Professor00179
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2010
- Posts
- 159
- Likes
- 10
Hello,
I am looking for a small entry level DAC. I am sure there were quite a few threads about it, but looking at what Chinese people design nearly each month I wonder if there are some new products I may be interested in.
First of all - I would like to get a DAC with AMP, but it is not necessary and if the separate DAC would have noticebly better sound I would buy it. On the other hand a powerfull AMP would be a good idea as I might upgrade my Grado SR80i to something much more amp-demanding. So far this is just an option, but it might affect my final decision if the differences in sound are not so big. I would like to get something relatively small, but again - I will be able to survive with a bigger unit as long as it is not the size of an average CD player. I need either USB or Coax cable connection. Both types of connections would be best, but many of devices I was interested in offered only USB + RCA (e.g. HUD-MX1).
I like analog, musical sound. The DAC may be neutral, but again - I will enjoy something with a little emphasis on bass (I would not like something with the emphasis on highs however).
Now we come to the price of such an unit. As you could see I am interested in Audinst's DAC. The price of the DAC should be about the same if it comes from China and big chances are it will come from there. If I order something from Europe I might buy something more expensive as I do not have to pay taxes etc.
For now my best choice is HUD-MX1 as I really like the way it looks and the descriptios of its performance. Is there anything on the market that could be better at a similar price?
PS: I was very interested in DAC called VALAB (or something like that), but then I've read about the ebay seller swaping capasitors to the low quality ones. How does the situation with these DACs look now?
Thank you in advance!
I am looking for a small entry level DAC. I am sure there were quite a few threads about it, but looking at what Chinese people design nearly each month I wonder if there are some new products I may be interested in.
First of all - I would like to get a DAC with AMP, but it is not necessary and if the separate DAC would have noticebly better sound I would buy it. On the other hand a powerfull AMP would be a good idea as I might upgrade my Grado SR80i to something much more amp-demanding. So far this is just an option, but it might affect my final decision if the differences in sound are not so big. I would like to get something relatively small, but again - I will be able to survive with a bigger unit as long as it is not the size of an average CD player. I need either USB or Coax cable connection. Both types of connections would be best, but many of devices I was interested in offered only USB + RCA (e.g. HUD-MX1).
I like analog, musical sound. The DAC may be neutral, but again - I will enjoy something with a little emphasis on bass (I would not like something with the emphasis on highs however).
Now we come to the price of such an unit. As you could see I am interested in Audinst's DAC. The price of the DAC should be about the same if it comes from China and big chances are it will come from there. If I order something from Europe I might buy something more expensive as I do not have to pay taxes etc.
For now my best choice is HUD-MX1 as I really like the way it looks and the descriptios of its performance. Is there anything on the market that could be better at a similar price?
PS: I was very interested in DAC called VALAB (or something like that), but then I've read about the ebay seller swaping capasitors to the low quality ones. How does the situation with these DACs look now?
Thank you in advance!
What I do not really like about Firestone's DACs is that they do not have headphone out. I would like to plug headphones directly to the DAC as separate AMP will need further budget expanding. I am capable of doing so but I would not like to do it.
