Need some sort of external DAC

Ash0787

Ash0787

Ash0787

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17 Nov 2013
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I just changed my main system from ATX form to mITX with a Asus ROG z97 board and the 'supreme FX' is not very supreme at all, from the marketing I expected that it would be similar to one of the full size Asus sound cards
( I have the essence STX )

So I probably need something that I can connect via usb that will be significantly better than the realtek chip, however that seems to defeat the purpose of having a highly transportable pc ....
I do have extra room in the case though which could fit something about the size of a standard hard drive and there are cable holes at the back that could passthrough several thin cables outside of the case, so I might be able to have an internal external sound device if that makes sense

I dont really know anything about audio things though, I always just buy the various asus PCI slot sound cards

I dont need to connect to a complicated audio system, just 2.0 speakers or headphones.

What I find odd though is my PSVita and MSI GX740 laptop have very good
audio quality compared to this motherboard and they dont exactly have 4 inch long shielded sound cards
 
Hello, what's your budget?

I like the idea off the "internal external" soundcard but you'd have to mount it securely.

Alternatively just get a decent internal soundcard? This is the best option for gaming.
 
I'd rather not spend more than my other sound card is worth so under £150, less would be good though as this is becoming a secondary computer, however I dont want to buy something that is cheap and then have to buy a more expensive one later because its not good enough

I was intitially drawn to this one but its quite expensive and I dont think it would be able to go inside the case, seems excessive for what I want
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-026-AS&groupid=701&catid=1925
 
dacads said:
Hello, what's your budget?

I like the idea off the "internal external" soundcard but you'd have to mount it securely.

Alternatively just get a decent internal soundcard? This is the best option for gaming.
Click to expand...

i thought about doing this with the ODAC almost certain it would run off the 5v rail and pretty sure it would mount in a floppy bay :)
 
Another thing I didnt explain fully is I would prefer it to run off USB power ( it can be several usb cables ) rather than requiring a seperate mains power cable,
definitely dont want a battery powered one ( seen some small portable ones ). I dont know if that requirement will limit the quality of what I can get though.

Just did some searching and Xonar Essence is rated 20w, USB 3.0 cables can provide 4.5w
 
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Ash0787 said:
I have microlab 1c, 8c

etymotic ER4P, hifiman RE-400

My concern with the Dragonfly thing is it might get bent like usb data sticks sometimes do

Is the Xonar U7 decent by audiophile standards or is it going to be the equivalent of something like a xonar DG ? https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-015-AS&groupid=701&catid=11
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The U7 should definitely be between than the DG, and is probably at around the level of the Xonar DX or the SoundBlaster Z.

If you don't are not concerned with Virtual Surround gaming features like Dolby Headphone etc too much, you could consider the DacMagic XS as well, which will be powered by USB alone (though they won't get enough power being used with phones so it won't work, but it works perfectly with my Linx 10).

I find that the stereo audio quality of the DacMagic XS is comparable to my STX. I picked mine up during a sale at RichardSounds for just £49.99, so it was a steal. Their usual retail price is at around £99.99 though. Also unlike the Dragonfly, it has a short detachable USB to mini-usb cable, so not need to worry about accidentally blending the connector, as you can just replace the cable.

Also RicherSounds offer a 30 days guarantee for the DacMagic XS, and if you are unhappy with its performance, you can just return it for a refund within 30 days no question asked.
http://www.richersounds.com/product/dacs/cambridge-audio/dacmagic-xs/camb-dacmagic-xs

Not sure if you have a RichardSound store at your local area though.
 
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Its does look like it will do exactly what I want, I think the recessed circular dial on the top looks bad though, prefer the appearance of the super expensive Asus one and the Topping VX1, but those are both mains powered ones
 
Ash0787 said:
Its does look like it will do exactly what I want, I think the recessed circular dial on the top looks bad though, prefer the appearance of the super expensive Asus one and the Topping VX1, but those are both mains powered ones
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The XS is about the the length of two 50p, so that tiny in size, I don't think the look matters too much :D
 
sorry I meant the silver finger dial on the xonar, prefer the 'knob' style on the side of the expensive Asus one

I did see the cambridge audio one but it didnt stand out to me just looking at it, the finish looked a bit rough and could only see two massive plus and minus buttons It does look like it would be good though, its approximately what I'm looking for, but reluctant at the £99 price point. There is a shop that sells them about 15 miles away so I can inquire to see if it can be better price.
 
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that seems like it could be another good option but its more expensive and seems less popular

sending someone tommorow to see if I can get one of the cambridge audio
ones, they look like they might even be small and light enough to attach to the case side panel with double sided tape or something
 
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