[satori1]

Hello, first post here, long time lurker.
 
Of all the A/V forums I frequent, this seems like the best place to get some advice on a new DAC. I'm looking for some suggestions for a new standalone DAC that meets my requirements. I'd like to hear about any, whether or not you've had personal experience with them.
 
- $500 range +/- (new or used)
- Table top / Stand alone
- Balanced analog outputs
- No wall wart for power supply
- 24/192 capability via USB strongly preferred but not required
- headphone amp not required
 
Thank you very much in advance!

 

[billybob_jcv]

Hmm, I was with you until you said balanced. That makes the game a little harder for that price. I was all set to recommend an Audio-gd DAC, but their balanced units are way out of your price range. Need to think about this one...

Edit:

I'm not sure this is really what you are looking for, but a few that I did think of are:

ALO The Island:
http://www.aloaudio.com/dacs/the-island

iBasso DB2:
http://www.ibasso.com/products-detail.php?id=84

Matrix Mini i-Pro:
http://store.matrix-digi.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=50

Little Dot DAC I:
http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=814&sid=52c55af0afbd125008cf2b0df29c87a1

 

[satori1]

Thank you for the suggestions! I will explore all of those you listed.

 

[satori1]

....so far that Matrix Mini i-Pro looks really interesting. Reading the HF impressions post now.

 

[auvgeek]

Gustard X12?

 

[satori1]

  Gustard X12?

Thanks! That looks like a nice unit, though I can't seem to find any North American distributors.

 

[auvgeek]

pollychen on eBay is who most head-if-ers have purchased through. You can check out the individual Gustard threads for more info. I don't own the X12, myself. I do own the corresponding amp, but I'm just a budding audiophile so my opinion isn't worth much.

I am also looking for a DAC in this price range with balanced outputs, so I'm pretty curious what else is available and how it compares to the X12.

 

[cel4145]

I've used pollychen. Good vendor

 

[owendace]

You can try for a Yulong D200. Has balanced out, integrated amp is a bonus. The sound of the dac is I would say slightly warm. Overall it's pretty good.Has a ESS9016 chip in it and plays up to 32bit 384khz. Lemme know if you're interested! I have one looking to sell.

 

[auvgeek]

You can try for a Yulong D200. Has balanced out, integrated amp is a bonus. The sound of the dac is I would say slightly warm. Overall it's pretty good.Has a ESS9016 chip in it and plays up to 32bit 384khz. Lemme know if you're interested! I have one looking to sell.

I've been looking at the D200, actually. I'm really curious how it compares to the X12. I'm also curious how much extra you're paying for the headamp. If all you need is the DAC, it seems like you'd get more value out of a standalone unit.