Best Bang for your Buck DAC ?

Hello ngiordano!  I'm very impressed with the SMSL M500. It's small, cute, sings like a bird, and costs only $400 or so. Happy hunting! 

I am really enjoying my Schiit Gungnir multi bit. Sounds great

hshifi237 posts04-20-2021 1:25pmHello,
I have tested some of these DACs. There are basically two types of DACs. R2R which sounds like analog but also a little mellow unless you spend over a thousand like the Denifrips Pontus. When you go to a chipset based DAC it sounds very detailed and airy but less analog unless you spend the money. If you have tubes I say go with the RME or Schiit.

Can't agree with this at all. I would say there are two types of DACs. Those that sound like nothing (intentionally), and those that sound like something (intentionally or not).  By nothing, I mean they do not add or subtract from the sound. Consider them a straight wire. The RME would fit into this category as would many others, and there is astonishingly little ROI after a somewhat modest price point. Don't take my word for it. Here them, level adjusted on a good system without knowing which is which. Good luck telling them apart if they are fed with a source absent electrical noise.

Then there is a whole range of DACs that one could consider flawed in some cases, or voiced in another. I say flawed only in that they are not true to the recording.


If you want a straight wire black box, it is relatively easy to pick, though it is hard to know how well they will reject electrical noise, or jitter if use a non-USB I/F or if that is even an issue in your system.  If you don't want a straight wire black box, then all the suggestions people make here are not going to help you much as it will come down to personal preference.  My suggestion is to ensure you either get a trial period or you can buy used to you can recover most of your cost if you do not like it.

Jolida (black ice) tube dac. Phenomenal dac for the money. You can also change things around with different tubes. A big bargain. 

I see several things suggested here that you can't buy for $1,000.
I did recently try the Denafrips Ares 2 and sold it after a week or
so for what I paid. Try that one its pretty good for $750.