Is low cost DAC worth it?


Been learning a lot from you fine folks... thanks!

I am driving Boston Acoustic Lynnfield 975 speakers with a Willsenton R8 amp (recent purchase to try it out) and streaming over wifi through Apple Airport Express. It sounds pretty good but I find myself wondering if adding a low cost DAC would improve the sound any?

Maybe something like the Cambridge DacMagic 100 or 200M?

My hearing is not that great anymore, so I don’t think it makes sense to jump on a DAC costing thousands, but I understand the Airport Express is a decent DAC, so not sure if a low cost one would make any difference?

 

tbick

I use an excellent sounding Schiit Bifrost 2-64 for streaming from a Bluesound Node 2i (in which the internal DAC blows flaming chunks, so to speak), and an oldie but goodie DacMagic upsampling DAC (with a Peter Madnick designed Pangea P100 power supply...made for couple of Cambridge products including my Cambridge phono preamp) for "Red Book" CDs. I assume many here have never bothered with an inexpensive DAC (Snobbery? Sad personal insecurities? Yo mama?) but my trusty DacMagic still sounds great. I imagine a new one (still inexpensive) also sounds great.

@marco1 Got it.  You and I are indeed on the same page, and I apologize for my initial misunderstanding.  Which Aurenders do you have BTW?

@soix 👍 presently using an N150 with a Pontus II for a dedicated headphone system and N200 with a Terminator II in a speaker system.  So yes I'm both an Aurender and Denafrips fan boy.

@wolfgarcia no snobbery here.  I've owned both a DacMagic 200 and Bifrost 2 as well.  Both excellent and great bangs for the bucks.  Its just that in this hobby I get bored sometimes and like to experiment.  After all at 75 yrs young, you can't take it with you.  Money that is.