[ebag4]

I am considering building the Peter Daniels USB DAC (I have also looked at the DIY Paradise Monica).  I would welcome any comments on the sound of either of these DACs as well as any comparisons to a SB3 with Bolder's analog mods (enthusiast with VH bypass caps powered by an un-modded Hosfelt Linear brick PS).

The other equipment is my modded version of the GR Research OB5 and a factory modded Jolida 102B with Russian 6N1P-EN.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Best,
Ed

[wilsynet]

The Peter Daniels AudioSector USB DAC is excellent.  It is utterly smooth, glare free, and very musical.  It represents incredible value, and I consider it one of the best DACs below $2K.  It has an output impedance of (if my memory recalls) 2300 ohms, so you may need to be more careful with system matching.

Paul Candy on 6moons has reviewed the AudioZone DAC on a number of occasions, which is the retail version of the DIY AudioSector.  You'll also see positive comments from AudioCircle members Pardales and Bucky.  As for me, I prefer the Peter Daniels USB DAC to the Benchmark, the CIAudio, the PS Audio DLIII, the Bel Canto, the iRoc, etc.

I had great success having it paired with a Red Wine Audio 30.2 Integrated which has an input impedance of 20K ohms, but there was more drive, heft, and dynamics with an active preamp like the Modwright SWL 9.0SE with its 50K ohms input impedance.

I have not heard a Bolder SB3 nor the Monica.  From all accounts, the Bolder is very good, but frankly, I prefer iTunes and an iPhone/iPod-Touch as a remote control and just running things off a 6 year old Powerbook 12" that I re-purposed as a dedicated music server and transport.  You'll find that an old laptop can easily serve as a world class transport.

[ebag4]

The Peter Daniels AudioSector USB DAC is excellent.  It is utterly smooth, glare free, and very musical.  It represents incredible value, and I consider it one of the best DACs below $2K.  It has an output impedance of (if my memory recalls) 2300 ohms, so you may need to be more careful with system matching.

Paul Candy on 6moons has reviewed the AudioZone DAC on a number of occasions, which is the retail version of the DIY AudioSector.  You'll also see positive comments from AudioCircle members Pardales and Bucky.  As for me, I prefer the Peter Daniels USB DAC to the Benchmark, the CIAudio, the PS Audio DLIII, the Bel Canto, the iRoc, etc.

I had great success having it paired with a Red Wine Audio 30.2 Integrated which has an input impedance of 20K ohms, but there was more drive, heft, and dynamics with an active preamp like the Modwright SWL 9.0SE with its 50K ohms input impedance.

I have not heard a Bolder SB3 nor the Monica.  From all accounts, the Bolder is very good, but frankly, I prefer iTunes and an iPhone/iPod-Touch as a remote control and just running things off a 6 year old Powerbook 12" that I re-purposed as a dedicated music server and transport.  You'll find that an old laptop can easily serve as a world class transport.

Thanks for the info wilsynet.  I am currently running the modded SB3 and it is excellent.  Unfortunately I can not justify the dollars for the power supply I need to get the most out of it so I am looking for other potential solutions.  A bit of audio nervosa setting in, I am trying to figure out what to upgrade next to get the most out of my rig.

Best,
Ed

[viggen]

I have the USB Audio Sector for about a month or two now.  I've been comparing it to an USB Monica.  I received the Monica about a month before I received the Audio Sector.  So, for the longest time, the Monica sounded better than the Audio Sector due to having longer burn in time.

When I first received the Audio Sector, the difference between it and the Monica's sound was very dramatic.  Monica does the job in an relaxed manner with the usual non-os smoothness but very airy highs.  The Audio Sector is also a smooth operator but with more precision but with none of the airi-ness that the Monica has.  The background is just quiet, pitch black.  This precision, at first, came at the cost of musicality.  What I mean by precision here is wider and more precise soundstage.  Details of various drums, for example, are distinct and well placed thoughout a wide soundstage.  Monica, on the other hand, has a smaller soundstage, but the end result is more whole and more fit for long term musical satisfaction.

I think one of the Audio Sector's drawbacks at this pre-1 month ownership is the lack of shielding.  As a result, there is a hint of irritant in the mids which I think is either from the AC or the DACs transformer being too close to the DAC circuitry. 

At a little over 1 month ownership of the Audio Sector, this irritant subsided some but was still there.  At this point, I switched from my home made non-shielded powercord to an Eichmann AC powercord.  This allowed the DAC to increase some aspects of the DAC which were already pretty good such as background black/quietness.  But, the irritant futher subsided. 

I also switched from a standard USB to Belkin Gold USB at about this point in time too.  However, I really can't quanitify if there is a difference.

I did use the Eichmann cord earlier at about 1 week point of ownership, and I didn't like the Audio Sector with the Eichmann at that point.  It sounded romantic and bloomy.  Sounds great for 5 minutes, but I got tired of that sound very quickly. 

So, at this point in time, the Audio Sector sounds better than the USB Monica.

Sorry, can't compare it to the SB3.  Don't have one.