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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
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
FWIW, I've communicated with an owner of the Bel Canto 2.0. He also owns the 47 Labs 4715 Shigaraki.This NON OS DAC uses the same Dac chip found in the Audio Sector, Scott Nixon, Audio Mirror, Lite Audio and I would imagine a couple of other DACs. He prefers the NON OS over the BC 2.0 for its musical presentation. The BC 2.0 sounds sharper and more precise from his description but loses out in the naturalness of the music,when compared to the NON OS. I think Brooks had it right. The NON OS are built for music lovers more than the HiFi crowd.There's no real way to explain it..you just have to hear it for yourself.

If I had to describe it in words. I would say the difference would be like comparing tubes to solid state.
hudsonhawk OP
137 posts
 
Thanks everyone for your advice. I decided to take the plunge into a non-os filterless DAC (Pacific Valve Co sells an upgraded Dac-Ah for just $220).

I'll post some impressions once it arrives.
flye
39 posts
 
Good choice!

These DAC-AH's are about the best bang for the buck and are cheaply upgraded to sound even so much better.

Thanks,
Doug
undertow
1,033 posts
 
Hudsonhawk, Killer DAC, the huge difference I found with anything on it was a good 10 or 12 Gauge teflon/silver tinned power cable, Completly makes the bass and mid solid and far deeper sounding, vs. a little 2 dimensional and overly analog flat with the standard power cord.
hudsonhawk OP
137 posts
 
Thanks for the tip! Well timed in fact, as I was just mulling over power cord options for it. I just got a custom made power cord for my amp here on Audiogon (from member Synsurd - a definite bargain) and was thinking about new cords for my preamp and the Dac-ah. I may look into something a little more extravagent for the Dac-Ah.
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