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What Is The Most Highly Rated DAC/AMP for under $350?

Darkmatter35
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I don't think a new DAC will fix your problem. 60hz hum comes within the amp, and I know for a fact a ground loop means a problem with the amp. Check the soldering points and make sure you finished the amp correctly.

The wiring where I live is awful. I wanted to be sure I had a ground loop issue, so I grabbed a cheater plug to take the ground out. As soon as I plugged it with the cheater plug, all of the interference was gone. The 60hz hum is definitely a problem with the power tube pot. My impatience got the better of me because I didn't want to wait 2 months for the kit to arrive, so I bought it already assembled. I'm going to order the speedball upgrade next week, so when it comes in I'm going to reflow everything with cardas solder. So power conditioner, usb instead of rca, and some reflows and I'll be good. 

 

Mayflower, if you haven't heard a Bottlehead Crack, check it out. The bang for the buck is huge, and you'd make a killing selling them assembled on your site. I've heard a few reputable sources say that it'll eat anything under $1000 when paired with some Sennheisers.

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Cool thanks guys! I have decided to drop the PC363D's because I don't need the mic on because I already have a Yeti Pro. Also Please suggest any headphones for me that would not be bottlenecked by the O2/ODAC. Preferably from Sennheiser and that is under $400. This forum has helped me so much I almost bought a xonar phoebus lol. Oh and Meeklo Please stop putting the hate on Mayflower he clearly knows a lot more than you do about audio...  

No hate at all. There has to be strong opinions, otherwise things would get a little dry around here. I agreed with Mayflower that the O2/Odac is amazing, and probably owns its price point for 90% of the people out there. It's just always good to weigh options. You'll find that all audiophilish conversations head in that direction, but it's part of learning something about some products that you've never heard of.

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The wiring where I live is awful. I wanted to be sure I had a ground loop issue, so I grabbed a cheater plug to take the ground out. As soon as I plugged it with the cheater plug, all of the interference was gone. The 60hz hum is definitely a problem with the power tube pot. My impatience got the better of me because I didn't want to wait 2 months for the kit to arrive, so I bought it already assembled. I'm going to order the speedball upgrade next week, so when it comes in I'm going to reflow everything with cardas solder. So power conditioner, usb instead of rca, and some reflows and I'll be good. 

 

Mayflower, if you haven't heard a Bottlehead Crack, check it out. The bang for the buck is huge, and you'd make a killing selling them assembled on your site. I've heard a few reputable sources say that it'll eat anything under $1000 when paired with some Sennheisers.

 

:rolleyes:

 

Tube headphone amps need to die. We tried selling tube amps a long time ago, and they don't ship well. Most of them broke within shipping and they don't reflect the business model we stand for.

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:rolleyes:

 

Tube headphone amps need to die. We tried selling tube amps a long time ago, and they don't ship well. Most of them broke within shipping and they don't reflect the business model we stand for.

I like solid state amps, but I love the separation of a tube amp. I go back and forth between the crack and the amp in the essence stx. 2 very different sounds.

 

Also Please suggest any headphones for me that would not be bottlenecked by the O2/ODAC. Preferably from Sennheiser and that is under $400.   

Keep an eye on this site.

 

http://www.razordogaudio.com/

 

I got Sennheiser HD650's for $370 shipped, and he's an authorized Sennheiser retailer so it still had the warranty. If I remember correct, I had to email him a few times, but he let them go at that price.

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I know it's not sennheiser but the K701 graphs well against the HD800.

 

EDIT: sorry K702 does.

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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I like solid state amps, but I love the separation of a tube amp. I go back and forth between the crack and the amp in the essence stx. 2 very different sounds.

 

Keep an eye on this site.

 

http://www.razordogaudio.com/

 

I got Sennheiser HD650's for $370 shipped, and he's an authorized Sennheiser retailer so it still had the warranty. If I remember correct, I had to email him a few times, but he let them go at that price.

 

I talked to him on the phone. He's actually in a lawsuit with sennheiser for that reason (selling below MSRP).

 

Dunno if that's been resolved.

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No hate :)

 

Pick up HD 600's or DT 990 250 ohms.

I wish the 600's weren't so flimsy looking and that they were more sound Isolating

And not so loud to other people

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I wish the 600's weren't so flimsy looking and that they were more sound Isolating

 

They are the farthest thing from flimsy. They are very well built. If you are looking for something that is more sound isolating look for a semi-open headphone.

 

Q701, DT 880's and our new V3 headphones come to mind.

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I was a 650 lover until I flicked the bass boost switch on my FiiO E10 while using K 701's, if that means anything to ya.

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You could try Lafigaro336c. This is quite comparable to Crack with the speedball. and its cheaper than that. It works exceptionally well with the 650

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I talked to him on the phone. He's actually in a lawsuit with sennheiser for that reason (selling below MSRP).

 

Dunno if that's been resolved.

Bummer. If you ever talk to him again, fwiw tell him the deal was appreciated.

 

As someone who is very familiar with the Odac, any thoughts on how it compares to the dac in the essence stx? All comparisons between the essence stx and another product always ends up being about the amp.

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They are the farthest thing from flimsy. They are very well built. If you are looking for something that is more sound isolating look for a semi-open headphone.

 

Q701, DT 880's and our new V3 headphones come to mind.

those Q701's are sexy :P

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Bummer. If you ever talk to him again, fwiw tell him the deal was appreciated.

 

As someone who is very familiar with the Odac, any thoughts on how it compares to the dac in the essence stx? All comparisons between the essence stx and another product always ends up being about the amp.

 

No idea, I've never wasted my money on sound cards.

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You could try Lafigaro336c. This is quite comparable to Crack with the speedball. and its cheaper than that. It works exceptionally well with the 650

 

Is that diy, or ships assembled?

 

No idea, I've never wasted my money on sound cards.

Fair enough, how about with competitors in it's price point as just a dac?

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Is that diy, or ships assembled?

 

Fair enough, how about with competitors in it's price point as just a dac?

 

There are a few DAC's in the same price range as the ODAC. I'm 99% sure the ODAC measures better than all of them.

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Is that diy, or ships assembled?

 

it's shipped assembled

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There are a few DAC's in the same price range as the ODAC. I'm 99% sure the ODAC measures better than all of them.

I'm going to get a dac in the ~$400 range in about 6 months, and wanted to get something like an odac for the meantime that I can put up for sale on head-fi or craigslist when I get the new one. Any experience in the $400 range? I've been leaning towards Peachtree.

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Thanks Everyone! I have decided to go with AKG Q701's and a O2/ODAC!

 

If you don't like the sound initially, make sure you let them burn in before discarding them!

 

 

I'm going to get a dac in the ~$400 range in about 6 months, and wanted to get something like an odac for the meantime that I can put up for sale on head-fi or craigslist when I get the new one. Any experience in the $400 range? I've been leaning towards Peachtree.

 

The ODAC was designed to be the best DAC (measurement-wise) anyone would ever need, at the lowest cost possible without sacrificing fidelity. It measures similarly to $1000+ DACs like the Benchmark 1.

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I'm going to get a dac in the ~$400 range in about 6 months, and wanted to get something like an odac for the meantime that I can put up for sale on head-fi or craigslist when I get the new one. Any experience in the $400 range? I've been leaning towards Peachtree.

 

Like @ShearMe said, anything above the ODAC is pretty much a giant waste.

 

The DAC1 will be slightly better, but at nearly 10 times the price, not worth it.

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Like @ShearMe said, anything above the ODAC is pretty much a giant waste.

The DAC1 will be slightly better, but at nearly 10 times the price, not worth it.

This is a legit question, not meant in any way to be sarcastic . So anyone that purchased a product between the odac and the dac1 are giving praise to a placebo effect?

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This is a legit question, not meant in any way to be sarcastic . So anyone that purchased a product between the odac and the dac1 are giving praise to a placebo effect?

 

Yes.

 

Audio manufacturers use this to their advantage. Nwavguy and others have taken measurements and proven this many times.

 

Read this - http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-we-hear.html you'll learn a lot.

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The pico dac is the best amp for 350 or less. www.headamp.com. Bar none the best build quality and sound.

 

http://www.headamp.com/order/index.htm

I have a 2019 macbook pro with 64gb of ram and my gaming pc has been in the closet since 2018

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