orky87
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts
- 22
- Likes
- 10
Hi all,
My system consists of KEF Q300 Monitors (Bi-Wired) with Marantz PM6004 amp.
My mobo supports S/PDIF/COAX, USB2/3, TOSLINK but I'm sure it's better to use my Asus Xonar D2X with custom low latency Unified Drivers v1.64 for better performance.
Down to two DACs now,!
DAC1
Metrum Acoustics NOS Mini DAC Octave
This DAC is form Netherlands, doesn't do any up-sampling or oversampling has a warm, focused, natural character to it, great in mid range and nether is harsh at treble nor grainy. All this driven by it's industrial grade quad Philips TDA1541A chips. This DAC looks exceptionally good value considering how it performs x2 - x3 times it's price range as claimed by some reviewers.
-I have read reports of this DAC performing better when coupled with a USB interface, but what about feeding it @96kHz/24-bit through COAX..?
DAC2
Schiit Bifrost
Seems like a no brainer considering it's price and it doesn’t up-sample – it’s bitperfect all the way up to 24/192.. Apparently you can listen to this one for hours with no fatigue and it ticks all the boxes. Very smooth playback, plenty of resolution and detail, with low and tight bass response.
-Perfect! but is it dull in a way then? How about some dubstep if my mood calls for it will the track be flattened?
So it comes down to Smooth (Schiit Bifrost) vs Natural (NOS Mini Octave) but has anyone heard them both, opinions maybe?
It will be my first DAC, and I want it to match/compliment my current set up as much as possible. Should I forget about NOS Mini Octave and just buy Schiit Bifrost and be done with it?
But I'm afraid to lose out (if that's the case that is). This is where I really need some feedback from you guys, thanks in advanced!
My system consists of KEF Q300 Monitors (Bi-Wired) with Marantz PM6004 amp.
My mobo supports S/PDIF/COAX, USB2/3, TOSLINK but I'm sure it's better to use my Asus Xonar D2X with custom low latency Unified Drivers v1.64 for better performance.
Down to two DACs now,!
DAC1
Metrum Acoustics NOS Mini DAC Octave
This DAC is form Netherlands, doesn't do any up-sampling or oversampling has a warm, focused, natural character to it, great in mid range and nether is harsh at treble nor grainy. All this driven by it's industrial grade quad Philips TDA1541A chips. This DAC looks exceptionally good value considering how it performs x2 - x3 times it's price range as claimed by some reviewers.
-I have read reports of this DAC performing better when coupled with a USB interface, but what about feeding it @96kHz/24-bit through COAX..?
DAC2
Schiit Bifrost
Seems like a no brainer considering it's price and it doesn’t up-sample – it’s bitperfect all the way up to 24/192.. Apparently you can listen to this one for hours with no fatigue and it ticks all the boxes. Very smooth playback, plenty of resolution and detail, with low and tight bass response.
-Perfect! but is it dull in a way then? How about some dubstep if my mood calls for it will the track be flattened?
So it comes down to Smooth (Schiit Bifrost) vs Natural (NOS Mini Octave) but has anyone heard them both, opinions maybe?
It will be my first DAC, and I want it to match/compliment my current set up as much as possible. Should I forget about NOS Mini Octave and just buy Schiit Bifrost and be done with it?
But I'm afraid to lose out (if that's the case that is). This is where I really need some feedback from you guys, thanks in advanced!
