Upgrade from Fubar II - $250-ish
Mar 27, 2009 at 2:29 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20
Chris Tch

Chris Tch

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I've had the Fubar II for over a year, and I just got a Little Dot MKV amp. It sounds great with my Denon D2000, but I'm wondering if there's a better DAC out there for $250 or less that would be a significant improvement. I don't really have any problems with the Fubar, I'd just like to experience something even better. I love bass, so any DACs that are light on the bass are out of the question. I don't care if it's USB or SPDIF either. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Chris
 
Mar 27, 2009 at 2:42 AM Post #2 of 20
I have a fubar II as well and I want to upgrade (mainly because I have to ditch the USB port for Toslink because of a Ground Loop issue)

I've been able to compare my DAC to a Beresford and I was impressed with the sound (better bass and no loss of detail), only problem is there's a lot of controversey regarding that DAC right now and my low post count doesn't help.

There's the compass dac, but it just looks so big in size, I really don't want that as part of my setup (I live in NY, space is an issue).

I was hoping someone could compare the following:

Spitfire
Fubar II
Beresford
Compass
Valab
Zero

that'd be nice.
 
Mar 27, 2009 at 3:27 AM Post #4 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Tch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Yeah, a lot of those I'm interested in as well. What do you mean by "controversy" over the Beresford? Is there something wrong with some of them, or..?


the creator of the product has been banned from the forums for creating multiple accounts to help boost his product.

I had no idea about this until AFTER I heard it when I friend stopped by. I wanted to see reviews and such.

I think it sounded great. It had better mids and bass than my fubar II (btw, the fubar II has great highs and detail).
 
Mar 27, 2009 at 4:45 AM Post #5 of 20
Oh, wow. Well, as long as he was being truthful, I guess. Do you think it has equal/better highs than the Fubar? I certainly wouldn't want to downgrade that part. I also replaced the stock OPA2604 opamps to the OPA2107. I thought it added a little bit of warmth and bass.
 
Mar 28, 2009 at 3:57 AM Post #7 of 20
Compass and Beresford 7520 are both good choices, bang for the buck.
 
Mar 28, 2009 at 4:34 AM Post #9 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Tch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Oh, wow. Well, as long as he was being truthful, I guess. Do you think it has equal/better highs than the Fubar? I certainly wouldn't want to downgrade that part. I also replaced the stock OPA2604 opamps to the OPA2107. I thought it added a little bit of warmth and bass.


highs and detail seem on par

the difference is when you hear drums (not just bass) and cymbals

it has a wider sound, rather just the insane detail you get from a fubar II
 
Mar 28, 2009 at 8:04 AM Post #11 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Tch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'll look into it. Seems the Fubar is a better value than I thought. Think the Supplier would make much of a difference?


I don't know, from what I hear "yes" but some other people are saying it isn't going to be "night and day". I was all set to buy the Supplier but I can't figure out this Ground Loop issue. The thing with DACs is that it's all about personal preference in sound. The Fubar II seemed great for my musical preferences.

If you're happy with the sound of your dac then stick with it. I'm happy with the Fubar II and I wasn't going to get rid of it until this GL drove me nuts. I heard the OPA627 dual mod is the way to go. Please post impressions when you get that setup . . . maybe I'll figure this GL issue out and do the same.
 
Mar 28, 2009 at 7:20 PM Post #13 of 20
my setup all plugged into a Monster Power 1000 MKII:

Macbook > Fubar II > NHT PVC (Pot with Jensen Transformers) > 2 x NHT M-00

I've experimented with using two power centers, different outlets, unplugging my laptop and running off the battery, etc.

Nothing seems to work. I know that at one point I was playing the music without a DAC and I heard no noise, but now, even if I take the DAC away, the GL is there. I read another thread where they suggested that cheater plugs may solve the issue, I'm going to try that on my speakers (built in amps) and see if I can salvage this setup without having to spring for a new DAC.

If it does manage to work, where can purchase the brown dog adapter and the two 627s at? I think I'll try the same thing if this "fix" works out. The whole reason I was going to go with a new DAC was so I can separate the computer from the setup with an optical cable.
 
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