[JLM]

Looking over the DAC/pre options (hopefully for the last time).  As you may recall, I started with a $3500 budget (DAC vs DAC/streamer) but decided to honor my wife's gift (she put money towards) my new MacBook Air, so gave up on the idea of a streamer.  Next I finally decided that I could move my equipment rack closer to my chair to allow for shorter (more optimal/cheaper) USB cables and in the meantime decided to also downscale my budget.  Have narrowed the choices down to Grace m920 (professional, uses Sabre M chip but also uses TRS balanced analog outputs), NuPrime DAC-10H (support AC sponsors & sleek, but no professional reviews yet), and Oppo HA-1 (cheapest, but oriented towards headphone use).

If I give up on DSD playback (I own only one disk beyond Redbook and don't have any particularly strong interest in hi-res), the Emotiva Stealth DC-1 at $500 comes immediately to mind.  I've never owned or even heard Emotiva, but it is well known for good build quality and high value.  This particular piece comes from their professional line and is well reviewed.  The chink in it's armor is that it's only equipped with 3.5 mm headphone jacks (but that's a low priority for me anyway).  So any love?

If unfamiliar with the DC-1, here's a summary:  PCM up to 24/192; optical, coax, AES/EBU, BNC, USB, and RCA analog inputs; RCA, XLR, and (2) 1/8 inch headphone jack analog outputs; 1.75"H x 8.5"W x 10"D; nice remote; Detailed/dry/precise/powerful/authoritative, perfectly etched, uncolored, not harsh/bright, realistic, tiny sounds come through, no haze/grit, silent, tight, neutral, good/big soundstage, solid bass, transparent/extended highs, does not upsample, good texture, sparkle, relaxed/focused, good dynamics/flow, coherent/organic.

[Bob2]

..

[Phil A]

I owned an Emotiva XDA-1 at one point in a back-up system.  Very well made and excellent sound at its price point.  The construction quality was as good as DACs several times its price.  I can't imagine the DC-1 not being really good at its price point.

[srb]

I haven't heard it either, but have also owned the XDA-1.  Although I've heard better, more expensive DACs, at $249 it was a good value.

The Stealth DC-1 uses the same AD1955 converter as the XDA-2, but uses 2 of them in a dual mono configuration.  It has LM4562 opamps vs OPA2134 and has a larger power supply.  It also has dual Muses "audiophile" 72320 analog resistor ladder volume chips vs the XDA-2 more generic stereo resistor ladder.

Most importantly, besides its cool price of admission, all Emotiva gear has a 30-day no questions asked return policy, and it would most likely cost < $20 for return shipping.  If DSD is not a requirement I think it would be worth auditioning.

Steve

[Brad]

If you don't need a headphone amp, the NuPrime DAC-10 will save you some money over the 10H.
'
But like you said, with little or no interest in hi-rez, the Emotiva is a much less expensive option.
The only Emotiva gear I've heard sounded pretty darn good (it was an amp)

 

[*Scotty*]

For myself, looking for a long term fix, I would be more comfortable throwing more technology and more cash at a solution. There are still a lot of choices at the $2000 dollar price point that would be worth checking out. Frankly if a Grace designs m920 is within your budget, so is a NAD M51. For me, the Emotiva Stealth DC-1 would have to equal the performance of the DACs at the $2000 price point to put it in my sights. Frankly I don't see that happening but I have been wrong before.
 I am looking to get off the train at this point and my bar for performance criteria for a DAC starts with the Auralic Vega which I was able to hear in my own system courtesy of a loan by jarcher. I was spoiled by this experience and even my wife was impressed by the improvement in sound quality. According to various reviewers one can come very close to this with some $2000 DACs. The NAD M51 is directly compared to the Auralic Vega in this review. http://www.stereophile.com/content/auralic-vega-da-processor-page-2
Scotty

[Rclark]

It looks like the Stealth is basically a turbo'd XDA2, which I own and love. Emotiva is great! I've also owned XDA1, ERC1, and ERC2.  In my system I use Emotiva X series power cables, X series  XLR cables, and X series optical cables. I also have my source and Dac plugged into an Emotiva CMX2 power filter.

I love this company and don't hesitate to recommend them.

[JLM]

Thanks for all the positive feedback.  Wonder why Emotiva doesn't get mentioned more around Audio Circle?

Brad - Thought about saving some money with the DAC-10 versus DAC-10H but my guess is that resale could be severely hurt without headphone jacks.

Scotty - not getting too spoiled and stepping further back from the ultimate audio chase are definite considerations and from some reviewers the sound quality of the DC-1 is on par with the $2000 crowd (indistinguishable from or very close to it). 


For $500 the DC-1 could be considered more of a temporary (not "married" to) solution which isn't a bad idea as technology keeps leaping forward, for instance Schiit has released Yggdrasil, a closed form multibit DAC (supposedly ground breaking) yet still doesn't believe in DSD.  Their point is that the availability of DSD, let alone hi-resolution PCM, that is "native" (recorded, mixed, and produced at that resolution) is very poor and that any or all of these formats could become the next dinosaurs.  Besides how much of the native hi-res material is something I'd enjoy and don't already own?  Feels a bit like the old audio quandary of having a great system that makes all but a hand full of albums sound like crap versus having an ordinary system that renders all you music (and dare I say low-resolution streaming sources) enjoyable.

And the $500 price puts it more in line with where I see my system going down the road (already retired, ears aren't getting any better, eventually may give up the audio man cave) with active monitors for desktop/home use.

[Phil A]

It looks like the Stealth is basically a turbo'd XDA2, which I own and love. Emotiva is great! I've also owned XDA1, ERC1, and ERC2.  In my system I use Emotiva X series power cables, X series  XLR cables, and X series optical cables. I also have my source and Dac plugged into an Emotiva CMX2 power filter.

I love this company and don't hesitate to recommend them.

There's no doubt at the price points of their products they are top notch and one would have to spend more money for a new product to get something better.  As noted I owned the XDA-1 and currently have an XPA200 amp in a spare system.  I recommend them all the time.  I'll probably move my current desk tip speakers (sometime in the next year) to a spare system for surrounds and if I end up going with powered monitors, Emotiva is high on my list.

[macrojack]

Jeff - My preference for the Grace was based on two matters that are of importance to me, resale and analog inputs. Being able to buy a used NAD 51 puts it ahead in the resale category and not needing any analog inputs (if you don't) takes care of the other concern neatly. From what I have read, the NAD works well as a preamp substitute.

My two analog sources are a tuner and a turntable. I rarely ever play records anymore and now I read that FM as we know it is doomed by corporate desire to obtain the bandwidth it uses. I'll drag my feet, as usual, but the handwriting is on the wall. You may find yourself bidding against me for a used M-51.

[orientalexpress]

I'm also looking for a new DAC that does DSD for my Aries and i end up buying Gustard X12 for under 5 bill.from my research,it's does everything  but no headphone or pre amp.

[Phil A]

I'm also looking for a new DAC that does DSD for my Aries and i end up buying Gustard X12 for under 5 bill.from my research,it's does everything  but no headphone or pre amp.

Interesting - http://www.amazon.com/GUSTARD-DAC-X12-ES9018-384KHz-Decoder/dp/B00RCUC94Q

It says " Coaxial Optical AES / EBU support DOP64" 

Is that accurate?  Thanks

[Sparky14]

Big Emo fan here as well. I have the XDA-2, love it. Feeds right into my XPA-200 amp.

It is interesting to scan the Emotiva forum on the XDA-2 versus DC-1 discussion. Some can't hear a difference, some say there is a huge difference. But, I don't think there is anyone that doesn't like the DC-1. Should I ever feel the need to ditch my XDA-2/XPA-200 setup for something smaller, the DC-1 would be my choice.

[orientalexpress]

Interesting - http://www.amazon.com/GUSTARD-DAC-X12-ES9018-384KHz-Decoder/dp/B00RCUC94Q

It says " Coaxial Optical AES / EBU support DOP64" 

Is that accurate?  Thanks

Mine should be  the first week of may,i hope it does.

[Phil A]

Mine should be  the first week of may,i hope it does.

Let us know for sure.

[JLM]

Jeff - My preference for the Grace was based on two matters that are of importance to me, resale and analog inputs. Being able to buy a used NAD 51 puts it ahead in the resale category and not needing any analog inputs (if you don't) takes care of the other concern neatly. From what I have read, the NAD works well as a preamp substitute.

My two analog sources are a tuner and a turntable. I rarely ever play records anymore and now I read that FM as we know it is doomed by corporate desire to obtain the bandwidth it uses. I'll drag my feet, as usual, but the handwriting is on the wall. You may find yourself bidding against me for a used M-51.

Tom,

No worries, the M51 doesn't interest me (way too expensive for not having DSD - seemingly a common NAD trait, no headphone - apparently another NAD DAC related quirk, too wide for desktop use, and too dependent on the remote for my taste).  And while resale of professional gear is probably higher, it would probably be in a market I'm not familiar with.  Besides with the Grace m920 or NAD M-51 at 4 times the price I could give the DC-1 away and probably not lose any more.  Furthermore I only need USB and maybe optical inputs.  FM has been pretty much already replaced with internet streaming, so a non-issue for me.

[yeldarb]

Friend has one of the Emotiva.  It sounds good and seems to be well built.  Just for S&G, I took my Geek Out 450 over to his house and we did a comparison.  First we equalized levels as best we could.  The Emotiva and the Geek are very close in sound.  There is a difference, but could I say I preferred one over the other?  No, I couldn't.  But the Emo works very well indeed, and has a good warranty.  And can be used as a pre-amp, too.  Friend owned one of the previous Emo dacs, too.  The Stealth is much better.  I could see it driving some of the well reviewed powered speakers that Emotiva has in the pro line. 

If you order and don't like, they will take it back.  That is hard to beat. 

[yioryos]

JLM Hi
I own the DC-1, mine is connected via USB to a Apple Mac mini ,mid 2011,i5 running Yosemite and JRiver music player,music files are flac about 1Tb on external drive.
The DC-1 is a very good dac,build solid,nice heavy remote control,small format case,fit and finish is very high.
It sounds to me very punchy,with full bass,it makes my music sound very enjoyable, even my low mp3 files come out better.
Highly recommended, you won't be disappointed in my opinion.
I also use two Emotiva XPR-2 amps and those are awesome too.
I think Emotiva is high quality,reasonable priced brand,that performs well above their price point.
Since you checked Schiit Audio new dac,then you must read their view on DSD.
Regards
George

[JLM]

yeldarb and George,

I've read "blue collar" reviews that indicate sound quality from good/great DAC's are all very similar.  I'm retired with old ears and a speaker guy, so I tend to agree.  Also see Emotiva as a "blue collar" audiophile brand (Buick versus BMW).  Like most things in life, the headlines go to the new, spectacular, and often overpriced so Emotiva flies under the radar around here.  Note that the extreme speaker guys are laughable even to me.  For instance Bud Fried's (stereo pioneer) listening room was hard plaster, plate glass windows, dozens of speakers, with room treatments consisted of audio magazines piled everywhere.  He used a very pedestrian Onyko receiver and a cheap Garrard turntable sitting on a card table to audition with.  "Nothing matters beyond the speakers."

George your source is close to mine (MacBook Air so it will be USB connected, i5, Yosemite, still shopping music player but looking at JRiver, so far everything is redbook in AIFF on the SSD).  Like hearing that it does MP3 well as I stream background music much of the day.  And yes, not only have I read Schiit's rather stark/dismissive view of DSD, I'm still a believer in the underlying potential for Redbook let alone hi-resolution PCM, thus my apprehension about spending an extra $1000 largely for DSD. 

George I read somewhere that the DC-1 does not upsample.  Do you know if that's true?

[macrojack]

His dreams have lost some grandeur coming true.

Well, Jeff - It looks as if you've found your solution, and at a price that saves you plenty. You are now $3000 better off than your stated limit at the open of this thread. Congratulations!! Well done.