Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

recommendation for a dac please

Jul 3, 202080 VIEWS

Ok a friend told me i need a dac casue the dac on my onboard audio card most likely does a shitty job, advice please HIFIMAN HE4X +Massdrop Objective 2 Headphone Amp: Desktop Edition recommendation for a dac please?

Vote

satumbalum

Sort by: Newest

orchardaudio

100

Jul 12, 2020

www.orchardaudio.com/pecanpi-usb It has built-in very high performance headphone amp as well.

Vote

based_donut

Jul 4, 2020

If you already have the headphones, then don't just take your friends word for it. I would suggest testing your motherboard audio first before you go spending money. If you hear any static, distortion, background hum, or anything like that when you don't have music playing, at any volume level, then you will need a DAC. If you don't hear anything, then try again, but connect you Amp to the pc as well. you can use an RCA to 3.5mm to connect the amp to your PC. If you still don't hear anything, even when the volume is high, then you don't need a DAC. If you do hear any distortion with the Amp connected, then you do need a new DAC. In brief, a DAC is a digital to analog converter. Like the name implies, it just converts the digital signal to an analog signal that is usable by headphones, speakers, etc. Any electronic capable of audio output will have one, and really the only reason you'd need to upgrade to a new/better one is if you need addition I/O, or features, or if your DAC performs poorly. This is generally indicated by poor sound, and added noise/distortion. Compared to headphones, or Amps, DAC's have the least impact on the sound being output, so you don't have to invest too much into them as most will generally offer similar sound and performance, with thing like build quality and features, such as Bluetooth, I/O, and balanced output being some of the differentiating factors. If it turns out you do need a new DAC, or if you haven't gotten your headphones yet, and just want to get everything at once for simplicity, I would recommend the Topping E30 for a solid DAC. From an objective point of view, the E30 measures perfectly, and will add no distortion to any audio played, through it. It is also very feature rich. It offers solid I/O, can be used as a Pre-amp for active speakers, and has great audio format support offering both DSD512, and PCM 32bit/768kHz support. The E30 is a DAC good enough to be considered "endgame" for most people. "Better"/more expensive DACs' wont necessarily offer better performance, just other features some might prefer, like balanced output. If the price of the E30 is too rich for your blood, or you don't need all the offered features, then the Grace Standard DAC would be a great alternative, as it will still offer a distortion free experience, at a more modest price. If the feature set of the Grace DAC is good for your needs, then really its's all you will ever need, as again "better" DAC's will really only offer different features as opposed to performing better. There are many other options for sure, but honestly I think either one of the DAC's I recommended should be enough to fill your needs, and I would only suggest looking around more if you need specific features that aren't offered by either one. Feel free to ask if you have any further questions.

(Edited)

dcha12

461

Jul 3, 2020

Got to tell us your budget man. Can't really help you out much without knowing that. That being said, good cheap option is the Schiit Modi 3, or Modius if you want to spend a bit more. Then the next thing to upgrade would be your amp.

Vote

View 1 More Reply

dcha12

461

Jul 5, 2020

Schiit only does direct sale. Some of their products are on Amazon though. The iFi Zen DAC might also be an interesting look

Vote

satumbalum

Jul 5, 2020

dcha12thanks ordered the grace sdac, seems to get great review, don't see any need for all the other features and output.

itsamepe

Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?

Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...

Apr 23, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Vote

Briankan

Recommendation for my next headphone set? I have Koss 95x

Hey all, What would you recommend I get next and why? I have Koss ESP-95x electrostatic massdrop headphones. These are my first and only audiophile set. I love them. I think my only real requirements is $500 or less for the headphones and that they have a little more low end. I don’t need thump but these are really light on lows…but the experience is still awesome. Also any recommendations on an amp? I only have my electrostatic thingy. I am using the Topping D50 DAC. thx!!

Apr 22, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Vote

LostnAmerica

Sound Signature of the Grell Project.

Wondering what type of sound signature the Drop Grell project headphones will have or trying to attain. Any update would be appreciated.

Apr 8, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Fabulous

Looking for a gaming/content audio setup

Hello! I'm looking for recommendations on audio setups. I'd be planning on using it mostly for gaming. Preferably I'd like a pair of large closed back headphones since I have a big head and jaw. I'd also like to hear myself through my mic with mic monitoring. As far as budget goes, I don't really have one. But under 600$ would be nice. I can go higher if needed. The audio setup would be connected to a high performance PC. Thank you in advance for any recommendations!

Apr 4, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

1plsd

$10 Drop Coupon Email not sent?

Trying to buy some gear off Drop for the first time. I was told I would receive an email with a welcome to drop $10 off promo. I never received that email. Drop was able to send me emails for my login token and email for Password update. But for some reason the $10 off coupon was never sent to me.

Mar 31, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Vote

Mr.Hazmat

What would be a good portable Dac/Amp to use with my HD6xx and Sony Xperia 1 V cell phone?

I am new to this hobby. I purchased a HD6XX and plan to use it with my Sony Xperia 1 V cell phone, that has a 3.5mm jack. I was wondering if I needed a portable dac/amp or just a portable amp and if so what would one recommend? Any assistance one could provide, would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Haz

Mar 7, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Trending Posts in Audiophile

itsamepe

Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?

Apr 23, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Vote

MrChiSox

Big changes coming to my tiny little music room, I've recently purchased a new stack. Currently figuring out where to locate it all and ordering up the necessary cables, it won't be too long before I'm up and running. I am now the proud owner of a brand new stack. It's a European brand called Earmen. Amp, DAC, Streamer & Linear Power Supply. It won't be long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB15yM4UptQ

Apr 23, 2024

Audiophile

General

Vote

Briankan

Recommendation for my next headphone set? I have Koss 95x

Apr 22, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Vote

Simthaniel

Rigs

Modded headphones with qudelix at the core

When I received the Qudelix 5K, I had already modified a pair of Superlux HD-681 headphones. I previously soldered my own balanced connections to the drivers, providing multiple ways to connect and...

Apr 14, 2024

Audiophile

Rigs

brothamike

A decent set of IEMs

I am in the midst of a 300 hour burn-in but, I will say I am enjoying how this set sounds so far. Before I received these which was btw late by a few weeks, I purchased a Sony/Kimber Kable MMCX...

Apr 12, 2024

Audiophile

Photos

merrick97

Should I exchange the PC38X for better headphones?

I bought the PC38X headphones FOR GAMING and they are great, but I have NO use for a Microphone since I don't do competitive gaming and I was wondering if there were better headphone options at a similar price without a headphone, where (presumably) more of the cost was put into making it sound better. I also find that my PC38X don't get quite as loud as I would like and I was wondering if a cheap amp like the iFi Go link would draw a little more volume out of my phones. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN6MM822?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details I went with the PC38X since it was considered the best bang for buck headphones. I care most about using spatial apps like DOlby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X. Suggestions are welcome.

Apr 11, 2024

Audiophile

General