Hot Audio Dac Straight v/s Fubar 2 : USB DAC

Audiolab 9000N
Looks like hot audio website is down.

I am now pretty much singled out on fubar 2. Is there any alternatives in and around $150 to $200 that i should be considering venkat ?
 
I would definitely consider the Valab NOS DAC and the Gigalab Moon Mark II Dac. Both are Non oversampling DACs and are excellent value for money. Both of them are USB powered as well.
 
The Gigalab moon dac does not seem to be available anywhere maybe its discontinued.

The Valab nos dac is available on ebay im looking into this.
 
cranky said:
External power is usualy safer than bus power, at least from a sonic point of view. The PCM2702 sounds unreasonably good (I just sold my last remaining piece, with external power pack) for what it costs. I think Keces makes a maxed-out DAC based on the 2702 as well.
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Im not very educated on dacs but can someone explain how a valab/gigalab moon dac would compare to a burr brown pcm2702 based fubar 2 ?
 
cranky said:
External power is usualy safer than bus power, at least from a sonic point of view. The PCM2702 sounds unreasonably good (I just sold my last remaining piece, with external power pack) for what it costs. I think Keces makes a maxed-out DAC based on the 2702 as well.
Click to expand...

In real world terms, how much of a difference are we speaking of, Cranky?
 
audiodelic said:
moon dac is available via an individual seller and not a ebay store, the user has only 27 transactions so im skeptical about ordering from him.
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I guess the deal I saw expired, audiodelic. However there are very nice Keces DACs as well as other ones. The Valab NOS is tempting to say the least for the money.
 
thevortex said:
I guess the deal I saw expired, audiodelic. However there are very nice Keces DACs as well as other ones. The Valab NOS is tempting to say the least for the money.
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The Valab nos dac i read about on head-fi and many people are complaining that he used cheaper chinese parts instead of some of the original parts he used to use to cut costs which affects sound quality.

Valab Dac-First Impressions - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

While we are on the discussion i need to know what dac the valab dac is based on,how different would it sound compared to a dac based burr brown pcm 2702. Im not very educated on dacs if you could tell me the exact differences it would be really helpful thanks
 
I have ordered a dac from Lawrence - the CS4397 based dac mentioned on Lampucera web site. Let us see how it turns out for $90. I have taken a chance by not going through ebay and made direct payment.

regards
 
audiodelic said:
The Valab nos dac i read about on head-fi and many people are complaining that he used cheaper chinese parts instead of some of the original parts he used to use to cut costs which affects sound quality.

Valab Dac-First Impressions - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

While we are on the discussion i need to know what dac the valab dac is based on,how different would it sound compared to a dac based burr brown pcm 2702. Im not very educated on dacs if you could tell me the exact differences it would be really helpful thanks
Click to expand...

I am afraid my knowledge is limited to pure hearsay. For every such post (as pointed out) there are also other posts even in the same website praising the Valab Dacs - even their build quality and incredible value for money. A similar sort of love hate relationship seems to prevail even in the case of the Beresford DACs:).

The 7520 is very highly spoken of in a few circles and is good value for money.

The NOS part of the Valab DAC is the main differentiation insofar as I understand it. Non oversampling is a subject which has been dealt with by many people and a quick Google search would bring up a wealth of information on that. It is supposed to promote natural hearing shunning all artificial enrichment or enhancement. I am yet to hear a NOS DAC, I am afraid. Maybe somebody else can pitch in.

I wonder though as to whether any of these solutions we are now discussing would be better than the ASUS Xonar Essence. Any thoughts anybody?
 
anm - What I have managed to read about the Lampucera (lovely name) Lawrence DAC is interesting. But are you going to do all the after market soldering and stuff that is being suggested?

Why did you prefer this over the NOS DACs? Any particular thought process?
 
there are so many dacs out there, it is going to be a tough decision in any direction. I have bet $90 on the dac. Let us see how it turns out. Lawrence had a strong recommendation at lapucera site so I mailed him directly.

=> Low cost
=> Recommendation at lamucera of the person Lawrence.
=> Recommendation of the DAC at the same site - though that's very subjective.
=>Modular design easy to mod and use a separate output stage.

Downside is that there is no cabinet - for those who want a plug and play and forget dac.

Yes I am imagining to get it stuffed inside my lyrita pre to use its output stage and power supply. Will take it to Viren to see if that's possible. Viren is not even aware of my evil designs :)

regards
 
I would like to get the buffalo dac but I am holding on spending that much amount of money without even trying a basic dac.
This one is going to be the first "exclusive" dac in my life - other than those in the dvdps and receivers :)
 
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anm said:
I would like to get the buffalo dac but I am holding on spending that much amount of money without even trying a basic dac.
This one is going to be the first "exclusive" dac in my life - other than those in the dvdps and receivers :)
Click to expand...

Hi anm, I was also looking at that DAC module for my MHZS cdp.....Can you help me in stuffing that DAC into cdp??

btw the price quoted in the ebay for that DAC is 77$ including shipping....
 
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