Budget DACs

[AlfaGTV]

Think you'll enjoy this one very much! Reasonable cost, versatile and stunning sounds.
Works very well on the end of an USB cable off the Mac.
Plenty of filters and compatible with most formats (incl DSD 128)
Oh, it's called S.M.S.L M-8 and is available through the 'bay...

[mr sneff]

Audioengine D1 USB DAC available here
Open to offers....

[StanleyB]

Above all I am looking for clarity, detail and dynamics.

There are a good selections of DACs in the price range. But clarity and detail are frequently mentioned as the things that instantly stand out with the Caiman.

[danilo]

A Decent DAC has a balanced output.
That means you need an Amp with balanced inputs :-)
Without that... it effectively ..doesn't audibly matter... what dac you use.

[roob]

A Decent DAC has a balanced output.
That means you need an Amp with balanced inputs :-)
Without that... it effectively ..doesn't audibly matter... what dac you use.

Why is that then?

[cjm123]

Thanks guys for all the help Loads of ideas here to research and educate myself on.

cheers

Chris

[Saber]

Hey cjm

I just got myself a Musical fidelity v-dacii with some birthday money, really enjoying it, massive improvment over the £22 Zhilai I was using, but even that was a huge improvment over the the headphone output on my laptop, and is nwo running my gaming pcs audio
.
Lots of choice up to £200, I grabbed the fidelity as it was one of 3 on my list and the first that came up for the right money.

Eventually you have to stop reading reviews and bite the bullet I guess

[Flanders]

A Decent DAC has a balanced output.
That means you need an Amp with balanced inputs :-)
Without that... it effectively ..doesn't audibly matter... what dac you use.

Danilo, it'd be great if you could provide an explanation to help others (like myself) understand why this is the case. Does this also include all CD players that don't have balanced output? I could swear that I've heard differences in sound between different CD players and stand alone DAC's that are unbalanced. What if I put a balanced output on my old CD player? Will it sound decent then? I thought it sounded quite good but now I'm not so sure.

[wee tee cee]

My son uses a Bushmaster mk2 with a Mac. He had been running it with usb cable/usb convertor/glass optical.....I bought him a 5m optical to run straight out of the headphone socket on the mac to the bushmaster, he felt it was a noticeable improvement.

I run a Caiman mk2 with the latest firmware,I was using a 5m usb cable/v-link/glass optical from a PC. Chat on the forum made me realise that the usb had been improved with the firmware upgrade.....tried the USB direct into the Caiman, havent went back to the convertor/optical.

Hope that makes sense!!!

[WAD62]

Danilo, it'd be great if you could provide an explanation to help others (like myself) understand why this is the case. Does this also include all CD players that don't have balanced output? I could swear that I've heard differences in sound between different CD players and stand alone DAC's that are unbalanced. What if I put a balanced output on my old CD player? Will it sound decent then? I thought it sounded quite good but now I'm not so sure.

Danilo's law of the DAC, XLR = Good, RCA = Bad...and there's me thinking about the isolation, power supply, output stage, synchronisity, software, and the actual DAC itself, but thankfully this has all been simplified to an output analogue connector type...

For Danilo;

The OP just want's a 200 quid DAC for his office system...perhaps he should get a separate power supply spur along with his new DAC, and amp, both fitted with balanced connectors, in order for them to at least sound decent!

Unless you're covering long distances there's little benefit in balanced connectors. My MDAC has balanced outputs, does this make it 'decent' even if I don't use them...