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Good dac/amp?

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I've been looking at mayflowers arc to upgrade from my computers motherboard audio, and it seems to have what I'm looking for, namely being able to switch output to either headphones or speakers, but I'd like to know if there's any similar options that may be cheaper or better? I really don't want to spend more than the $260 the arc would cost me.
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black_mamba
14
Aug 17, 2020
If you're main goal is to just spend less without giving up sound quality (I assume you also want mic input since you're considering the Mayflower and using it on your computer) you could easily get by with a Schiit Fulla 3 at $100. If you want to have some extra power and add mic level control you can get the Schiit Hel for $180. The Hel should be powerful enough for all but the most demanding cans. Both have variable pre-amp outputs to control powered speakers and both are still significantly less than the Mayflower at $260. The one plus that the Mayflower has is an output switch. On the Schiits I think you have to unplug the headphone for the rear output to turn on. I have a Fulla 3, but have never tried it, so hopefully someone can confirm or correct me if I'm wrong. I've never listened to the Mayflower, and I'm sure it's good, I just don't know if it's better enough to justify the price difference. If you can only have one amp on your desk and you need mic input, the the Hel is hard to beat. I have enough power from a 789 and a Darkvoice when I'm listening to music, but when I'm gaming and need that mic input, then I use the Fulla 3 with a PC37x, and it works great.
(Edited)
4faceplantslater
13
Aug 18, 2020
black_mambaThank you, I think I'll look into this
rastus
1391
Aug 16, 2020
For SQ, a drop & Grace standard balanced DAC, along with an O2 amp, will take you further up, 24/96 vs DSD & 384KHz. This little DAC black box, looks like a keeper wherever your audio journey takes you, it’s balanced too... This puts you at less than $260 Mayflower is using a PCM5242 that has greater capability, that they do not tap into, likely a driver vs driverless issue. https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pcm5242.pdf?HQS=TI-null-null-mousermode-df-pf-null-wwe&ts=1597581547137 The new Grace/drop balanced & DSD capable DAC, can later well compliment a more expensive amp. If you can, look at the drop/THX One amp. They took the USB switch solution to the driver issue, Mac OS & 10 still driverless in 2.0 mode for DSD & high rate FLAC. USB cables, it’s a one-way isochronus street for audio, get a decent one with exceptional shielding. Example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1WRF26/ref=dp_cerb_1 ”Isochronous transfers are used to transfer data in real-time between host and device. When an isochronous endpoint is set up by the host, the host allocates a specific amount of bandwidth to the isochronous endpoint, and it regularly performs an IN- or OUT-transfer on that endpoint. For example, the host may OUT 1 KByte of data every 125 us to the device. Since a fixed and limited amount of bandwidth has been allocated, there is no time to resend data if anything goes wrong. The data has a CRC as normal, but if the receiving side detects an error there is no resend mechanism.” https://www.edn.com/fundamentals-of-usb-audio/ All that said; the Mayflower ARC II looks like a solid unit, with some nice gamer features.
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dcha12
461
Aug 16, 2020
If you don't mind two boxes, I'd highly recommend a cheap Schiit stack (Modi 3, Magni 3+). That combo costs $200 + shipping + tax. Keep in mind you will have to provide your own RCA cables (can be found cheap).
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