Cheap DAC

[Ryoliz]

Hello, i'm looking for cheap eksternal DAC around 100$.

i have never tried using a decent DAC before but i generaly like flat well-balance sound signature. i'm interested on Fiio E10 or AUDIOTRAK PRODIGY CUBE (it is capslocked)

probably went with TAKSTAR ts-671. i use it for listening to music video editing and little gaming.

Fiio are getting all the good praise but i can't find decent AUDIOTRAK review anywhere. any of you tried this product?

(i'm sorry for misspelled or wrong grammar as english not my native language)

[EmoRarity]

Why? Do you have headphones that can't be run off onboard? 

[creatip123]

If you can find an existing E10 (because it's already discontinued, but may still exists in some stores), these are good. I have them, and love them. On the other hand, rumors is that E10k will be coming out soon, dunno when though....

[NannerBeans]

Sybase dac/amp is pretty cheap if your onboard is broken but it's not worth it if your onboard isnt bad.

[Ryoliz]

no not really, my headphones are pretty much 30-50 ohm. but i just want to try what 100 bucks DAC feels like with some headphone and iem.

it's not like i have audiophile grade ear, i just bored with my set up and want to feels the "goosebump" when i tried M50 grade headphone for the first time.

 

yeah i can get Fiio E10 but do you know anything about AUDIOTRAK? for the price it's got pretty neat feature, but i don't know about the sound signature.
let's just say my on board is bad and i need cheap durable replacement.

 

thanks for the reply

[creatip123]

no not really, my headphones are pretty much 30-50 ohm. but i just want to try what 100 bucks DAC feels like with some headphone and iem.

it's not like i have audiophile grade ear, i just bored with my set up and want to feels the "goosebump" when i tried M50 grade headphone for the first time.

 

yeah i can get Fiio E10 but do you know anything about AUDIOTRAK? for the price it's got pretty neat feature, but i don't know about the sound signature.

let's just say my on board is bad and i need cheap durable replacement.

 

thanks for the reply

 

Then, actually save your money. $100 certainly can't get you a DAC worth of goosebumps, let alone with that headphone (M50?)

 

I mean, if you're just looking for a change, and got the $100 ready, and maybe want to spend it so much but don't know where to spend it to, then go ahead (although I'd still say it's better to sell your old headphone, combine the money with that $100, and get a better headphone), but if you're hoping for goosebumps, you won't get any. 

 

Personally, I've had goosebumps only 2 times, first with the Audeze LCD 2 (which was plugged to multi-thousand dollars worth of DAC and amp), second with the Fitear IEM (which is a few thousands too). Of course I don't own any of those, auditioned it in an audio store....

[Ryoliz]

Then, actually save your money. $100 certainly can't get you a DAC worth of goosebumps, let alone with that headphone (M50?)

 

I mean, if you're just looking for a change, and got the $100 ready, and maybe want to spend it so much but don't know where to spend it to, then go ahead (although I'd still say it's better to sell your old headphone, combine the money with that $100, and get a better headphone), but if you're hoping for goosebumps, you won't get any. 

 

Personally, I've had goosebumps only 2 times, first with the Audeze LCD 2 (which was plugged to multi-thousand dollars worth of DAC and amp), second with the Fitear IEM (which is a few thousands too). Of course I don't own any of those, auditioned it in an audio store....

dude your league is WAY higher than me, the most expensive headphone i tried is around 300$ (forgot what that name is) plugged to some expensive looking box with some analog meter. so yeah, my ear hasn't really tried "audiophile" grade thousands dollars piece of headphone. with that said little more detail and better soundstage is all i want.

with my budget is certainly a strugle, but that's fine. i find my self enjoying this as i read and ask review about low-end best for your bucks audio gear

 

and with that said, if you got takstar ts 671 and 100$ to spend on DAC because your only audio source is bad, what will you go for?

[ShearMe]

Monoprice has a nice new unit, dunno if it's available wherever you are though.

[creatip123]

dude your league is WAY higher than me, the most expensive headphone i tried is around 300$ (forgot what that name is) plugged to some expensive looking box with some analog meter. so yeah, my ear hasn't really tried "audiophile" grade thousands dollars piece of headphone. with that said little more detail and better soundstage is all i want.

with my budget is certainly a strugle, but that's fine. i find my self enjoying this as i read and ask review about low-end best for your bucks audio gear

 

and with that said, if you got takstar ts 671 and 100$ to spend on DAC because your only audio source is bad, what will you go for?

 

Nah, don't get me wrong. I'm still a 'commoner', not those who sweats or craps money around them

 

I only got the privilege to audition lots of headphones in a local audio store here, where they got plenty of stuffs, from under $100 to over $1000. 

 

But still, trust me, the E10 does give a somewhat different sounds, but just by a tiny little bit, and most certainly not in the 'goosebumps' parameters. I've tried comparing my onboard vs E07k vs E10. In the end I keep using my E10 for my headphone, and onboard for my speaker (sold my E07k). Not because the E10 is so much better, but because my onboard doesn't have enough juice to drive my headphone, while the E10 got them. You'd get a better margin of difference out of the same budget, if you upgrade your headphone. 

[Ryoliz]

Nah, don't get me wrong. I'm still a 'commoner', not those who sweats or craps money around them

 

I only got the privilege to audition lots of headphones in a local audio store here, where they got plenty of stuffs, from under $100 to over $1000. 

 

But still, trust me, the E10 does give a somewhat different sounds, but just by a tiny little bit, and most certainly not in the 'goosebumps' parameters. I've tried comparing my onboard vs E07k vs E10. In the end I keep using my E10 for my headphone, and onboard for my speaker (sold my E07k). Not because the E10 is so much better, but because my onboard doesn't have enough juice to drive my headphone, while the E10 got them. You'd get a better margin of difference out of the same budget, if you upgrade your headphone. 

hmm i think i just go with e10 since i can't find anyithing related to AUDIOTRAK.

can you specify what "different" is? like is it punchy? wide? bright?  what i found on the internet e10 got nice flat well-balanced signature right?

[ShearMe]

hmm i think i just go with e10 since i can't find anyithing related to AUDIOTRAK.

can you specify what "different" is? like is it punchy? wide? bright?  what i found on the internet e10 got nice flat well-balanced signature right?

 

The differences in sound between solid state amps is near zero. Don't trick yourself into thinking you hear a difference other than max volume.

[creatip123]

hmm i think i just go with e10 since i can't find anyithing related to AUDIOTRAK.

can you specify what "different" is? like is it punchy? wide? bright?  what i found on the internet e10 got nice flat well-balanced signature right?

 

My case was the E10 vs onboard which was the realtek ALC887. When playing songs, it's just a tiny little bit of difference, barely noticeable. When playing games, it gives out quite different sound, almost like a different sound pack installed. But that's that, different, not necessarily better. 

 

When talking about DACs and amps, it's kinda hard to use the word 'different'. It's like if you have a speck of dust in the palm of your hand, and you say your palm is dusty. Technically it's correct, that your palm is dusty (got dust on it), but by percentage of the whole, only a very small portion of your palm got dust on it, barely noticeable.

 

That's the problem, if I say they're not different at all, I'd be technically wrong. If I say they're different, people tend to take it as very noticeable differences, and expect them to outperfom themselves (the devices).

 

To make matters worse, it also depends highly on the headphone itself. Some headphones make it almost impossible to hear any little differences. 

 

Truth is, the difference is so small that some people could hear it, and some people can't. Now I understand that you may have the insatiable curiosity to just get one, despite of what we've told you. I have that big feeling of curiosity too. If so, then just get one, but don't expect too much out of it. I'll say this again: you'll get better margin of differences in that amount of money, by upgrading your headphone, compared to getting a new DAC/amp.

 

It's also good if you have a kind of contingency plan, something like: if turns out I don't like it, I'll just sell it on ebay or something. In that case, be very careful with it, when you got it, i.e. avoid cosmetic scratches.