dac/amp recomendations

delpy8

delpy8

delpy8

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hi guys,

back on for advice as not sure best route to go,

Currently using the creative zx and dt770s and wanting to ditch the soundcard and get a dac/amp,

My budget is around £200 to £300 what do you recommend
 
I was looking at the Epiphany acoustics amp/dac which is the equivalent of the O2 objective I think the other day along with the Schiit stack Magni + Modi, I have the sound blaster z, Not sure if these amps/dacs are a big upgrade to justify the price, Curious to find out.
 
Cheers for the reply. I would prefer the combo setup although the Schiit pair look good. I suppose without hearing these at work we will never know :( if it's a good upgrade
 
I honestly think you will be disappointed with whatever you buy. The Zx is decent enough for your phones. If you really want to spend some money, then you really need to try out the equipment and you can only do this on the high street. There are people out there that will let you do this and even give you a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied and ask nicely.
 
Thanks for your honesty, would I be better upgrading my sound card instead to the zxr as it's supposed to be better
 
delpy8 said:
Thanks for your honesty, would I be better upgrading my sound card instead to the zxr as it's supposed to be better
Click to expand...

If you still want to upgrade then definitely look at an external device. There are a lot within your price range. Epiphany Acoustics EHP-O2Di, AudioEngine D1, Arcam rPAC, HRT Microstreamer, Cambridge Audio Dacmagic Plus, to name a few. You'll just have to read the reviews on each and work out which one you want. Some good deals out there at the moment.
 
Audinst HUD MX-2 or Aune T1 are also in your budget.

I'd recommend Audinst as DT770 is rather on the warm side and Audinst should match the sound sig of the phone :)

I havent owned the O2 so I couldnt compare but Im pretty sure the MX-2 is pretty much the best in the price range.
 
DacMagic Plus has gone back up to £200. £100 was a really good deal while it lasted.

Good decision to go for a DAC/amp though, rather than buy an expensive sound card.

It's actually rather silly spending £200 on a sound card when you think about it. The whole point of buying such a sound card is to get sound quality as good as you can for your money. A sound card is too reliant on other factors in order for it to work as well as it can, and can easily be made into an expensive circuit board by EMI problems.

I mean seriously: Who really thinks it's a good idea to stick a £200 audio product in a PC case with plenty of electrical noise?
 
Marsman said:
DacMagic Plus has gone back up to £200. £100 was a really good deal while it lasted.

Good decision to go for a DAC/amp though, rather than buy an expensive sound card.

It's actually rather silly spending £200 on a sound card when you think about it. The whole point of buying such a sound card is to get sound quality as good as you can for your money. A sound card is too reliant on other factors in order for it to work as well as it can, and can easily be made into an expensive circuit board by EMI problems.

I mean seriously: Who really thinks it's a good idea to stick a £200 audio product in a PC case with plenty of electrical noise?
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You'/re right but usually the electrical noise is due to bad cables and stuff being too close I've used High end sound cards with 0 noise or interference it's a bit like cap whine it doesn't effect everyone even if it's a problem for some.
 
PapaLazaru said:
It actually was always £200 in the sale, was just the normal (non Plus) one without the amp that was and still is £100.

The plus also come with a free aptx Bluetooth receiver.
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Waiting to call local store at 9am also £10 off voucher so at £189 with a free bt reciever its a good deal :)
 
DACMagic 100 (DAC) is £100 (reduced from £200) while the DACMagic Plus (DAC & HA Amp) is £200 (reduced from £300).
The Denon DA300USB (DAC & HP Amp) is reduced down to £200 too and may be worth a look.
 
Imo, the best value DAC/amp combo in your price range would be the Matrix Mini-I 2014 (~£260).

You get a very competent DAC which will pretty handle anything thrown at it, and a decent if not stunning headphone amp with more than adequate power for lower sensitivity devices.
 
Ninja Pirate said:
Imo, the best value DAC/amp combo in your price range would be the Matrix Mini-I 2014 (~£260).

You get a very competent DAC which will pretty handle anything thrown at it, and a decent if not stunning headphone amp with more than adequate power for lower sensitivity devices.
Click to expand...

Thanks that's another option but can you buy this in the UK?
Im still waiting for a call back about the dacmagic plus without the free Bt 100 :(
 
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