jdjaye Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Folks- I'd welcome your recommendations for DACs around $800. minimum USB, toslink and coax inputs Nwk Streaming would be nice, but not a requirement. My starting list: Oppo Sonica Marantz NA8005 (you have to hunt for this price point, but I have seen it) TEAC UD-503 Schiit Gungnir (non- Multibit) NuPrime DAC-9 Any other suggestions? Cheers Best Stereo System: Wired Sonos Connect -> AQ Cinammon Digital Coax -> Marantz SA-8005 -> AA Black Momba 2 interconnects -> Marantz PM-15S2 -> Kimber 8TC speaker Cables -> Zu Soul Superfly speakers. Ingest> NAS> Distribution: Sony Vaio Laptop ripping via ITunes to Apple Lossless, manually synced to WD Mycloud NAS, Linksys 1900AC Router, Netgear Gig E switch, generic Ethernet cables, TPLinc ethernet power line extenders. Link to comment
plissken Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 With Oppo correcting some filter issues with an upcoming release I would have to, based on the formats I use, pick the Sonica for it's Ethernet input, balanced output. Link to comment
Jud Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 iFi micro-iDSD Black Label, if you are doing software upsampling. jabbr 1 One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
Supperconductor Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Being the cheapskate I am, I have no experience with any recent DACs, but I hope you find this useful: https://audiobacon.net/2017/05/06/500-portable-dacheadphone-amps-ifi-micro-bl-vs-w4s-udac-hd-vs-chord-mojo/ Link to comment
jdjaye Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 Very Interesting article if you are looking for a USB headphone DAC - thanks for sharing! I'm looking for a DAC with all 3 digital input types though... Best Stereo System: Wired Sonos Connect -> AQ Cinammon Digital Coax -> Marantz SA-8005 -> AA Black Momba 2 interconnects -> Marantz PM-15S2 -> Kimber 8TC speaker Cables -> Zu Soul Superfly speakers. Ingest> NAS> Distribution: Sony Vaio Laptop ripping via ITunes to Apple Lossless, manually synced to WD Mycloud NAS, Linksys 1900AC Router, Netgear Gig E switch, generic Ethernet cables, TPLinc ethernet power line extenders. Link to comment
mfsoa Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 I'm liking my Gustard A20H. I have 3 Raspberry Pis connected to it via optical, USB and coax. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Consider Schiit Bifrost multibit at $599, paired with an Uptone REGEN at $175. My guess is that this combo COULD beat the Schiit Gungir non-multibit you are looking at, although that really just my surmise based on reading lots of reviews and posts about the Gungnir. I have a Bifrost/REGEN combo that I find thrilling to listen to (still) after 18 months with that setup. Ric 1 Link to comment
jdjaye Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 Interesting review of the uptone regen at Stereophile: http://www.stereophile.com/content/uptone-audio-usb-regen#PQCx4WFQRvRFxGy9.97 i have the AQ jitterbug which make a slight difference on my desktop system... Best Stereo System: Wired Sonos Connect -> AQ Cinammon Digital Coax -> Marantz SA-8005 -> AA Black Momba 2 interconnects -> Marantz PM-15S2 -> Kimber 8TC speaker Cables -> Zu Soul Superfly speakers. Ingest> NAS> Distribution: Sony Vaio Laptop ripping via ITunes to Apple Lossless, manually synced to WD Mycloud NAS, Linksys 1900AC Router, Netgear Gig E switch, generic Ethernet cables, TPLinc ethernet power line extenders. Link to comment
jdjaye Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 57 minutes ago, mfsoa said: I'm liking my Gustard A20H. I have 3 Raspberry Pis connected to it via optical, USB and coax. Did you build the Pis yourself or buy them pre- assembled? Best Stereo System: Wired Sonos Connect -> AQ Cinammon Digital Coax -> Marantz SA-8005 -> AA Black Momba 2 interconnects -> Marantz PM-15S2 -> Kimber 8TC speaker Cables -> Zu Soul Superfly speakers. Ingest> NAS> Distribution: Sony Vaio Laptop ripping via ITunes to Apple Lossless, manually synced to WD Mycloud NAS, Linksys 1900AC Router, Netgear Gig E switch, generic Ethernet cables, TPLinc ethernet power line extenders. Link to comment
mfsoa Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 2 minutes ago, jdjaye said: Did you build the Pis yourself or buy them pre- assembled? I built them myself. One runs Moode, one PiCorePlayer and one is an HQPlayer NAA device. And I didn't have to use a speck of Linux programming to do it. Supperconductor 1 Link to comment
Nikon Nutter Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 I'm auditioning the i one at the moment. I use the USB, SPDIF optical and my wife and kids use the Bluetooth input. Much of the above mentioned dacs are a bit pricey for what they are and I don't find their sonic signature natural. I'm a tone freak. I haven't made my mind on the i one yet as I'm still running it in. It takes a bit of break in. damm it. but so far, it is more than ok. just buy from music direct and send back if you don't like. My family does this for me as they are in the USA. Link to comment
Supperconductor Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 I also built Moode Raspberry PI 3 with a Hifiberry Digi+ Pro sending bits via coax to my Peachtree iNova. I'm shocked how well it works and sounds. Anyway, here's another DAC review right in the price range of the OP: http://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/dac/oppo-digital-sonica-dac-review/ For me, the Oppo Digital Sonica might be the ticket. Besides being a cheapskate, I'm loathe to spend a lot on bit money on any rapidly evolving technology. Link to comment
CrushingIt Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No one has mentioned the Chord Mojo? Punches way above its weight ($$$) and I like that if I want I can take it on the road with me. The best hardware purchase I've made in years. Link to comment
One and a half Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 What about the new Grace Design m900. Has dual hp outputs, usb to DSD256, rca line outs to amps, bus powered, painted black with volume control. Street price of USD499. WWW.gracedesign.com bgoc 1 AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
jventer Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 5 hours ago, One and a half said: What about the new Grace Design m900. Has dual hp outputs, usb to DSD256, rca line outs to amps, bus powered, painted black with volume control. Street price of USD499. WWW.gracedesign.com Looks good, what do you know about it? Link to comment
One and a half Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 14 hours ago, jventer said: Looks good, what do you know about it? The m900 is released this week. I own the m920 and the previous model, both good, down the line DACs. There's no need for re-invention as these DACs are reliable pieces of kit and have the runs on the board. So a new Dac based on these should have a good foundation. The chips are new to Grace but the overall sound will be different than the larger DAC, which way..... I shrug shoulders, just have to listen, hey. jventer 1 AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
pkane2001 Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 On 5/10/2017 at 3:21 PM, nc42acc said: Gustard X20U Pro +1 -Paul DeltaWave, DISTORT, Earful, PKHarmonic, new: Multitone Analyzer Link to comment
wgscott Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 On 5/10/2017 at 7:35 AM, jdjaye said: Nwk Streaming would be nice, but not a requirement. TEAC UD-503 TEAC NT-503 -- same thing but network rather than analogue input. bgoc 1 Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now