Honeybadger Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Hello all, First, I have been lurking and reading reviews and posts on this site for about a month now, fantastic site, great people...I am glad to have finally joined! Yes, I did the search on this subject and now I am more confused than ever. I built a Shuttle Case, put in a Claro Plus+ for audio and so I have Toslink, Coax(What I am planning to use for output, and USB(not really planning to use it. I picked up a bunch of Reference Records 192k WAV dvds and would like to at least decode them decently. I have a decent pre-amp but it doesn't decode 192k WAV files (only goes up to 96k. So I am looking at external DAC units. I am looking at the DACMAGIC, and a VDAC...something not huge in budget but will do a decent job of decoding these files. Anyone have any advice? THanks all! Link to comment
PeterSt Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 During your search you may have come across Oversampling vs. non-oversampling DACs. If so, and if you have a preference, you should express that I think. Peter Lush^3-e Lush^2 Blaxius^2.5 Ethernet^3 HDMI^2 XLR^2 XXHighEnd (developer) Phasure NOS1 24/768 Async USB DAC (manufacturer) Phasure Mach III Audio PC with Linear PSU (manufacturer) Orelino & Orelo MKII Speakers (designer/supplier) Link to comment
darrenwm Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Will 192 be mandatory? What is the rest of the system? I would start with some well-regarded budget DACs, and then use them to evaluate how much better the more expensive ones are. Link to comment
Oystein Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I was in the same situation a month ago and due to a multi DAC test in a German hifi magazine I ordered the MF V-DAC. In this test was the DacMagic, V-DAC, King-Rex UD-01 and the Project USB-box, all because of a USB input. I found the review online as a PDF file online but I do not remember where I found it so I can not link it here. Fortunately I downloaded the file so if you want I can send it to you by mail... remeber it is in German language. You can also download the file from the magazine's site if you pay for it: http://www.audio.de/Downloads/Vergleichstest-4-guenstige-D_A-Wandler_5027677.html The V-DAC ranked highest on sound but the DacMagic was praised for being very close to the V-DAC and the many input options. Unfortunate I did not receive the V-DAC yet but is expected in 1-2 weeks so I can not give you any user comments. Rigelian iOS app -> BeagleBone Black with Botic driver + Linux MPD + XPEnology NAS -> Soekris dam1121 DAC I2S direct from BBB -> DH Labs Revelation -> NAD C162 -> DH Labs Revelation -> Odyssey Khartago Plus -> DH Labs Q10 -> Boenicke Audio W5 Link to comment
Roseval Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 If I 'googled' right, the DAC of your sound card is able to play 24/192. Anything wrong with the analog out of this card? Link to comment
Honeybadger Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Nothing is wrong with the DAC, it's the cards outputs, they are just mini-din like a iPOD or walkman and since the card is 7.1 it means that I can't put any decent cables on to run to my pre-amp. Thought Coax to an external DAC then Balanced or RCA to my Pre-Amp would be a better path. Also keep hearing that external dedicated DACs are better than the DACs on my sound card. Is this incorrect? BTW, with the DACMagic, if I input a 192k WAV, will it downgrade to 96k then re-upconvert it back to 192k or am I reading the spec sheet wrong? Thanks all! Link to comment
Labarum Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 If 24/96 will do so will the Beresford DAC. http://www.beresford.me/main/main.html Within the next few days a new model will be launched with a USB input and a better analogue section for driving high quality phones. The variable output may also be better improving it's performance as a digital pre-amp - 4 switched inputs. Brian Squeezebox Classic - Beresford Caiman-Gator DAC - Quad 520f with Dada refresh - Quart 980s German Tower Loudspeakers. Link to comment
Honeybadger Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 No, I am really after 24bit/192k if given the option since my source files are of that rate... Thanks, Steve Link to comment
g8k3pr Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I just recently went digital with 500+ CDs. I chose the following hardware: Mac Mini - Intel Duo Core 2 2Ghz; 1Gb RAM; 120 Gb Hard Disk Iomega 500 Gb MiniMax USB HD PS Audio DL III with Stage IV Cullen Circuits Modification Kimber Kable USB cable AB This is all hooked up to my existing Mid-Hi-Fi Audio Rigg McIntosh MA6500 Rega Jupiter CD Player (now connected to the DAC via SPDIF) Audio Physic Virgo III Speakers 8ft Pair of twisted Anti-Cables with banana plugs Harmonic Technology - Single Crystal™ copper (99.9997%) conductor interconnects All music ripped using iTunes and ALAC. I can not hear any discernible difference in quality of CD compared to ALAC encoded content output from the Mac Mini with the exception of a few albums that were frankly poor quality to begin with. SACD content from www.hdtracks.com FLAC converted to AIFF 24 bit 96khz (using MAX) sound absolutely stunning! I'm extremely pleased with the results and the DAC so far. I've added IsoNodes the the Hard Drive and Mac Mini to dampen any extraneous virbrations. Both my wife and I use our iPhones and the Remote App to control iTune on the Mac Mini. Works very well and gives you the ability to set up Genius playlists on the fly. In the past couple of weeks since we went digital we have listened to music we have not listened to in many years. Going digital is one of the best things we've done in years. Mac Mini Intel; PS Audio DL III - Stage IV Cullen Circuits Mod; Mcintosh MA6500; Audio Physic Virgo IIIs, Anti-cables, Luminous Audio - Synchestra Signature Interconnects, Kimber Kable USB cable Link to comment
BobH Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Hi honeybadger, If your priority is to maintain an unmolested 24/192 bitstream then you're going to have to aim a little higher than the DacMagic, v-dac, et al. Your soundcard will output the stream no problem, but there are not that many 'affordable' dacs around that will give you a 24/192 input. If you need to keep the cost within limits, you may need to accept some compromises, at the moment. If Micro$oft ever decides to ship native 24/192 USB drivers for Windows, then we'll be in - until then, I fear, it's high end budgets or lower sample rates. Link to comment
Honeybadger Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Even when using Coax? What DACs will do what I want? Thanks! Link to comment
catastrofe Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 IMO, you need to set a $$ budget and then see how far over that you're willing to go! ;-) Seriously, without a starting point dollar-wise, it's difficult to provide input. I say this from experience. . .I was in the market for a new DAC a few months back. I wanted a mid-price unit ($1,500 - $2,500) that would handle the current state of high-resolution material. I ended up buying a pre-owned Esoteric D-05 at a price point significantly (percentage-wise) over my max budget. I'm extremely please with my choice as it handles all sample rates and bit depths and functions as a preamp to boot. It will also serve me for future upgrades, when there's more hi-rez material available. HTH. . . Bob BPT 3.5 Ultra/Reference 3A Reflectors/MSB Technology S201 Amplifier/MSB Technology Analog DAC/MSB Technology Network Renderer/Audirvana + Link to comment
g8k3pr Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago and wanted a DAC that could support both 24 bit 96 khz and 192 khz with multiple inputs including USB. I did some research and found several worthy DACs. However, most were in the $2500 - $3000 range and I was not willing to spend that amount of $$$. So, during my research I came across this review about the PS Audio DL III Cullen Circuits Stage III Mod. I was impressed with what I read and it detailed the type of DAC I was looking for. Just before finding this review, I looked at the unmodified PS Audio DL III and almost went with that one for $999. But after reading the review, I new for the extra $700 I wanted to go with the modded unit. Needless to say, I called Rick at Cullen and he said they were running a special to stimulate some sales (remember, the economy is pretty slow at the moment) and that I could purchase the Stage III mod for $1390 or the Stage IV mod for $1490 (which basically adds separation of the coax input). That was all I needed (a $360 savings on the Stage IV) so I decided to go with the Stage IV mod and it has performed exactly as was described in the 6moons review. Anyway, for the $$$, it has to be the best bang for the buck around and supports 24 bit 96khz and 192khz sampling rates. Info on the base model can be found here Info on the Cullen Circuits mod can be found here I just purchased my unit + mod from Cullen Circuits using the link above. Stuart Mac Mini Intel; PS Audio DL III - Stage IV Cullen Circuits Mod; Mcintosh MA6500; Audio Physic Virgo IIIs, Anti-cables, Luminous Audio - Synchestra Signature Interconnects, Kimber Kable USB cable Link to comment
Honeybadger Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 Turns out I won't be need to buy a DAC since I won a DAC1 Pre at "The Show". Looking at posts here and at Head-Fi, looks like I am going to be very happy with this DAC. Thanks for everyone's advice! Link to comment
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