USB DAC's Only

[Joelc87]

I recently purchased a Headroom Ultra Micro amp, and was planning to use it with a Xitel AN1, which uses the Phillips UDA1321 chip. This is a cheap DAC I realize but the data sheets seem to point towards relatively decent audio quality. My source is my Powerbook G4 which doesn't have optical audio out. I realize that optical has higher support but the majority of my sources are uncompressed CD audio, 16-bit, 44.1 kHz so the USB vs. optical shouldn't be much of an issue. My question is are there other DAC's that you guys could recommend besides the Headroom Ultra Micro or should I just plan on buying that as soon as I can afford one?

 

[HardHeadCase]

Headroom Micro is fantastic, small, all three types of inputs. Scott-Nixon UFO Tube Dac is usb only but it has a tube output and people seem to love it...its a few dollars less than the Ultra Micro even with the optional power supply. I bought a headroom Pico with the dac and plan to use it with a tube amp at home and use it by itself when I am on the go. I would take a hard look at all three and see what features you like and go for it....all three are great products.

 

[Joelc87]

The Pico is a combined unit though, I'm just looking for a standalone DAC for use with the Ultra Micro Amp.

 

[cconnaker]

Benchmark DAC1 USB.

 

[Joelc87]

Oh I should mention that the Headroom Ultra Micro's $700 is the absolute top of my spending limit.

 

[Edwood]

If you are looking for a portable solution, why would an all in one unit like the Pico be a problem? The DAC section is pretty much unbeatable for your <$700 price limit. Unless you manage to get an awesome used bargain, even then you'll be dealing with a ginormous box, not something you can toss in a bag and carry with you.

If you are set on Sticking with Headroom, then the Micro DAC is pretty much your best bet, it even stacks nicely with your MicroAMp, since they were designed that way. Headroom even has a nice carry case and strap solution for keeping them together for carrying them on the go.

-Ed

 

[Joelc87]

Well I will probably end up buying a Headroom ultra micro DAC. I was just curious to see if there were any other dac's around for less than 700 that were much more highly recommended than the Upconverting Ultra Micro.

 

[pdennis]

I'm researching USB dacs myself... and learning a bit about what features would be important to me. The features I've been focusing on are:

-Oversampling DAC
-No S/PDIF --> USB conversion (Either USB -->i2s, or integrated USB receiving as in the PCM2702 used by Keces)
-Reclocking

And, of course, evidence of careful design (though I'm not really qualified to judge this, other than how it looks and hearing others' opinions).

For under $700, I suggest that you look at the Twisted Pear Opus thread. (This is NOT a recommendation, I've never heard it -- but I learned a lot from researching the Opus, and I think its feature set is very sensible for someone who wants USB only.) That budget would, I believe, let you hire someone to build a very nice USB Opus, including their Metronome clock.

At a much lower price point (under $300 shipped), the new Keces DA-151 has been interesting me lots. It's been recently revised, and you can find information on the Keces PCM2702 thread.

The Lite Dac 60 can apparently be ordered with a USB input as well, and would probably cost somewhere in the ballpark of a completed Opus, but this unit apparently needs modding to sound its best. (Again -- only hearsay.)

I know that secondhand information such as this is of limited use, but I thought I'd at least share the benefit of my recent research/thread digging/deductions. Firsthand and expert information, after all, is hard to come by since it's in so much demand!

 

[Icarium]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joelc87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I will probably end up buying a Headroom ultra micro DAC. I was just curious to see if there were any other dac's around for less than 700 that were much more highly recommended than the Upconverting Ultra Micro.

I'd put the Pico at the same level as the Ultra Micro.. same tier anyways. It is also upconverting... I'm not sure about the specifics but I doubt it'll lose out much to it if at all. Plus its smaller and has an amp built in.

 

[IPodPJ]

If you don't need a portable solution, the best choice is getting an ESI Juli@ soundcard which you can pick up for $130 now, and a good set of analog interconnects. The DAC on the Juli@ is superior to most of your options. This beats the high-end DAC built into the Opera, which is much better than the Headroom Micro.

 

[Joelc87]

Well, since I'm using a laptop the Juli@ is out of the question...I'll have to do some more research on the pico to find out some more of the specifics. The Ultra micro I know is upconverting to 192kHz with reclocking and interpolation filtering. According to head amp the pico is 96 kHz, and says nothing about reclocking or dejittering for USB noise. Since I already have the Amp I don't really need another one but we'll see. It'll be a while before I buy anything else any so that should give me plenty of time to keep looking around.

 

[Icarium]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you don't need a portable solution, the best choice is getting an ESI Juli@ soundcard which you can pick up for $130 now, and a good set of analog interconnects. The DAC on the Juli@ is superior to most of your options. This beats the high-end DAC built into the Opera, which is much better than the Headroom Micro.

Interesting.. my take on those products is slightly different (Haven't heard the ESI) but I liked the Micro vastly more than the Opera's DAC.

 

[Joelc87]

A friend of mine told me that the Micro's are designed well to work with each other and that the Micro DAC's sound signature is customized to work well with the micro amp's electronics. I will of course confirm this with Headroom but if this is true that could definitely be a deciding factor. Of course I am all new at this. Perhaps all DAC's have relatively the same sound signature, of course if they did why would there be so many in existence?

 

[HardHeadCase]

The micro DAC is a great peice of equipment. Cant help but love the fact it has all three types of inputs. You can use it anytime and anywhere. I don't know if you have the 399 dollar power supply, but if you don't then there is an upgraded Astrodyne unit available in headrooms website. It's hard as hell to find though. Its listed under Accessories then Other.

Astrodyne Switching Power Supply @ HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears