USB starter DAC?

[orangecat]

I just got a very nice reply on a post I made and someone shows me digital vs analog signal and that got me thinking. I now want a headphone DAC but I don't have a ton of spending money and I don't have a real good pair of headphones. Normally I plug my headphone into a 27 year old stereo and it sound alright but there is a bunch of static and interference. The stereo can nolinger give a clean signal like it used to and i'm still using onboard sound o that doesn't help either. I would love to have a ASUS Essence One but they are very expensive and I don't have a pair of headphones good enough that i would feel right plugging them in. What would be a good DAC for headphone use that won't break the bank lets say under 200$.

 

Thanks to (http://linustechtips.com/main/user/7799-h264/) for giving me the information on digital signals.

[h264]

your welcome

 

well, you'll want an amplifier as well since DAC outputs aren't really designed for headphones:

 

Lets see:

 

FiiO E10

 

Schiit Audio Magni + Modi

 

Just get the E10 though.  It's plenty powerful, cheap, and very effective at what it does.

 

However, you'll want to get that nice pair of headphones first, really.

[t0wer]

if you want a more full size unit, look into a maverick audio d1. I almost bought one, but found something better on audiogon.

the LIttledot dac II and o2 + odac are both around $300 if you can save up.

 

if you want an adventure, go check out audiogon.com

if you can solder, www.amb.org/audio gamma1/2 would be a good option.

[rcarlos243]

hands down FiiO E17