marantz HD dac1 or Teac UD 501

[hifinutt]

Not got a dac to use with my sonos at the moment and just looking at these lovely dacs . also could use with my modest onkyo sacd player [ although i now know they cannot emit dsd from spdif ]

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/teac-ud-501-digital-converter/

https://www.marantz.co.uk/uk/products/pages/productdetails.aspx?catid=hifi&subcatid=usbdaconverters&productid=hddac1

both 499 new . the marantz has a vol control remote which is always handy

the teac has xlr output which i am guessing will have more output if used into a passive pre

both are good , any thoughts on these dacs ?

[Mand]

Hi Phil
Are you considering these just to use as a dac or headphone amps as well?

I was looking at the Marantz as a headphone amp/dac. Ended up with a Fostex hp 4bl amp/dac. It is a tiny little thing, Burr Brown dac I think.
Bit cheaper than both of your options. Has usb and toskink input, and rca out as well all on the back with 4 pin balanced headphone out as well as normal trs jack out on the front
Maybe you could get a cable made 4 pin xlr to r and l xlr out to take advantage of the higher balanced output.
Mand

[hifinutt]

thanks mand
yes just as a dac . I rather like remote control volume controls [ like my bel canto dac3.5] becuase sometimes if you get a pre amp with no remote you can use the remote on the dac . just makes for more flexibility for a an inveterate box swapper

[Lawrence001]

Not sure the Teac volume works for the pre outs it's just for the headphone amp. At least if it works the same as mine, a UD-H01. Got it last week for £125, I think it's bloody brilliant.

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[hifinutt]

blimey , thats a bargain. thanks

[Lawrence001]

It's the going rate, well £125-£150, for the H01, not the 501 you first mentioned.

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[hifinutt]

Not sure the Teac volume works for the pre outs it's just for the headphone amp. At least if it works the same as mine, a UD-H01. Got it last week for £125, I think it's bloody brilliant.

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thanks to lawrence for his suggestion one of these landed today . also another Jolida modwright modded FX dac 3 as i liked the normal one so much
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7842/47240361101_8ecc6770af_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eYtcwv)P1060482 (https://flic.kr/p/2eYtcwv) by , on Flickr

[struth]

never seem to see these dacs or headphone amps for sale; just see folk buying them:lol:

[hifinutt]

i think the ud ho1 was on the forum for about 5mins before it sold so not surprising !! and i just love the jolida ..... i am using it with an amp that i will not admit to using and you won`t believe the sound [ the amp cost me 150 quid s/h and is made in cambridge to give you a clue !!!]

[brian2957]

How's the Teac UD H01 Phil ?

[hifinutt]

ah only came a while ago and not had a chance to test it

[brian2957]

Thanks Phil , I'll be interested in your feedback when you have had a good listen .

[Lawrence001]

Me too

[hifinutt]

will do , just evaluating the 2 jolida`s one of which is this one

https://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/84407-jolida-fx-dac-with-modwright-cap-upgrades/

[Stryder5]

will do , just evaluating the 2 jolida`s one of which is this one

https://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/84407-jolida-fx-dac-with-modwright-cap-upgrades/

I will be interested in your comments on the Jolida, I have the MkII with the Clarity Cap upgrade, I've been valve rolling, so could share with you if your interested.

Gary

[hifinutt]

thanks gary , just from a brief listen the modwright version seems to have more weight and power and clarity and realism . it has siemens valves . i am not a great tube roller but very pleased you are liking yours . its a real shame there is no dealer for jolida now . their stuff is very reasonably priced

[hifinutt]

by the way , i noticed a UD ho1 came up today if anyone interested .

https://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/teac-ud-h01-dac-tannoy-system-600-speakers.225768/

[brian2957]

Cheers Phil :)

[hifinutt]

pleasure , see what you think

[brian2957]

The UD H01 has been on my radar for some time now Phil . This one , price and condition wise , was too good to let pass . So thanks again :)

I will of course post my thoughts when I've had a good listen .

[hifinutt]

so i tried this ud-ho1 dac with my sacd player using a coaxial . i can`t really hear any difference at all . maybe the dac in the onkyo is a reasonably good one

however using this with a toslink cable from my sonos zoneplayer amp into the teac was a very big leap in performance . very enjoyable and a very worthwhile upgrade

[brian2957]

Thanks Phil . I will be getting mine sometime this week and will post my findings here :)

[Lawrence001]

Thanks Phil . I will be getting mine sometime this week and will post my findings here :)Any news Brian?

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[hifinutt]

Quick question re the marantz . the little input at the back , can you run a smartphone headphone cable into it ? would it uplift the sound much ? anyone use a dac on their smartphone into an amp ? its only for a second system so nothing too exotic

[brian2957]

Any news Brian?

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Sorry Lawrence , I missed this post . In my system I found the Teac UD H01 very detailed , however , it was also a bit bright and forward . Not for me I'm afraid and I quickly sold it on .

[hifinutt]

Strange how things vary, sitting listening to it with my tannoys and the system sounds very real and natural . Not a speck of brightness but I guess it varies in different systems

[brian2957]

Yup , too right Phil :)

[Slawts]

It may be a little out of date as it is a few years ago but I like you was looking for a do all DAC and ended up with an Audiolab Q DAC which was reduced to £150 at Richer Sounds.

I think it is a great piece of kit and punches well above its weight. The adjustable filters are good too. I tend to prefer one for high res and one for CD.

I use it with fixed output. I tried using the volume control but it was mediocre although the comparison was with a pre that now costs over £3k new so a bit unfair.

It is connected to my main rig and I use it with a Fiio X3 through coax and my Samsung phone through the USB. It doesn't disgrace itself against a Naim CD5x.

Worth a thought if you see it or the higher spec M DAC.

Out of the ones you mention the TEAC had the better reviews from memory.

[hifinutt]

Thanks , when ones current financial matters stabilise i will get a marantz dac to compare and probably one of the naim dac v1

[Lawrence001]

Sorry Lawrence , I missed this post . In my system I found the Teac UD H01 very detailed , however , it was also a bit bright and forward . Not for me I'm afraid and I quickly sold it on .How odd if anything it was a little too smooth and relaxed for me, quite the opposite to your experience. I replaced it with a Raindrop Hui which is still in the system and can't see it going anywhere for a while.

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