Sub $1k USB DACs?

[Simon M.]

Hey All,

 

First post and a questions that I'm sure is not as straight forward as I wish it were. I'm finally integrating a computer into my systems and I'm looking for a DAC. I'm partial to usb interface and need support up to 24 bit 96kHz. The DAC will fit between a windows 7 machine (with J River) and an Audiolabs powered amp (RCA inputs). As the title suggests I would really like this component to be under $1k. My impression is that there are many DACs that will meet all my requirements - I would love to hear your suggestions!

 

Cheers,

Simon

 

[darascal]

Welcome Simon.

 

Probably a good idea to do some research and narrow things down for yourself, based on features, performance, price, etc. Then folks here can help narrow it down further. There are just too many good Dacs $1000 and under to make a recommendation w/o knowing which way you're leaning.

 

Rascal

 

[jhwalker]

. . . and bought the Hegl HD2. It supports 96/24, is powered by the USB bus and sounds great (both to me and to several reviewers who have heard it). It only supports USB input, though, and only has coax or RCA output. Since that's what I wanted / needed, it made my short list. And the price ($350 US) sealed the deal

 

[bixby]

Use find in your browser for this term"24/96 over USB" and load this page to begin your search.

 

Hope this helps!

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/494290/all-the-dacs-money-can-buy-pt-3

 

I count 11 dacs that they know about, certainly there are a few more.

 

Check this thread as well right here on CA

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/24-bit-96-KHz-USB-DAC-List

 

BTW - I have not heard an under $1k dac with usb that I would buy, but I would check out the Hegel if I were in the market.

 

[Paul R]

Here's my suggestions to start looking at. These all sound pretty good, with the top three on the list sounding not only good, but great. I can unreservedly recommend the top two.

 

They are in order of price, not quality. The Proton is my favorite from the bunch, followed by the DAC1 USB, which is $1300.

 

They each have limitations, due to the cost I suppose, and they each sound different enough that you can identify the DAC by sound alone.

 

That just isn't true in the much higher end DAC choices, as they all sound very much alike, with far more subtle differences.

 

 

Benchmark DAC 1 - $995 (no USB on this model, DAC1 USB = $1300)

Wavelength Proton- $900 (only USB, no optical or coax)

PS Link III - $800

Music Hall 25.3 - $600

Arcam rDAC - $500

Music Streamer II+ $380

 

 

[Simon M.]

Lots to consider, thanks for the welcome and replies so far.

 

This DAC is definitelly a bit of an experiment (adding the computer along side the turn table...) and I have no doubt that I will want to move up to something pricier at some point. Just currious for oppinions about how much I would need to bump the price range up to be getting really great consistent sound from a usb dac? Is the minimum in the $2.5k range?

 

It may also help to know that about 70% of my listening is orchestral and classic/piano jazz.

 

[bixby]

I would say that depending on ones definition of diminshing returns that you can get really nice sound for about $1500 or so. For example I have a Blue Circle dac, BC-509 that is much better sounding than my Benchmark Dac1. The Dac1 is no slouch and I had two of them for a few years. And to get the best sound from my Blue Circle I chose the Halide Bridge. It is a very good USB to Spdif transport and trumps the best Toslink I could find for my Mac.

 

So back to experimenting mode. Since you might upgrade I think I would look to the used market and one of the best values out there is the PS Audio DLIII. Couple that with a Musical Fidelity V-Link and for under $750 (used) you have really nice sound. I would still like to hear the Hegel but this would be a safe bet, especially since you could sell both on the used market and not take a big loss.

 

cheers

 

[soundslikemusic]

If you can spring about $400 or so, the Dac1.5 from Bel canto is a definite audition.

I heard one on demo in my system the other day and it is very very good especially in conjunction with the Halide Bridge.

Good luck.

 

[jhwalker]

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=no&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=no&tl=en&u=http://www.lydogbilde.no/test/hegel-hd2&act=url

 

Summary - for

[arthur]

I am keeping an eye out for a

[The Hawk]

a Rega dac dropped off at my home by the dealer last Saturday. It hasn't been burned in, just plugged in for a few weeks. Started with the usb provision (limited to 48/16), just received a mini-toslink —> toslink today to try it at higher resolutions.

 

Nothing earth shattering, but slowly growing on me, kind of Naim-like, sounding very 'musical'.

 

I think it should be on the list for dacs at the 1k mark.

 

Dave

 

[plakey]

 

I'm looking at sub $1000 DACs also, but I need more inputs besides USB. I want to eventually run a file player and my transport through this.

 

I am looking at:

 

Rega DAC

Simaudio Moon 100D

Wyred4Sound DAC 1

Anedio d1 dac

Arte Forma Fiona DAC

 

I'll let you know what I end up buying....

 

[Amused]

Are you truly bound by usb? I mean, you can spend a little money for a V-Link or a tad more Halide Bridge and open up your options. If having that doesn't fancy your taste, then I'd focus on a well implemented asynchronous design, like the Proton. I'd suggest seriously thinking about a V-Link or a Bridge as part of your USB DAC setup. That, and one of the suggested pieces above would yield some great results.

 

I don't think you'd necessarily need to bump your budget to $2500 to achieve music nirvana, there are many options under $2000 and even under $1500 that can produce stellar results. Don't forget, the other parts of your system will have a huge impact on what's reproduced, so just having a high quality DAC won't guarantee anything.

 

 

 

 

[soundslikemusic]

I have to agree on Amused regarding the use of the Halide Bridge.

Every coaxial dac i used the halide on improved significantly in terms of openness, resolution, details and the dimensionality.

 

 

[old_bassist]

UHF Magazine has just published a review of the Moon 100D. They liked it a lot. (As it happens they sell it too.)

 

http://uhfmag.com/Tech/Moon-100D.pdf

 

Cheers,

 

Ross

 

 

[bixby]

what the Moon 100D might sound like compared to the 300 with a proper source. Testing a dac for a magazine called "ultra" high fidelity with only an airport express is a bit strange.

 

While I have not used an airport express as a source in any of my computer based systems, I have used the ATV, Sonos, and Logitech Touch. With any of those sources it was apparent the dacs being used were not being heard to their potential.

 

Directly connecting the dac to the computer or other transport clearly elevated the sonic differences between dacs. Maybe UHF ought to try using a better source if they really want to hear the differences in dacs.

 

Still, it is another dac to throw in the mix at under $1k

 

[Paul R]

No reason not to use an Airport Express if you are using a TosLink connection to listen to full quality 16/44.1 recordings. It's bit perfect and as long as your Dac can handle modest levels of jitter appropriately, sounds the same as a Toslink connection from the computer directly to the DAC.

 

Using a USB -> S/PDIF converter usually results in better, sometimes much better sound, but that is not always a given either.

 

On the other hand, I do see where "Ultra High Fidelity" does seem quite the misnomer!

 

-Paul

 

[bixby]

While an Airport Express, ATV,and Touch are all bit perfect the later two sounded noticeably poorer via toslink versus connecting directly to the computer. Bit perfect guarantees one thing only, that the same bits get to the dac. Bit perfect is not an indicator of sound quality as we have learned and heard via all the players we are currently discussing.

 

As for jitter, the Benchmark DAC 1 that was used handles jitter extremely well so I will rule out jitter as to the reason why they sounded poorer.

 

For now it remains a mystery as to why these sources do not sound as good as connections via a bridge or directly to the computer but they do, at least in the systems I have used.

 

[Paul R]

I've noticed something different about the ATV2, it certainly sounds different than an AEX. The optical out seems to have something going on electrically with the HDMI port.

 

It sounds different (on optical) if the HDMI is connected than when HDMI is disconnected. It's definitely better without the HDMI port connected to anything.

 

 

-Paul

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

The ATV2 sample rate conversion to 48k isn't helping either.