A good DAC for under $500

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by boogieman, Sep 1, 2014.

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  1. boogieman

    boogieman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Can someone recommend a good DAC for under $500.00?
     
  2. theron d

    theron d Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baltimore MD
    Yes, used:

    Musical Fidelity M1DAC A
    PS Audio DLIII
     
  3. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
  4. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    reapers, Bill, wgb113 and 5 others like this.
  5. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Mike McMann likes this.
  6. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    RonW likes this.
  7. ls35a

    ls35a Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eagle, Idaho
    The Peachtree dacit is only $299 these days - a bargain. I have one as well as a Schiit Bifrost, another bargain.
     
  8. jeands8

    jeands8 Forum Resident

    No complaint with my Teac UD-H01. The Headphone amp is a nice bonus. Jean
     
    Mike McMann, GuildX700 and LeeS like this.
  9. adamdube

    adamdube Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elyria, OH USA
    +1 on the Schiit Bifrost.....one thing to remember with this is the upgrade options....completely modular so when it's time for something better to come along it's as simple as pie to upgrade.
     
  10. DaveC113

    DaveC113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Front Range CO
    I'd probably go with the ifi micro. I had a Schiit Bifrost Uber and it's ok... but no DSD. Honestly... all the DACs in this price range are going to be slightly different but one won't be much better than any other.
     
    beowulf and LeeS like this.
  11. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    iFi Micro should be on the short list. I got a chance to hear the prototype and it sounded excellent. The finished product is said to sound even better.
     
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  12. JoshM

    JoshM Forum Resident

    If your into adding a bit of a tube flavor to your system, I recommend the Maverick D2 DAC. I prefer it to the Schiit Modi, which I also have. Though there's obviously a price gap involved between the D2 and the Modi, the D2 isn't as pricey as the Bitfrost, especially with the Uber upgrade. Plus, Ryan who runs Maverick and designs all their stuff is great to deal with. IMO, you can't beat the D2 for the price if you want an "analog" sounding DAC. The only asterisk is that (like the USB Modi), the D2 can't do 192 files if you plan to use those. In that case, go with the Bitfrost, or perhaps the Maverick D1+, which can handle 192 files.
     
    c-eling likes this.
  13. TarnishedEars

    TarnishedEars Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Seattle area
    I little over your price point is the Teac UD-501. It's a very nice sounding unit which can play virtually anything.
     
  14. adamdube

    adamdube Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elyria, OH USA
    Until they add it for $129 on a board you can install on your own.....
     
  15. DaveC113

    DaveC113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Front Range CO
    You do know Schiit is anti-DSD right?

    And the Bifrost is nothing special anyway.
     
  16. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    Schiit Bifrost
     
  17. adamdube

    adamdube Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elyria, OH USA
    I did not know that, but they are smart business men and if the market calls for it they might just do it.

    If it's nothing special, why do you use one?

    I think they sound fantastic, but I likely have better source material than some, my own vinyl rips.
     
  18. DaveC113

    DaveC113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Front Range CO
    They have the Loki for DSD and no plans to make their others DACs DSD capable. Look up which Norse god Loki is... :D

    The Bifrost is fine, but so are many other DACs in the $500 range and I don't feel any one of them is really a standout.

    I used one because it was what I could afford at the time. If you're willing to spend (a lot) more money you can do much better than the Bifrost.
     
  19. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    The decision about whether to get a DAC that is PCM only or a DAC that can do PCM and DSD does complicate DAC shopping right now. An additional layer of audiophile nervosa to deal with.

    I'm DAC shopping right now for a good DAC and trying to figure out this DSD support thing. Thinking about the Schiit Gungnir, or something that can do DSD. I'm leaning towards the Gungnir. I've also got a Light Harmonic Geek Pulse X on order which will give me DSD capability to explore the DSD side of things.
     
  20. adamdube

    adamdube Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elyria, OH USA
    Interesting, a one off, solitary God....DSD, this being their one off.

    I haven't played with too many DACs...the Bifrost, Emotiva XDA-1, and a MSB Link DAC III - I ended up liking the Bifrost the best.....although these days, it sits on standby with all the vinyl play time.
     
  21. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    And that's part of the audiophile nervosa that makes me wonder if I ought to try a DSD capable DAC. Still, I'm leaning towards the Schiit Gungnir.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2014
  22. MonkeyMan

    MonkeyMan A man who dreams he is a butterfly?

    Holy moly... I didn't realize these download files were so expensive. I'd never ever spend $25 for a file. At least I don't think I would... Are these things well documented, as in mastering info? Admittedly, I was starting to feel curious about downloading DSD. Not at that price, though.
     
  23. ThorensSme

    ThorensSme Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spokane
    I can heartily recommend the Apogee Duet 2. Sounds wonderful. Doesn't do DSD, so if you need that look elsewhere.
     
  24. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    25 bucks
    http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/96236/Band_of_Horses-Acoustic_At_The_Ryman-DSD_Download

    And some are $40
    http://quilesandcloud.downloadsnow.net/
    Though I did buy that one when it was on sale for less
     
  25. MonkeyMan

    MonkeyMan A man who dreams he is a butterfly?

    Jeez... I had no idea. Some of these things could be nearly anything, and you wouldn't know until AFTER buying? No way man. Not me. I'll stick with my greatly loved DCC, AF, MoFi, etc... And my 1st pressings.
     
    .crystalised. and Mal like this.
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