DAC) -> Pre amp -> Power Amp -> Speakers. Most regular hi-fi amps are a pre-amp and power amp in one box. In high-end audio they are split into their individual components for greater flexibility with the design.

The AD2000s are an interesting future choice. There are some members here who consider them among the best headphones currently available and use them with very high-end gear. I didn't really have the time to evaluate them the one time I tried them. The problem with all the choices that are being thrown at you is that they are going to be considerably better than what you have now, so I don't think you're at the stage of worrying about minor things such as whether the USB or whatever is better or worse in whatever you pick. In the future you may want to go further, or maybe very much further and spend a lot of money (the Head-fi curse) or you might just get one decent thing such as what has been suggested to you already and be happy where you are.

 

[Zeroblade]

Whoops, sorry about that; must've been so drowsy I didn't notice that it was the other way around! Post has been edited.

 

[havox]

my apologies, I'm used to a forum where you cannot edit title names so I will keep that in mind. I was looking at the dacmagic but saw no headphone output so how would I connect it to my ad700s? I think I will look for a midrange dac for now then eventually a amp and last some phones

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif havox, you have started no less than 5 threads with similar questions when one would suffice. It is very annoying trying to help someone when you can't see everything they've been thinking or considering in one place. It's very easy, if required, to edit the original post and click "Go Advanced" and edit the title as the discussion changes towards what you want to find out about. Think about this please. By the way, Zeroblade's diagram is the wrong way around. It should be: Source (eg: CD player or computer + soundcard or DAC) -> Pre amp -> Power Amp -> Speakers. Most regular hi-fi amps are a pre-amp and power amp in one box. In high-end audio they are split into their individual components for greater flexibility with the design. The AD2000s are an interesting future choice. There are some members here who consider them among the best headphones currently available and use them with very high-end gear. I didn't really have the time to evaluate them the one time I tried them. The problem with all the choices that are being thrown at you is that they are going to be considerably better than what you have now, so I don't think you're at the stage of worrying about minor things such as whether the USB or whatever is better or worse in whatever you pick. In the future you may want to go further, or maybe very much further and spend a lot of money (the Head-fi curse) or you might just get one decent thing such as what has been suggested to you already and be happy where you are.

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by havox /img/forum/go_quote.gif my apologies, I'm used to a forum where you cannot edit title names so I will keep that in mind. I was looking at the dacmagic but saw no headphone output so how would I connect it to my ad700s? I think I will look for a midrange dac for now then eventually a amp and last some phones

Noting that the unit I have here was given to me and I was responsible for suggesting the manufacturer create its predecessor (the Compass) and haven't compared it to any similarly priced DAC/amp combos (so you are welcome to ignore my comments for these reasons) I have an Audio-gd Fun here that I think does sound very good for its price, if you're looking for an all-in-one unit.

 

[havox]

right now im looking at buying a used compass as a starting block then upgrading in the future. It is pointless to buy headphones like the ad2000s now without a dac and amp correct?

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by havox /img/forum/go_quote.gif right now im looking at buying a used compass as a starting block then upgrading in the future. It is pointless to buy headphones like the ad2000s now without a dac and amp correct?

It is not pointless. The AD2K actually sounds great from just about any source, even directly from a computer or DAP. You don't need a DAC or amp, or both, to enjoy the AD2K - but upgrading will definitely result in sonic benefits.

 

[Bloodoath]

Quote:

Originally Posted by havox /img/forum/go_quote.gif my apologies, I'm used to a forum where you cannot edit title names so I will keep that in mind. I was looking at the dacmagic but saw no headphone output so how would I connect it to my ad700s? I think I will look for a midrange dac for now then eventually a amp and last some phones

I currently use a Xenyx 502 mixer to power my headphones and mix in another sound card. $40.00 dollars at guitar center. Much better than my first setup. Provides much better power than a sound card and many lower end amps. I'm looking for an dedicated amp now however.

 

[havox]

Hmmm but what would I get better sound from, a pair of ad2000s with my computer and itegrated soundcard(which still sounds good with my ad700s) or buy a dac for my ad700s (compass most likely)

 

[pyramid6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by havox /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm but what would I get better sound from, a pair of ad2000s with my computer and itegrated soundcard(which still sounds good with my ad700s) or buy a dac for my ad700s (compass most likely)

Without an amp a DAC is useless. You can get decent DAC/amp combo.

Are you planning on getting an amp?

Digital Source -> DAC -> AMP -> headphones.

Analog Source -> AMP -> headphones.

Your sound card has a DAC and an AMP built in, but there is no way I know of to separate them.

You can use your sound card as an analog source.