Help me decide on an inexpensive DAC

I am looking for "vinyl" souding DAC without digital glare

 

I read that with aunt t1 tube only works if using USB. I would like to use chrome cast audio with it.

 

I seldom use the headphone amp. It's primarily a DAC that has a headphone amp thrown in. It isn't a headphone amp with a DAC thrown in. Hope that clarifies matters.

It is 99% of the time used with my stereo and it sounds fantastic, though the tube needs to be changed to one that is of a higher caliber to truly get the most out of this unit. I strongly recommend an NOS Amperex 6DJ8 for how musical and cheap it is. Can't go wrong with that.

As for comparisons to other DACs, I have compared it to DACs from computer interfaces from Focusrite and a couple of sound cards such as Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi HD. The DACMagic is a unit my father-in-law possesses but he only recently took hold of it and comparisons won't be possible until the pandemic is over, which is to say it won't be possible to provide feedback in that respect for months, possibly until 2021, even.

The bottom line is it's a highly musical DAC. If you're looking for ultimate precision and micro detail, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a DAC which will make your digital sound inviting and analog-like, this tube-based DAC is a real bargain.

It sounds like you have a lot of questions regarding functionality for your particular situation, none of which I can assist you with. I would therefore suggest you contact the manufacturer directly for help with those. I can assure you it works with both USB and Line-In.

Good luck!

 

I'd suggest looking for an old/vintage r2r ladder DAC

 

Take a look at the SMSL U8. I've had mine for a good six months now and am still happy with it. The SMSL has DSP settings which allow you to tailor the sound a bit. I'm switching between one of the "tube" settings and a setting called "rich." These provide a smoother sound than the "straight" sound of the dac. I'm guessing the "straight" mode is most accurate, but having the options is nice.

 

I wouldnt touch those chinese dac.
since your on a budget, get used gear.

go with schiit used. if you dont like it, no money lost. that to me is such a important factor when buying used budget gear: resale.

 

Just received and listened to the Topping E30 DAC that has an AKM4493 Chip and only costed $130. It is amazing !!! But if you need xlr connectivity then this e30 DAC is not for you.

 

I've been very happy with mine.

 

Why's that? Have you listened to any of them? Which ones?

 

Imo their place of origin would keep me from buying one considering what's happened to the world. How wonderful they might sound or how cheap they are all but meaningless now. My only experience with one was a Grant Fidelity tubed dac11 which I thought was nothing special and moved on from it.

 

A gimmick product like a tube DAC has nothing to do with the properly designed stuff made by Chinese brands.

In any case, if someone has a problem with Chinese made product, no big deal. DACs are a commodity these days and there are many companies making decent DACs that are properly designed.

If you want "Made in the USA", look at JDS Labs. Their stuff is generally well designed, measures well, and doesn't cost an insane amount of money.

 

The op is looking for an inexpensive dac and the one I mentioned does qualify for his price range.

 

Would the Topping D10 be a good option to get DSD for my desktop PC?

I’m wanting a way to hear the DSD files I’m going to record on my Tascam DA3000....basically as part of my needledrop workflow.
Ultimate fidelity on the desktop PC isn’t the goal...I’m thinking that the D10 would essentially be an external soundcard.
And if it worked on my 2011 era iMac that would be great too

Your thoughts?

 

Good sound with the Schitt Modi series, but the lack of support for smartphone connectivity is inexcusable, and Schitt’s rationale for not designing their DACs with iphones/Androids in mind is kind of insulting (“We don’t understand why people want to use euch buggy pieces of equipment”). If I had to buy a DAC again, it’d be a Dragonfly.

 

I'm playing high res (24/96) from my Android Pixel 3 through a Schiit Eitr (Gen 5 USB) right now. Using the USB Audio Player Pro app.

Edit: also works playing directly to Modi Multibit using Gen 2 USB. Playing Daft Punk in 24/88.2

 

Schitt shouldn't be so lazy on this matter by forcing users to purchase external 3rd party apps for smartphone use, but even that app is just for Android. The people at Schitt are pretty smart and, if they really wanted to, could offer better support for their own products.

 

That's the way Android phones work. It's not Schiit's fault or any other DAC makers fault. All DACs with Android work that way. I have several USB-C dongles for my phone because the phone doesn't have a headphone jack. Those dongles are made to work with Android. The dongles require the USB Audio Player Pro app if you want them to do high-res. They all do. That's how Android works.

If I plug in one of the dongles and don't run the USB Audio Player Pro app the dongle will play audio but all the audio will get resampled by Android and not sound audiophile. If I use the USB Audio Player Pro app I can play local files in high-res.

The Schiit DACs work the same way with Android. I can plug in the Schiit DAC to my phone and play YouTube and the YouTube music will play through the DAC. But will get resampled by the Android OS. If I want to get the DAC to play high-res I need to use USB Audio Player Pro or a similar app. Or the phone needs to have specific additional audio support added by the device manufacturer to support audiophile high-res playback without a third-party app. Some phones have that support. You pay extra for that.

 

I have this DAC also. I’m a records and tube guy and this DAC is smooth and not fatiguing. The settings timind said above are great

 

I am looking for info on affordable DACs and reading this thread makes me more confused. I don't have a high-res audio collection--just a bunch of records and cds.... I was thinking to stream Quobuz from my iPhone. But it sounds like simply connecting a DAC, say the Schitt Audio Modius, and adding the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, won't let me hear high-res streams from my phone?
I could stream from my old Macbook, but the more I read here the more I wonder if I would even hear a difference. $230 would buy me a lot of used cds when the record stores reopen!

Is streaming high-res audio an affordable possibility?

 

Getting quality audio from a phone is tricky. Especially with high-res. It can be done, but specifics depend on the model of phone. Once you get it working on your current phone the phone will be obsolete in two years and you'll get a new phone. That new phone will have different rules and you'll have to figure out how to get that new phone to do high-res all over again. I'd suggest avoiding the phone as a way to play audio. There are better ways.

One potentially better way that isn't too expensive is to use a Raspberry Pi as server/renderer that is connected to the DAC. The Rasberry Pi will be the device that plays the music or plays the Qobuz or Tidal stream. In that kind of setup you can us your phone or tablet as a controller to control what plays. In that use the phone or tablet is just a fancy remote with a nice large screen. The phone or tablet isn't actually playing the music.

The audibility of high-res is a can of worms. Some audiophiles hear the difference. Some don't. I hear a difference, but my ability to hear that difference depends on the DAC and gear used. It's not a matter of buying more expensive gear. It's a matter of buying the right gear.

I believe it is worth pursing good high-res playback. But not if your budget is constrained to the point that buying the gear necessary means you can't buy music. Wait till you have more budget. Ideally the gear spending shouldn't affect the music spending. At that point you can chase better gear and enjoy the music.

I haven't tried the Modius. I'm not sure how well it would do high-res for me. The Modi 3 and similar DACs are kinda iffy for me in hearing the benefits of high-res. I can still hear some benefit of high-res, but it's much more subtle than I'm used to. I find the Schiit multibits and similar DACs to allow me to hear the benefits of high-res better.

 

Thanks. You've answered the big question for me. I'll wait until I'm able to audition some gear.

 

Have you heard a PS Audio Digital Link III?

 

Its a fantastic dac, i don't know how they did it, based on my research TDA1543 chips are not shown much love, but damn, the soumd i get from this dac is unreal. I barely listen to CDs but now i can't stop spinning my old collection. It's great in Rock, Pop, Vocals. Guitats & vocals especialy, are as if they play & sing in front of you, big sound stage. If CD listening gives you fatigue, this dac will cure that.

 

It mates well with my tube amp and any speakers with somewhat strident highs. Many will prefer a DAC with higher resolution but those tend to lack the bass dynamics of the S-FL.