[sphinxvc]

I want to pull the trigger on this by the end of the week, need some last minute input.  Push me off the cliff.
 

1. Is the SQ worth the dork-iness and inconvenience of bothering with 9V batteries?  My only point of reference is the Nuforce uDac or a Cowon player.

 

1. 65% of my listening is done at home at the desktop; that's why I'm going for HD650s, a desktop dac, and a desktop amp next year.  The D4 can serve as a standalone dac.  Is it as good as the mid-range desktop dacs out there?  Or will I have to go out and buy another dac then?  Say the Music Fidelity V-dac or the Audio GD Compass or Fun's dac sections.

 

1. How long does the D4 last on a single 9V?

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

I want to pull the trigger on this by the end of the week, need some last minute input.  Push me off the cliff.
 

1. Is the SQ worth the dork-iness and inconvenience of bothering with 9V batteries?  My only point of reference is the Nuforce uDac or a Cowon player.

 

1. 65% of my listening is done at home at the desktop; that's why I'm going for HD650s, a desktop dac, and a desktop amp next year.  The D4 can serve as a standalone dac.  Is it as good as the mid-range desktop dacs out there?  Or will I have to go out and buy another dac then?  Say the Music Fidelity V-dac or the Audio GD Compass or Fun's dac sections.

 

1. How long does the D4 last on a single 9V?

The D4 chews through 9-volts in a fashion that is truly frightening. Factor the cost of a charger and batteries into your upfront budget, or pay the price over time.
 
The DAC in the D4 is not as good as 'midrange desktop DACs', but what were you expecting for the price ? There are several DACs in the MF/Audio GD range that will make you happy
 
I dont want to push you off any cliffs, but why would you spend money on the D4 when the P4 already has a rechargable battery built in ? You will need a dedicated DAC, but you have indicated that you are prepared for that anyway.

 

[sphinxvc]

I was skeptical the D4 would be as good as desktop dacs which is why I wanted to confirm.  If the unit won't be a usb dac as well, I wouldn't want to spend $220, and would much rather go with a t3 for $140.  After listening to the udac, which was my first departure from source > phones configuration, I really wanted to get a udac-to-go and it seemed like the D4 was it till I found out it didn't have a built-in rechargeable battery.  
 

 

[kingpage]

You can find a rechargeable 9V battery and a recharger for under $10 shipped on sites such as Dinodirect. I recently found the site, I received my first order from them yesterday, but I must admit it takes a while to get to you. Too bad they don't have high-end headphones and amps.