Pricklely Peete
Franken modder
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2008
- Posts
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Quote:
Nope.....the Zero pretty much has this niche of the market all to itself. It's difficult to build a DAC and an amp for 170 or under and have it A) make any money for the manufacturer B) and sound even remotely half decent.
The Audio-gd Compass was supposed to be a direct competitor but it took on a life of it's own and once feature creep and parts spec were tallied it couldn't be done for less than 258US (actual unit cost). That being said the Compass is in another league SQ wise compared the Zero...(even the upgraded Zero)....but the Zero remains a bargain that is hard to beat (when it works).
Saving up the extra money for the Compass (if you can) is a better long term solution but for anyone not able to afford such an undertaking and needs a entry level combo unit, the Zero fills the niche.
Just buy it from a vendor that will support any after delivery problems (such as premature failure, etc).
Peete.
Originally Posted by notoriousmatty /img/forum/go_quote.gif are there even any other choices in the below 150 price range for a DAC/AMP combo like this one? |
Nope.....the Zero pretty much has this niche of the market all to itself. It's difficult to build a DAC and an amp for 170 or under and have it A) make any money for the manufacturer B) and sound even remotely half decent.
The Audio-gd Compass was supposed to be a direct competitor but it took on a life of it's own and once feature creep and parts spec were tallied it couldn't be done for less than 258US (actual unit cost). That being said the Compass is in another league SQ wise compared the Zero...(even the upgraded Zero)....but the Zero remains a bargain that is hard to beat (when it works).
Saving up the extra money for the Compass (if you can) is a better long term solution but for anyone not able to afford such an undertaking and needs a entry level combo unit, the Zero fills the niche.
Just buy it from a vendor that will support any after delivery problems (such as premature failure, etc).
Peete.