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Small form factor, budget DACs?

I'm trying to restore the musicality to my system, piece by piece. A few years ago my Jolida JD-602A CD player finally died and I've never really found a good replacement. I think really I've been mourning the loss and lacked the funds to get something of equal quality (since it was sort of a giant killer).

So, what can I get for < $400? Used is fine, but it has to be a compact form factor - I don't have room for another full-sized component. I think the 1/2 size form factor that Channel Islands, Musical Fidelity and Creek use is about as big as I could go.

24/96 is a plus since I have a bit of DVD-A stuff but not a necessity. I don't really have an opinion for or against oversampling, or regarding filterless DACs.

Here are the DACs that have popped up in my search so far:

$175 - Lite Audio filterless DAC
$250-400 - Ack! Dac
$200? - Creek OBH-14 - I'd have gotten one by now but I have yet to see one pop up on the used market. Probably a good sign.
$300-400? - Musical Fidelity X-24K - older DAC (circa 2000), but it looks nice and let's me stay with the appealing X-component form factor (I have an X-ACT and X-LPS now). Maybe a little overpriced - I can't help but think that for that money I could get something better
$400-600 - Channel Islands DAC - undoubtedly the best DAC on the list, but also the most expensive, so it would take the longest for me to save up the coinage.

Anything I'm missing from the list?
hudsonhawk
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
well, I was also looking for an inexpensive but good sounding DAC & a fellow who is local was selling a Scott Nixon Saru DAC+. Well, it cost me less than the DAC-Ah & so I took it for an audition.
I have it for a day now so I've played just a few CDs thru it.
I *think* I understand what Gmood1 is talking about - since I have the Wadia 861 to compare against.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
Bombaywalla ,
you should hear a DAC like this with a better power supply.
I think you would be very surprised with how it sounds. The 12 volt wall transformer is meager at best. A toroidal based power supply is where it's at.
flye
39 posts
 
Toroid is better than a wall wart no doubt about it there brother, but also optimized battery supply is the very best! (No AC mains noises or time of day fluxuations, no more diodes...switching noises, no more harmonics, noise floor it ultra black, so much more resolution and dynamics!).
clio09
3,360 posts
 
Which is why my latest digital purchase is battery powered. Not only do I want to isolate it from the wall. I want to isolate it from my other gear.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
I agree battery power has its strengths. I also feel a well implemented power supply that runs off the mains can offer up serious competition. In some cases surpassing battery power in the dynamic areas. The condition of the mains from the start is also a factor I would think.

Too bad I don't have an extra Audio Sector Dac laying around. I would take you up on the challenge Flye and have one DAC battery modded. This way I could compare it to the stock unit. Don't let the size fool you. The digital / analog sections power inputs and grounds are separated on this unit. It is extremely quiet and dynamic all by itself.You're going to have to dig deep to out do this little guy in its present form.;-) I think Peter Daniels did an awesome job of engineering this DAC from scratch.

Cheers
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