[Koss02]

http://store.sure-electronics.com/1aa925
 
Can you guys provide any input on this product?  I'm wondering if it has an on-board DAC? 
 
It has a sub out, which is really nice for a 2.1 setup tbh.  

 

[billybob_jcv]

Yes, however it's for the TOSLINK optical input, not for USB. So, as long as you have a TOSLINK digital out on your PC (or whatever you are going to use as the music source), then you are good to go. If you don't, then it won't work for you.

I forgot to add, the DAC is also used for the bluetooth wireless input.

 

[Koss02]

Thanks ! 
 
I have an optical output on my desktop, so I'll be able to run it using both my desktop and through my phone's bluetooth connection?  
 
I haven't seen many products like this one, especially in this price range.  Do you know of any off the top of your head that can power a 2.1 set up through bluetooth and optical or USB? 

 

[billybob_jcv]

I would be careful - Sure Electronics makes very low cost kits and electronics that are all over ebay. Quality seems to be hit or miss. There's also quite a few unknowns in the specs. For example, how is the subwoofer channel actually being handled? Is there a crossover frequency or does it just feed the full-range signal to the speakers and mono full-range signal out to the subwoofer? Does it decode Dolby/DTS (I assume no). The "100w" is also very optimistic - that's peak RMS at 1% THD. If you do a search for the TDA7498 (the chip amp used by Sure) you will find quite a few posts in the DIY community that do not speak well of the Sure amp boards. For example: http://www.trevormarshall.com/class-d-tutorial/ and here: http://forum.speakerplans.com/tda7498-sure-amps_topic68969.html

 

[Koss02]

I would be careful - Sure Electronics makes very low cost kits and electronics that are all over ebay. Quality seems to be hit or miss. There's also quite a few unknowns in the specs. For example, how is the subwoofer channel actually being handled? Is there a crossover frequency or does it just feed the full-range signal to the speakers and mono full-range signal out to the subwoofer? Does it decode Dolby/DTS (I assume no). The "100w" is also very optimistic - that's peak RMS at 1% THD. If you do a search for the TDA7498 (the chip amp used by Sure) you will find quite a few posts in the DIY community that do not speak well of the Sure amp boards. For example: http://www.trevormarshall.com/class-d-tutorial/ and here: http://forum.speakerplans.com/tda7498-sure-amps_topic68969.html

Yeah, that's my main hesitation.  I'm currently looking to downsize my set-up ... I'm using a full A/V receiver (Pioneer VSX-1019AH) to power my speakers (Klipsch WB-14s) and subwoofer (XW-300d).  
 
I'm looking for an amp & DAC that will be comparable in quality to my Pioneer.  I'd even jump on a slim A/V receiver tbh.  The one thing I like about my A/V receiver is the variety of listening modes it has available.  I have the option of directly streaming my PC's analog output to the speakers, but I've been going with some of the listening presets on the receiver and the sound is much better than the direct stream from my PC.
 
With that being said, will an optical out from my PC provide better audio quality?  From what I've read, this means that my receiver is doing the digital - analog conversion, as opposed to the integrated sound card on my motherboard.  
 
I appreciate the responses by the way.  I'll probably hold off on the Sure components for now.  

 

[billybob_jcv]

Yes, the digital out should provide a much cleaner signal to the receiver. The issue with onboard audio is often not really the DAC, it's often the analog amp after the DAC. Still, as with all things audio the answer is always "it depends" - it's possible your PC puts out a relatively clean signal from its headphone out jack, and the difference between feeding the receiver a digital vs analog signal might not be significant enough to actually be an audible difference. Or, it might be a night & day improvement to *your* ears. You haven't really said what speakers you are driving, and it's also possible that the small difference in the input signal might be lost on speakers that can't really take advantage of the difference.

But - TOSLINK cables are cheap - give it a try!