Bottlehead Forum
Other Gear => Digital => Topic started by: fredrickj on April 02, 2014, 07:14:40 AM
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My only source for my music is a laptop Pc (Windows). I am looking for a really good DAC for under $300. What are you all using if you're using a USB DAC?
thanks
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I use ODAC and I'm quiet impressed with the little guy.
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The ODAC is very hard to beat for the money, it really is a bargain. The Firefly is also highly rated, and costs roughly the same. You could actually buy both for $300.
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I'm using a Musical Fidelity V-DAC while I wait on the Bottlehead DAC. The V-DAC is good but I'm sure the BH DAC will be much better. Much more expensive too.
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Schitt Modi great sound and price.
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I'm currently vacillating between the Schiit Modi and Bifrost. Any one using the Bifrost?
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The ODAC is a better DAC than the Modi so i would skip that one, the Bifrost is highly spoken of but considerably more expensive by the time you add USB and and the upgraded IV stage. For that kind of budget i would be waiting to see what the Bottlehead offering is going to cost.
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Any idea when BH will come out with their DAC?
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I haven't heard the ODAC but I am enjoying the pupDAC I built.
http://www.diyforums.org/PupDAC/PupDACoverview.php
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Funny you should mention the pupdac kit, there is one in the mail on its way to me, going to use it with my portable setup for work :)
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Finished building my PupDAC this evening and i am deeply impressed with it. vs the ODAC it seems more refined, especially top end. Where the ODAC can sometimes sound flat and lifeless dynamically this little Pup has a deeper set of lungs.
Downside, for $120 is roughly the same cost as an ODAC, and its USB interface is limited to 16bit only. I suspect it may not measure as well as the ODAC in THD and other measurements but it sounds better to me. Really wasn't expecting that as i bought it to trow in my laptop bag and use in work. Now it might actually stay hooked upto the S.E.X. amp until the Botthehead DAC comes out.
Worth pointing out, if a Crack / S.E.X. amp is a 5/10 in difficulty, this is a 20. SMD components are no fun at all to work with.
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Yeah, particularly the chips, those were a real pain in my ass. Luckily I did not rush things. I did the chips and then went to bed, checked them again with a magnifying glass in the morning sun and found a couple of bridges my tired eyes did not see the night before. Just like any DIY, go slow, take your time, double & triple check connections, it will turn out okay :)
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Finished building my PupDAC this evening and i am deeply impressed with it. vs the ODAC it seems more refined, especially top end. Where the ODAC can sometimes sound flat and lifeless dynamically this little Pup has a deeper set of lungs.
Downside, for $120 is roughly the same cost as an ODAC, and its USB interface is limited to 16bit only. I suspect it may not measure as well as the ODAC in THD and other measurements but it sounds better to me. Really wasn't expecting that as i bought it to trow in my laptop bag and use in work. Now it might actually stay hooked upto the S.E.X. amp until the Botthehead DAC comes out.
Worth pointing out, if a Crack / S.E.X. amp is a 5/10 in difficulty, this is a 20. SMD components are no fun at all to work with.
Is there a Bottlehead DAC coming out? Please say yes.
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Sorry, my first ever post and I ask a dumb question!
2 seconds after I pressed post I saw the thread on the kickstarter DAC project.
Dan
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Welcome. There is a Bottlehead DAC in the works but it will be in the four digit price range so not really comparable to the above.
I made the comment above that i suspected the PupDAC wouldn't measure as well as the ODAC. Since then i have played with RMAA and made a few measurements and found the opposite to be true.
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I recently switched from Schiit Modi to Nuforce Icon HDP (you can find one on ebay below $300) and it pairs with Crack very nicely
192kHz/24-bit via toslink
P.S. I have Modi for sale if you interested (only used it for about 3 days )
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I am currently at the same place as you do, 300$ budget for DAC, the bifrost is what I wish for but with all its upgrades it reaches 520$ its way over 300$, someone recommended me Musical Fidelity v90 dac but i can't seem to find much reviews on it and I heard musical fidelity is not what it used to be since they moved they production to Vietnam.
Anyway I am starting to play with the idea of buying a portable dac/amp with an emphasize on the dac this way I can get a portable combo for my IEM or any other low impedance HP and a dac for home, it might be a good idea to save some money..
There are quite a few options , audio quest ff, meridian explorer, but I think HRT mircostreamer is the best considering connectivity to mobile devices and sound wise up to 300$
About the ODAC, I heard a lot of recommendations though its sound to some as flat and very analytically, this is why I am afraid of it, I don't want something to flaten my bass but actually emphasize it ...
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I'm the proud & happy owner of an iFi iDSD nano. For less than $200, it plays anything, PCM, DXD, DSD up to 6.2MHz. With its battery, it's portable with my iPhone (Onkyo HF Player) for low impedance headphones, and it pairs beautyfully with the crack and the mac (Audirvana). Absolutely no regret since the new firmware enabled USB3.0 controllers (all latests machines).
A review in french http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/info/Hi-Fi-Guide/Bancs-d-essai/iFi-Audio-iDSD-Nano-Qobuzissime175549 (http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/info/Hi-Fi-Guide/Bancs-d-essai/iFi-Audio-iDSD-Nano-Qobuzissime175549)
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I'm king of the cheap DAC's. I have
HiFiMeDIY Sabre USB Dac
Nuforce UDAC2
Nuforce UDAC2SE
ODAC
Schiit Modi
Fiio E17
Fiio E07K
Probably leaving something else out. All are pretty great. Right now I'm loving Schiit Modi and Fiio E17
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I'm the proud & happy owner of an iFi iDSD nano. For less than $200, it plays anything, PCM, DXD, DSD up to 6.2MHz. With its battery, it's portable with my iPhone (Onkyo HF Player) for low impedance headphones, and it pairs beautyfully with the crack and the mac (Audirvana). Absolutely no regret since the new firmware enabled USB3.0 controllers (all latests machines).
A review in french http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/info/Hi-Fi-Guide/Bancs-d-essai/iFi-Audio-iDSD-Nano-Qobuzissime175549 (http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/info/Hi-Fi-Guide/Bancs-d-essai/iFi-Audio-iDSD-Nano-Qobuzissime175549)
I am thinking of getting one of those. I am curious, does it perform well as a DAC for non hi-res audio? 99% of my music collection is not DSD/hi-res, i.e. it's just ripped CD's (lossless APE), but I'd like to have the option of getting into more DSD in the future. Why would I buy the standard iDAC if the iDSD does the same job and more?
Dan
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Hi Dan
I've ripped most of my CD collection into flac, and yes the nano treats them like anything else with higher bandwidth.
Attached file : grab of audirvana
I am thinking of getting one of those. I am curious, does it perform well as a DAC for non hi-res audio? 99% of my music collection is not DSD/hi-res, i.e. it's just ripped CD's (lossless APE), but I'd like to have the option of getting into more DSD in the future. Why would I buy the standard iDAC if the iDSD does the same job and more?
Dan
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IMO for $300 you can get a better DAC like the TEAC-UD-H01(MSRP $500-650) it's discotinued but you can still find them brandnew for $250-300.
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IMO for $300 you can get a better DAC like the TEAC-UD-H01(MSRP $500-650) it's discotinued but you can still find them brandnew for $250-300.
I haven't heard either, but what seems appealing about the ifi iDSD is that it seems to be getting rave reviews and it plays DSD files. There are not many DACs on the market that play DSD in that price range.
And something that bugs me (I don't know why) is that you don't seem to be able to get a USB DAC that doesn't include a headphone amp. When you already have a great headphone amp (like I hope to soon when I get my Crack working ;-) I'd rather my DAC budget went to making a better DAC... know what I mean?
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I'm the proud & happy owner of an iFi iDSD nano. For less than $200, it plays anything, PCM, DXD, DSD up to 6.2MHz. With its battery, it's portable with my iPhone (Onkyo HF Player) for low impedance headphones, and it pairs beautyfully with the crack and the mac (Audirvana). Absolutely no regret since the new firmware enabled USB3.0 controllers (all latests machines).
A review in french http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/info/Hi-Fi-Guide/Bancs-d-essai/iFi-Audio-iDSD-Nano-Qobuzissime175549 (http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/info/Hi-Fi-Guide/Bancs-d-essai/iFi-Audio-iDSD-Nano-Qobuzissime175549)
Have your tried your Nano with the hd650 ? is it able to drive 300 Ohms headphones as well as 40 Ohm IEM's?
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Have your tried your Nano with the hd650 ? is it able to drive 300 Ohms headphones as well as 40 Ohm IEM's?
Oh yes, it works with the HD650 but considering the 300ohm impedance, the nano amp will obviously not go as far as the Crack : the bandwidth is reduced, the 650 remains veiled. But to be honest, I need to tell that my Crack is now far from stock and its modifications and tube choices widely enhance the HD650 response. For other lower impedances, I have not quality headphone to tell, but reviews seem to consider the nano amp as excellent.
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Thanks for your reply, I am considering the Nano but I don't know what to do,
if I take the nano it will be 90% stationary dac with the crack and 10% portable with IEM, I hope its not a waste of money to buy something that is an all a rounder (portable/dac/amp) instead of just dac for my budget (300$) .. o_0
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Thanks for your reply, I am considering the Nano but I don't know what to do,
if I take the nano it will be 90% stationary dac with the crack and 10% portable with IEM, I hope its not a waste of money to buy something that is an all a rounder (portable/dac/amp) instead of just dac for my budget (300$) .. o_0
Another advantage of being mobile is the autonomous power (when powered before plugging it) bypassing the USB external power and its possible pollution. And its price remains less than 2/3 of your budget.