I run a Dell Inspiron as my source. If I have a budget of $300 or less, would it be best to go with a PCMCIA sound card or a DAC? I'm really only interested in 2 channel, so soundcards that run 5.1 or 7.1 seem like they would be money spent in the wrong place. I've looked at DACs, but it seems they are all out of my price range. The system I plan on using this DAC/sound card for is a re-capped Packard Bell tube amp and the speakers are the 3CR-ti Parts Experss DIY project. I'm not opposed to DIY for a DAC. I've seen a lot of affordable Chinese DIY DACs on eBay, but don't know anything about their quality.
Any help or direction will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
Any help or direction will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
I have the Chinese CS4398 upsampling USB board, along with dozens of other forum members. For $100 bucks it is an outstanding buy and it is very mod friendly. Add a couple output trafos and you are close to dacs costing at least $1500, probably more.
There is a long thread about it on this forum that is still very active.
Best, Bill
There is a long thread about it on this forum that is still very active.
Best, Bill
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