[rajacat]

The Valab Dac ($200) eliminates the op amps much like the vastly more expensive Red Wine dac and the Shigaraki DAC. I haven't heard any of these dacs but if you can remove a component from the signal path maybe you'll be closer to the music.

-Roy

[raymondbeautrix]

The latest affordableaudio magazine had a "budget dac shootout".  http://www.affordableaudio.org/aa2009-04.pdf

Their definition of "budget" was a bit over mine, but the winner was a 300$ musiland md10.  I'm not sure if anyone's sampled this one before.

[whubbard]

I've split our discussion of USB vs. SPDIF...
USB or SPDIF

-West

[tortie]

I plan to try the battery supply and/or a better linear power supply.

 -Rob
 

FYI--the USB DAC you talk about above sound a lot better with a battery, try it soon.

Peace,

Lee 

Hi lee.  What battery and charger do you use for the super pro 707? 

[doug s.]

here's your dac.  if you can diy, you can spend a few dollars more on it and have something that will holds its own against mega-dollar units.  amhik...   

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlconv&1245799901&/Art-DI/O-Dac-With-Extras


doug s.

[mcgsxr]

Agree with Doug on that ART DIO, I had a very modded one for a couple of years - I eventually sold it to go with a modded Logitech SB3, but I know that DAC did wonders in my system.

[cryoparts]

Any 12V SLA and a trickle charger.  PM me and I'll give you some links on where to buy.

Lee

I plan to try the battery supply and/or a better linear power supply.

 -Rob
 

FYI--the USB DAC you talk about above sound a lot better with a battery, try it soon.

Peace,

Lee 

Hi lee.  What battery and charger do you use for the super pro 707? 

[roscoeiii]

I'd also take a look at the Beresford DACs. They like the Zero DAC, it accepts multiple digital inputs, selectable on the front of the DAC. The older 7510 can accept 2 Toslink and 2 Coax inputs. The newer 7520 has 1 Toslink, 1 USB and 2 Coax inputs. There is a fairly large DIY mod discussion group for this on The Art of Sound forums, where Stan, the designer of these DACs also frequently contributes.

Also has built-in headphone amp and volume control (should you want to forgo a preamp).

Lastly, MCM Electronics is also selling a rebadged version of the 7510, which can often be found for $79! Google "$79 DAC" to find the discussion thread that often includes the most recent coupon code to get you that $79 price.

Haven't tried other DACs, but really like the difference the MCM DAC made to the sound of CDs from my Oppo DVD player.  Since I will also be using optical output from my MacBook, the ability to easily select sources was crucial for me.