$300 DAC: AKM, ESS, or multibit

[AudioDoctor]

Schiit Modi Multibit.

 

I have one and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another, or recommend one.

[AudioDoctor]

11 hours ago, photonman said:

The Modi is so small and light, that my cables tipped it so I had to put a brass weight on top to keep it down.

 

Holy crap, what kind of cables were you using? The thing weighs 1 pound.

 

Edit: I wanted to add, that the Modi Multibit comes with a linear power supply as well.

[AudioDoctor]

4 hours ago, wbh said:

Not sure about burn-in time (anyone??).

Speaking of "burn" ... the unit runs WARM ... yikes. And the AC adapt. runs warm even with the MM unplugged

 

Mine started sounding better (I think) after leaving it on for 2 weeks or so. Yes, it does run warm, it also cools down really fast if you turn it off. The aluminum skin is an effective heatsink. The power supply is a linear PSU, it will be hotter than a switching power supply.