Audio Random DAC/Amp Thread!!

esanthosh said:
He is banned from Head-fi and hence he is "He who must not be named" in that forum.

He is not wrong or biased, but his questioning of several well known manufacturer's measurements led to ousters - NwAvGuy: Banned at Head-Fi!
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That makes him more of a Harry Potter than Lord Voldemort... :p

But his blog is great... Lots of interesting articles...

I thought he was like more of Kenrockwell type but turns out he is like Luke fighting the dark side... :p too much ? :D
 
bennysachdev said:
What's your rig like? Are you looking for something portable or a desktop dac + amp? Any preference for sound signature?
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I am looking for something portable that i can use with laptop, currently i have fiio e7, denon d2000 and d1100, shure se535 and Sennheiser HD25-1 II
 
A step up from the Fiio e7 would be either the Audinst MX1, HRT MS2, Yulong U100 or even the Centrance Dacmini as suggested earlier. These should drive your gear pretty well.

You can of course add an amp later if needed. Atleast you should be good as done in the DAC department.
 
bennysachdev said:
A step up from the Fiio e7 would be either the Audinst MX1, HRT MS2, Yulong U100 or even the Centrance Dacmini as suggested earlier. These should drive your gear pretty well.

You can of course add an amp later if needed. Atleast you should be good as done in the DAC department.
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Thanks for suggestion, but these are not available in india and Audinst MX1 is out of stock at pristinenote. also in ebay globalbuy these are way expensive around two times.
 
lavii said:
Thanks for suggestion, but these are not available in india and Audinst MX1 is out of stock at pristinenote. also in ebay globalbuy these are way expensive around two times.
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What's your budget? Probably you could look at FS forums here and on HFV. Some good deals could turn up from time to time. (Hint: Somebody did a <Plug> in this thread ;). It's a good choice if you have the budget as well as affinity for NOS sound)

Are you looking for a DAC + Amp combination i.e., something to replace your E7? Often the best deals could either be costly and/or needs importing. If you have somebody coming in from Singapore / US, you can probably ask them to bring it. Among USB DACs,

  1. Hegel HD2 is said to be good, though I've not read many reviews about it. It costs roughly about 20K and would need a separate headphone amplifier. If I didn't have requirements for other inputs, I'd have gambled my money on that one.
  2. CEntrance DACPort (Used from Head-fi FS) could be another choice. It's slightly costlier, but has a Class A headphone Amp built-in. DACPort LX is the version without the amp and costs about $50 less.
  3. Audinst MX1 is a good choice. I'd say a safer bet considering the praise it receives.
  4. HRT MSII / MSII+ are a good choice as well, but they need a separate headphone amp. And they come with Brendon's high recommendation on their home page :eek:hyeah:
  5. Headstage DAC Cable is a cheaper and compact choice. But getting it is a royal pain in the a$$. I had to wait 5-6 months for Arrow 3G and people are waiting for the upgrade called the "Stick Amp" for more than a year.
  6. Hifiman HM-101 is a new kid on the block - cheap, compact, tiny, has a built-in headphone amp as well. I've read some positive reviews in kiteki's thread over at head-fi.
  7. iBasso has D10/D12/D-ZERO etc., which can be looked at. iBasso churns out several DAC/Amp combos, but I think D10 with Hiflight Top kit and D12 even without the kit are highly regarded. D-ZERO is a new kid on the block, but has some interesting things about it.
  8. Leckerton has UHA-4, UHA-6S. I have the UHA-6S and use it both as a DAC as well as amp. It's slightly costlier to get though. Nick does not undervalue for customs either. Right now, it's among my favorite sources.
 
@esanthosh ,Thanks for detail information, I am watching here and other forums for DAC to show up. My budget is around 20-25k..my preference is dac/amp combination but can also go for DAC only

What do you think about dacmagic, is it good for headphone use with amp. I am getting good deal with dacmaigc but it is big and heard that it is good with speaker only.
 
The issue with DACs is that I am not very familiar with the reviewer's own biases. With IEMs, I can blind buy based just on Joker's reviews / comments, because we both value similar things highly. I am very well aware of James444's priorities, so I am all ears for his remarks about certain characteristics. I don't have this luxury when it comes to DAC/Amp reviews.

I have not heard the DacMagic. From hearsay, I would think it should be good, but not great (neutral, likely cold sounding). It should be a great option in terms of connectivity as most others are very limited in terms of inputs and outputs in this price range. It's USB may be a weak link (supports 16/44, not as good sounding as Opt/Coax inputs).

I would think that V-DAC with V-Link + PSU upgrade should be a competitor, but different in terms of sound signature (warm + sweet?).

DACPort would likely be better if you want more a neutral, tilted slightly toward brightness kind of signature.

What do you not like about E7 - lack of driving power?

Do you intend to use it only with the laptop?

Do you require more inputs than just USB? Does your laptop has a SPDIF out?

Aside, for those who own/heard D2000/D5000, do they need a good amp to shine?

Those are the factors to consider before hitting up on the right combination of DAC+Amp or DAC-cum-Amp.
 
I like E7, it is best in that price range. i just want to upgrade and yes i only use it with laptop.

I think Audinst MX1 will be safer bet to go and after few weeks it will be available with pristinenote.
 
lavii said:
@esanthosh ,Thanks for detail information, I am watching here and other forums for DAC to show up. My budget is around 20-25k..my preference is dac/amp combination but can also go for DAC only

What do you think about dacmagic, is it good for headphone use with amp. I am getting good deal with dacmaigc but it is big and heard that it is good with speaker only.
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You could also go for Xonar Essence One (DAC+Amp) for this budget.
IIRC Pristinenote said the price would be around 20k.

Another option to consider is the Amb Gamma 2 DAC, which is well regarded & costs around $330 + shipping for a commissioned build.

And don't forget the PD NOS DAC that 'chaos' has for sale, though you probably should haggle him for a better price ;).
 
Ok I started from udac and soon shifted to HRT Streamer II. Tried Arcam rDAC and then tried the CA Dacmagic. rDAC beats them all with big margin but for the money, the Streamer II gives you a huge value.

Guess what !!! I've sold everything else and I am back on the HRT Streamer II again. :D
 
Hmmm, mighty impressed with NwAvGuy, will get a Behringer DAC and O2 amp soon :D

Damn, I haven't bought anything audio since 2 years :|

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Forgot, will fire this thing soon! Been 3 years since I got this, never used it till now :(

GkpB7.jpg
 
You can get a portable, fully built version of O2 from here - EHP-O2 - Epiphany Acoustics.

I am thinking on those lines. First I need to wait till ZO2 gets "fixed" by digiZoid :(

Update in the night: I may be the first overseas customer to ship the ZO2s back. Now the wait begins for the fixed ZO2 to come back
 
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