[LarryK2]

My head is spinning. I've read many, if not most of the threads on the less expensive USB Dacs and I'm still not sure what to do. Here's what I've got, and what I plan on doing. (This is my office set up.)

New Dell desktop PC (lots of room and speed)
Silverstone EB01 USB DAC
Woo Audio WA3 headphone amp
AKG 701.

I want to rip CDs with EAC to the hard drive - probably as WAV files (maybe FLAC, but there's no shortage of space, and I'm not concerned with tagging). I don't see the need for more than CD quality since that's all I currently use.

I think that the weak link is the Silverstone EB01, and I'm looking to upgrade. If I could afford it, I would probably go with a Scott Nixon tube DAC, but I can't reach that far right nonw.

Will the above mentioned DACs give me substantial improvement? Advantages/disadvantages? I'm NOT skilled with computers, and would like to keep this at $250 or less - maybe I should just wait till I can afford one of the big boys (Benchmark USB DAC1)?

Please help. Thanks.

P.S. I may want to add an amp and speakers at a later date if this makes a difference.

 

[indianbraker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryK2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif My head is spinning. I've read many, if not most of the threads on the less expensive USB Dacs and I'm still not sure what to do. Here's what I've got, and what I plan on doing. (This is my office set up.) New Dell desktop PC (lots of room and speed) Silverstone EB01 USB DAC Woo Audio WA3 headphone amp AKG 701. I want to rip CDs with EAC to the hard drive - probably as WAV files (maybe FLAC, but there's no shortage of space, and I'm not concerned with tagging). I don't see the need for more than CD quality since that's all I currently use. I think that the weak link is the Silverstone EB01, and I'm looking to upgrade. If I could afford it, I would probably go with a Scott Nixon tube DAC, but I can't reach that far right nonw. Will the above mentioned DACs give me substantial improvement? Advantages/disadvantages? I'm NOT skilled with computers, and would like to keep this at $250 or less - maybe I should just wait till I can afford one of the big boys (Benchmark USB DAC1)? Please help. Thanks. P.S. I may want to add an amp and speakers at a later date if this makes a difference.

i have experience with both the trends ud-10.1 and the zero dac but cannot comment on the keces 151. Both of the units are excellent as far as bang for the buck goes...i really liked the small footprint of the Trends and the added convenience of having a simple usb cord connecting it to my computer....i wouldnt go for the Benchmark DAC at least not with the setup you currently have since it would be a SERIOUS upgrade. as a matter of fact i would suggest buying a relatively cheap dac like the zero or trends since they have incredible value and you will end up with more then what you pay for....and if it helps im selling my trends since i now have a optical out on my laptop...let me know if your interested sorry i couldnt help you out on the 151

 

[TopPop]

It should be mentioned that the Trends is not, primarily, a DAC. It can serve as a dac (via the 1/8" headphone output), but it is intended to be used as a transport that feeds a non-USB DAC.

And in that role... it is amazing!

 

[Currawong]

If you go the as-far-as-you-can-go-without-soldering route with the Zero, which comes to US$212, you'll get a great deal of DAC for your money. The last I looked at a Keces online, I noticed they were opamp-based as is the Zero (before the upgrade). I wouldn't mind trying one with the opamps replaced with HDAMs in the same manner.

 

[apatN]

So, do you think the Maxed Zero beats the Keces DA-151? And how does this HDAM works?

 

[oofie810]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apatN /img/forum/go_quote.gif So, do you think the Maxed Zero beats the Keces DA-151? And how does this HDAM works?

+1, how does the HDAM differ from the regular OPAMP?