[dB Cooper]

Thinking about a C&C USB DAC at a cellar dweller price level. As an example, the two I'm considering right now are the Schiit Modi and the ODAC. The Schiit is $99 and the ODAC $99 (stuffed board) or $149 (in enclosure). $50 seems kinda ridiculous for a tiny aluminum hobby box and I'm not sure I have the eyesight/dexterity anymore to retrofit the ODAC into my O2 (not to mention not wanting to f*** up my O2 in the process.)

I have heard the ODAC, built into an O2, but not the Modi. Anybody here have one? Heard one? Done the O2 ODAC retrofit? Or have a suggestion for another el cheapo USB DAC?
Thanks

[jarcher]

I really liked the original Audioquest Dragonfly, which last check was $99. 

http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Digital-Converter-Version/dp/B00882U782/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1409018982&sr=8-3&keywords=audioquest+-+dragonfly

Don't know if the V2 @ $149 is worth the "up charge".  Not the last word in refinement, but something about the tone and pace did it for me.  Regret giving it away. 

[Letitroll98]

I heard the Modi under show conditions in the headphone room at Capfest.  Hard to tell much with an unfamiliar head amp (Magni), familiar headphones (Senn 580), but the sound was inoffensive if not earth shattering.  Of course I could only comment on the system and allow for the only thing I had experience with, the phones, but the net was a smooth, clear sound without anything special in dynamics or soundstage, but nothing bad either.  The tone seemed correct, allowing for the noted rolloff of the headphones.  You could do worse with your $99.

[mcgsxr]

A year later I am still happy with my HRT Music Streamer II.  Picked it up for around $100.

Holds up well with different speakers and amps I have tried.

[Doublej]

Meridian Explorer DAC is currently half price at Audio Advisor, now $150.

[motosapien]

I have the Schitt Modi and it was a dramatic improvement over the sc in my laptop.  Worth every penny!

[rodge827]

Here's an ODAC for $50.00

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=128204.msg1353348#new

[randytsuch]

http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs

I have their $42 ES9023 based dac and it's a nice dac for the money. 
I would probably try the $57 async one if I was buying one today, or spend a little more for a nice case and headphone out.

Randy

[Odal3]

I got one of the portable hifimediy Dac configured for android. Works perfectly with my Galaxy s4 and only $30. Big improvement over the headphone out when connecting to a stereo amp. both louder and better clarity. I would go with one of the larger hifimediy for the main home system but if you move it around a lot  or play in the car, these tiny DACs are highly recommended.

http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs?product_id=124

[dB Cooper]

This one is going to sit on my desk and feed my O2. One of the 'thumb drive' sized ones would tempt me to carry it around (and lose it lol). Oh, forgot to mention I want it to do 24/96 (but no need to go higher).

[barrows]

OK, not quite as affordable as some mentioned here, but the Geek Out offers outstanding sonics, and is capable of up to 384/352.8 and DSD 64 and 128.
Surprised that no one has mentioned it here yet.  The 450 model is all that you need to run into a separate amp.

[dB Cooper]

Out of the running pricewise. Might want to check out this article about it by audio engineer Mark Waldrep too.

[jarcher]

Out of the running pricewise. Might want to check out this article about it by audio engineer Mark Waldrep too.

I'm somewhat fed up with all the LH campaigns and excessive delivery times, BUT I do think Gavin responded fully and appropriately to the criticisms in that article, which frankly given that the page was visited only 272  times (me being #272), I'm surprised he bothered.

Potential frailty is a problem with all DACs on a stick - using a dongle / extender / "tail" for the nervous doesn't seem like a big deal to me.  I did so w/ the Audioquest Dragonfly when I had one.

[dB Cooper]

In any event, that would up the price to get 192khz capability I really don't want to pay for in this application.

[barrows]

Out of the running pricewise. Might want to check out this article about it by audio engineer Mark Waldrep too.

Calling Mark Waldrep an "audio engineer", what do you mean, he makes recordings, I have never heard of him engineering any product.  He criticizes the GO without ever having heard it, nonsense!  I doubt he even knows what approach Larry Ho has implemented internally.  A laptop can only play 44.1!  What is he talking about???  My MBP plays 24/352.8 and 2x DSD using JRiver without any difficulty, nonesense again!
He likes the sound of Benchmark... OK, whatever.
Additionally, I was surpsrised to find a non clean noise floor in his 24/96 recording of the Firebird Suite, there is an obvious AC related hum which easily audible-now this might be acceptable in a vintage recording, but this is a modern high res direct to digital recording, I asked him about it, and he admitted it was there and did not know why???

I own GO, and for an affordable unit it offers outstanding sound, OK, if it is beyond budget for the OP, that is fine, but trashing the product by folks who have no experience with it is not.  Check out the reviews at headphone sites: the GO consistently blows things like the Dragonfly and Meridian out of the water.

[yeldarb]

Another Geek Out owner here.  The 3D feature is defeatable and very subtle in effect, if you choose to use it.  Most newer laptops have dvd drives and some are HD capable, so SACD doesn't seem to be out of the picture, so to speak.  I have the 450 and it is much more capable of driving my modded Fostex phones than my laptop.  And it sounds very good.  In a direct comparison with Emotiva's Stealth, using my laptop and a friends desktop, both playing WAV rips of the same album, both dacs sounded very good.  I think the GO had a little more air and realism, but would have to listen blind to make sure which was "better".   Your price range will dictate your ultimate choice, but I am sure there are good cheap dacs out there.  The GO 450 is $199.  Good luck.