[Lam3r_co.]

Hello and hi

I am glad that I joined this great forum. Please be gently for the first few things I'll be writing - I'm only a newbie in audio. (and not a native speaker)

The current problem I have is:
I discovered that my soundcard has bit-perfect optical spdif, thanks to this forum ofc. Now I think I need a external DAC with optical input and headphone output. I am using KSC75 now, but in summer, there will be HD555/595/600 (depending how much € can I gather) on my head. Since I read these senn's prefer headphone-amp, the best solution (for me) is DAC with headamp included. I have searched this forum, but haven't find anything that fits my budget, that is 100€ (around 133USD) max. I'm student with limited income :/
Please can someone from You, kind guys, give me some advice?

Thank You very much.

btw>nearly all my music is a FLAC rip

//edit: I don't need a brand new device, used one is good too.

 

[Maxvla]

Might take a look at the Zero DAC. I'm not familiar with it's specs, but it is popular and close to your price range.

check out this thread for many more options: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/an...newbie-399007/

 

[Lam3r_co.]

Thanks to Your post, I researched a while and found these devices, that fit my budget and expectations (mostly):

SuperPro 707 USB DAC
Beresford TC-7510
Trends Audio UD10.1 Lite
Zero DAC
Musiland / DIYEDEN SVDAC06 USB /Coax DAC
DAC in a box Super Pro (not sure if has optical input)

My favorite is the Zero DAC as it seems it has best SQ from the whole list I wrote. But maybe I'll be buying a notebook and will need something smaller and more portable. Any ideas for DAC with SQ as the Zero DAC but portable? (It sounds as nonsense to me too, but you never know..)

Thank You for Your answer

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lam3r_co. /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks to Your post, I researched a while and found these devices, that fit my budget and expectations (mostly): SuperPro 707 USB DAC Beresford TC-7510 Trends Audio UD10.1 Lite Zero DAC Musiland / DIYEDEN SVDAC06 USB /Coax DAC DAC in a box Super Pro (not sure if has optical input) My favorite is the Zero DAC as it seems it has best SQ from the whole list I wrote. But maybe I'll be buying a notebook and will need something smaller and more portable. Any ideas for DAC with SQ as the Zero DAC but portable? (It sounds as nonsense to me too, but you never know..) Thank You for Your answer

Zero is a Crap shoot. You may get a good one you may get a bad one. You need to read the Audio-gd Compass thread which is in proo pricing now and the best deal out there from really the best company out there. Buy a zero, roll the dice. Either read the Zero thread, or take my word for it.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/des...ompass-385759/

If you read this thread, you're gonna want one! If you post, tell em I sent ya!

 

[joe_cool]

Just get an Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 sound card and plug the Senns into the headphone jack. About 100 Euros shipped from Korea.

Oh and don't use optical SPDIF if you buy a nice DAC.

 

[Lam3r_co.]

joe_cool>Thank You for Your advice, but new soundcard doesn't come in question.
Why I shouldn't use optical input?

les_garten> I'll look on it. I thought that the Zero DAC is perfect buy. Noone told me it can sell me broken one or something :/

 

[joe_cool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lam3r_co. /img/forum/go_quote.gif joe_cool>Thank You for Your advice, but new soundcard doesn't come in question. Why I shouldn't use optical input?:/

If you have a choice use coax SPDIF, but optical (toslink) is OK.

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif Zero is a Crap shoot. You may get a good one you may get a bad one. You need to read the Audio-gd Compass thread which is in proo pricing now and the best deal out there from really the best company out there. Buy a zero, roll the dice. Either read the Zero thread, or take my word for it. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/des...ompass-385759/ If you read this thread, you're gonna want one! If you post, tell em I sent ya!

Except the Compass, inclusive of shipping, paypal charge etc, is almost 3x of his budget.

The Zero is a good start because it's very modifiable. You can start with the stock version and upgrade to discrete OPA and better op-amps once you have the cash to spend. Just make sure you get it from a reputable seller, like wsz304 in Ebay so you can get proper support in case something goes wrong.

 

[Lam3r_co.]

So I am ordering the HD555 right now from the UK. The exchange rate GBP:EUR is unbeatable, 555 for 75€

!
Friend of mine told me about the foam that makes the difference between 555 and 595, so I think this is really best buy for the money.

joe_cool> So again, the toslink as source is ok? Because my card has only toslink and jacks.

K3cT> I can't find this wsz304 on ebay.com neither on ebay.co.uk. Please, can You send me link? Thank You

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K3cT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Except the Compass, inclusive of shipping, paypal charge etc, is almost 3x of his budget. The Zero is a good start because it's very modifiable. You can start with the stock version and upgrade to discrete OPA and better op-amps once you have the cash to spend. Just make sure you get it from a reputable seller, like wsz304 in Ebay so you can get proper support in case something goes wrong.

Well, let's run the numbers. Don't hold me to the Penny here, I'm doing these off the top of my head.

Promo Compass to the US ~ $313
LC Upgraded Zero to US ~ $220
Basic Zero to US ~$175

So, there is a price difference. But if you were thinking of a Modded Zero, the difference is not much, at least to me where the difference in quality comes to play. Also, the Compass price may go to $399 + Shipping in a few months. The price is going to go up. This is where the Crapshoot comes in, one issue with the Zero, and whatever savings you had are about gone. How about the Zero burned up my Senn 650 thread? He didn't save much after he plugged in his phones and torched his 650's with DC offset?

And as you point out above, once you dump some upgrade money into the Zero, the price difference starts dropping. wsz304 is the vendor to buy it from for sure.

After seeing the Types of issues that the Zero has, I cannot recommend it to anyone. The issue is the multitudes of different problems it has had. If you have a run of products that all have the same issue, you can fix that. If you have a lot of different "sloppy" manufacturing problems, now you have a philosophical problem, and that's not what you want in the manufacture of electronics. I have a fully modded Zero, but if I read that thread today, there's no way I would buy one. I'd gladly Pony up the Extra $90 bucks or so and do the Compass, a Keces, or a Yulong(another story), etc.

 

[linuxworks]

I also have dealt with the wsz guy on ebay (bought some 5.1 'movie dacs' from him).

as for opto vs coax, there is NO difference, pick your media that is convenient and either is fine for today's dacs. if you hear a diff, its all in your mind, I assure you.

I'm running the AMB gamma1 diy dac right now. takes usb-audio, coax and opto and gives a nice clean line-out from it. that dac is in the '$200 and under' range, assembled (under $100 if you DIY it yourself).

I think that's the best bang for the buck right now in dacs (imho!)

(my DIY gamma1 on top of my DIY pimeta amp).

 

[linuxworks]

also, if you are a student, LEARN new things - take this as an opportunity to learn to build

the amp and dac can be built (easily, really) and you save a LOT of money that way.

put the money you saved on things you can't build, like phones

that's my advice, if you are on a budget.

 

[Lam3r_co.]

DIY doesn't come in question. At first, I have no experience with smd and only poor experience with ordinary pcb's, at second, most of the parts mentioned in these projects are unbuyable in this country...

Btw. I found that wsz0304 guy and his prices are:
Tianyun ZERO Multifuction Decoders 136USD (shippment to EU included)
ZERO 24/192 DAC DA CONVERTOR, HEAD AMP(Upgrade Version) 153USD (shippment to EU included)

Price is not that bad at all if You say this man has the good ones. But what is the difference between these two versions?

 

[Lam3r_co.]

You just hit my head with that DIY idea so hard, that I can't get it out. Damn.

So, is there anything that I can make without doing it "from scratch"? I expect functionality and SQ similar to this Zero DAC. Optical input is a must-be. I need this to drive Senn HD555. If it is portable (with notebook), its great plus.
Note that I'm not handy enought to solder smd's.

I'm looking forward for Your answer

//I know this has gone off-topic, but I really appreciate Your help.

Anyway, all the circuit boards I've done, have been done with monster like this one:

Bought in communist ages

I think I will need a solder without 50A going through

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by linuxworks /img/forum/go_quote.gif also, if you are a student, LEARN new things - take this as an opportunity to learn to build the amp and dac can be built (easily, really) and you save a LOT of money that way. put the money you saved on things you can't build, like phones that's my advice, if you are on a budget.

Nice, very much enjojed reading your HD650 thread and looking over your Flickr PIX!