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The best way I can describe it goes something like this. I read about 24/96 recordings, and noticed that they were huge compared to FLAC files, freely traded on the Internet from repositories at bt.etree.org. I saw an ad for the Dragonfly by Audioquest, version 1.2, and it was much better than the original version, and it cost $150. In my world, $150 is an amount that would take four months of saving a little each month. That is what is called a "Dream". Then I noticed that a newer, even better Dragonfly was on the market, and I got my 'old' version for $79. It was like reading your first book, not required by school. It opened my mind, it made me want to read more. Then the Audioquest folks had to replace my defective version 1.2, and I discovered that it had been defective from the start, cause what I was hearing was the First Time, even though I had heard the recordings many times over the years, familiar with every note. After all, was it even possible to imagine anything better than 24/96? I read about the Schiit Modi2 for $99, (plus $23 shipping) But it was worth it. I was hearing details that had me gobsmacked. And I discovered 24/176 and 24/192! The naysayers will say our ears can only hear '16 bit/44.1 Redbook SBE standard' CD quality. And furthermore, you cannot hear any difference between a MP3 at 192 (high) and 320 (insanely high) sample rates, they will add with confidence as they plug the stock earplugs, that came with his phone in their ears and smiles. To continue with the metaphor of the reading a book, the Modi2 was finding the Library ,where with a small key tag, you could check out up to 10 music CDs and rip them into lossless FLAC files and build your own digital music library. You could also download freely-traded Grateful Dead soundboard recordings in FLAC files using bit-torrent technology, developed in part by the same Deadheads that designed FLAC, and built the Internet in the first place...but I digress. Today, arrived the iFi nano iDSD LE and I am listening to every recording for THE FIRST TIME. Now we have had my head exploding. ~The Music is Magical. You understand that for the past 40 years, you have listened to these songs, but until this very moment, you had never HEARD them. At $129, this device is a MUST HAVE addition to any "Computer Audiophile on the Cheap*" home stereo system. *-"Computer Audiophile on the Cheap" is a philosophy. Make the Stereo you have sound as well as possible. We extol Vintage Electronics, legendary Loudspeakers, and some in-expensive tweaks that will give you the SQ (Sound Quality) of a system that costs others Thousands of Dollars to best. It is also my Thread and my blog on ComputerAudiophile.com.

Hi all, I'm quite new to this field and I'm a bit confused by the large amount of products available on the market. I'm looking for a Media Renderer / music player to connect to my existing Technics SU-V500 amplifier (which has an AUX input taking L/R audio channels with RCA connectors). My requirements would be: - cheap solution (something < 200€ !) - it should be able to read music from an USB drive/key OR getting it from my LAN network (i.e., act as DLNA player I think), audio format supported should be MP3 / FLAC and possibly others (e.g. MPEG4 .m4a, etc) - it should have a nice interface, possibly an APP that I can install on my smartphone/tablet, that allows me to browse my music collection Can you help me suggesting some solution? So far I've seen Linn products but those are definitively out of my budget! Thanks a lot! Francesco

I have a very limited budget, but I consider myself to be an audiophile (My definition of an 'audiophile' is simply--There is a sweet spot, and I know where it is). I started with a Dragonfly v 1.2, which was defective. But, as a result of that experience, I learned more about the workings on my computer, and eventually Audioquest replaced the DF. Then I heard about the Schiit Modi 2 external DAC which would give me the full 192 on my Linux machine. It arrived yesterday, one day early, and the result is a spectacular sound. The replacement Dragonfly is now attached to a spare laptop, and runs a compact stereo system in the bedroom. I am a big fan of saving money and getting the most bang out of every dollar. My 'system' is a pair of vintage Advent Loudspeakers (circa 1975-composite boxes, re-foamed in 1990) and a three legged Harman/Kardon 330i which pushes 20 watts per channel. The computer is a vintage Dell Vostro with 4GB of RAM running Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS. I had an old pair of AR interconnects, which were close-out priced at $5 a few years back, and USB interconnect was borrowed from an external hard drive enclosure--nothing fancy or expensive. Whilst some amongst us like to talk about how expensive their hobby has become, I am the contrarian who because of circumstance, am quite proud of the sound my re-used, re-furbished, and vintage system with a very low overhead cost. The Schiit Modi 2 is key to making all the pieces work. I have a rather extensive collection of soundboard recordings from the 30 years of the Grateful Dead, and an array of 24 bit/192 audiophile pressing recordings in my hard drive. The Modi 2 makes everything sound better. Dare I say it, even 320 MP3 files sound great. I have no beef with Audioquest, they were prompt to replace the v1.2 and it does a wonderful job up to 24/96. But there is a whole new world of music on 176 and 192 recordings that just get lost with a Dragonfly. Money wise-the discontinued v1.2 can still be bought for around $79-- but my advice would be to pony-up another Dub and get the Schiit Modi 2. You will hear the difference the first time you cue up a 24/192 file, and never regret the extra $20. I have a friend who has invested well over $150,000 in a system, and I know he will never admit it...but I think my rig sounds better.

Roku just announced a refreshed line of streamers. Roku Announces All-New Streaming Player Line Up Starting at $29.99 | Roku Online Newsroom An issue with Roku in the past has been its reliance on the internal DAC and only getting analog audio out of the device or relying on a complicated or expensive setup to extract the audio from the HDMI interface. With the refreshed line, the Roku Ultra (https://www.roku.com/products/roku-ultra) offers an S/PDIF optical out for both stereo and dolby sound. So no longer are you bound to the internal DAC or an expensive or complicated setup to deal with the HDMI handshakes and other copyright protections. One issue with Spotify that remains is that there currently is no support for Spotify Connect; They say they've been working on it for over a year. Without Spotify connect, you are forced to use the outdated and terrible interface solely inside the Roku app. So with the hardware problem sorted out, it's a matter of a software update to make this one of the cheapest Spotify streaming options out there with support for an external DAC. To my knowledge, the next cheaper option would be the SONOS Connect at ~$349 at the time of this post... Correct me if I am wrong.

Hi! I'm quite new in here, so would like to say Hi to everybody. I own a pair of Magnat Motion 880, powered from a Yamaha RX V450 Receiver, connected to the computer through the M2Tech hiFace usb/spdif converter, so basically, I'm using the internal DAC of the receiver. Can you help me find a reasonable good one for a fair price? Thank you! P.S.: I know it's not much money, but still, I'm looking for quality, for something that would change the sound definition (soundstage, detalization).