Potential external DAC

[Timmyfox]

Background

I might be in the market for an external DAC which I will mainly be using for portable use. My main reason is my laptop which, in my ears, sounds fairly bad with my headphones. See, there is some audible distortion and noise in certain parts of songs that are more "busy".

 

I'm not too excellent with all the terminology in music, but I to try explain what I mean; In progressive music, especially instrumentals, where it starts out nice and soft and then adds on more complex sounds and instruments over time. Usually it sounds very beautiful and with lots of details, inspiring and creative. Although my the way my laptop reproduces it, it´sounds more like the more variety and detail that is added - the more unbalanced and unpleasant it sounds. Sorta to the point where it sounds more like you're standing in the middle of a supermarket during the Christmas rush than listening to a nicely composed piece of music full of fine details in various frequencies that complements each other. It's maybe not a great way of explaining and I'm not gonna argue about it, but I'm assuming it's caused by interference and/or a sub-par DAC (or at least the implementation of it).

 

For the point

I'm using a pair of Sennheiser Momentum (over hear) headphones currently which are 18Ω impedance headphones (essentially nothing) when out and about and some Sennheiser HD598's (50Ω impedance) at home, although they live on my desk, so it's only once in a blue moon I'd actually use them with anything that is not my desktop.

 

Now of course the prime contender would probably be the Fiio E10, which I have had a good look at, although I have a few choices and is unsure what to decide on;

• Fiio E10, as already mentioned: Cheap, portable enough to store in my backpack, loved by many on this forum.
• Fiio E17: Seemingly bit of an update to the E10. It has a slimmer profile (which is nice from a portability standpoint), internal battery (meaning I'd likely be able to use it with my HTC One which is nice but not too big of a deal) and costs $90 more (ouch).
• Audioquest Dragonfly DAC: Not much to say for this, it's priced in the middle of everything else in the list and I've only heard good things about it. it's nice and very portable but isn't maybe as flexible.
• ODAC: The prime downside of this is that I'm located in Sweden, so I'll have to have it imported from the US, which means that I'll have to wait a week or 2 to receive it (compared to next day delivery from pretty much any retailer within Sweden) and that, should I run into problems, warranty claims might be fairly time consuming and, if unlucky, expensive.
  Another point is that it's just the DAC without amp. I'm assuming that it doesn't matter with just 18Ω of impedance though.
• ODAC + O2 combo (with battery): Just a small step above the E17 in price. Same import issue as the ODAC. Likely overkill for my current setup from what I gather, but I'm paying more now and save have to pay the other half of the price (and shipping) later, should I upgrade my headphones and/or change my desktop setup to make better use of it later.
• Anything else someone might want to recommend.

I don't really have a set budget, but around $250-300 would probably be my limit for how much I'm comfortable spending.

 

Some things to note

• I'll probably get the laptop replaced by the coming summer (I got it from my school and since this is my senior year, I'll have to return it by the time I graduate) so depending on what I get after that point, it might be decent enough to hold up on its own. I love a good sound quality though, so I'd still try to make sure of it.
• My desktop setup I believe is more than enough as it is;
  • I've got an Asus Xonar soundcard which I've kept for redundancy, although its primary function now is for recording from my guitar setup.
  • Audio is usually output digitally through either HDMI (from the graphics card) or optical S/Pdif to my Yamaha AVR (RX-V773 is someone wishes to know the model) which powers my 5.1ch Yamaha speakers. For headphone use I simply plug my HD598's into the headphone jack of the AVR.

[MayflowerElectronics]

the o2/ODAC won't work. You can't put batteries in with the o2/ODAC combo unless you mess with the case. 

 

Honestly if you already have a desktop solution, just wait a little bit. It will only be 4-5 months until summer.

 

If you can't wait, something from fiio is probably your best bet.

[BlackMirror]

Just get something from fiio would probably be the best choice if you cant wait.

As i see on your descriptions the e17 would be the best choice as it is more portable ( If you got ze moneh)

[Timmyfox]

the o2/ODAC won't work. You can't put batteries in with the o2/ODAC combo unless you mess with the case. 

 

Honestly if you already have a desktop solution, just wait a little bit. It will only be 4-5 months until summer.

 

If you can't wait, something from fiio is probably your best bet.

Oh, so it's only the O2 standalone that can fit batteries in it? I was under the impression that the combo unit would accept batteries as well.

 

---

I added another DAC to the list: The Audioquest Dragonfly. Feel free to comment on that too, the price seems to be right in between the Fiio E10 and E17

[NannerBeans]

Can you use your phone for music until you get your laptop replaced? I don't think it's really worth it to buy a DAC if your laptop is going to be replaced soon. Buy poweramp for your HTC one if you can't stand the HTC music app because that's what I did. 

[ShearMe]

I added another DAC to the list: The Audioquest Dragonfly. Feel free to comment on that too, the price seems to be right in between the Fiio E10 and E17

 

r/headphones seems to think the Dragonfly is worth the price. I'm on the fence because Audioquest mainly sells expensive-ish cables and claim they improve the sound.

[Timmyfox]

Can you use your phone for music until you get your laptop replaced? I don't think it's really worth it to buy a DAC if your laptop is going to be replaced soon. Buy poweramp for your HTC one if you can't stand the HTC music app because that's what I did. 

I bought Poweramp the moment it was available and have been a an avid user ever since.

Of course I can use my phone at most times, but when I'm sitting in the middle of class doing schoolwork it's often nicer and more convenient to listen from the laptop than pull out my phone (and potentially having to explain to my teacher I'm just going to listen to some music).

 

r/headphones seems to think the Dragonfly is worth the price. I'm on the fence because Audioquest mainly sells expensive-ish cables and claim they improve the sound.

Ah right, I understand what you're saying.