So looks like I'll need a external DAC, recommendations?

[Calidus]

So I recently upgraded to Ryzen from a FX system and because I made use of the M.2 slot on my motherboard for an NVMe drive, I cannot fit my lovely Asus Xonar D2X anywhere. Alsways something blocking it, I could get another sound card but smaller to fit but I don't want to downgrade my audio experience and the onboard solution is rather naff.

 

So any recommendations for an external soundcard or DAC? it must have optical input (which is the only way I get sound from my PS4) and I'll be using Microlab Solo 6C speakers which have a built in amp and have RCA connections.

 

Also, it must not be inferior sounding to my soundcard which uses Burr Brown, its not a must have but I do prefer the sound of the Burr Browns, I've also got a FiiO X5II music player with these in them, lovely.

 

Thanks in advance.

[an actual squirrel]

Topping d30. It got a good review at audiosciencereview.

[Calidus]

Seems good, only issue is the colour lol, looking at my desk everything is black, monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, consoles, switch, headphones, external hard drives etc etc

 

So shiny silver stands out, wonder if my OSD would tolerate it lol, didn't think to specify a colour haha, erm I'll keep it on a possible list, from my own searching most external sounds cards by Creative and Asus are out except for the Creative X7, although it has a hefty price tag..

[Max_Settings]

4 hours ago, an actual squirrel said:

Topping d30. It got a good review at audiosciencereview.

No I wouldn’t recommend the D30. It’s way too colorful and does odd stuff. Modi 2 or OL DAC would be a better choice. But to the OP you can’t have just a DAC, you also need an Amp.

[Tz000]

3 hours ago, Calidus said:

Seems good, only issue is the colour lol, looking at my desk everything is black, monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, consoles, switch, headphones, external hard drives etc etc

 

So shiny silver stands out, wonder if my OSD would tolerate it lol, didn't think to specify a colour haha, erm I'll keep it on a possible list, from my own searching most external sounds cards by Creative and Asus are out except for the Creative X7, although it has a hefty price tag..

Great budget option which has treated me really well is the FX-Audio Dac X6.  It has all the inputs/outputs you need, great headphone amplifier 1/4" jack and for the price IMO cant be beat.  At the least it could be a place holder to give you some more time to choose something more expensive if that's what you were looking at doing.

 

Cheers.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072JJT7SF/ref=twister_B01HERNVCA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Calidus]

51 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

No I wouldn’t recommend the D30. It’s way too colorful and does odd stuff. Modi 2 or OL DAC would be a better choice. But to the OP you can’t have just a DAC, you also need an Amp.

My speakers are what you call active speakers, they have an amp built in, thus I don't need one. (I have no need for headphone support). I shall look into the DACs you've suggested though.

[Dackzy]

Two DACs that uses the Burr brown can sound completely different, just so you know it. Ifi uses Burr brown chips, but they might get too expensive for you, SMSL also uses Burr brown, but their gear is bad. If you absolutely want a burr brown based DAC, then I would probably go look on the used market.

 

Also I think that you mean DAC and amp, because without a amp the DAC is basically just going to be a useless box, and it doesn't seem like you have a amp. This is the case if you need headphones.

 

A modi 2 Uber and a magni 3 wouldn't be a bad place to start this journey. If you want to go super cheap then you can probably get a micca origen for 70$ new or something like that, but it isn't really a combo that I would recommend based on its sound.

[Calidus]

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Two DACs that uses the Burr brown can sound completely different, just so you know it. Ifi uses Burr brown chips, but they might get too expensive for you, SMSL also uses Burr brown, but their gear is bad. If you absolutely want a burr brown based DAC, then I would probably go look on the used market.

 

Also I think that you mean DAC and amp, because without a amp the DAC is basically just going to be a useless box, and it doesn't seem like you have a amp. This is the case if you need headphones.

 

A modi 2 Uber and a magni 3 wouldn't be a bad place to start this journey. If you want to go super cheap then you can probably get a micca origen for 70$ new or something like that, but it isn't really a combo that I would recommend based on its sound.

Good point about the chips, its not a set in stone requirement and I may of responded to Max as you were typing but my speakers are active, so they have a amp built in, I wont be using headphones either.

[Dackzy]

Just now, Calidus said:

Good point about the chips, its not a set in stone requirement and I may of responded to Max as you were typing but my speakers are active, so they have a amp built in, I wont be using headphones either.

Modi 2 Uber is tbh the way to go if you want a new DAC right now. It has both optical and USB, so you can hook up both your PS4 and your PC. Though the used market might have some cheap gems.

[Calidus]

1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

Modi 2 Uber is tbh the way to go if you want a new DAC right now. It has both optical and USB, so you can hook up both your PS4 and your PC. Though the used market might have some cheap gems.

It is looking like a good option and I originally spent over £100 back when vista came out for my Xonar so I don't mind spending on quality. Although it seem Schiit's europe store is currently out of stock, may have to hunt around or wait. Thanks for the suggestions.

[an actual squirrel]

9 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

No I wouldn’t recommend the D30. It’s way too colorful and does odd stuff. Modi 2 or OL DAC would be a better choice. But to the OP you can’t have just a DAC, you also need an Amp.

All 3 of these dacs were measured at audiosciencereview, and the topping d30 was found to be the best. The modi 2 had terrible jitter issues.

[Dackzy]

1 hour ago, an actual squirrel said:

All 3 of these dacs were measured at audiosciencereview, and the topping d30 was found to be the best. The modi 2 had terrible jitter issues.

the normal modi 2 yes, but I have also never seen it have such a bad jitter as it had in that "review", but it also sounds less colored. The normal modi 2 is extremely sensitive to a bad USB signal, the Uber less so.

[spwath]

1 hour ago, an actual squirrel said:

All 3 of these dacs were measured at audiosciencereview, and the topping d30 was found to be the best. The modi 2 had terrible jitter issues.

I've heard some things questioning the validity of audiosciencereview.

 

And the things I have seen amir post on head-fi, I don't trust him at all. 

[elira]

The iFi iOne is a good option but it’s around 200 usd. 

[Calidus]

I personally like the look of the Modi 2 Uber, however practically no one sells it in the UK other then the official store and they are out of stock with no mention of when more stock comes in. So I either look for a alternative or wait it out.. although this motherboards audio is straight up terrible.

 

I currently have the Creative Sound Blaster X7 as a backup, as it certainly has good reviews, however it's a tad pricey at just under £300.

 

15 hours ago, Dackzy said:

Ifi uses Burr brown chips, but they might get too expensive for you, SMSL also uses Burr brown, but their gear is bad.

 

What is wrong with SMSL btw? seems their stuff has good reviews, is it simply bad build qulaity?

[Dackzy]

23 minutes ago, Calidus said:

What is wrong with SMSL btw? seems their stuff has good reviews, is it simply bad build qulaity?

No detail, poorly made, just generally bad value, very colored sound. 

 

Also don't get a creative X7, you can do a lot better than that for 300£, like you also have ifi that you can look into or Audio-GD. You know what, go to head-fi look under their used catagories for a DAC/source, in there you can probably find a Meier audio stagedac, it has all of the inputs you need, plus it has both variable and fixed outputs and it is a amazing DAC for its used price, but it only goes up to 24/48, not that you need more than that. 

[Calidus]

2 hours ago, Dackzy said:

No detail, poorly made, just generally bad value, very colored sound. 

 

Also don't get a creative X7, you can do a lot better than that for 300£, like you also have ifi that you can look into or Audio-GD. You know what, go to head-fi look under their used catagories for a DAC/source, in there you can probably find a Meier audio stagedac, it has all of the inputs you need, plus it has both variable and fixed outputs and it is a amazing DAC for its used price, but it only goes up to 24/48, not that you need more than that. 

So I ended up ordering a iFi Nano iONE, I prefer new so I can get my warranty and this one is the only one mentioned by members which is actually available in my country (ignoring any SMSL or Topping device), plus I read some promising reviews. I'll let you know how it goes when it arrives.

[GamerDude]

2 hours ago, Calidus said:

So I ended up ordering a iFi Nano iONE, I prefer new so I can get my warranty and this one is the only one mentioned by members which is actually available in my country (ignoring any SMSL or Topping device), plus I read some promising reviews. I'll let you know how it goes when it arrives.

I think the iFi Nano iONE is an updated version of my iFi Nano iDSD, if it is, I think you'll like it......it's surprisingly powerful for such a dinky device. I also have the iFi Micro iDSD Black Label and that one is a powerhouse! iFi is an offshoot of AMR (Abbington Music Research) and AMR make pretty good audio gears.

[Calidus]

On 21/04/2018 at 3:09 AM, GamerDude said:

I think the iFi Nano iONE is an updated version of my iFi Nano iDSD, if it is, I think you'll like it......it's surprisingly powerful for such a dinky device. I also have the iFi Micro iDSD Black Label and that one is a powerhouse! iFi is an offshoot of AMR (Abbington Music Research) and AMR make pretty good audio gears.

I got it a few days ago and it's been rather amazing, I'm now happy to have good sound again and I thank eveyone for their suggestions. Shame the only real complaint is the USB cable bundled was extremely short, fine if you were using it with a laptop but nothing else, had to borrow one of my external hard drive usb 3 cable before finally getting another one for the device itself.

 

Still crazy how small it is, but I love how little space it takes.

[GamerDude]

6 hours ago, Calidus said:

I got it a few days ago and it's been rather amazing, I'm now happy to have good sound again and I thank eveyone for their suggestions. Shame the only real complaint is the USB cable bundled was extremely short, fine if you were using it with a laptop but nothing else, had to borrow one of my external hard drive usb 3 cable before finally getting another one for the device itself.

 

Still crazy how small it is, but I love how little space it takes.

Glad you like it, I love mine! I find it surprising that not many have bought iFi gear, but then, they aren't exactly for the budget conscious. I believe that iOne DAC combo cost about the same as a Magni 3 + Modi 2 stack. Hope to read your impressions on its performance/sound....

[Guest]

I have a Denon PMA-250 from 1987 which I still use. Works and sounds great. 

[NinjaQuick]

If you're wanting to go above what the D2X delivered, but not spend more than, say, 80. . . get the sabaj da2. It does really well, and is good enough. And is cheap. I love mine.

[GamerDude]

2 minutes ago, NinjaQuick said:

If you're wanting to go above what the D2X delivered, but not spend more than, say, 80. . . get the sabaj da2. It does really well, and is good enough. And is cheap. I love mine.

Eh, OP has already gotten the iFi Nano iOne.....

[NinjaQuick]

Just now, GamerDude said:

Eh, OP has already gotten the iFi Nano iOne.....

I don't read threads, just reply lol. I would have gotten the one i recommended.

[GamerDude]

2 hours ago, NinjaQuick said:

I don't read threads, just reply lol. I would have gotten the one i recommended.

I've heard of the Sabaj DA2 mentioned in other forums, I believe it's pretty good. But as an owner of iFi products, I can vouch for their build quality and great sound. Granted, your recommendation is less costly, but I do believe OP is happy with the iFi Nano iOne.....that's all that matters.