Isar12

reply to the OP's question - don't mean to derail this fruitful discussion of late :-) I got myself an Audiolab MDAC (that took over duties from an M2Tech Young ) for the very reason to use it as a plug n play Dac/Pre/Headamp in conjunction with my iPad. I have to say it works a charm, with FLAC Payer, iTunes and various streaming services. Even volume control and skipping titles works from the MDACs remote. For serious high res listening I might get me a network player of some sort down the road, but I would not want to be without an iPad for browsing and eye candy purposes any more. As an intermediate or semi-portable solution, I can highly recommend my setup. Cheers, Matt

Please read the relevant section of the PM manual (Playthrough). As of v1.8 it let's you use most PM features (EQ, upsampling, etc) with any audio source, not just files. You need to install the Channel D Pad driver and set it as output device in Audio MIDI Setup. I don't have a method of verifying the source bitrate but my DAC receives 24/96 audio, so I suppose the MOG stream is routed through PM's upsampler. Maybe someone else can chime in on this one...?

I pipe my MOG stream into Pure Music's new Passthrough feature (Channel D Pad) for realtime 24/96 upsampling, then into my M2Tech Young. Great sound!

Hi everyone, after reading this and other threads regarding iOS digital audio output I bought an M2Tech Young and an iPad 2. Unfortuntely they don't interact and M2Tech support says no firmware update is going to fix it. It's a matter of the USB chip employed. Can anyone shed some information on what to look for when searching for a suitable DAC? Thanks M

That's unfortunate. I really hoped I could use the iPad to stream the music to any USB DAC. Since I really like the Young, I am torn between ditching the Ipad and switching DACs. Probably the former, as I find the browsing and reading experience subpar, which was my second objective I was hoping to achieve with the iPad. Would a USB/PDIF Adapter do the trick? What are my options? Thanks!

I can't get my new Ipad 2 (FW 4.3.3) to connect to my M2Tech Young. The error message I get is that the connected hardware isn't supported, neither direct nor through a powered USB hub. Ted_b what's your exact setup? Thanks!

Unfortunately I have to report that I experienced the same thing. My M2Tech Young won't mount under OS X 10.6.7 with the Aqvox in place. OTOH, a friend who lent me the Aqvox, uses it with a different DAC and his Mac Mini to good effect. YMMV.

Thanks for the heads-up! I currently own neither Mac Mini nor iPad but I picked up Splashtop anyway. I'am going to get the iPad 2 soon and the Mac Mini as soon as the next hardware update (hoping it'll improve 1080p playback and transcoding material from my NAS).

Hi there, resurrecting this thread to ask if most of the above applies to the iPad 2 as well. Gordon, if you're still subscribed, what are the chances of Apple improving the USB output of iOS devices when 24bit files become available through iTunes? I am looking for a cost effective streaming solution that plays 24/96 through some of the latest USB DACs. Since I already own an iPhone that I could use for remote control, as well as iTunes/Pure Music on my MBP, I wouldn't mind adding another Apple component as a streaming device. Apple TV 2 (hacked, with Plex installed) would almost fit the bill if it only had decent audio output. Mac Minis are another alternative, but right know I am holding out for the next generation with Core i5 (Sandy Bridge) processors (and, dare I say, BluRay drives?). For the time being I am looking at an iPad 2. What do you guys think? What about Android tablets (Moto Xoom etc.)? Their connectivity is miles better, plus with the multitude of files I am about to use, organize and work with on a tablet (PDF, flash content, music, photo, film) I don't like the idea of being tied to iTunes all that much anymore. Cheers Matthias

Hi there, some of those old school DACs from the 90s have these Class A output stages and overbuilt power supplies which make them very tempting to try out as an alternative to modern day ESS9018 based machines, esp-. if analogue sound is what you're after. Is there a solution out there that will downsample hirez material to a given sample rate a legacy DAC can process? I use Pure Music in conjunction with iTunes as my source. If I use that to resample e.g. from 24/96 to 48kHz, what's the amount of quality loss I will have to expect? In other words, will a great sounding DAC from 10 years ago still be able to hold its own or is this whole idea really nonsense? Thanks, Matthias

Wow, that's some serious looking piece of kit. I was also told by a Emotiva rep that the XDA-1 will be released in October. Looks as if the sub 1k$ DAC market will become a lot more competitive in the forthcoming months (rDAC, Audiolab 8200DQ, etc...) Exciting times.... :-)

Very interested to keep reading your impressions. Seems like one of the best options around US$1k.

Thanks. I just found this page which has been kept updated until 2009 and is quite helpful: http://www.thresholdlovers.com/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=651 The only DAC I have tried in my system was the Aqvox USB 2 D/A Mk 1, which was bettered by my Berendsen CDP in many ways. There's a lot of press and forum buzz about DACs on either end of the price spectrum while I am not so sure what 1k will buy these days....

Hi everyone, my first post after quite a bit of lurking. I have done some reading, used the search function extensively and will save you bandwidth by keeping it short - so please be nice. :-) I am looking for a DAC around 1k US$/€ new or used that will enable me to connect a variety of sources (HDTV, CDP, Airport Express, maybe other network streaming device or Mac Mini at some point) to my main 2ch system. Hence I need a number of inputs with either remote controlled or autosense source switching. I would like a future proof design but for all practical purposes would give up 192/24bit capability for a nice sounding output stage. It should handle 96/24bit over USB though. My current shortlist includes PS-Audio DLIII, Wyred4Sound DAC2, Eastern Electric Minimax DAC, M2Tech Young (release in July). Any others that come to mind? Thanks, Matt