[Shark_Jump]

I am looking for a one box Preamp and good quality DAC combined for under $1k

Like a poor mans DAC 1 Pre.

Detailed but rich & smooth.

Inputs must be at least 1xRCA, 1xToslink/Coax and 1xUSB. USB must have good quality reclocking. Headphone socket desirable.

Any suggestions?

 

[Shark_Jump]

Bump.

A lot of new DAC's have come out recently, is there anything out there that fits the bill?

Thanks in advance.

 

[anetode]

http://www.audio-gd.com/enweb/DAC-Compass.htm

 

[AmanGeorge]

It seems like the sweet spot for this stuff is just north of the $1k mark - the Benchmark, Lavry, and Peachtree come to mind. May want to stretch your budget slightly or find some used options.

 

[Shark_Jump]

Thanks for that.

A combined DAC and pre would allow me to avoid going through my AV amp for 2 ch listening AND effectively upgrade my CD player AND upgrade my computer listening in one hit.

I would have thought there would be quite a large market for this as I can't be the only one with this sort of requirement.

Unfortunately there appears to be a gap in the market in the $500-$1k range.

I'll sift through the compass DAC thread.

 

[Speederlander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shark_Jump /img/forum/go_quote.gif Detailed but rich & smooth.

Not sure what "rich and smooth" even means, specially for a DAC, but I would spend the extra coin and go the Lavry DA11. Has very good USB, you can go balanced or not, sound quality is outstanding, it's small and runs cool, has it's own headphone amp.

 

[koto-in]

Meier StageDAC

 

[jpelg]

/edit - sorry, didn't read the part about the analog RCA-in's. :/

 

[Shark_Jump]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speederlander /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not sure what "rich and smooth" even means, specially for a DAC, but I would spend the extra coin and go the Lavry DA11. Has very good USB, you can go balanced or not, sound quality is outstanding, it's small and runs cool, has it's own headphone amp.

IMO the Valab DAC I have is rich and smooth, but is slightly lacking in detail and dynamics. (Hell of a buy for $200 though esp. when they work)

 

[koven]

easily the peachtree nova.

ess sabre dac, tube pre, 80wpc ss amp... usb , pre out, headphone out, etc - it's epic.

 

[Shark_Jump]

Quote:

Originally Posted by koto-in /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meier StageDAC

Nice but like I said I need at least 1xRCA (analogue) in (for the front 2 channels of my AV Amp).

 

[Shark_Jump]

Quote:

Originally Posted by koven /img/forum/go_quote.gif easily the peachtree nova. ess sabre dac, tube pre, 80wpc ss amp... usb , pre out, headphone out, etc - it's epic.

Interesting. I looked at the 6moons review, the DAC section gets a big rap.

I only need the DAC/ pre amp section as I already have a power amp. (Myryad Z160).

Read the following on another forum from earlier in the year, is it still true?
'First, there will be a Pre/DAC product coming from Peachtree in early 2010 that is an upgraded Nova sans the amp section. It will be more refined, using the 32 bit version of the ESS Sabre chip (the Nova uses a 24 bit version), have an upgraded headphone output, etc.'