View Full Version : DAC with remote suggestions under £200?
I've recently been asked to help out a mate who's overhauling his system on a limited budget and after hearing my system he's decided he'd like to add a dac and some serious file based audio capability to what he already has. I think he enjoyed the idea that i have all my library (and all my online stuff such as spotify and radio) at a touch of a button.
My question is really regarding DACs in the sub £200 quid bracket, I've made a few suggestions to him including the Teac one recently discussed here and of course recommended Stan's Bushmaster but having discussed it further with him I think having remote control pre-amp functionality will be a big plus. The lad is a big vinyl fan and currently uses a pioneer A400 (which doesnt have rc) and some big old wharfedales so it is really just getting the digital sources sorted.
He is looking at getting a laptop and probably a new LCD tv and a blu ray player so he'd need a dac which could handle a mixture of optical/coaxial and usb sources and allow him to control the volume without having to get up from his chair....
I'd suggested the Emotivia XDA-1 http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/x-series/products/xda1
or perhaps the matrix mini http://www.ampcity.co.uk/matrix-mini-i-dac-headphone-amp.html
which could both be had for under £200 improving the digital front end without breaking the bank.
Are there any others you would recommend around the same price range which would give him the functionality he's looking for? Should mention he'd also consider second hand gear if it served the purpose and was a bit special.
Your comments and suggestions always warmly received.
Chers:cool:
Ali Tait
29-08-2012, 09:44
This one. Coax only though.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-2496-AK4396-CS8416-DAC-With-Transformer-case-/110712416420?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c6f968a4
From the same seller but with the WM8741
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-DAC-WM8741-DIR9001-CS8421-Up-Sampling-DAC-with-Toroid-transformer-/120920036429?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item1c2765544d#ht_5088wt_979
No feedback on this though, specs are good but would like to know the final sonic result.
What Ali said.
Heard one of these at his place and it sounds fantastic.
bobbasrah
29-08-2012, 10:42
He is looking at getting a laptop and probably a new LCD tv and a blu ray player so he'd need a dac which could handle a mixture of optical/coaxial and usb sources and allow him to control the volume without having to get up from his chair....
No offence intended, but DAC apart Richard, is the laptop ideally the way to go or is available space an issue, he requires portability, and is getting the lappy cheap?
Why have a screen and a bluray player then duplicate it all in laptop?:scratch:
Would a small form PC with inbuilt BD drive not give better value and flexibility is all I'm getting at....;)
No offence intended, but DAC apart Richard, is the laptop ideally the way to go or is available space an issue, he requires portability, and is getting the lappy cheap?
Why have a screen and a bluray player then duplicate it all in laptop?:scratch:
Would a small form PC with inbuilt BD drive not give better value and flexibility is all I'm getting at....;)
A valid point and certainly a consideration would be to build a nice quiet htpc or even something off the shelf. I think the choice of laptop reflects his work needs more than anything else. He has an old PC and we have discussed putting this into action as a server/storage, he may even use it with a bluetooth keyboard for now. I will advise him to get a blu-ray drive on whichever laptop he gets as it may negate the need for a separate player. I myself use an old dvd player into my dac for playing cd's and it sounds very good.
What Ali said.
Heard one of these at his place and it sounds fantastic.
@Ali, how's the setup with this DAC regarding pre-amps/amps, etc? How does it compare to other well known DAC's? Thanks
bobbasrah
29-08-2012, 11:26
A valid point and certainly a consideration would be to build a nice quiet htpc or even something off the shelf. I think the choice of laptop reflects his work needs more than anything else. He has an old PC and we have discussed putting this into action as a server/storage, he may even use it with a bluetooth keyboard for now. I will advise him to get a blu-ray drive on whichever laptop he gets as it may negate the need for a separate player. I myself use an old dvd player into my dac for playing cd's and it sounds very good.
Fair enough Rich, if he is going for a laptop for work anyway, then ideally with BD drive and HDMI if he wants to watch film etc.... You can build a lot better for less as a PC with inboard BD was my first thought...:cool:
This one. Coax only though.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-2496-AK4396-CS8416-DAC-With-Transformer-case-/110712416420?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c6f968a4
Looks good Ali but the young chap is easily confused and the limited number of inputs less volume control and other features may be offputting, I'll add it to my list for when I've some spare loot.
From the same seller but with the WM8741
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-DAC-WM8741-DIR9001-CS8421-Up-Sampling-DAC-with-Toroid-transformer-/120920036429?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item1c2765544d#ht_5088wt_979
No feedback on this though, specs are good but would like to know the final sonic result.
Again better range of inputs but I really think the volume control/pre bit will be important for this chap. He intends to use his A400 as a power amp set at half volume so he can controll the volume and switch sources without having to get off the sofa!
Ali Tait
29-08-2012, 12:01
Not ideal perhaps but he could use the volume control in the likes of jriver to do that. It would do for a start until he can afford a pre.
Ali Tait
29-08-2012, 12:09
@Ali, how's the setup with this DAC regarding pre-amps/amps, etc? How does it compare to other well known DAC's? Thanks
I've not had any issues using it with any kit I've tried. As to how it compares, IMO it is as good if not better than the likes of the MF dac, which makes it stonking VFM when you consider the relative prices. It can be easily tweaked too, as the op amp is socketed so is simple to change. I like the OPA627.
Cambridge Dacmagic 100 for £199 new.... Does toslink, spdif and asynchronous Usb2 24/192.
Had one on loan as a stopgap and it sounded very decent indeed, surprisingly so given it's entry level status.
Regards, Alex
Was thinking about pushing the wallet into a Bushmaster but will have to consider (even more) options, may perform almost as good in a cheaper package.
Cambridge Dacmagic 100 for £199 new.... Does toslink, spdif and asynchronous Usb2 24/192.
Had one on loan as a stopgap and it sounded very decent indeed, surprisingly so given it's entry level status.
Regards, Alex
Yes, i know they are well thought of but given the lack of remote/preamp functionality I ruled it out for his purposes.
Thinking about it now I should have added (with remote) to the title of this thread... perhaps the mods could do that to avoid confusion.
Appreciate the fact that people are recommending some great kit but my pal needs some kind of control centre as well as dac... Of course I'd have recommended the Audiolab 8200CDQ as this does everything he wants and more but it is way out of his price range. I'm just looking to see what could be achieved on a more modest budget, the more i think about it the emotivia looks like amazing value and functionality for the outlay.
I looked around for DACs under ~ £300 and decided on the Teac UD-H01.
I paid just under £250 - but it's now available for £150 - and includes a headphone amplifier.
You can't really go wrong with this at the price.
http://www.richersounds.com/product/dacs/teac/ud-h01/teac-udh01
Josip Broz Tito
29-08-2012, 18:51
Audio Ga
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/NFB-2/NFB2EN.htm
Or anything by company list...all are very good.
Otherwise Emotiva because of functionality. Sound is decent too.
I looked around for DACs under ~ £300 and decided on the Teac UD-H01.
I paid just under £250 - but it's now available for £150 - and includes a headphone amplifier.
I'd be interested to know your impressions of it, my pal is probably following this thread and would like to hear some opinions I'm sure.
If he could live without the remote I think this or a standac would be perfect.
pete_mac
30-08-2012, 01:02
Audio Ga
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/NFB-2/NFB2EN.htm
Or anything by company list...all are very good.
Otherwise Emotiva because of functionality. Sound is decent too.
Yep, the NFB2.1 or NFB3.1 are cracking DACs at their price points. Highly recommended and the new .1 models feature asynchronos USB.
I've also owned the older Emotiva XDA-1 and it is great value at the current run-out price. The onboard USB is fairly average though. Their revised DAC will apparently address this.
Yes but they are a bit more expensive also. How would they compare to Stan's BM?
pete_mac
30-08-2012, 22:22
Yes but they are a bit more expensive also. How would they compare to Stan's BM?
That's an excellent question! I haven't heard a BM yet. I've directly compared and reviewed the Caiman Gatorized vs the NFB-3 and subjectively preferred the latter, but as with all audio gear, personal preference and system synergy plays a big part.
BTW, I just noticed that the OP mentions remote control functionality. The NFB17.2 is the cheapest remote DAC and is near enough to $USD500, so over the OP's budget.
This one. Coax only though.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-2496-AK4396-CS8416-DAC-With-Transformer-case-/110712416420?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c6f968a4
Would like some help if possible.
If I were to choose between the CS4398+CS8416 VS the CS4398+CS8416 with USB input which would have the best audio quality considering the sinergy between DAC and digital receiver?
CS4396 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-2496-AK4396-CS8416-DAC-With-Transformer-case-/110712416420?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c6f968a4
CS4398 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110883801543?ssPageName=STRK:MEBOFFX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1432.l2649#ht_7651wt_979
WM8471 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-DAC-WM8741-DIR9001-CS8421-Up-Sampling-DAC-with-Toroid-transformer-/120920036429?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item1c2765544d#ht_5088wt_979
Thanks
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