entry level dac

hydrostream
hydrostream Posts: 549
in 2 Channel Audio
looking for a entry level dac to use my iphone on my
system.
thanks
Main- GTP-500II,GDC-600,GFA-555II and energy C-500s
Basement-Audiosource pre/tuner,GFA-545,Onkyo
DX-1400 and RTI10s
Garage-GTP-450,onkyo M-282 and R50s with RTi55
drivers and X-overs.
My baby 18' V-king Mod VP with a merc 2.4 BP.
KTM 620 Supermoto
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Comments

  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    What's your budget?
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
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  • hydrostream
    hydrostream Posts: 549
    200
    Main- GTP-500II,GDC-600,GFA-555II and energy C-500s
    Basement-Audiosource pre/tuner,GFA-545,Onkyo
    DX-1400 and RTI10s
    Garage-GTP-450,onkyo M-282 and R50s with RTi55
    drivers and X-overs.
    My baby 18' V-king Mod VP with a merc 2.4 BP.
    KTM 620 Supermoto
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,963
    hydrostream wrote: »
    200

    Whats the rest of the system look like ?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • hydrostream
    hydrostream Posts: 549
    In my garage i use my iphone for the music source. As far as the garage
    system is a harmon kardon 3390 with old AR speakers and a energy ES-8
    sub. Cds sound good but the phone dont sound that great.
    Main- GTP-500II,GDC-600,GFA-555II and energy C-500s
    Basement-Audiosource pre/tuner,GFA-545,Onkyo
    DX-1400 and RTI10s
    Garage-GTP-450,onkyo M-282 and R50s with RTi55
    drivers and X-overs.
    My baby 18' V-king Mod VP with a merc 2.4 BP.
    KTM 620 Supermoto
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  • hydrostream
    hydrostream Posts: 549
    mostly use pandora
    Main- GTP-500II,GDC-600,GFA-555II and energy C-500s
    Basement-Audiosource pre/tuner,GFA-545,Onkyo
    DX-1400 and RTI10s
    Garage-GTP-450,onkyo M-282 and R50s with RTi55
    drivers and X-overs.
    My baby 18' V-king Mod VP with a merc 2.4 BP.
    KTM 620 Supermoto
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    edited April 2015
    hydrostream wrote: »
    mostly use pandora
    There's your problem.

    Check out Tidal if you want high quality streaming. It's not free, though.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • hydrostream
    hydrostream Posts: 549
    Well at 20+ a month i can spend that on other things. Not sure if the libary has
    my music.
    thanks for the replys
    Main- GTP-500II,GDC-600,GFA-555II and energy C-500s
    Basement-Audiosource pre/tuner,GFA-545,Onkyo
    DX-1400 and RTI10s
    Garage-GTP-450,onkyo M-282 and R50s with RTi55
    drivers and X-overs.
    My baby 18' V-king Mod VP with a merc 2.4 BP.
    KTM 620 Supermoto
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    I believe there is a free trial? $20 is one CD/SACD a month.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • Irrenhaus
    Irrenhaus Posts: 1,090
    FiiO E17 Alpen Portable Headphone Amplifier USB DAC

    Have one and like it a lot.

    9wjng5hqe67z.jpg
    HTAVR-Pioneer SC99XPA-DR3 Differential Reference AmpPolk R-700Rear- RT150Side- RT150Center-CSi5Sub-Rythmik audio F25Player- Panasonic DP-UB9000Projector- Optoma CinemaX P2Screen- Silver Ticket Products STR Series 6 120"Audio Room 2ch rig.Cary AE-3, Onkyo M-504, Marantz SA8005, Azur 851NWharfedale - Linton, SVS SB12-NSDMinis Forum PC (streamer) and Panamax MX5105Headphone rig;Schiit JOTUNHEIM and different headphones.Samsung 42" flat screen TV.
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  • bryantspaint
    bryantspaint Posts: 114
    teac ud-301 with the $100 rebate comes to $300 great dac
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  • Devlon
    Devlon Posts: 355
    I have a Keces DA-151 that is a great USB DAC with upgraded opamps. 199.00 will get it.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/86522064@N06/sets/72157640448691163/
    Living Room: HK AVR 354 as pre/pro, 2 x Polk Audio Micropro 4000, Adcom GFA-7500, 2 x Mirage OMD-15
    2 x Mirage OMD-5, 1 x Mirage OMD-C1, APC H15, Sony S790, Philips 52" LCD, Beogram 3000, FAT (Firestone Audio Tobby DAC), Harmony One

    Den: Sherwood R-972,as pre/pro, 2 x Velodyne SPL-1000R, 3 x Crown Drivecore XLS1500, 2 x Polk Audio Lsi9
    1 x Polk Audio Lsic, 2 x Polk Audio Lsifx, Sony S790, APC H15, Dspeaker Dual Core 2.0, W4S DAC 2, Keces DA-151
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,020
    hydrostream wrote: »
    mostly use pandora
    hey man, yeah, similar boat here. sounds like you want to upsample more than get a better digital to analog conversion. in my meager attempts at this so far, I've found it not particularly beneficial.

    does the 3390 have a Loudness feature that still lets you play with tone controls? this might be more impactful than adding a DAC or upsampling device, and you might find it good enough for a "garage system".

    do you have the Pandora subscription?
    free Pandora sounds a bit tinny to me, and that's over a Squeezebox, which supposedly gets 128k. not sure what their pay service nets you anymore.

    just something to consider, and it wouldn't cost you anything to try.

    I disabled signatures.
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    Devlon wrote: »
    I have a Keces DA-151 that is a great USB DAC with upgraded opamps. 199.00 will get it.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/86522064@N06/sets/72157640448691163/

    This DAC is awesome... It's made me debate selling my Cambridge to get it lol...
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • damnusernames
    damnusernames Posts: 84
    edited April 2015
    low price, no frills, very good reviews, portable, the size of a usb stick.

    Dragonfly from audioquest.

    http://www.audioquest.com/usb_digital_analog_converter/dragonfly-dac
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  • ukcolin99
    ukcolin99 Posts: 286
    What DSkip said..
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited April 2015
    Pandora on mobile devices is really limited.
    http://help.pandora.com/customer/portal/articles/90985-audio-quality
    http://hometheaterreview.com/everything-an-audiophile-needs-to-know-about-pandora/?page=2
    For users of the free service, Pandora streams AAC+ files in stereo (no multi-channel) at a quality level of 64 kilobits per second via the Web browser. For Pandora One subscribers, it moves up to 192 kbps through the browser/desktop app. In-product apps like those found in a Roku box, Blu-ray player, or A/V receiver stream at 128 kbps. With mobile devices, the quality depends on the device and network, but it is never higher than 64 kbps. For comparison, Spotify streams the Ogg Vorbis format at 160 kbps for its free desktop app and 320 kbps for its premium service ($10 per month). Spotify clearly has the advantage in quality, but the premium service is more expensive and the free service is not available on as many devices as Pandora.

    You could get one of the docks that allows one to bypass the iPhones internal DAC. The Pure i20 is supposed to be good for the money. See how this sounds:

    http://www.pure.com/product/i-20-vl-61429/
    http://www.amazon.com/Pure-i-20-30-Pin-iPhone-Speaker/dp/B0049MOK92
    http://www.soundandvision.com/content/review-pure-i-20-and-pro-ject-dock-box-s-digital

    The best you could do is:
    -Sign up for Pandora One at about $48 year
    -Get a laptop/Macbook and run it from the browser at 192kbps (vs. 64kbps for mobile devices)
    -Get one of the affordable DACs mentioned the DragonFly v1.2 or the Keces DA-151, Fiio, etc.

    There's the best Pandora that you can get for the least amount of cash.
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    +1 on the Dragonfly. Exceptional performance/value.
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • hydrostream
    hydrostream Posts: 549
    Well i will try pandora one for now and thanks for all the info. I need to upgrade my OBDII scan tool so i can make money in my garage.
    Thanks
    Main- GTP-500II,GDC-600,GFA-555II and energy C-500s
    Basement-Audiosource pre/tuner,GFA-545,Onkyo
    DX-1400 and RTI10s
    Garage-GTP-450,onkyo M-282 and R50s with RTi55
    drivers and X-overs.
    My baby 18' V-king Mod VP with a merc 2.4 BP.
    KTM 620 Supermoto
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited April 2015
    hydrostream wrote: »
    Well i will try pandora one for now and thanks for all the info.
    As stated...make sure you use a PC/Mac and not your phone...there will be no gain as mobile devices can't take advantage of the higher bit rate.

    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
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  • hydrostream
    hydrostream Posts: 549
    Will do Thanks
    Main- GTP-500II,GDC-600,GFA-555II and energy C-500s
    Basement-Audiosource pre/tuner,GFA-545,Onkyo
    DX-1400 and RTI10s
    Garage-GTP-450,onkyo M-282 and R50s with RTi55
    drivers and X-overs.
    My baby 18' V-king Mod VP with a merc 2.4 BP.
    KTM 620 Supermoto
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    No Problem! I like Pandora also. Its nice to get music surprises from time to time.
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
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  • RamZet
    RamZet Posts: 792
    Irrenhaus wrote: »
    FiiO E17 Alpen Portable Headphone Amplifier USB DAC

    Have one and like it a lot.

    9wjng5hqe67z.jpg

    I also have this.
    I love it.
    I paired mine with the Fiio L9 line out iphone 30 pin connector wire.
    Inside this bad boy is the Wolfson DAC (WM8740).

    MP3 and Pandora are not the best sounding forms of media. If you're using the free Pandora its never going to sound good. The free version is about 64k AAC+ and the paid version is 192k. The Paid version doesn't sound that bad for 24 bucks a year.
    Spotify sounds great (320k) for only $120 a year and Deezer (Elite) is streaming at 1440k for 9 bucks a month if you pay for a year upfront.

    Avoid Tidal, you're just giving money to Jay-Z ( just joking, im sure its a great service, but he does have his hands in it.)
    B&W CM9Classé Sigma
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