Media player with high quality DAC

[shriram]

Hi all,

I presently have a hifi setup with Marantz CDP & Amp with MS Aviano speakers. I am looking for a media player for movies which can play HD and multichannel movie content, at the same time send quality stereo audio output to my Marantz amp (at least comparable to my Marantz CDP). I considered players like WDTV Live and ASUS PlayOn HD, but came to know from reviews that quality of output from inbuilt DAC would not be on par with a dedicated CDP. Are there any players available in market that will meet this requirement (and not burn a hole in the pocket!). Budget is around Rs. 10K.

Note, I also have a PC having a good video card with HDMI output and perhaps can add a high quality sound card like ASUS Xonar Essence and meet my requirement. But still would like to know if there are any dedicated players around as that would be far more convenient to use than a PC.

Thanks

 

[reignofchaos]

Unfortunately there are no media players with good audio quality. Get an external dac or get a pc with a decent soundcard.

 

[kaushik]

frankly..drop that search

 

[ranjeetrain]

You can't find anything giving you good analogue out for Rs 10k. A good DAC alone costs a lot more. If you are willing to spend around Rs 40k, you can get an awesome media player though, absolutely top end.

 

[shriram]

frankly..drop that search

Hi Kaushik, I saw your post elsewhere in forum saying Xtreamer uses a high grade DAC - Cirrus Logic CS4352, though there was no mention of if the actual sound output was indeed of high quality. Going by your post, I guess not!

You can't find anything giving you good analogue out for Rs 10k. A good DAC alone costs a lot more. If you are willing to spend around Rs 40k, you can get an awesome media player though, absolutely top end.

I have pretty much come to the same conclusion, after a prolonged browsing of AV forums in vain :sad:. As of now, adding a sound card with a good DAC seems the best option in this budget. Out of curiosity, what media players are you referring to in 40k range?

 

[kaushik]

There are lot many factors that make it waste of time to search for one all-in-one solution...
DAc chip is 20% of the story .
However there is coax out in most media players , a DAC with co ex input is all you need max you will have to put 10k for such DAC.

if you want a slim solution the options i know are
1.Zotac pc with USB dac will be a good AV systemretty decent SQ to start
2.Tab+USB dac
3.Only audio with convenience of remote then SB touch on import will be a good deal

 

[reignofchaos]

Hi Kaushik, I saw your post elsewhere in forum saying Xtreamer uses a high grade DAC - Cirrus Logic CS4352, though there was no mention of if the actual sound output was indeed of high quality. Going by your post, I guess not!



I have pretty much come to the same conclusion, after a prolonged browsing of AV forums in vain :sad:. As of now, adding a sound card with a good DAC seems the best option in this budget. Out of curiosity, what media players are you referring to in 40k range?

Had an xtreamer once upon a time. Analog output quality was absolute rubbish. A philips/sony dvd player sounds far better.

 

[Kittu]

Have used all media players from AC Ryan to Xtreamer and the audio quality is not that great. Fortunately came across oppo DV-980H deal on a classifieds forum and lapped on it... Awesome sound quality. Thanks to the seller for maintaining it so well and letting go for an awesome price. :yahoo:

 

[spirovious]

Thanks to the seller for maintaining it so well and letting go for an awesome price. :yahoo:

Price?How much did you pay?

 

[Kittu]

Price?How much did you pay?

I paid <2k

 

[spirovious]

I paid <2k

Cant believe,superb price.

 

[sound and music]

I was also searching for such a product almost 2 years back and could not find a single player which could fulfill my expectations. Then decided to go for separate media player (Kaiboer H1055) and Dac (Musical Fidelity VDAC). I am happy with my decision.

The price of media players have come down considerably in the last 2 years. Now I can keep changing media players (as per my audio/video/android version requirements) while the audio output would be handled by external Dac.

 

[ranjeetrain]

I was also searching for such a product almost 2 years back and could not find a single player which could fulfill my expectations. Then decided to go for separate media player (Kaiboer H1055) and Dac (Musical Fidelity VDAC). I am happy with my decision.

The price of media players have come down considerably in the last 2 years. Now I can keep changing media players (as per my audio/video/android version requirements) while the audio output would be handled by external Dac.

Smart decision! I have used half a dozen media players so far and none of them had good audio quality. Still have some of them. Some of them served well as a basic transport. Its great to have a basic transport just for a USD 100 for a PC-less digital playback. On PC, the remote alone costs half that money.

 

[keith_correa]

Try the Dune HD TV-101 & 102. I've heard good things about the SQ from these boxes. But, audition these first.

 

[shriram]

Try the Dune HD TV-101 & 102. I've heard good things about the SQ from these boxes. But, audition these first.

Thanks, Keith.. I looked up the Dune website, they don't seem to have an India distributor. After going through various forums on the subject, I find that an external DAC to be a better option than sound card for both quality and flexibility. I decided to up my budget to 20K range, and narrowed choices to CA DacMagic and MF V-DAC II. Any suggestions which one would be a better choice with my Marantz PM7001 and MS Aviano 1 speakers? Both dealers are in Chennai, so I guess I can audition these DACs - but not sure if I can tell difference without a side by side comparison.

 

[BLASTO]

I paid <2k

What the fudge..
How do you keep finding these deals?

 

[rsponline]

So finally which DAC you ended up with ?? or you found some media player with good DAC??

 

[sam9s]

Even I was looking for a Media Player to have a good quality audio listening, could not find one, I have a WDTV, and had a PlayON HD but frankly was not impressed with the quality. Finally ended up purchasing a Squeezebox touch and a USB Fiio E10 DAC. Pretty satisfied with both since then ...

Regards
Sammy