Hello everyone, im in the market for a DAC.
I will be using optical in fed from my pc or other devices.
The specs alone from the ES9018 REALLY make it appeal to me.
I would like XLR out
I would also like remote attenuation.
That said i was really considering the NFB-11. They currently are not selling those.
The wyred 4 sound dac2 is perfect spec wise, except its missing a headphone out.
Any suggestions? I would REALLY like a dac with the ES9018 chipset.
Thanks in advance.
I will be using optical in fed from my pc or other devices.
The specs alone from the ES9018 REALLY make it appeal to me.
I would like XLR out
I would also like remote attenuation.
That said i was really considering the NFB-11. They currently are not selling those.
The wyred 4 sound dac2 is perfect spec wise, except its missing a headphone out.
Any suggestions? I would REALLY like a dac with the ES9018 chipset.
Thanks in advance.
Eastern Electric
In the $700 range, the Eastern Electric DAC is a GREAT sounding unit.
A hidden gem in the $500-600 range is the Behringer DEQ 2496 DSP processor equalizer modded to have direct out from the DAC, bypassing the output analog circuitry. Beautiful, analog like sound, easily rivaling many $2000 units. IMO it is better than the Benchmark.
And it takes the 96K/24 bit output from the MAC, works wonderfully.
In the $700 range, the Eastern Electric DAC is a GREAT sounding unit.
A hidden gem in the $500-600 range is the Behringer DEQ 2496 DSP processor equalizer modded to have direct out from the DAC, bypassing the output analog circuitry. Beautiful, analog like sound, easily rivaling many $2000 units. IMO it is better than the Benchmark.
And it takes the 96K/24 bit output from the MAC, works wonderfully.
Hello,
This is everything you asked for minus the remote attenuator. It is not a preamplifier.
Cambridge - Dac Magic - Digital to Analog Converter-Audio Advisor
Nice unit.
DT
All just for fun!
This is everything you asked for minus the remote attenuator. It is not a preamplifier.
Cambridge - Dac Magic - Digital to Analog Converter-Audio Advisor
Nice unit.
DT
All just for fun!
I'm going to second the Audio-gd NFB-2 as it fits your budget, and you can consider the NFB-3 as well, for a savings of about $100+ under budget once shipping is taken into account.
The difference is in a R-core transformer + WIMA caps + some other substitute components in the -2 vs toroid in the -3 (ie the -2 is the higher spec model). They both offer great value in design, components and construction, and it shows in the sound in my opinion.
The -2 does sound better by all accounts ("blacker background" is a commonly cited attribute by those who claim to have heard them), but I have no experience comparing the two directly. For a budget DAC, I'm quite happy with the -3, which is at about hour 40 in my current actively setup system:
Mac Mini Server Edition (external Firewire HD for Audio, Fidelia std edition, set to source bit depth/sample rate) -> USB -> Audio-gd NFB-3 / DIR9001 option -> modified Helder tube buffer (NOS June 1960 Hammond select contract 12AU7 Raytheon mfg, Mundorf MKP's bypassed by Russian Teflon caps, WIMA MKP-10 caps, 31-step SMD volume control) -> modified Helder TA-2020 (Mundorf MKP's bypassed by Russian Teflon caps) -> Solid Core Copper DIY cables -> Athena .5's
The NFB-3 DAC is none the less better than the other components in that system, based on the significant improvement I hear over the Mac's Crystal Semiconductor CS8415ACS DAC chip. It was obvious at first listen and continues to impress with subsequent evaluation.
I would think the -3 would show itself well in my main rig, which can't be setup right now due to renovations, but the NFB-2 might exploit the bigger system; I'd be surprised to find it made a huge difference in the smaller one, if at all ... it's outclassing the gear around it.
The difference is in a R-core transformer + WIMA caps + some other substitute components in the -2 vs toroid in the -3 (ie the -2 is the higher spec model). They both offer great value in design, components and construction, and it shows in the sound in my opinion.
The -2 does sound better by all accounts ("blacker background" is a commonly cited attribute by those who claim to have heard them), but I have no experience comparing the two directly. For a budget DAC, I'm quite happy with the -3, which is at about hour 40 in my current actively setup system:
Mac Mini Server Edition (external Firewire HD for Audio, Fidelia std edition, set to source bit depth/sample rate) -> USB -> Audio-gd NFB-3 / DIR9001 option -> modified Helder tube buffer (NOS June 1960 Hammond select contract 12AU7 Raytheon mfg, Mundorf MKP's bypassed by Russian Teflon caps, WIMA MKP-10 caps, 31-step SMD volume control) -> modified Helder TA-2020 (Mundorf MKP's bypassed by Russian Teflon caps) -> Solid Core Copper DIY cables -> Athena .5's
The NFB-3 DAC is none the less better than the other components in that system, based on the significant improvement I hear over the Mac's Crystal Semiconductor CS8415ACS DAC chip. It was obvious at first listen and continues to impress with subsequent evaluation.
I would think the -3 would show itself well in my main rig, which can't be setup right now due to renovations, but the NFB-2 might exploit the bigger system; I'd be surprised to find it made a huge difference in the smaller one, if at all ... it's outclassing the gear around it.
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