Hello, I would like to hear your opinions on the best DAC for £120 ($200). And, how is it the best?
STM32F407 discovery: http://www.st.com/web/en/catalog/mmc/FM141/SC1169/SS1577/LN11
Why is it the best?
It's a full 32-bit Cortex M based computer with a lot of DSP and AD/DA power inside, and an integrate Class D amplifier. It's fully programmable and has a lot more DAC horsepower than the dedicated USB DACs with a two cents DAC chip like they are sold all over for ridiculous amounts of money.
You can get these kits for as little as 12-17 EUR.
The software needed to make it run as an external USB DAC is available for free all over the Internet. One example is: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2tF0k1EZ8d_NVU5Mmp5Zmx6ZEU&usp=sharing
But of course it's also usable for a ton of other applications, it's a standalone Cortex M computer to begin with. Amongst other things, it has two USB OTG interfaces, so you can use it as a network media player and access external storage directly with it simultaneously. You can also have it connected to your PC as an external DAC and connect external storage to it directly simultaneously. You can also make it control your entire home HVAC and use it as an external DAC simultaneously, etc...
It easily beats any other external DAC solution out there, both in terms of DAC capability and in terms of audio signal quality.
But how can i connect my speakers to this?
bump
Id also be interested in some of the suggestions here, since this is the price range I'm looking at. (personally I think I'm going to go with a Schiit DAC/Amp stack, but Id like to know options, The O2 doesnt serve my needs)
Anyway you want. It's a complete audio solution with full control over levels and output routing. You can configure the headers anyway you want and connect them anyway you need.
You can also use the thing for audio inputs of different levels simultaneously, with high quality ADC on board, and you can even configure onboard DSP operations for things like compression on a mic input or noise cancelling or noise gating, auto talk toggle switching based on input level, sidechaining, etc...
With the 417 model there is even a cryptochip on board, that lets you encrypt your data stream with high speed without any latency etc...
It's way superior both in quality of the DA/AD convertors and the amp circuitry, and in feature set, because it's basically a full computing solution in it's own right.
bump
LOL, you asked. Personally, i am a tube amp guy. Since everything is already starting out with digital source, i find it necessary to use tube amps to reduce the sterility of the sound.
Any suggestions to someone who uses flat signature headphones/speakers?
so... we just buy one of those cortex m boards, slip it in a USB type enclosure, install the software from the link and plug and play? no soldering, compiling or such?
sounds interesting...
This is really cool. Thanks for the post.
Get a good eq.:) Not to be a smart azz. I am serious. Min of at least a 10 band.( something with a 20-30amp gain) That whole listen to it as the artist intended stuff is marketing bs.Flat signatures are only important in recording and editing.( or insanely loud volumes) I use my tablet more than anything so Viper4android( cant say enough good things about this) cheapo bravo audio v2 with silver groove tube . Tube amp dont have to be expensive but better quality components will reduce issues with audio floor and static and such. Bunch of computer geeks that are not running eq's always struck me as weird. For starters, start cheap and roll a few tubes until you find your preferred sound.Then worry about quality and aesthetics issues. Use the best of both worlds analog and digital and learn how to use your eq's( fixes alot of sound issues pretty cheaply) Dont over process your sound. Of course this is just my personal opinion, any complaints should be mailed to Santa or the Easter bunny :)~ Anyway here is a link
http://www.bravoaudio.com/bravo2.html
Do you know anything about the Schiit Valhalla 2? Ive been thinking of going with it for a while, but I was unsure if the bulbs can be generically replaced, so I can thinker with sound signatures. It'd also be nice to pair it with the Bifrost DAC, having a set like that that looks good and sounds great would be awesome. (I'd prefer to have something that I can have on my desk and look at thinking Dang that looks mad nice and sounds pretty good than have something that looks like an eyesore that sound phenomenal)
Yes , you do have to match tube types but some types are interchangable.So a little caution is in order.It really depends on your device. So no matter what, a little reseach is in order. There are many passable generic tubes around ten dollars or so .I know what you mean but you will pay a premium for and there is some very nice looking stuff out there. I will see if i can find you the tube chart i have used in the past.
Thanks, much appreciated.
Here is one http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=131 I have another but i am having a hard time finding it. I have in print at my shop but i have lost the link to the page. Ah found it http://www.audiotubes.com/12au7.htm collection of tube rolling guides http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch?search=tubes Oh course take it all with a grain of salt.http://www.head-fi.org/t/619910/schiit-valhalla-tube-rolling-thread
A 700 hundred investment for a headphone amp dac combo? You need a 1000 dollar set of headphones also just to match. It looks pretty good tho.
If you want to try out tube sound, why not give the Schiit Vali a try? It's a great little tube amp, will drive most headphones (except for some pain-in-the-ass planar magnetics and high-impedance dynamics), and if you don't like it, you can always sell it off and lose a marginal amount of money at worst.
Schiit sells replacement tubes for all of their tube amps. From personal experience, their products sound excellent for the price point.
Yes, it's interesting. No soldering required, the board has standard devboard type headers, you just slide the connectors you want onto those headers, inputs, outputs, analogue, digital, active speakers, passive speakers, headphones, etc... everything you want, just like that. It's also very easy to program for your exact needs. And you don't pay waaaaay too much for a two cents DAC chip and an opamp on a board.