[theinfinate]

Hi there audiophiles!…Firstly i'd like to apologise for asking this question as i know it's been asked many times before but i would really appreciate some advice for my particular setup.  
I've recently been interested in heading down the wormhole of sonic bliss due to the need to mix and master my own music at a semi professional level.  Before i went on this tangent i had never even heard of a headphone amplifier as i didn't know i would ever need one!  So through reading through forums etc i realised i needed some better canz so i upgraded my rh300 rolands to a pair of HD600's and got a "lovely cube" headphone amp which i'm running out of a FP10 firewire audio interface.  The question is how much money should i spend on a dac and do i really need a really expensive one for mastering music? I was hoping to spend around $200 - $500 but i really don't know what i need as i'm new to this concept.  I'd really appreciate some advice.

 

[Chris J]

Have you looked at the Cambridge Audio DacMagic or DacMagic Plus?

 

[theinfinate]

I was looking at the Stello DA100 Signature Balanced DAC but in a review which i can't remember where i read it but he said it was similar to the Cambridge audio DacMagic but not really worth 3 x the price.  The DacMagic looks good but i forgot to mention that i need to send the signal to 2 x Krk rokit monitors as well as my headphone amp so it looks like the DacMagic plus can do this but the price jump up to the plus is quite substantial and getting closer to the DA100.  I'l look into the comparisons between the two now

 

[Chris J]

Maybe try a used DACMagic?
I've always had good luck with the used stuff I have purchased.......................except for the Counterpoint SA-5.1 I bought used several years ago.

 

[KLJTech]

I'm going to be selling my mint condition DacMagic with the Pangea P-100 power supply as soon as I can post it if you're interested. I'm only looking to get around $300 for the DAC and Pangea together...both are in their original boxes. 
If not, best of luck with your search!

 

[nicko7i]

How do you connect the "lovely cube" to the FP10?  It looks like the FP10 only provides digital outputs (hence your question about a DAC).
 
I can vouch for Audio-gd products: I've always been delighted with them.  Their NFB 3.32 is also about $300.  I own the NFB 11.32, which provides not only the DAC, but a preamp and headphone amp... all for $300.  It's a great unit (although you'd have to find another home for the "lovely cube".
 
I've used cheaper ($100) DACs, but the Audio-gd stuff sounds better. 
Quote:

...
 and got a "lovely cube" headphone amp which i'm running out of a FP10 firewire audio interface.  

EDIT: I just noticed you need dual outputs.  I don't think any of the A-gd products will serve. They appear to do headphone output, or line output, but not both simultaneously. I'm not sure though; you might want to send them an email.

 

[theinfinate]

I found a used Stella DA100 on ebay with only a short time to end so i snapped it up for $550, I don't know much about DAC's but by the look of the reviews it should be a good first DAC i think.  If i feel i need better (unfortunately i'm a bit prone to selling stuff and getter the much more expensive better stuff) i'l just sell it and buy something better when i know more on the topic.
 
I'm glad i found out about this whole "audiophile" thing as music is a big part of my life but i'm a bit worried my bank account is going to suffer!  I'm already looking for a portable solution for my iphone and i haven't even heard music through a dac yet!  I may want to even look at getting a portable flac player but honestly i struggle to notice much difference between 320 kbps and lossless, (mind u thats just with HD600's plugged straight into my FP10 interface) maybe the lossless has a little more clarity….perhaps i need a dac to tell the difference?
Quote:

How do you connect the "lovely cube" to the FP10?  It looks like the FP10 only provides digital outputs (hence your question about a DAC).
 
 

The FP10 has a few outs actually, digital and 6.3mm TRS, i was just using 6.3mm to RCA adapters.  Maybe this is not the best method going from TRS to an RCA adapter, not sure.

 

[Sheldon N]

Congrats on the new purchase, the Stella looks like a great choice. I was going to add a +1 for the DacMagic, but looks like I'm a little late to the party.

 

[BRAC]

Take a look at the Schiit Bifrost. It's a step up from the Dacmagic. I have owned both.

I don't think you will do any better than the Bifrost under $500. Another option is to go used. I often see the Benchmark DAC1's listed used for $500, which is a very good deal, imho.

EDIT: Sorry, I just realized that you already made a purchase. Anyway, I suppose this info could still be useful for others.

 

[Zero Walker]

No idea why i wrote here, mistook the Topic. Sorry


//Wrong Post