Best DAC on a soundcard

Sin_Chase · 27 Dec 2011 at 14:19

Hey SC.

I will next year be replacing my currently bust DAC/Amp combo with a LittleDot MK III Tube Amp.

I am sorely tempted to throw in a LittleDot DAC I also and continue to use SPDIF out from the onboard sound but the DAC I is expensive...moreso than the Amp.

What would you recommend as the soundcard to pick on DAC quality alone. (I am not interested in Headphone Ampage on-card as the LD MKIII will do that for me). Dolby headphone would be an awesome feature to have but only if it is available without ampage. Not interested in Pre-Amping to an external headphone amp.

I do not mind spending the £ for quality, but anything upwards of £150 and I might as well blow the extra on the LittleDot DAC I dedicated unit and have the flexibility and superior quality it would provide.

Weaver · 28 Dec 2011 at 01:36

Sin_Chase said:
Hey SC.

I will next year be replacing my currently bust DAC/Amp combo with a LittleDot MK III Tube Amp.

I am sorely tempted to throw in a LittleDot DAC I also and continue to use SPDIF out from the onboard sound but the DAC I is expensive...moreso than the Amp.

What would you recommend as the soundcard to pick on DAC quality alone. (I am not interested in Headphone Ampage on-card as the LD MKIII will do that for me). Dolby headphone would be an awesome feature to have but only if it is available without ampage. Not interested in Pre-Amping to an external headphone amp.

I do not mind spending the £ for quality, but anything upwards of £150 and I might as well blow the extra on the LittleDot DAC I dedicated unit and have the flexibility and superior quality it would provide.

Man this is far too highbrow a question for a simple PC forum. Lol

In an ideal world you would take along your bog standard 1 kHz sine wave recorded at -20dBFS to test the ADC, however if you cant do that then to be fair all you have to go on is hearsay.

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AlfBaxter · 30 Dec 2011 at 00:22

AFAIK the best DAC available on a sound card, in terms of specifications, is the X-fi Titanium HD. I have one and it sounds pretty fantastic with my Senn HD650 and Matrix M-Stage amp.

Shamrock · 30 Dec 2011 at 00:51

Essence STX has a Burr Brown PCM1792a DAC chip.

I doubt you'd notice any difference between DACs at this price point though.

rogan · 30 Dec 2011 at 01:37

FiiO E10 has good reviews interms of cheap external dac's

Sin_Chase · 31 Dec 2011 at 18:15

AlfBaxter said:
AFAIK the best DAC available on a sound card, in terms of specifications, is the X-fi Titanium HD. I have one and it sounds pretty fantastic with my Senn HD650 and Matrix M-Stage amp.

Mhm I checked this out, but very pricey. The only decently modern Creative card though! Was surprised the Other X-FI cards are nearing on 3-4 years old.

What output did you use?

I was reading a review and they were using SPDIF out as a means of testing the DAC which is pretty stupid is it not? Entirely negates the onboard DAC surely?

Also, I do not want to use the onboard headphone amp. Is there an analogue output available ON the card itself? NO way I am using a front panel just to pick-up more noise.

Marsman · 31 Dec 2011 at 19:07

Like the Essence, the Titanium HD, has separate RCA line out, and headphone out connections.

Using the SPDIF would be a complete waste of money. Anyone using the SPDIF out, might as well save £70 or so, and get a normal Titanium. It defeats the point of having the card, if that's the only output used.

It's fine to use the SPDIF, if the analogue connections are also used, whether it be headphones or a stereo amp + speakers.

I suppose the reviewer would use the SPDIF out, if they wanted to compare the HD's DAC, to another external DAC.

ps3ud0 · 1 Jan 2012 at 02:32

Whats the DAC on those Auzentech X-Fi cards? Arent they user upgradeable too?

ps3ud0 :cool:

hux · 1 Jan 2012 at 09:23

The best dac bar none is the sabre ess, the hext best would be the essence stx. Don't forget you can always use an external dac as well.

Calyx Coffee is worth a look.

http://www.stereoaudio.com.au/index.php/audio-news/item/91-calyx-coffee-24bit/96khz-dac

Sin_Chase · 1 Jan 2012 at 13:00

Mhhm, aware of the external options but they represent more cost than a SC.

The Calyx for example is $300 USD and has a whole host of wasted stuff I will never use. (I do not rock high impedance headphones on the move, desire external playback control hard-keys or another AMP)

hux · 1 Jan 2012 at 16:07

Well you wanted to know what the best dac is, there you have it.

ps3ud0 · 1 Jan 2012 at 16:17

hux said:
Well you wanted to know what the best dac is, there you have it.

Not really - he wanted to know the best DAC on a soundcard

ps3ud0 :cool:

hux · 1 Jan 2012 at 19:23

Well technically what i posted is a soundcard, just an external one still does the same job.

I myself have an external dac, windows just treats it as a soundcard.

AlfBaxter · 2 Jan 2012 at 02:33

Shamrock said:
Essence STX has a Burr Brown PCM1792a DAC chip.

I doubt you'd notice any difference between DACs at this price point though.

And the Titanium HD uses PCM1794A. There doesn't seem to be much difference between these chips, both very good indeed.

hux · 2 Jan 2012 at 07:54

The advantage with the essence, is the better output stage, plus you can roll the op amps should you wish.

Not to mention it drives the majority of headphones with ease.

AlfBaxter · 4 Jan 2012 at 02:33

hux said:
The advantage with the essence, is the better output stage, plus you can roll the op amps should you wish.

Not to mention it drives the majority of headphones with ease.

I don't really know what you mean by 'better output stage', and you can roll opamps on the Titanium HD as well. I would imagine there is very little difference between these two cards in terms of analogue output quality - but yeah, the HD has no headphone amp, and couldn't drive demanding cans on its own.