Digital Man Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 Hi All, I am having a 6v6 SET amp built, it has a small footprint, I will be using it in my bedroom, I wish to keep this system on the, physically speaking, small side, so, I am looking for a DAC that can also read/playback music files, which I can then plug into my 6v6 SET amp, rather than use a cd player or such like, so, can anyone recommend one to me ? either second hand or new, I can go up to $500 for something that suits, please, no streamers or network systems need apply. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 (edited) On 18/9/2024 at 9:35 PM, Digital Man said: Hi All, I am having a 6v6 SET amp built, it has a small footprint, I will be using it in my bedroom, I wish to keep this system on the, physically speaking, small side, so, I am looking for a DAC that can also read/playback music files, which I can then plug into my 6v6 SET amp, rather than use a cd player or such like, so, can anyone recommend one to me ? either second hand or new, I can go up to $500 for something that suits, please, no streamers or network systems need apply. Thanks IMO the best sub $1000 DAC available on the market in Australia is the Topping E70 Velvet. It is a fantastic sounding DAC, extremely resolute but still musical and enjoyable to listen to, highly stable, good menu set-up and configuration options, and as per all Topping gear measures superbly. I have compared to much higher priced DACs and it competes very well. They are $600 at the moment so slightly above your budget but a verifiable hi-fi bargain at that price. Ignore any anti Topping rhetoric that you read on here, they do not all sound the same and the velvet is absolutely not overly clinical or sterile sounding. Edited September 20 by POV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogie44 Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 My daughter bought the iFi Nano iOne DAC and I was astounded at the quality of its sound. It's small. It's cheap (hers was $240). It's multi-function. See: https://darko.audio/2017/03/smart-and-clean-ifi-audios-nano-ione-dac-w-bluetooth/ Could be good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted September 20 Author Share Posted September 20 Looks like what I am after doesn't really exist, I think that I have to revaluate my position towards DAC/network streamers after all, a DAP is another option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 19 minutes ago, Digital Man said: Looks like what I am after doesn't really exist, I think that I have to revaluate my position towards DAC/network streamers after all, a DAP is another option I don’t understand this. Can you be more specific about what you are after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted September 20 Author Share Posted September 20 Let me explain one more time, I was hoping to buy a Dac with the ability to playback music files, either with a usb stick or a micro/SD card or even an internal ssd drive, minus the streaming part, connecting to my valve amp with RCA, that is what I was wanting, but since my original post, with more searching and reading as well as a couple of chats, there is no such device, can only achieve what wam after with a streamer, I can side step the streamer part by just using the streamer manually, so I guess that is what I will have to do, so any recommendations for such ? Budget is still $500, second hand or new. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Ah ok I understand. The first post didn’t mention usb/ssd stored music. Only option I can think of that’s not a streamer would be a cd player with usb A input, there’s a number of these around but not sure if any are what you would call small footprint. Re streamers, for $500 best options would be second hand blue sound node or a new Wiim pro plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godot Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 (edited) This Cambridge Audio MXN10 does what you need, and more, in a smaller size device than a CD player, but it’s over your budget. You might be able to find a demo or “B” stock at a better price. Edited September 20 by Godot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 2 hours ago, Digital Man said: Let me explain one more time, I was hoping to buy a Dac with the ability to playback music files, either with a usb stick or a micro/SD card or even an internal ssd drive, minus the streaming part, connecting to my valve amp with RCA, that is what I was wanting, but since my original post, with more searching and reading as well as a couple of chats, there is no such device, can only achieve what wam after with a streamer, I can side step the streamer part by just using the streamer manually, so I guess that is what I will have to do, so any recommendations for such ? Budget is still $500, second hand or new. Thanks Why not just ignore the streamer part? Just use the local file playback. btw. my solution is a raspberry pi running moOde, and an external USB DAC and hard drive. Controlled by my phone. You can set this up for well under $500. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 Actually, also worth looking at the recently released Node Nano which are $500 rrp and very small. https://www.bluesound.com/products/node-nano/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicArt Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 I suggested a wiim to a customer, he ordered one and is rapt with what it does and the price is very fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted September 21 Author Share Posted September 21 Yeah, I am considering the ultra, but it has sooo many features that I just don't need or want the pro would be my choice, but there is no ability for media storage on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 (edited) Your requirement can be met by any streamer/DAC under $500 which plays external USB storage. As long as the unit meets the above, why should it matter that it is called a "streamer" or "have too many features" ? Edited September 21 by Snoopy8 Typo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted September 23 Share Posted September 23 On 21/09/2024 at 4:15 PM, Digital Man said: Yeah, I am considering the ultra, but it has sooo many features that I just don't need or want the pro would be my choice, but there is no ability for media storage on it. Why not one of these? Or new Nano https://www.melbournehifi.com.au/products/bluesound-node-nano-wireless-music-streamer?_pos=1&_sid=a3907ac17&_ss=r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeptical Posted September 23 Share Posted September 23 You might want to read this: Building and Managing Your Advanced USB Media Library on WiiM Amp & WiiM Ultra Step by step Guide to Setting Up USB Manual Scan on WiiM Amp/WiiM Ultra https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/615659-wiim-news/?do=findComment&comment=6404261 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_W Posted September 23 Share Posted September 23 You can consider a DAP. It is smaller than any of these options, can store media, and some of them have excellent DAC's. If you want streaming, make sure you look for a DAP that does do streaming. The other advantage of a DAP is that you can take it with you. The major disadvantage: no remote control, and small screen. When considering a DAP, you should consider how long it takes to boot up, and the user interface. Other considerations e.g. size, weight, battery life, output voltage, etc. only apply if you want to take it with you. The problem is, most DAP reviews are utterly useless and 99% of them aren't honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted September 25 Author Share Posted September 25 On 21/09/2024 at 10:59 AM, aussievintage said: Hi, Yes, I am aware of that, it's just annoying that I will have features that I will never use. Why not just ignore the streamer part? Just use the local file playback. btw. my solution is a raspberry pi running moOde, and an external USB DAC and hard drive. Controlled by my phone. You can set this up for well under $500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted September 25 Author Share Posted September 25 On 21/09/2024 at 9:24 AM, POV said: Ah ok I understand. The first post didn’t mention usb/ssd stored music. Only option I can think of that’s not a streamer would be a cd player with usb A input, there’s a number of these around but not sure if any are what you would call small footprint. Re streamers, for $500 best options would be second hand blue sound node or a new Wiim pro plus. Hi, I would consider the wiim pro, but it doesn't have the ability to play media files form a usb or sd card, on the other hand the wiim ultra does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted September 25 Share Posted September 25 1 hour ago, Digital Man said: Why not use the features though? Give high res internet radio a run as example… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted September 25 Author Share Posted September 25 I am thinking of using a mac mini as a media centre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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