DAC Inquiry

[bod]

Hi folks,

Thinking of getting a dac for my laptop in order to connect it properly to my system. I assume it will be a quantum leap in performance from what now is a very long daisy-chained basic mini jack to phono connection. I was wondering if anyone had an Audioquest Dragonfly or the like that they would be willing to loan me for a short while in order to get some sort of baseline so that I can make an informed decision on how many shekels I need to spend so I won`t come down with a dose of audiophilia nervosa if I buy blind!

Cheers,

Dave.

[nige2000]

one of jk's dacs s/h or new is excellent bang for buck
is portability an issue?

[bod]

Cheers. Portability is not really an issue as I would mainly be using it while entertaining visitors as alcohol and expensive cartridges don`t mix! Don`t really want to go more than around €200 though as it`s not a priority, source-wise. Just something that sounds good and is idiot proof will work. The usb dac would appeal to me if only to convince some friends that the sound from their pc`s could be far better but as most of them are ipod idiots I don`t hold out much hope for that :-)

[nige2000]

try the classifieds you never know :)

[markof]

The iDSD Nano http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/nano-idsd/ is superb value and will play just about anything you can throw at it.
I use one myself and it hits well above it's weight.

Mark.

[Bannjo]

I have this HRT Music Streamer II + available coupled with 1 metre of Russ Andrews Kimber USB cable which might do your job for basic streaming from a laptop. See link for further info http://www.amazon.co.uk/HRT-351-Music-S ... B0038O38S6.

Its about 4-5 years old now and served me very well when I was getting into streaming first. It cost me about £200 plus £60 for the cable back then but would be open to reasonable offer if your interested.

[bod]

Thanks folks. The ifi and the Dragonfly were on my shortlist of sorts. I`ll keep an eye on the classifieds too. Cheers.

[bod]

Thanks Bannjo. I`ll have a think about it. Got to send my Naks off for service soon which is going to cost €600+ but as soon as I`ve cleared that bill I may get in touch.

[jaybee]

I have an rDac in the classifieds if you want to try it out...?


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[bod]

Cheers Jaybee. I borrowed a Meridian Director from Ivan a little while ago so I reckon I`ll go that route or possibly wait a bit and get a Wadia (if it`s worth the extra shekels :-)). I never really took to the Arcam sound to be honest. An excellent company all round but a bit too lush for my liking. That said, I haven`t actually heard any of their recent DAC`s so I could very well be missing out. Meridian really know how to sort out those 1`s & 0`s. The Director is a fine little DAC.