[alginonuk]

Hi

I have researched two options for Hi-Res Audio for my computer, it is used for Hi-Res Music, Spotify streaming, Podcasts, watching films and sound for my TV (PC is used in living room and connected to TV). These two options fit my budget and ease of purchase. I am interested in hearing other options, but I am limited on what I can order due time and which companies I can order from online.

Options

1) Sony SRS- X99
2) Audio Pro Addon C5 with Audioquest Dragonfly Red

My main concerns are sound quality of the speaker and ability to play hi-res music to the optimum. Do you have this setup or similar? Can you recommend it, or another option. Option 2 is also interesting as I can use the Dragonfly red with my laptop and Bose QC35 while mobile, but the audio is possibly not as good as the Sony.

As I said I am short on time to order these products as I am moving abroad and want to take advantage of reclaiming tax. So I would really appreciate quick responses, even if they are short and to the point.

Thanks very much in advance for any advice.

 

[FumblingFoo]

I've been known to utterly flop on recommending products I know little about, so take what I say with a large sack of salt.

Normally, I would recommend upgrading speakers over DAC/s amps, but considering these are Bluetooth options everything's already included in the sony, so you're paying for everything anyway. The sony speaker seems to have poor bass response on its own (it only goes down to 40hz), and the Audio Pro has a nice sub woofer between its two tweeters, and its got a glowing review on whathifi. So I'm feeling a bit more drawn to this one than the sony, even given the price difference.

Edit: I'm surprised, even with the big sub woofer in the middle the Audio Pro only goes down to 50hz. So basically it comes down to which is the better speaker. The quality of the speakers is much more likely to make a difference in the sound than the DAC.

 

[alginonuk]

Hi

Thanks very much for the quick reply and good advice. As I said I was very short on time to make my choice, so I went for the Audio Pro C5 and Dragonfly Red. As you said the Audio Pro had a great write up on "What Hi Fi" but so did all the other devices. I got to test the Sony SRS-X99 today, and although it sounded very good. I can see what they were saying concerning the cons in the "What Hi Fi" review, sometimes a sharp edge at high volumes. Although I wish I could test the Audio Pro C5, it had a glowing review as a speaker. I think I would have been happy with either option, but thanks very much for your advice it helped me make the decision. Cheers

 

[FumblingFoo]

Glad to have helped

 

[buke9]

I have only heard the Dragonfly Red used as a dac and thought it did very good for as small as the thing is. I heard it twice from the same amp that eventually bought (Amps and Sound Kenzie) so it is good enough to show off a really good amp. My Yggdrasil sounds much better but the Red did a very good job.