[Bogatyr]

Total noob here looking for a budget performer for my AKG Q701 for music, movies, gaming. Have 250$ to spend, considering either the HUD-MX1, NFB12, Objective 2 + some DAC, or a 200$ sound card such as Asus Essence. I don't like loud volume and prefer quality over quantity. Suggestions are much appreciated.
 
I've looked at tons of other dacs & amps in the 200$ area but have no idea which is better for me. This will be used on a desktop, portability is not needed.

 

[KimLaroux]

 
Quote:

Total noob here looking for a budget performer for my AKG Q701 for music, movies, gaming. Have 250$ to spend, considering either the HUD-MX1, NFB12, Objective 2 + some DAC, or a 200$ sound card such as Asus Essence. I don't like loud volume and prefer quality over quantity. Suggestions are much appreciated.
 
I've looked at tons of other dacs & amps in the 200$ area but have no idea which is better for me. This will be used on a desktop, portability is not needed.

I'm in the exact same situation. But add to this list the new Ibasso D7 which is getting good reviews right now. People are using the D7 with their Q701 with good results.
 
Problem is, there are so many good dac/amps combo available it's almost a question of how much you are willing to spend. They cover just about every price range, from 180$ for the HUD-MX1 or the D7 to 450$ for the Yulong D100 and beyond. Question is, What is Good Enough and at what price point does paying more gives you only minimal quality improvement? Is there such a big difference between a 180$ unit and a 250$ one?
 
My real curiosity is what difference it makes for an all-in-one unit to have a dedicated on-board power supply. Seems that the cheapest ones are the Audio-GD and the Matrix Cube, but those units are way too different to really tell us the whole story. At around this price point we also find a bunch of other features such as up-sampling that could make more of a difference than an on-board power supply. Or maybe not... I'm not an electrical engineer, yet.
I've been spending all my free time in the past months reading and reading but just can't make up my mind! 

 I plan on trying a few headphones until I find the sound that pleases me, and I want my DAC/Amp to be good enough for these comparisons. I don't want my dac/amp to bottleneck those headphones...

 

[ru9]

Please recommend me a product similar to the HUD-MX1 but with a Line input.
I am planning to connect my Sansa Clip+ to my amplifier.
Currently using the Encore ENMAB-8CM 7.1 Channel USB Audio Box.
It is very annoying because you have to power on the computer just  to make this device work.
I need one with a separate power supply.
 
Thank you.
 
 

 

[KimLaroux]

Quote:

Please recommend me a product similar to the HUD-MX1 but with a Line input.
I am planning to connect my Sansa Clip+ to my amplifier.
Currently using the Encore ENMAB-8CM 7.1 Channel USB Audio Box.
It is very annoying because you have to power on the computer just  to make this device work.
I need one with a separate power supply.
 
Thank you.
 
 

Yulong U100
Matrix Rip
Matrix Cube
 
As for powering it from the computer, you could always try to plug it into a powered USB hub and see if it turns on even without a computer. But that might still not work. The device could turn itself off when there is no signal on the USB.
 

 

[ru9]

Quote:

Yulong U100
 

Yes. Thank you very much.
The Yulong U100 is the one I need.

 

[KimLaroux]

I knew I missed one... there's also the Aune MK II, which is cheaper

 

[ru9]

Quote:

I knew I missed one... there's also the Aune MK II, which is cheaper

Thank you. will also consider this. 
 
Will  this work (as well as the Yulong U100) with only the external wall wart type power supply and  without a computer?
 
 

 

[Bogatyr]

Made an order on this thing, going to be using it with AKG Q701. I'm curious however - is there a way to replace the volume knob for something bigger, and could someone enlighten me on why change the opamp and which one to change it to? Thanks.

 

[Gang]

hello, I am new to head-fi. currently I want to upgrade my mx1 opamp section for my new coming AKG K702. I am wondering which selection is better for me, Matrix M-stage or OPA128SM? Thanks.
 

 

[ACDOAN]

Has someone compare the Audinst Mx1 DAC against the Audioengine D1?

 

[AlexRoma]

No, but if I would have to chose, I'll go for Audioengine, since most products this brand sells are real winners, and also I don't like wolfson chips - all of them sound boring ... 

 

[ACDOAN]

Quote:

No, but if I would have to chose, I'll go for Audioengine, since most products this brand sells are real winners, and also I don't like wolfson chips - all of them sound boring ... 

I am currently using the Audioengine D1 as USB DAC/AMP from my IMac and my cans are the Shure 840. I love it every minute of it.
 
I also try the Audiengine D1 as USBDAC with the Lyr with the Shure 840 but I think the Lyr is kind of over kill for the Shure 840. The Audioengine does its job as USBDAC/AMP quite well for an entry level headphone amp.

 

[perfect-pitch]

If anyone needs an Audinst HUD MX1 KHV/DAC...
 
I put mine up in the "for sale" thread.
 
All the best!!

 

[Sweden]

I have experienced a fluctuation in gain from the headphone out. Sometimes I need 20% volume to reach full volume and sometimes it's 70% with the same track. The quality of the audio is still the same. Anybody experienced this? Where is this gain switch on the board and how does it look like?

 

[skyline315]

For those of you who have ordered through the Audinst ebay store...
 
How was the process?  Were they communicative about shipping, etc?  How long did it take?  If in the US, did you have to pay any extra fees, etc.?
 
Thanks!