[MikeW]

I wish headroom would offer a Max Dac in a Desktop Portable package.. I already own a DPS and Millet, i'd love to add a headroom Max dac to my stack, but alas they don't offer it and I need more performance then what the Micro offers.. As is im forced to look at either Bel Canto 2, Benchmark 1, VDA 2 or Ack 2.0 as source upgrades. And I won't be able to use my headroom power supply for any of them unfortunatly. It's a bit frusterating, got this nice Desktop Power Supply with 6 power jacks and nothing to plug into them. I havent really noticed this forum being anti-headroom, there's just not as much talk of them as there is of some of the others. Why that is.. I don't know. It's somtimes concerning actually, as im a big audio noob, im worried that i'll goto a meet somtime and listen to some stuff from Ray Samuals or Single Power that totally beats my Headroom Gear for the same price. That would be disapointing, but I can't afford to try everything out at once.

 

[grandenigma1]

The Nixon TubeDac+ and psu is also a great NOS dac for those wishing to get a bit of the tube smoothness into their systems.

 

[pawlowski6132]

What transport will you be using? If you have a transport that has "lots" of inherent jitter, you will want to make sure you get a DAC with built in jitter control. Just another consideration.

 

[calaf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeW It's a bit frusterating, got this nice Desktop Power Supply with 6 power jacks and nothing to plug into them.

I once asked CI's Dusty whether I could use my VAC-1 power supply both for the VDA-1 and the VHP-1. He answered me that while the PS has enough juice for both it is not a good idea sound-wise to use the same PS for the DAC and the head amp. I imagine the same would apply for the hypothetical Headroom Max DAC-in-a-box, but come to think about it their DAC+head-amp combos do share the PS!

 

[Ferbose]

I recommend Presonus Central Station ($500) as a DAC and an amp.

Its DAC section is unbelievably competent for its price.
This review in Mix magazine says it is as lesast as good as the well-regarded Apogee Mini-DAC ($900):
http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_preso...n_2/index.html

My own tests found that its DAC can be very, very close to Benchmark DAC1 ($975). However, Presonus' DAC is more affected by jitter than DAC1, so having a decent transport and a glass fiber optical cable would help. Central Station slightly betters my Sony DVP-NS900V SACD/DVD player ($1000) for CD playback.

The headphone amp section is first-rate. Better than DAC1's headphone jack or even the XLR output. Noise-free with low impedance cans (SR225) but powerful enough to drive K1000. Very sweet sounding for an SS amp. I like my K501 on Central Station as much as my Cayin HA-1A single-ended tube amp ($450). There are two independent amps with individual source selectors and volume knobs. The headphone amps alone are probably worth $400-$500.

Central Station is a state-of-the-art passive preamp. Its volume control is based on relays and resistor networks controlled by chips, not a potentiometor. Input and output selection is also done by relays. Connectivity is so versatile that you need to read the block diagram in the manual to fully understand. It works with both balanced and unbalanecd signals. As a preamp, it sounds totally transparent--I mean, I hear no changes whatsoever (relays and resistors have no sound of their own).

Central Station is first and foremost a hi-end preamp. The headphone amps are first-rate. The DAC section is very high quality. It is also a connectivity power house. All of this for $500 is just unbelievable.

 

[cotdt]

Ferbose, I am very interested in this DAC after what you said. Are there other reviews/info on this? I actually heard the MiniDAC and the DAC1, and I like the MiniDAC better since it sounds more musical and emotional to my ears and perhaps it is also more neutral but I don't know. Is this DAC more similar to the MiniDAC or the DAC1?

 

[Ferbose]

Presonus Central Station has been reviewed by a lot of pro audio magazines.
Presonus website has three links to such reviews.
In addition, it has been reviewed by Mix, Sound on Sound, Harmony Central and Music Tech. All these reviews are freely accessible.
I will post my own review in a few days.

 

[Elephas]

The Mhdt Lab Dialogue II is an excellent value at US$180-200, if you're lucky on eBay.

However, I think the CEC DA53 might be an even better value at US$520 (price in Taiwan). To me, its sound quality and functionality are significantly better than the Dialogue II, and might be comparable with the AQVOX USB 2 DAC.

 

[9kRPM]

Thanks for all the input everyone.... as of now I think I'm pretty set on getting the Channel Islands VDA2.


...now I just have to make a final decision on the amp to go with it.

 

[MikeW]

Awsome, I want to know what it sounds like when you get it

I want one too! Choosing an amp will be fun, You can't go wrong with anything from Headroom, Single Power, or Ray's. I love my headroom setup but im really curious about single power too, they may offer more performance for dollar, but less features overall. Just the impressions I get reading here, I recomend reading Meet impressions, there's some great stuff in those threads.

 

[jeffjazz]

An audiophile friend of mine let me borrow this DAC he is selling now. (See link below) I recently purchase a Esound cd player that has a bunch written about it on this site. I was able to compare my Esound to my Jolida JD-100 (which is now sold) to the Rakk dac. The Rakk Dac is as good as the Eastsound and better in some areas. It has the purest tone, most inner detail, and best soundstage. My Esound is more extended on the top and bottom, but not by much. The Esound also sou

nds a little more dynamic. The Esound is suppose to compare to $2K players. The Rakk dac easily compares to these also. I am getting no kick back in telling you about this. Trust me this is one of the best DACs on the market for the $$$. The company is not that well known, yet. Happy hunting.

k&k audio RAKK dac built by kevin at k&k audio.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....onv&1141191407

 

[mlhm5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9kRPM I've been doing a lot of reading on these forums over the past few weeks as I've been trying to make a final decision on a home listening rig. I've decided that a DAC source would be the best option for me, but am still going back and forth deciding which to spend my money on. So far the list of DAC's I've been considering are the Headroom Micro DAC, the Channel Islands Audio VDA-2 (although it might be a bit more than I'd like to spend considering my amp choices), and a few of the chinese DAC's I've read about (such as the Dialogue II and the Zhalou DAC). I'm not too interested in the Benchmark DAC1 or the Apogee Mini-DAC. I've also considered the Scott Nixon TubeDAC+ but I'm not sure how it would compare to a seperate tube amp + dac. I'm pretty certain that I'll be getting a tube amp to pair up with whatever DAC I end up with. At this point the top contenders are the Headroom Desktop Millet Hybrind and the Singlepower PPX3, but I'm open to any suggestions/input anyone might have on my amp selection. The headphones I'll most likely be using are the AKG K701's and probably a set of grado's that I'll pick up sometime in the near future.... but who knows what headphones I might end up with next. I've also been considering SS amps to pair up with a DAC, some of those being the Headroom Micro Stack, Channel Islands VDA2 + VHP1, and the Headroom Desktop Amp + Home DAC.... but I'm more of a fan of tube amps. If a SS amp proves to be way more cost effective I might be persuaded to go that route too. I'd like to keep my total cost around or below $1000 for the amp + dac. Throw some ideas out there and help me pry my money away from my wallet.

Have you looked at the Liteaudio? Not portable but you did not say portable.
http://www.gr-research.com/components/lite_dacs.htm

 

[slwiser]

Add Lavry DA10 DAC to your consider list, this will also serve as your headphone amp.

 

[carlosgp]

I'm in my first week with a new Aqvox usb 2 D/A dac. I'm very busy these days and don't have enough time for my aqvox

, and therefore it is too soon for a sensible veredict. But up to now I am pleased with what I am hearing. It is a very natural sounding dac, musical, with strong bass reproduction and a special sense of space. Not cold at all.

 

[J-Pak]

I'm very interested in reading the reviews for the VDA-2 as well. Hopefully it is a significant sound improvement over the VDA-1.

The Bel Canto DAC2 is supposed to be very nice for the going used rate on Audiogon ($600-700). I've been researching it for the past month and it seems like a very neutral, yet detail resolving DAC. Not sure how jitter resistant it is though.