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Cheap Blu Ray Player + DAC for hi fi ?

Hi Guys,

I posted several weeks ago about advice on picking out a system. After much gnashing of the teeth and lots of auditioning - I've settled on the PSB Alpha B1 and NAD 316BEE to drive them.

Now it comes to picking out source options.

I have a Mac Mini which will double as a HTPC, storing all my lossless tunes.

I need to get a Blu Ray player for some of the Blu Rays, DVDs and redbook CDs I have as well.

I plan to get a DAC to hook both of these components to as well (tiny budget so a DAC that's about 300 bucks used)

My question - would a Blu Rayer player from big box stores (the cheap ones that cost 100US-200USD) be any good when hooked up with a budget DAC?

I don't have superlative requirements - my budget kinda explains it no? haha - just something that puts out decent audio and video.

Btw pls do let me know what DACs I should be looking at. Preferably with optical inputs and something I could get for less than 300bucks. Lower the better =)
milesandcoltrane
drumhead4
20 posts
 
Would this be cheap enough for you?!

http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Digital-Analog-Audio-Converter/dp/B0053VKP8S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1326195586&sr=8-5

I have one and it betters the analog outs of my Oppo.

or just go for this-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00365ECEQ/sr=1-3/qid=1326195918/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1326195918&sr=1-3&seller=
arni
313 posts
 
Keep in mind that a regular DAC connected via coax or toslink (as opposed to HDMI) will not decode BlueRay audio.
So in the context of your budget, I would recommend to set priorities. Your Mac Mini can double as a CD player, even DVD player if it has a DVD drive. For now, I would focus on getting the best DAC possible for the money you have, and then later lurk around this site for a decent used BlueRay player (such as Oppo BD-83).
For your Mac Mini, I would recommend a dac with an asynchronous USB input-or other dac design with very low USB jitter. However, in your price range, the options are quite limited, but I would look into HRT Music Streamer II+ and CEntrance DacPort LX.
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Thanks for all the replies guys! Ah Fiio - the cheap and cheerful brand I remember for all their head-fi stuff. Haven't looked at their products and lately and this looks surprising for the price.

Thanks Arni for the tip on BR audio. Does this mean that audio will not work at all via the DAC? I'm not using a 5/7.1 channel setup, just a traditional 2.0 - cuz music is a much higher priority and I don't have the space nor budget for a full fledged HT.

I'm reviewing my options right now. Budget is a bit of a constraint given how much we've spent on furniture and wallpapers etc. Haven't bought the Mac Mini actually. So if I buy brand new it's gonna be the new one, which means no CD drive. Was thinking of a Blu Ray player - cuz the mass market brands are pretty affordable right now.

I could save some money and plug in my Macbook Pro to the computer instead. But it'd be a hassle to keep plugging and unplugging everything every time I want to actually get some work done on the computer.
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