Budget DACs

neil_g

neil_g

neil_g

Soldato
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Sorry I know this probably gets asked a lot but searching for DAC gives a load of unrelated threads.

I've got some Yamaha HS5 which are currently running off of my Xonar DGX, somewhere in my system I must have some coil whine as it is coming through to the speakers, possibly from the motherboard or PSU which hums under load.

Long term the PC needs a complete upgrade (2nd gen Intel, 780ti etc) but cost wise it's not feasible right now.

So, tl;dr will a DAC help rid my speaker interference?

If so which of these (or other suggestions):

SMSL SD-793II
Pros - Cheapest @ £50-60, headphone out
Cons - Quality? only phono out and optical/coax in

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Pros - Balanced outputs, USB in, headphone port
Cons - A lot of extra guff that I don't need?

Audioengine D1
Pros - Headphone out, USB in
Cons - Only phono out, top end of budget @ £150

As much as I'd love a TEAC UD-301 with the balanced outputs budget wise @ £270 (Massdrop @ todays rates) that isn't quite an option for now.
 
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The noise gets worse under load, if I load a game up its much louder through the speakers. Its a buzz rather than a hum to be fair.

Not the speakers, no issues through a different source with same cables.
 
It's a matx board there aren't any once the 780 is in the way. Same thing happens from on-board audio. Why I'm thinking a usb/optical external unit might help?
 
rids57 said:
The SMSL SD-793II is a very capable DAC and using it optically will completely isolate your speakers from the PC. So unless the hum is airborne EMI (doubtful) then using the SML should eradicate it completely.

Zeos reviews it here:
Click to expand...

Kinda what I was thinking regarding isolation. Nice review of the SMSL too, very reassuring.
 
SD-793II just landed on my desk and will give it a whirl tonight.

smaller than I thought it would be (not a bad thing).
 
SD-793II works well and had solved my buzzing noise.

Nice little unit, no noticeable hiss while no audio is running. Audio quality seems spot on.

Must remember to turn it on before the yamahas though as it makes a loud pop the speakers otherwise.

Not tried the headphone amp yet.
 
Well I'm happy with the performance of the headphone side too. Driving the HD-25 (70 ohm) they've got plenty in reserve, things get uncomfortable above 1/3 volume.

Tried a few genres and very impressed, can't fault anything about it really. If anything it's highlighted how rubbish some of my FLAC encodes are.

If I'm being really critical there seems to be a little bit of hiss during quieter segments, although again I can't rule out rubbish encodes here.

For sub £50 it certainly is a little trooper.

14031699_360906514297454_1819056973_n by Neil Gates, on Flickr

14128704_589707801231871_1388376855_n by Neil Gates, on Flickr
 
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