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Recommend me a headphone DAC

M

mtbush

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Sep 2, 2009
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Fed up w/ my X-Fi Forte and want to go w/ a USB headphone DAC in the $200-250 range. It will driving a pair of Denon AH-2K's
 
Checkout the Fubar DACs, not sure how much they are over there.
Also, I know you're looking for an external DAC but the Xonar Essence STX is an amazing card.
 
Ironchef Chris Wok said:
Save up another 200 dollars and get a nuforce HDP
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^This!

IMG_20110207_202113.jpg


Or perhaps look into the Nuforce Icon HD if you want to spend less. I spent about 2 months looking for the perfect DAC/Amp in the $400 range, and all signs pointed towards the Icon HDP. Still putting it through its paces, but so far, I am very happy with the sound compared to my X-fi.

My .02 :)

Ð
 
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Yeah Nuforce Icon is the bang for the buck combo unit atm. It will be a noticeable difference from the forte. Their higher end stuff is sweet too.
 
Are you guys bypassing Dolby Headphone for the clarity of 2 channel audio? If you game don't you miss hearing foot steps all around you?
 
Wow... looks like he really updated the Compass to the FUN. I can absolutely say this is an outstanding DAC/Amp combo. Just make sure you have the cans to back it up. :)
 
Riddleofsteel said:
Can the TC-7520 be used with stereo speakers? That would be a big thing for me.
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It has variable and line rca out, so you would need some sort of intermediary to use standard stereo speakers. I have AV-40's and I am pretty happy with that setup.
 
Don't take the troll bait. People like what they like and hate what they hate. Simple enough. That horse is so beat it is on the other side of the planet. I go with what works at the lowest possible price point. Radio shack cables do not cut it btw. Go monoprice or bluejeancable or ram electronics.
 
Dissenters will inevitably abhor. Spaceman, should I use the Beresford in USB mode even though it cuts the hardware to 16/48 or should I use optical from my motherboard so I can get 24/96 through USB? I might also get the HRT music streamer since it does 24/96 via asynchronous usb but I don't know how it does for games, plus I would need a headphone amp then.
 
mtbush said:
Fed up w/ my X-Fi Forte and want to go w/ a USB headphone DAC in the $200-250 range. It will driving a pair of Denon AH-2K's
Click to expand...

As a Forte owner and someone who sometimes uses my Shure IEMs on the headphone amp, I'm wondering what you're fed up with. Noise? Drivers? Quality?
 
Surly73 said:
As a Forte owner and someone who sometimes uses my Shure IEMs on the headphone amp, I'm wondering what you're fed up with. Noise? Drivers? Quality?
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I have a Forte (modified w/ LT1364) and it is a bit fickle, and downright unlistenable on low impedance phones (AH-2000 are probably the worst headphones to use with this card). It really requires higher impedance headphones to get over the buzz.

For a DAC I've been quite happy with the iBasso D10. My father has a D2 that's also pretty nice and a bit cheaper.
 
43st said:
I have a Forte (modified w/ LT1364) and it is a bit fickle, and downright unlistenable on low impedance phones (AH-2000 are probably the worst headphones to use with this card). It really requires higher impedance headphones to get over the buzz.

For a DAC I've been quite happy with the iBasso D10. My father has a D2 that's also pretty nice and a bit cheaper.
Click to expand...

Wow, AH-2000 are the exact phones I use with the forte. What phones with higher impedance would be an improvement?
 
43st said:
It really requires higher impedance headphones to get over the buzz.
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So the buzz is the issue? Have you taken any steps to try to reduce the buzz? (getting over the "high end sound card shouldn't buzz in the first place" problem)

Have you read this thread: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1456895

Since insulating the mounting bracket and using a grommet on the mounting screw my Forte headphone amp output is silent into my IEMs. Granted they aren't high impedance, but there's no hint of noise floor that I can discern.
 
My forte is wedged between my gpu and my network card. I am going to wait until I get my new rig going to try messing with internal stuff.
 
Riddleofsteel said:
Wow, AH-2000 are the exact phones I use with the forte. What phones with higher impedance would be an improvement?
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The only low impedance phones I have are a pair of Ultrasone HFI-680 and Audio Technica ATH-ESW10. Both of these pick up pretty much every buzz/hum my computer makes when plugged into the Forte. Even just at the desktop I get tons of noise. I'm not sure if this is your problem, but I was pretty unhappy using those headphones with the Forte.

I tried isolating the mount but with not much success. I started using a pair of HD600 headphones (300ohm) and I haven't heard any noise since. The phones are pretty good for gaming, sound stage wise, so I've just continued to use them. I may have a go at the mount isolation again, maybe a new bracket machined out of Delrin or UHMW.

I've also had a pair of 250 ohm DT880 and DT990 plugged in and they are quiet as well.
 
If you want a full on optical input dac, then you will probably want to couple it with a separate amp. That is where it can get pricey. That is why products like the uDac are good entry level models. No they are not 24/96 but they still sound a hell of a lot better than onboard sound and eliminate the sound card static.

I did have an Oritek Zhalou? dac/amp that kicked some butt. My favorite dynamic sound was with an old, modded PS audio dac II and a Quest for Sound SQ-84 and some Headphile modded AKG 340s.

That amp is what Robert Plant uses to listen to some of his recordings....

Only about, $3K or so? lol
 
43st said:
I tried isolating the mount but with not much success.

I may have a go at the mount isolation again, maybe a new bracket machined out of Delrin or UHMW.
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I suggest it if noise is the biggest factor making you unhappy. The grounding problem with the bracket is on or off. If your mods didn't make any difference then you "missed something", so to speak. I didn't have to go as far as using plastic screws to mount the plate to the board or anything. Also, I use the HD15 analog output cable on a regular basis. The screws that secure that connector can also be a source of the unwanted grounding. Being able to manipulate the card, bracket and rear connectors somewhat while your headphones are connected might be key to figuring out what's causing the issue.

Of course I'm pretty annoyed that a card of Forte's supposed caliber has these issues, but not annoyed enough to get rid of the card after I fixed it with tape and a single rubber grommet (all on hand). The card I was debating between at the time was the Asus Xonar D2X. I use 5.1 analog, headphones analog, mic input and do some games, general audio and not a lot of movies or hardcore music listening. I wanted the minor EAX advantage and the 3DCMSS headphone mapping more than I wanted music-oriented features. I had read that 3DCMSS works better than Dolby headphone, and at the time the Xonar didn't even mention anything like Dolby headphone so that's why I went Forte. Then I started finding the problems...
 
I was trying to choose between "splurging" and getting the Nuforce Udac HDP for $450 or getting an HRT Music Streamer II for $150 and then trying to find a headphone amp for about the same price. There are two questions, the first is which headphone amp to buy. The second is, can I still use my speakers with their t-amp if my setup includes a headphone amp? I am just ignorant enough to not know the answer. Thanks for the continued help.
 
Riddleofsteel, just a quick heads up to prevent confusion down the road: the Nuforce uDac and the Nuforce Icon HDP are seperate devices, with vastly different prices (I noticed you said Nuforce uDac HDP above). Just wanted to make sure you saw that beforfe buying one or the other :) Hope this helps!
 
Thanks dave, yeah, I know that they're two separate things. I messed up and made a one-time assumption that the HDP was part of the udac line, but I was wrong. Thanks again.
 
Riddleofsteel said:
I was trying to choose between "splurging" and getting the Nuforce Udac HDP for $450 or getting an HRT Music Streamer II for $150 and then trying to find a headphone amp for about the same price. There are two questions, the first is which headphone amp to buy. The second is, can I still use my speakers with their t-amp if my setup includes a headphone amp? I am just ignorant enough to not know the answer. Thanks for the continued help.
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If you get a dac with optical input and two pairs of rca outputs, you can. Also, they sell audio switch boxes which allow you to select source 1,2,3,4 etc by pushing a button.

You could also just buy a receiver like an entry level Denon and get on down the road.
 
Check out the Fiio e7 and the Fiio e9. Looking at purchasing both of these after the rave reviews they get at Head-Fi and can power your Denons. You can purchase them bundled for $199.99 at Micca.
 
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Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Icon HDP, although I like the idea of the combo of the E7 and E9 for desktop/laptop needs...I'll have to check reviews for the Fiio @ Head-Fi first
 
jeremyshaw said:
It's better than my onboard chip in my m11x, that's for sure...

Anyhow, Audio Advisor ended up shipping my uDAC2 HP in an utter overkill box....
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Cool, let us know how it sounds. I do plan on ordering one, maybe next month.
 
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