USB DAC question for neutral setup. Please help.


Hi

I have PC based stereo setup and i mostly use Flac/WAV files. My setup is fairly neutral, rather lacking on energy/excitement.

I am looking a good USB DAC in $600 price range, used or new, that can help improve the overall system and also impart some energy to it.

My top choices are Concero ($400used), Concero HD ($600used), Centrance Dacmini ($500 used), AMI Musik DDH-1($500 new).

These are the main ones, i am open to suggestions for others within this price too.

Audition is not an option so i need some help in deciding what to do?

Needs to go along with the setup and improve it also impart some energy.

Regards
adurlabhji
iFi Micro DSD seems popular at $499, intended as headphone amp but can do double duty as DAC to system
Centrance makes nice DACs. I have their little portable DACport, and it is an impressive piece for the price. I'd check out the DACmini -- or a Schiit if you can find one around.
Here's another vote for the Bifrost + UBER analogue upgrade - but to give it
even more zing, get the v-link192 usb-spdif converter - it performs much
better than the Schiit USB interface.

Prior to the v-link I upgraded to the schiit usb-gen 2 upgrade, which was better
than the original USB, but even that did not perform as good as the v-link.

You can find the v-link on eBay for around $135

Schiit are however masters of D/A conversion and analogue output stages and
the Bifrost/v-link combo will challenge much higher priced DACs. The resulting
fidelity is as close to analogue as I have heard.

Using good cables - I.e. power, spdif and IC's, elevates the Bifrost's abilities to
extremely high levels of fidelity also.

Regards