section Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 Hi, Looking for a DAC to improve my audio streaming from my PS3, so requirement number 1 is it must have optic in. But i would also like the flexibility to also put a PC to it in the future so i would like it to have USB in as well. I know there not alot of quality stuff with all these features at this price point. Currently I'm looking at the CA Dacmagic 100, alot of reviews reckon the arcam rdac is alot better but it seems to also be around $200 more so i am not sure how they can compare the two? I can maybe stretch a bit more but definatly $350 max.
section Posted October 29, 2013 Author Posted October 29, 2013 (edited) Amp is a Marantz PM7001 Speakers are B&W 683, I am running stereo off my ps3, I also have a Marantz cd6002 cd player but am not 100% sure if a $300 dollar dac will likely sound better but can always try... Edited October 29, 2013 by section
sdave Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 I use a Musical Fidelity VDAC II for my desktop system. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles but does have Optical/Coaxial and a decent USB input. Sound quality is great. 2
Damhooligan Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 Amp is a Marantz PM7001 Speakers are B&W 683, I am running stereo off my ps3, I also have a Marantz cd6002 cd player but am not 100% sure if a $300 dollar dac will likely sound better but can always try... my amp is the pm7004, and connected to it it's the dacmagic. I have not had another dac, so I can't compare between dac's But i'm very happy with my magic box.
blakey72 Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 Here's a few: http://www.addictedtoaudio.com.au/Schiit-Audio-Modi-USB-Asynch-DAC-Wireworld-Ultraviolet-USB-Inc http://www.gspaudio.co.uk/bitzie-usb-dac-external-soundcard.htm ~$450 http://www.addictedtoaudio.com.au/Audiogd-NFB15-DACHeadphone-AmpPreamp-Tenor-TE8802-USB
section Posted October 29, 2013 Author Posted October 29, 2013 (edited) Thanks for those recommendations, The last one seem to be the only one with an optic input, I'll do some more reading on this one. Thanks for the advice thus far guys. The sub $500 DAC range just seems to be jam packed with options now and I was just getting myself so confused trying to pick one. Specially when 90% of them can't be heard locally so largely you rely on another peoples opinions. Edited October 29, 2013 by section
blakey72 Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 Thanks for those recommendations, The last one seem to be the only one with an optic input, I'll do some more reading on this one. Thanks for the advice thus far guys. The sub $500 DAC range just seems to be jam packed with options now and I was just getting myself so confused trying to pick one. Specially when 90% of them can't be heard locally so largely you rely on another peoples opinions. The first doesn't have optical. Second and third do
New Sensations Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 That audio-gd would be my pick of the suggestions thus far.
section Posted October 29, 2013 Author Posted October 29, 2013 my amp is the pm7004, and connected to it it's the dacmagic. I have not had another dac, so I can't compare between dac's But i'm very happy with my magic box. Are you using the Dacmagic 100, the plus or the origional?
Juicester Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 (edited) am not 100% sure if a $300 dollar dac will likely sound better but can always try... It won't - at least, I doubt it. I had the same player and the REGA DAC (rrp $1,000 I think) was only a little bit better than the CD player in my opinion. The cd6002 is MILES ahead of the PS3 for CD playback (I used to use the PS3 before upgrading to the Marantz). Edited October 29, 2013 by Juicester
section Posted October 30, 2013 Author Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) Yeah i don't use the PS3 for CD play back, I stream high quality MP3's etc via it though. I might also hook up a small spare netbook i have to said DAC via USB for use with even higher quality audio files. Been doing alot more reading anyway. Now I'm thinking of saving for another week or two and spending about $500-600 seems that extra few hundred can get you alot more DAC. Anyone have any experience with the peachtree dac-itx? it seem extremely popular rated higher than the schiit bifrosteven with the uber mods which seems very popular. Edited October 30, 2013 by section
Juicester Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 Been doing alot more reading anyway. Now I'm thinking of saving for another week or two and spending about $500-600 seems that extra few hundred can get you alot more DAC. That price bracket still only puts you into the Rega DAC territory; which is what I was comparing against the marantz..... I think you might need to shoot a little higher if you want a night and day improvement - otherwise, just make sure your expectations are realistic (i.e. a $600 second-hand DAC is likely to be better, but not MILES ahead). I can highly reccomend something like the Audio GD DAC19DSP (which has the PCM1704UK implementation) - I swapped to that over the Rega DAC and preferred it.
Damhooligan Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 Are you using the Dacmagic 100, the plus or the origional?Im using the 100.
Janus77 Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) I just bought an odac from jdslabs, pretty happy with the performance. **edit, disregard, noted you are looking for an optical input. Edited October 30, 2013 by Janus77
stephennic Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 Hi, I recommend the audio gd 15.32 better than the cambridge and arcam sonically. It upgraded my Marantz and consonance cd players. Have a look at addicted to audio website, or compare dacs instore. Cheers Steve.
pete_mac Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 Yeah i don't use the PS3 for CD play back, I stream high quality MP3's etc via it though. I might also hook up a small spare netbook i have to said DAC via USB for use with even higher quality audio files. Been doing alot more reading anyway. Now I'm thinking of saving for another week or two and spending about $500-600 seems that extra few hundred can get you alot more DAC. Anyone have any experience with the peachtree dac-itx? it seem extremely popular rated higher than the schiit bifrosteven with the uber mods which seems very popular. For $600 you could land an audio-gd NFB1P which is SMD version of the NFB1.32. The DAC itself is $499, plus shipping and whatnot. Probably the cheapest 'built' ES9018 DAC out there. 1
adamg Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) I'd take a Schiit http://schiit.com W Concur with Willco Nothing like a good.....(and I promised myself I'd never make a Schiit joke) Edited October 30, 2013 by adamg
peal Posted October 31, 2013 Posted October 31, 2013 Concur with Willco Nothing like a good.....(and I promised myself I'd never make a Schiit joke) So would a $99 US Schitt Modi be a reasonable cheap DAC for a PC setup? And you can only get them direct from the Schitt USA site?
Peter_F Posted October 31, 2013 Posted October 31, 2013 Audio GD NFB-2 2nd hand for around $250-300 Yepp I would rate these as the best bang for dollar dac!
Bomber Rock Posted October 31, 2013 Posted October 31, 2013 Have you thought about getting a squeezebox touch and using its own internal DAC? Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
New Sensations Posted October 31, 2013 Posted October 31, 2013 Concur with Willco Nothing like a good.....(and I promised myself I'd never make a Schiit joke) So would a $99 US Schitt Modi be a reasonable cheap DAC for a PC setup? And you can only get them direct from the Schitt USA site? Yes. I suspect Schiit will redirect you to Aussie distributor, Addicted To Audio.
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