virtoz Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Hi All, Just came across this site today and discovered the wealth of information! As with some other first time posters I am an ingenue in this area. I'm pretty much at the budget end of hi fi. I have been wanting to update my speakers for some time and have just put a deposit down on some Quad 22L series two. My amp is a 10 yo Rotel 60 w RMS integrated amp (RA 971) which I am thinking about upgrading to an ARCAM or Cambridge Azur when I can. I have also wanted to make the jump to using my Mac powerbook as my major source instead of CDs (CD player is also a 10 yo Rotel). However I wasn't sure what to do. Looks like getting a USB (or firewire) DAC may be my best bet. Given that this is my first foray into this area I don't want to spend too much on a first purchase (I was thinking about $500 or under) but am not sure whether there is anything reasonable in this price range. My local hi fi dealer stocks a couple of Carat Dacs - does anyone know anything about these? The couple of reviews I have read suggests that the volume may be an issue. For information, my music tastes tend to be towards classical and jazz and I prefer a sound which is neutral to warm - too bright or harsh a treble fatigues me pretty quickly. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Julienne Melbourne, Australia Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Hi Julienne - Welcome to Computer Audiophile. No worries about budget around here. This is a very laid back site where nobody really cares if you spend $500 or $50,000 on a DAC. If it sounds good to you then it's good :-) I'm not familiar with the carat DACs. I do know many people recommend the Apogee Duet http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet.php which is under $500. Since this is your first purchase you could always spend about half as much on a Devilsound DAC just to get you startedhttp://www.devilsound.com/DAC . Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Gen-x Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Hi Julienne, I'm in the same boat. Love "stereo sound" but in the fold of revamping my old system. I just picked up a pair of B&W685's and about to go from my Mac mini to amp via the "USB Thingee". No joke, it's really called the " Thingee " by Blue Circle Audio. Looks like the step sister of Frankenstein but sounds like an angle! Best of all it's a 24-bit DAC for only $169.00 USD!!! Here's a few links / reviews: http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/blue_circle_usb_thingee.htm http://www.bluecircle.com/index.php?page_id=7196 Anthony. Link to comment
virtoz Posted July 15, 2008 Author Share Posted July 15, 2008 Thanks Chris and Anthony I'll look at your suggestions. ...Meantime I'm enjoying my new Quad 22L2s which arrived today! Cheers, Julienne Melbourne, Australia Link to comment
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