The best DAC for the money


I'm thinking to buy a DAC, but not really sure which one to choose... Preferable with HDCD decoding, and reasonable price... You name it

System
Source: NAD c541i
Amp: Sim Moon i-5 integrated
Speakers: Revel M20
Cables: AZ Satori, etc...
dmitrydr
The dAck! battery powered dac is a nice sounding unit at $400. You can demo one with a $50 deposit, although the waiting line is a bit long for demo models. I took a chance and purchased one outright and am very glad I did.
Hey Bob,

I was on the waiting list for a demo of the dAck! but think they forgot about me. So far, what is your experience with the DAC? My biggest reservation regarding a battery powered DAC is that I leave my system on 24/7. Do you think it as an inconveniece?

I am using the Nixon, and it also has a lot of the attributes that some people who own the dAck! has described on AudioAsylum and AudioCircle. So, I wonder how much of the dAck!'s magic is due to the lack of digital filters or the lack of AC added pollutants.

The dAck! certainly is prettier. I heard Dusty at CI Audio is making a variety of a nonOS DAC too.
Yes. I modified myself. Having someone else do it doesn't make senese to me because I want to know exactly what each parts I put into my player does.
Hi Viggen,
I had almost given up listening to cds before I got the dAck!. I had the MSB linc dac and found it hard to listen to more than a few songs before listener fatigue set in, which had me going back to vinyl my primary source for serious listening.
Since I got the dAck! I find I can listen for hours without any fatigue what so ever.
The battery issue doesn't really bother me to much since I can always listen to a LP while the dAcks! batteries are charging. The manual says it takes 45 minutes to charge but I find they fully charge in about 20 minutes.