My $50 DAC

[hpsenicka]

$45 isnt a bargain cable? To me with cables you get what you pay for!

...Not for a $50 DAC.

To each his own... but I have found that BlueJeansCable offers very nice (well made) cable at extremely competitive pricing.

Bench testing performed by another AKer confirms that their digital interconnects come in almost dead-on the 75 Ohm spec... matching and/or outperforming a number of considerably more spendy cables.

You can visit their web site for details on materials and connectors used to construct the cable... most high-end cable suppliers are reluctant to disclose such details.

If you want to spend more to achieve a particular look, or have a preference for another brand by all means go for it... but the "bang-for-the buck" is hard to beat.

 

[JBN]

Its a $300-400 dac being sold at $50.

 

[hpsenicka]

... will they sell me the $50 cable for $10??

I'm not trying to be argumentative... just saying that for me if the digital cable is well made using quality materials, tests out to spec, and is dirt cheap to boot, I'm a satisifed customer!

It doesn't have to be spendy to be good.... but on the other hand, high cost doesn't necessarily indicate a higher quality product.

For example, I wouldn't touch a "Monster" cable unless it is heavily discounted in a clearance bin... as most of the cost of the cable goes toward marketing, promotion, and high retail margins....

Anyway.. this thread is supposed to be about a good $50 DAC..... I've been itching to grab one myself just to compare with my Adcom GDA-600 for fun.

 

[uofmtiger]

I compared this to the Behringer ($129) and did not like it as much. You can read about the comparison here about halfway down the page.

That being said, it is still a great DAC for the money. I now have it in my bedroom system and it makes a huge difference.

I am feeding it a digital connection from my IO Data Linkplayer and sending its output to a TDS 202 and then to my Super T-amp and then through the "energy box" for my HD-100 electrostat headphones that feeds my speakers and headphones.

It really gives every instrument more punch and definition. Easily worth the money. I am adding a TCC TC-754 RIAA Phono Preamp (Pre-amp, Preamplifier) With Three Switchable Aux Inputs and Variable Output Level so I can add more sources to the system. I wil probably feed it a signal from my laptop when I have it back there and my XM Myfi. Eventually, I would like to put a turntable in the system to make everything complete.

 

[Njord Noatun]

Newbie - please bear with me!

A Panasonic DVD/Video CD/CD Player, Model No. DVD-CV51.

I am pretty new to this sub-forum, and simply trying to catch up on the details of digital music hardware - so please bear with me.

The above Panasonic has a 24bit/96 audio DAC - incidentally, the same as the "$50 DAC" you have attached to it and endorse so warmly. All things equal - and I know things rarely are - why would it make such a difference if you use the internal DAC or the external DAC if their audio DAC specs are the same? (Someone posted something aboud "jitter" - which I have no idea what is - but it appears to me that jitter is one of those "all other things NOT being equal" factors one have to take into consideration).

In short, why connect an external 24-bit DAC if your DVD player already does this? And, if one has an older CDP with less than 24-bit DAC it might make a difference to run a 24-bit external DAC - but if the CDP is old, it is unlikely to have digital outputs, right?

Just trying to figure out "where the beef is" with the external DAC.

Rgds,

 

[RichPA]

All things equal - and I know things rarely are -

There's a lot more to DACs than the bit depth/clock specs (i.e., 24/96) - these include the input receiver's rejection of jitter (variation in precise timing of the incoming bit stream), the precision of the clock, the implementation of the digital filter, the linearity of the converter (though most are pretty good down to fairly lowe levels), and the quality of the analog output stage that drives the interconnects and preamp input. The effect of some of these on sound quality is controversial, but like a lot of people I'm convinced that DAC quality is a major factor in the quality of digital sound.

 

[AlleyKat]

Yeah, what he said.

But seriously, and I had no idea as the specs for the internal DAC were not provided in the owner's manual, although I don't even pretend to understand the nuances of jitter & dither (new dances? ) I do know what I hear.

The "listenability" and perceived detail of my digital music has increased by factors of 10. I don't know why or how the DAC has improved the quality, I just know that I, my wife, and every guest who has listened have all been unable to believe the difference that a $50 DAC was able to make in my system.

With one daughter in college and the other starting next year I try to be careful with my audio $ as there are always other demands. I was terribly unhappy with the sound of CD's on my system. I had read a lot about dedicated CD players, DAC's. up-sampling and oversampling (even now as I type, my eyes begin to glaze over). I knew that I needed, if at all possible, to stay with a combination DVD/CD player given space constraints.

When I saw the $50 DAC on eBay, it intrigued me. I read a few reviews on some websites and figured, "What the Hell, it's $50. I'm not out much if this doesn't work." I started this thread not having an idea if it would better my system but hoping it would and that it might provide an alternative for other Ak'ers. I'm now 20 days in to the 30 day "burn-in" period and it sounds amazing, with subtle improvement continuing to be apparent.

No, it's not an equivalent substitute for systems with far better components, i.e., dedicated transports, over/upsampling SS and Tube output DAC's. I have had the distinct pleasure of hearing RichPA's system and I perceive the difference between its performance and that of superb equipment.

Put very simply, it's the biggest bang for a buck that I have ever made in all the audio systems that I've had going back to the late '60's and my snakehead tonearm with detachable "stereo" speakers setup. :thmbsp:

 

[Njord Noatun]

OK, you guys have convinced me!

If one were to go the route of an external DAC, what is a good (low-cost, if possible!) transport for such DAC?

Thanks a bunch!

Rgds,

 

[RichPA]

If one were to go the route of an external DAC, what is a good (low-cost, if possible!) transport for such DAC?

While transports do make a difference (in my opinion, this is somewhat controversial), I have had good results with an inexpensive Sony CD changer (CDP-CE375, around $120) and with several models of Marantz CD players.

 

[Njord Noatun]

I have had good results with an inexpensive Sony CD changer (CDP-CE375, around $120) and with several models of Marantz CD players.

Any thoughts on non-changers (i.e., single CD players)?

I was also reading from old threads that there appear to be "compatibility issues" connecting a CDP as transport to an external DAC ("jitter", "synchronization", "clock" spring to mind) - is this something I need to worry about?

Thanks again.

Rgds,

 

[hpsenicka]

I was also reading from old threads that there appear to be "compatibility issues" connecting a CDP as transport to an external DAC ("jitter", "synchronization", "clock" spring to mind) - is this something I need to worry about?

I have experienced irregularities with synchronization with some DAC and CDP unit pairings.

In some cases the units seemed to have to re-sync very frequently. The worst example was a Philips DVD unit that I had feeding the DAC in a Sony SDP-E800 surround processor .... they re-synced between every track. Very annoying!

I was never able to completely isolate whether it was the CDP or the DAC at fault..... maybe both?? The DAC in the Sony seemed to have trouble maintaining sync with a number of devices, but some units were worse than others.

I haven't encountered this problem with the Adcom GDA-600 I am currently using.

Interestingly enough... in both cases, the audio fidelity seemed more dependent on the DAC than the CDP/transport.

So far I haven't been able to reliably discern any sonic differences when switching transports.... mind you I haven't had the opportunity to audition any "top shelf" transports in my system.

 

[RichPA]

Any thoughts on non-changers (i.e., single CD players)?

I have a Marantz CD-110 that works well as a transport, and have had good experiences in the past with Audio Alchemy transports, as well as with older Rotel CD players. My main and favorite is a Theta Miles, but that is well out of the budget category. I think you will find that most single-CD players will do well for you.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Get one of those external NEC CD-ROM's with a digital out like the CDR-602.

 

[dewdude]

while i haven't gotten an external DAC yet because...well, i'm lazy...you are right, a good DAC can make ALL the difference in determing if a digial source sounds like digital...or close to good analog. my x-fi provides nice results....but i'm in the market for an external 192/24 DAC/ADC box at some point (i got high standards)

 

[audioguy]

Would this help with my rotel rcd-1072? It has coaxial out and rca left and right out. To use coaxial, you would have to use a DAC. Would using the dac with the digital in and interconnect out be better than using the rca's out on the cd player?

 

[hpsenicka]

Would this help with my rotel rcd-1072? It has coaxial out and rca left and right out. To use coaxial, you would have to use a DAC. Would using the dac with the digital in and interconnect out be better than using the rca's out on the cd player?

Unless your Rotel is a fairly current model (i.e. less than 4 or 5 yrs old) and at least middle... if not top-of-the-line... the use of a good quality external DAC is almost certainly going to make an audible improvement.

 

[audioguy]

It's 1 year old, and the top of the line by rotel. For that how much would you have to spend for a DAC to make a difference?

 

[RichPA]

It's 1 year old, and the top of the line by rotel. For that how much would you have to spend for a DAC to make a difference?

This is definitely in the "your mileage may vary" territory. I doubt that the $50 DAC is going to be a significant improvement for you. I'm pretty sure that some of the really expensive DACs (say, in the $1K or up range) would sound enough better to make it worth it to me. With that good a recent CD player, I think you should not buy a DAC without the opportunity to try it out in your system - often easier said than done, I know.

 

[audioguy]

Well, mainly i jumped in the this post because of my other post 'need help with a decision for an upgrade'. Someone suggested a dac so i thought i would see about that option. I don't think i'll go that route though.

 

[Urizen]

I am finally going to give the little Entech a good listen this weekend. Talk about a cheap front end! 80 bucks.

I am using a Toshiba SD-3980 as transport (the only mod is case dampening) which I paid $29 at BB out of box.

I have just hooked it up and it sounds veiled. Bass is excellent, as is staging. I am hoping that after futher burn-in, the highs will open up.

I can imagine a T-amp, Insignias, the Toshiba and the Entech together. That system would cost around $150.:lmao:

I'll keep y'all posted after a few weeks of listening.

Edit - I have removed the Toshiba from the chain. Crappy as a transport. This is where the veiled sound was coming from. I replaced it with my Ah! 4000, which has a digital out upgrade.

The highs are back in spades, but it now has the "need to break-in" treble roughness to it. Burn, baby burn...