USB DAC under $200

[BluJay614]

Well, I just got the AKG K550 MKiii, and I've got the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250oHm, Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350, Massdrop x AKG M220 Pro, and FiiO A3 all on their way. I've already gotten in some Brainwaves angled pleather pads to swap the stock ones on the HE-350, and the Little Bear B4 portable tube amp so I can have a comparison for the FiiO. 

Anywho, the little USB "sound card" I picked up apparently will only do 16-bit 48KHz playback at most.... I'd like something that will allow me to playback high quality audio files without taking up a bunch of space. I'm looking at $200 MAX budget. A combo unit isn't out of the question, I just don't feel it be necessary.

[Reckless95]

Check out Schiit Audio or JDS labs.

[Tz000]

1 hour ago, BluJay614 said:

Well, I just got the AKG K550 MKiii, and I've got the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250oHm, Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350, Massdrop x AKG M220 Pro, and FiiO A3 all on their way. I've already gotten in some Brainwaves angled pleather pads to swap the stock ones on the HE-350, and the Little Bear B4 portable tube amp so I can have a comparison for the FiiO. 

Anywho, the little USB "sound card" I picked up apparently will only do 16-bit 48KHz playback at most.... I'd like something that will allow me to playback high quality audio files without taking up a bunch of space. I'm looking at $200 MAX budget. A combo unit isn't out of the question, I just don't feel it be necessary.

If you looking for another cheap alternative I decided to give this ( https://www.amazon.ca/UGREEN-External-Headphone-Microphone-Sampling/dp/B01M7QQQC7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1534607898&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=ugreen+usb+sound+adapter&psc=1 ) unit a try for my living room TV setup that's used for Netflix / casual music / youtube etc.  It does 24bit and compared to the onboard card on my Lenovo workstation laptop its actually quite good even while listening to some deezer hifi music at 44.1 16bit.. it does the job especially for the price...  It will not compare to a 100+ dollar option like the Schiit Audio Modi 2 ( http://www.schiit.com/products/modi-2 ) but just thought I would throw that at ya.  If you are looking for something decent get the Schiit modi 2 iv heard nothing but good things and that will probably be my next go - to after my FX - Audio DAC X6

 

 

[BluJay614]

1 hour ago, Reckless95 said:

Check out Schiit Audio or JDS labs.

Do you have any particular recommendations? I'm fine with a desktop unit so long as it's not too big. 

1 hour ago, Tz000 said:

If you looking for another cheap alternative I decided to give this ( https://www.amazon.ca/UGREEN-External-Headphone-Microphone-Sampling/dp/B01M7QQQC7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1534607898&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=ugreen+usb+sound+adapter&psc=1 ) unit a try for my living room TV setup that's used for Netflix / casual music / youtube etc.  It does 24bit and compared to the onboard card on my Lenovo workstation laptop its actually quite good even while listening to some deezer hifi music at 44.1 16bit.. it does the job especially for the price...  It will not compare to a 100+ dollar option like the Schiit Audio Modi 2 ( http://www.schiit.com/products/modi-2 ) but just thought I would throw that at ya.  If you are looking for something decent get the Schiit modi 2 iv heard nothing but good things and that will probably be my next go - to after my FX - Audio DAC X6

 

 

I'm not looking for another check alternative, rather then something higher quality. My concern with the Schiit is that I would have to go buy an adapter just to plug in my headphones. Would it be better to go with the DAC X6, or the Modi 2(Uber) with the adapter?

[Eric_The_Red4]

Schiit modi (whatever the latest version is) is a great dac and you won't get anything substantially better until hundreds of dollars more. It's probably the best dac for its price

[BluJay614]

11 minutes ago, Eric_The_Red4 said:

Schiit modi (whatever the latest version is) is a great dac and you won't get anything substantially better until hundreds of dollars more. It's probably the best dac for its price

I would run into the same issue of there being no 1/8" or 1/4" out on either version that would be in the price range, thusly needing an adapter.

[kxrider85]

3 hours ago, BluJay614 said:

Well, I just got the AKG K550 MKiii, and I've got the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250oHm, Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350, Massdrop x AKG M220 Pro, and FiiO A3 all on their way. I've already gotten in some Brainwaves angled pleather pads to swap the stock ones on the HE-350, and the Little Bear B4 portable tube amp so I can have a comparison for the FiiO. 

Anywho, the little USB "sound card" I picked up apparently will only do 16-bit 48KHz playback at most.... I'd like something that will allow me to playback high quality audio files without taking up a bunch of space. I'm looking at $200 MAX budget. A combo unit isn't out of the question, I just don't feel it be necessary.

Massdrop is dropping the Grace Design Standard balanced DAC right now for 150 dollars. 384 kHz sample rates and DSD256. I THINK you can convert the balanced outputs to RCA, but you may want to ask in the discussion page. Its a hell of a deal though.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-grace-design-standard-dac-balanced

 

EDIT: Just noticed: the grace design DAC has a TRS unblanced output. If you buy a TRS male to RCA male splitter you should be good to go.

[Eric_The_Red4]

5 minutes ago, BluJay614 said:

I would run into the same issue of there being no 1/8" or 1/4" out on either version that would be in the price range, thusly needing an adapter.

Oh so you need an amp/dac combo then or an amp and a dac? Just a dac does not have anything to plug your headphones in. Dac plugs into amp which you can plug your headphones into. In which case, I recommend the schiit modi and magni combo (latest versions, once again). Total comes to $200 and they are both great value products.

[kxrider85]

One problem with the grace design dac I just noticed: it's not going to ship until the end of May 2019. That's a long freaking time. If you don't want to wait, you could just buy a modi 2 like everyone else is recommending. I own it and have no complaints.

[BluJay614]

1 minute ago, kxrider85 said:

One problem with the grace design dac I just noticed: it's not going to ship until the end of May 2019. That's a long freaking time. If you don't want to wait, you could just buy a modi 2 like everyone else is recommending. I own it and have no complaints.

Yeah, that's one reason I wasn't going for it. So, best bet would be to go Modi 2 and get an RCA to TRS adapter?

[kxrider85]

2 minutes ago, BluJay614 said:

Yeah, that's one reason I wasn't going for it. So, best bet would be to go Modi 2 and get an RCA to TRS adapter?

The RCA to 3.5mm was just because the Grace Design DAC is meant to be used balanced and its only unbalanced output is through a 3.5mm TRS jack. But yeah, I noticed the headphone amplifiers you chose don't use RCA either, so you will still need the RCA to 3.5mm. Typically though, super portable headphone amplifiers like the FiiO A3 and the little bear are for on-the-go type applications where you would just use a 3.5 to 3.5 male connector to connect the amplifier's inputs to a cell phone's headphone jack, and you would just use your phone's DAC.

 

In fact, if you bought the grace design, you would just use a 3.5 to 3.5mm adapter to connect the dac to your amplifiers, since they don't use RCA.

[Tz000]

11 minutes ago, BluJay614 said:

Yeah, that's one reason I wasn't going for it. So, best bet would be to go Modi 2 and get an RCA to TRS adapter?

Keep your A3 for portable use and buy the Schitt Stack (Magni + Modi ) for your home use.  If getting the amp is out of the question (as you already purchased two different portable units) just run an RCA --> 3.5mm cable from the Modi Dac and into your amp of choice then headphone out from there.. shouldn't be too hard

[Reckless95]

1 minute ago, BluJay614 said:

Do you have any particular recommendations? I'm fine with a desktop unit so long as it's not too big. 

I'm not looking for another check alternative, rather then something higher quality. My concern with the Schiit is that I would have to go buy an adapter just to plug in my headphones. Would it be better to go with the DAC X6, or the Modi 2(Uber) with the adapter?

 

If you just want USB input get the Modi 2 with no extra options and you don’t need an AMP.

 

https://www.jdslabs.com/mobile/products/176/ol-dac/

 

 

http://www.schiit.com/products/modi-2

[Reckless95]

A DAC is Digital to Audio Converter. Which people call separated, and hence buy a DAC and an AMP separately.

 

PC USB>DAC>AMP From the DAC you use RCA’s.

 

A Combo DAC/AMP you don’t need the RCA’s because they’re connected internally to the headphone jack 

[BluJay614]

@Reckless95 @Tz000 @kxrider85 @Eric_The_Red4 

Thank you guys for your input, I really appreciate it. From my understanding, I have a few options:

1. Schiit Modi 2 - $99
   • w/ Schiit Magni 3 +$99
   • or w/ RCA cable +$5-10
2. Schiit Fulla 2 (Z's review) $99
3. JDS Labs Ol DAC (Z's shootout) $99
   • + one of the options for 1
4. FX Audio DAC-X6 (Z's review) $65
5. FX Audio DAC-X7(DAC/Amp) $189
6. Micca OriGen G2 (Z's review) $110

All of you seem to push more to the Schiit Modi 2, or JDS Labs options. The X7 seems kinda big, but I can see how I could make it work. It's also the most expensive, save the dual device options. Either way, I'd love to see what you guys think of these options. Any way you look at it, I will not be pulling the trigger until a week from now(08/25/2018), as that's when money will be in my account.

[Tz000]

3 hours ago, BluJay614 said:

@Reckless95 @Tz000 @kxrider85 @Eric_The_Red4 

Thank you guys for your input, I really appreciate it. From my understanding, I have a few options:

1. Schiit Modi 2 - $99
   • w/ Schiit Magni 3 +$99
   • or w/ RCA cable +$5-10
2. Schiit Fulla 2 (Z's review) $99
3. JDS Labs Ol DAC (Z's shootout) $99
   • + one of the options for 1
4. FX Audio DAC-X6 (Z's review) $65
5. FX Audio DAC-X7(DAC/Amp) $189
6. Micca OriGen G2 (Z's review) $110

All of you seem to push more to the Schiit Modi 2, or JDS Labs options. The X7 seems kinda big, but I can see how I could make it work. It's also the most expensive, save the dual device options. Either way, I'd love to see what you guys think of these options. Any way you look at it, I will not be pulling the trigger until a week from now(08/25/2018), as that's when money will be in my account.

Personally I own the X6 and its a fantastic unit for the price, my HD6XX @ 300ohm is about the most I would want to plug into it for my listening levels. and the dac is quite good as well, the Schiit Modi 2 will be better tho, I know some high impedance headphones are slightly more efficient so your mileage may vary in terms of the amps power output and you might not want to listen as loud.  For 65.00$ you honestly cant go wrong even if it ends up being a DAC for your TV, Living room etc.     The power output is near the highest in its class due to the proper wall plug and not USB power.

 

I think my next AMP / DAC will be the Schiit products or potentially a better all in one unit in the 2-300$ range.  I have been very happy with my X6 for the past year or so and I think its the best way for someone to get into the world of hifi.

 

 

[BluJay614]

17 hours ago, Tz000 said:

Personally I own the X6 and its a fantastic unit for the price, my HD6XX @ 300ohm is about the most I would want to plug into it for my listening levels. and the dac is quite good as well, the Schiit Modi 2 will be better tho, I know some high impedance headphones are slightly more efficient so your mileage may vary in terms of the amps power output and you might not want to listen as loud.  For 65.00$ you honestly cant go wrong even if it ends up being a DAC for your TV, Living room etc.     The power output is near the highest in its class due to the proper wall plug and not USB power.

 

I think my next AMP / DAC will be the Schiit products or potentially a better all in one unit in the 2-300$ range.  I have been very happy with my X6 for the past year or so and I think its the best way for someone to get into the world of hifi.

 

 

Ok, let me make sure I'm understanding correctly. The X6 would be a great starting point, though with my budget, going with one of the Schiit products would be better. Would going with something like the X7 be better as it adds on 32-bit/348k support over USB? I also understand that the Modi 2 is on back order till next month.

I apologise if I'm making things more complicated then they should

[Tz000]

22 hours ago, BluJay614 said:

Ok, let me make sure I'm understanding correctly. The X6 would be a great starting point, though with my budget, going with one of the Schiit products would be better. Would going with something like the X7 be better as it adds on 32-bit/348k support over USB? I also understand that the Modi 2 is on back order till next month.

I apologise if I'm making things more complicated then they should

Yep you got that correct the X6 is a great starting point, the Schiit Products will be better and probably worth the 1 month wait especially with your budget.  

 

The 32bit / 348k support on the X7 sure looks good on paper but realistically good luck hearing a difference between 24 / 32bit if you even have those files to play.   Also while doing some research on the X7 the headphone output power seemed low but I could be wrong here you might want to check that out.

 

x6 output power: Output power:90mw /600Ω、180mw/300Ω、450mw/100Ω、610mw /62Ω、910mw/32Ω、1000mw/16Ω
SNR:≥105dB

 

x7 output power:  Headphone power output THD=0.04% 1000mW@16ohms THD=0.01% 500mW@32ohms THD=0.006% 250mW@64ohms THD=0.005% 136mW@150ohms THD=0.004% 68mW@300ohms THD=0.004% 34mW@600ohms

 

Schiit Magni 3 amp output power:

Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 3W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 2W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.3W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 430mW RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 230mW RMS per channel

[BluJay614]

5 hours ago, Tz000 said:

Yep you got that correct the X6 is a great starting point, the Schiit Products will be better and probably worth the 1 month wait especially with your budget.  

 

The 32bit / 348k support on the X7 sure looks good on paper but realistically good luck hearing a difference between 24 / 32bit if you even have those files to play.   Also while doing some research on the X7 the headphone output power seemed low but I could be wrong here you might want to check that out.

 

x6 output power: Output power:90mw /600Ω、180mw/300Ω、450mw/100Ω、610mw /62Ω、910mw/32Ω、1000mw/16Ω
SNR:≥105dB

 

x7 output power:  Headphone power output THD=0.04% 1000mW@16ohms THD=0.01% 500mW@32ohms THD=0.006% 250mW@64ohms THD=0.005% 136mW@150ohms THD=0.004% 68mW@300ohms THD=0.004% 34mW@600ohms

 

Schiit Magni 3 amp output power:

Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 3W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 2W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.3W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 430mW RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 230mW RMS per channel

Interesting. I'm actually finding my FiiO A3 and Little Bear B4 can handle the DT 990 Pro's 250oHm perfectly fine (Heck, the B4 can push enough to make the sound start to distort). I'm thinking about going with a Modi 2/Ol DAC with a RCA-TRS cable. My other thought: Massdrop just dropped the Aune X1S 10th anniversary edition (it's 6th gen) for $199+free US shipping.

Here's the problem with that: I don't know how timing will work out, as it's not estimated to ship till the end of next month. Also, it's only available from some eBay sellers shipping from China(For about another $80), and Aune's website (Which is another $50, then yet another $50 just for shipping).

So, I think my safest bet would be the stand alone DAC for $100, and get the additional cable. Or, I could play the risk of buying the X1S from Massdrop, and possibly get a good deal.

[Tz000]

3 hours ago, BluJay614 said:

Interesting. I'm actually finding my FiiO A3 and Little Bear B4 can handle the DT 990 Pro's 250oHm perfectly fine (Heck, the B4 can push enough to make the sound start to distort). I'm thinking about going with a Modi 2/Ol DAC with a RCA-TRS cable. My other thought: Massdrop just dropped the Aune X1S 10th anniversary edition (it's 6th gen) for $199+free US shipping.

Here's the problem with that: I don't know how timing will work out, as it's not estimated to ship till the end of next month. Also, it's only available from some eBay sellers shipping from China(For about another $80), and Aune's website (Which is another $50, then yet another $50 just for shipping).

So, I think my safest bet would be the stand alone DAC for $100, and get the additional cable. Or, I could play the risk of buying the X1S from Massdrop, and possibly get a good deal.

If your happy with the sound that those smaller amps produce then by all means throw a DAC inline with that and it will for sure be an awesome little listening setup. 

 

A bigger amp will just add some fullness to the sound.  I always love listening to my 6XX on my Pioneer A-717 Mark 2 stereo amp they sound so good especially in the low end compared to the DAC X6 on my desk but its not really feasible to have an amp that big on my desk.  

 

I think if you went with the Modi 2 Dac to start and if you find in the future you want a little more power you could pair it nicely with the magni amp for the "Schiit stack" as they call it haha.    That Aune unit looks nice and if your in the states free shipping so one unit and your done.  Too many options.. lol

[BluJay614]

9 hours ago, Tz000 said:

If your happy with the sound that those smaller amps produce then by all means throw a DAC inline with that and it will for sure be an awesome little listening setup. 

 

A bigger amp will just add some fullness to the sound.  I always love listening to my 6XX on my Pioneer A-717 Mark 2 stereo amp they sound so good especially in the low end compared to the DAC X6 on my desk but its not really feasible to have an amp that big on my desk.  

 

I think if you went with the Modi 2 Dac to start and if you find in the future you want a little more power you could pair it nicely with the magni amp for the "Schiit stack" as they call it haha.    That Aune unit looks nice and if your in the states free shipping so one unit and your done.  Too many options.. lol

Yeah, I know. Heh. Buying your first DAC when you actually have money. Hell, I just went through trying all my different headphones last night, with and without the different amps. Before I had only been using the K550 MKIII, and I had gotten so used to the nice clean sound, and I tried the Kraken Pro v2 and was supprised by how much bass they had. I remembered them not having any, and all of a sudden it was way too much. Hell, just plugging them into the B4 brought it mostly under control, but it was still crazy. One thing I didn't see from the DT 990 Pro was the insane amount of treble people gripe about.