Looking for a decent DAC for under $250, got a few ideas!

[Steve H.]

First things first. Hello everyone, I've been reading these forums for some time now and finally made up my mind about posting something. So this is my "hello world" message. Anyway, long story short. I've recently changed platforms and I've landed myself a Maximus V Gene + 3570K for a steal, the problem is that I have no more PCI slot, only PCIex. Why is this a problem you may ask, well mainly because I was using my Essence ST up until now for my listening pleasure. Now I'm stuck on this crappy Realtek dung that I have zero interest in keeping or listening to another second. My gear consists of a pair of Sennheiser HD555s and an M-Audio AV40 studio monitor set, they aren't anything special but I sure do feel the lack of "umph" compared to the Essence ST.

 

In the last couple of days I've been searching the Interwebz and reading along, comparing, some external DACs in the sub 300 dollar range. I'm stuck on two options right now, the first one is the JDS Labs ODAC and the second one is some chinese DAC going under the name Audio GD NFB-15.32. I'm really tempted to go for the ODAC, maily because everyone and thier dog is happy with the sound it produces, also, it's fairly cheaper and easy to setup, basically it's just plug and play. The Audio GD one seems to have an integrated headphone amp but I rarely use my headphones. Down the road if I really need a headphone amp I could buy one from JDS Labs for a $100 or so.

 

So here's my question: Did any of you guys hear either of these DACs? If so, what do they sound like? Also, I'm open to other suggestions, just stay in the $250 margin, my budget is limited this time of the year.

 

 

PS: Sorry if my English isn't spot on, it isn't my first language.

[MuffinTopMike]

How about an Audio Engine D1. I have one myself and it is amazing and it only costs around $160 on Amazon, and it also looks great on your desk.

[prolemur]

get an odac + o2 combo dac and amp, very low output impedence as well as it hardly changes the audio's sound

They cost $250 which is right on your budget, @MayflowerElectronics makes them himself and would probably be happy to answer any other question you have if you're thinking about getting the amp/dac or not.

[Lauen]

snoop

Your speakers probably won't benefit an external dac in any way. and as far as I've heard, 99% of newer DACs sound the same, but out of just trust in the ODAC, I'd get that if you absolutely want to spend money on something. and for all the people I know of, the onboard audio is just as good (actually better for low impedance headphones, like those HD555's), so I don't see much of a reason for getting a DAC / amp. And the way your 555's have more "oomph" on your soundcard, is probably due to the high output impedance making the bass more "boomy" and louder, essentially distorting the audio.

[calarahil]

Could go with something a little less expensive like the fiio e17. Only downer is that it doesn't come with the larger audio plug so you would need to use the converter 6.3 to 3.5. You could also go with a Essence STX if you wanted something internal. Plus it something you are familiar with.

 

http://www.amazon.com/FIIO-E17-Alpen-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0070UFMOW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1392763463&sr=8-6&keywords=fiio+dac

http://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-XONAR-ESSENCE-STX-90-YAA0C0-0UAN00Z/dp/B001OV789U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392763664&sr=8-1&keywords=essence+stx

 

Note: Btw your english is quite good.

[Steve H.]

Hello again,

 

First of all thank you for your quick and helpful replies. I'm really in the market for an external DAC, preferably USB. I had a couple of soundcards in my rigs over the years and my last one was the Essence ST which I was really happy with but I forgot to mention that in the near future I will be traveling quite alot and will be needing a laptop so a USB DAC would be a great addition to the traveling kit.

 

@mdnorman38: The Audio Engine D1 looks nice, I have to read a few revies and see if I can make up my mind on that one.

 

@prolemur: The ODAC + O2 combo is a bit out of my ballpark, it's around $320 including shipping to where I live so the price is a bit steep, also, as I said, the headphone amp isn't an absolute must as I will be using my DAC mostly with my entry level monitors.

 

@Lauen:  Different people percieve sounds in different ways. I don't think it's because the soundcard has an high impedance output, maybe that too, but the detail in some songs in completely gone. I don't think it's placebo either. I had parted with my ST for about four weeks now and ever since I've been listening to this Realtek junk, trying to convince myself that it's decent, well it actually isn't, I'm affraid. Also the soundstage in games has completely changed. I've been using the ST in it's default "pure mode" with Dolby turned OFF at all times. I was playing alot of Borderlands 2 with a friend and with the ST the game was really immersive and the sounds life like, I know it may sound stupid but I don't know how to explain, it just sounded more credible...

 

@calarahil: I heard the E17 at a friends house, wasn't really impressed. I had looked through the second hand forums in the mean time and haven't found a good deal for the STX but even if I found one I might be put off by the fact that I'm limited in using the soundcard only in my desktop rig.

[Kajornkeat]

With ODAC, I believe you will need an amp to power your headphone. PC -> ODAC -> amp -> Headphone. O2+ODAC is a really nice combo. All the noise is pretty much gone compare to onboard solution.

[Lauen]

@Lauen:  Different people percieve sounds in different ways. I don't think it's because the soundcard has an high impedance output, maybe that too, but the detail in some songs in completely gone. I don't think it's placebo either. I had parted with my ST for about four weeks now and ever since I've been listening to this Realtek junk, trying to convince myself that it's decent, well it actually isn't, I'm affraid. Also the soundstage in games has completely changed. I've been using the ST in it's default "pure mode" with Dolby turned OFF at all times. I was playing alot of Borderlands 2 with a friend and with the ST the game was really immersive and the sounds life like, I know it may sound stupid but I don't know how to explain, it just sounded more credible...

Well, have you checked if there are any silly "enhancements" enabled in the audio settings? cause I can't tell a difference between my onboard (Realtek ALC892 on a Sabertooth 990FX R2) and my soundcard, an ASUS Xonar D2X (and the ST isn't THAT diferent) when I turn off all the mumbo jumbo settings that make the sound.. weird. Also (just thought of it) different does not equal better, the ST might have colored the sound. 

[MayflowerElectronics]

A dac won't have any effect on the SQ of your speakers, don't waste your money.

[General_Led]

http://www.mayflowerelectronics.com/shop/digital-to-analog-converters/objective2-with-odac/

[Steve H.]

A dac won't have any effect on the SQ of your speakers, don't waste your money.

 

You are trolling, right?

[ShearMe]

You are trolling, right?

The general notion around here is that there's little difference between modern onboard audio and dedicated sources. He probably just didn't read the rest of the thread.

[Wyre]

A good DAC should be transparent. It shouldn't color the audio in any way. A good amplifier should also not color the sound in any way. After much debate and much testing I have found that the Schiit Audio MODI/MAGNI is probably the most transparent DAC/AMP that you can get into. Be aware that this particular amplifier is not going to do extremely well on high ohm loads. For a total of around $200 they will drive just about everything as long as it doesnt exceed about 300 ohm.

 

 

http://schiit.com/products/modi

http://schiit.com/products/magni

[MayflowerElectronics]

You are trolling, right?

 

No. There is 0 audible difference between my Audioengine D1, ODAC, and onboard from my Z77 mpower when hooked up to my Audioengine A2 speakers. I know they aren't the best, but neither are the M40's the OP has. Headphones are different story. And yes, I didn't read the part where it said he had headphones. 

[calarahil]

A good DAC should be transparent. It shouldn't color the audio in any way. A good amplifier should also not color the sound in any way. After much debate and much testing I have found that the Schiit Audio MODI/MAGNI is probably the most transparent DAC/AMP that you can get into. Be aware that this particular amplifier is not going to do extremely well on high ohm loads. For a total of around $200 they will drive just about everything as long as it doesnt exceed about 300 ohm.

 

 

http://schiit.com/products/modi

http://schiit.com/products/magni

I had someone once suggest the Magni DAC/AMP good to see that they weren't te only one that approved

 

http://www.amazon.com/Schiit-SCH-07-Magni-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00CICPMA6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392843667&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Magni

 

http://www.amazon.com/Modi-USB-Digital-Analog-Convertor/dp/B00CICPN0K/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_y

[Steve H.]

Well thanks guys for the fast responses, it seems that I'll currently postpone my DAC purchase. I'll search the second hand forums for an STX since I got an opamp combination that I really liked on the ST (2 x 2107AP + LME49720HA in the buffer).