USB Dac or Sound card for laptop

[iaudio]

Kittu, the DAC gives an output signal of a few volts, about 2V or so, just like your cd player or dvd player does through the analog outputs. Afaik, this doesnt have the amount of current required to drive a heavy load i.e your speakers. For that, the DAC/ cdp/dvdp/source is connected to an amp, which can amplify or bring in the necessary gain in Current to drive your speakers.
Just consider the DAC as part of the source stage of your audio chain.

 

[Kittu]

Kittu, the DAC gives an output signal of a few volts, about 2V or so, just like your cd player or dvd player does through the analog outputs. Afaik, this doesnt have the amount of current required to drive a heavy load i.e your speakers. For that, the DAC/ cdp/dvdp/source is connected to an amp, which can amplify or bring in the necessary gain in Current to drive your speakers.
Just consider the DAC as part of the source stage of your audio chain.

Thanks iaudio, One more Q may be off topic do DACs give better output than media players like PlayonHD/WD LIVE etc? I know these can be connected to computer wireless and output can go to amp. Just wanted to know about the output quality.

 

[iaudio]

Kittu, It depends on the dac and media player in question. But usually the analog out from media players is not so good( like WD tv) so if you connect it thru digital out to a DAC and use analog out from DAC to your stereo amp it would sound better.

 

[rallynut]

@Rallynut,

Since you bought it recently, you might have a very tempting price for upgrade from nuForce (far less than $65, $15? ).

thanks for the info santhosh .tempting indeed.cheers

 

[Rem]

@all

Arcam has come out with a new DAC called the RDAC around the $300 mark.

Musical Fidelity also has a new one called the M1 DAC(one notch above the V-DAC) around the $400 mark

Both these are supposed to be pretty good and is competing with the DACMagic and the Beresford DACs and some reviewers prefer these to the DACMagic.

I guess I will forever continue reading reviews about the n number of DAC's getting produced and never buy one, yuks.

@Rally, @Iaudio thanks for all your help will be updating this thread in case of any progress or if I find yet another new DAC to ask your opinion or to share the info with you guys.

Take Care
Rem

 

[Kittu]

@all

Arcam has come out with a new DAC called the RDAC around the $300 mark.

Musical Fidelity also has a new one called the M1 DAC(one notch above the V-DAC) around the $400 mark

Both these are supposed to be pretty good and is competing with the DACMagic and the Beresford DACs and some reviewers prefer these to the DACMagic.

I guess I will forever continue reading reviews about the n number of DAC's getting produced and never buy one, yuks.

@Rally, @Iaudio thanks for all your help will be updating this thread in case of any progress or if I find yet another new DAC to ask your opinion or to share the info with you guys.

Take Care
Rem

Rem

I am totally with you on this one... Specially when its not possible to audition them :sad: I am in the hunt for one too let me know if at all you buy one

TIA
Kittu

 

[Rem]

will do kittu will keep you posted but will be a long wait
would not spend a ruppee without listening to these DAC's on my own.

 

[Kittu]

will do kittu will keep you posted but will be a long wait
would not spend a ruppee without listening to these DAC's on my own.

Only way is to join the next iaudio yatra

 

[rallynut]

@Rem & kittu,auditioning the tons of available options is going to be the issue.considering arcam's reputation,am sure their latest offering is going to be very good,for sure.another option,the yulong d100,looks damn good to me :licklips:.

the prob i have always felt is how much is too much by way of budget??hence my decision to stick by vfm dacs.after a conversation with esanthosh i realised that of the available the SS options,i dont believe sonics offered are going to change much,just few aspects of microdynamics and such.that said,u guys are welcome to audition my nuforce udac/keces da151 mk2,...anytime .enjoy the hunt,cheers

 

[Kittu]

@Rem & kittu,auditioning the tons of available options is going to be the issue.considering arcam's reputation,am sure their latest offering is going to be very good,for sure.another option,the yulong d100,looks damn good to me :licklips:.

the prob i have always felt is how much is too much by way of budget??hence my decision to stick by vfm dacs.after a conversation with esanthosh i realised that of the available the SS options,i dont believe sonics offered are going to change much,just few aspects of microdynamics and such.that said,u guys are welcome to audition my nuforce udac/keces da151 mk2,...anytime .enjoy the hunt,cheers

500$ for a DAC sorry I'll pass...

 

[rallynut]

see what i mean ???actually if u were abroad,u prob wouldn think twice before buying.being in india,accrued overheads tend to make even a budget item more,..um,upmarket.hence my decision to stick to sub 300$ offerings,cost/performance ratio being paramount.actually,the yulong d100 seems to be quite a piece of kit,and is a great headamp as well.so for someone who is interested only in headphones,along with a good transport the total cost involved becomes quite the bargain .

 

[esanthosh]

^ If it is as they say, it's a bargain for sure. Yulong D100 is suitable for my tastes - something neutral and has details.

I've chatted up a bit with Project86, who wrote that review. From my interactions, he seems to be a decent and nice guy. But then, each ear is different and my bad ears may not hear all those things he talks about

The downsides to getting a D100 are there - For instance, there's no volume control for the RCA out. The bigger issue is it's not as re-salable based on brand name like a used Benchmark DAC1 for say, $700.

For me, the question is what will a "better DAC" do over my CD63SE and STX - both decent enough sources? Will it bring anything magical? Or will it be only slightly better?

 

[Rem]

how do you know whether a DAC or an AMP or a CDP is neutral sounding.

IF a music sounds coloured how would we know whether it was recorded that way or its coz of the DAC/AMP/CDP through which it was played.

My assumption is only the recording engineer would know how a CD music was recorded and how it should sound. If that sound is replicated via the DAC/AMP/CDP we play the CD in then we can call the DAC/AMP/CDP neutral. If DAC/AMP/CDP alters the music reproduction in anyway we can say that it colours the sound.

But the question remains how do we know it; very often when the music sounds mellow without too much highs and too much bass many people call them neutral it could be that the DAC/AMP/CDP is making it that way and it was not supposed to sound that way.

Guys help I always had trouble understanding this term neutral when it comes to judging a DAC/AMP/CDP

 

[Rem]

anyone with an answer for my query

 

[gobble]

anyone with an answer for my query

Take a bunch of CDs that you know have very different "tonality" and listen. If they all sound the same on the CDP being evaluated you will know if the setup is adding it's own color to the sound.

 

[spirovious]

I think using a neutral headphone & listening with all deviced seperatly can be useful.
With HP,you can here the details.

 

[Kittu]

Any one have some inputs on this DAC ..


AUNE Mini USB DAC + Headphone Amplifier MK2 - eBay (item 260435237330 end time Sep-17-10 18:26:26 PDT)

 

[Rem]

Take a bunch of CDs that you know have very different "tonality" and listen. If they all sound the same on the CDP being evaluated you will know if the setup is adding it's own color to the sound.

Thanks Gobble for that, initially I dint get what you were saying later on realised you had a point there.

@spiro
The question was how do you know what is neutral and what is not. So question of listening to smthg with neutral headphones doesnt arise.

 

[Rem]

@kittu

I hve been reading about different DACs in the budget range for the last 1yr there are a zillion such DACs and most people will have idea about only the most popular ones from well known brands.

Then again if you are really lucky you might find an owner or someone who has listened to those in this forum.

 

[spirovious]

A multi-ch USB soundcard-
AUDIOTRAK - MAYA EX5 CE