[chgolatin2]

Need a nice DAC pair along with a Cary Audio and Jolida FX 10 integrated amp, also, while using my laptop/house computer.  I am looking into streaming music.  So many options out there, some are very, very pricey others fall under the cheap and cheerful side.  Now I am no expert when it comes to DAC but some are sold at 24bit/192khz and others at 32bit/384khz.  I want to be able to use a headphone as well, seems like I am asking for too much.  Since I prefer tube audio I wanted to lean toward to a Tube DAC, but I can allow my Cary Audio/Jolida tube amps take care of that and just go with a solid state DAC. Now my understanding is that the higher the bit/khz the better sound I will get from the DAC am I correct?  Also, suggestions on whats on the cheap and cheerful side of DAC's?  Visited eBay and Amazon, but I am looking for guidance from those that know better than I do...

Thanks in advance~ 

[Letitroll98]

Audio gd NFB-11 would be my suggestion.  Sabre ES9018 chip run 32 bit/ 384k.  DSD, DXD is supported, doesn't say more than that about rate(?).  Perhaps I missed it, you could email them to see if 5.6 MHz is supported.  Powerful headphone amp, the older model NFB-12 (thanks again JohnR) was detailed, but a tad overetched.  This looks like a different design.  $325 plus shipping.  Kinda pushing C&C guidelines, but not by much.  The company has been around for years with a decent reputation, excellent if compared to Chinese competition, but you do have to buy from China with all that entails.  Lots of technology, build quality, and sound quality for small dollars.

Many have been having good results from ifi micro products, I thought they were very nice, but not spectacular.  The mini line was better, but also pricier, beyond C&C a tad.  Of course there's Schitt, but I think you have to buy DAC and headphone amp separately, not a big deal as the cheaper stuff is around $100 each.  Again, I thought good at the price, but not giant killers.  I'm sure others could offer other suggestions, but that's the stuff I've heard.

[JLM]

I'm not much of a tube guy, but never liked mixing too many flavors - like overdoing it at Mongolian BBQ, I just end up with a mess.
 
Keep in mind that DAC performance/technology is still climbing improving rapidly, so today's darling will be laughable in a couple of years.  Just hard to make sense over-investing in.  Yes the iFi products are very small and not expensive (no remote, big connectors don't fit).  Schiit does offer a wide range of product including tube pre/headphone amps and separate DACs (the higher end models can be upgraded).

There's a whole breed of DAC/pre/headphone amps out there.  Oppo HA-1 is a quality candidate if slanting towards phones.  Grace m920, Hegel HD12, and the new NuPrimes are other quality options.  I ended up with a cheaper (non DSD/DXD) option, Emotiva DC-1 that because of it's diminutive size can't fit better quality RCA connectors and only accepts 1/8 inch headphone jacks.  Beyond that check out AudioStream.com for reviews.

In theory, yes the higher the format resolution, the higher the fidelity.  But how much music is available in each (that fits your tastes)?  And (following the Schiit thinking) DSD/DXD signals cannot be manipulated, so rather than trying to get the mix perfect during the recording, virtually all are transferred from PCM files - so what's the point?  At some point you could expect some/most of these bit-race formats to deemed dead ends in the evolutionary path to better sound.

[mcgsxr]

Agree with much of what has already been said.

I'd consider your existing music collection - how much of it is hi rez?  How often do you buy gear?  How fast do you collect music, and how much of that will be hi rez?

In the past 3-4 years I have played around with a number of affordable DAC's.  Audioquest Dragonfly, HRT Music Streamer II, Micromega Mydac, Cambridge DACMagic, and Grant Fidelity DAC-11.

My own music collection is around 95% 16/44.1 redbook FLAC.  The other 5% is mostly 24/96.  My collection grows slowly.

I settled on the Grant as it was available in Canada (chinese built, but shipped from Canada to me) and it sounded better than the others in stock format.

The HRT was 2nd best, and is frequently available used under $100.  Dragonfly the same.

I'd try any on my list, they flip quick and are around. 

IF you feel that you will grow your DSD or DXD collection, then investing in a piece that can deliver those files will matter.  I know it does not for me at this time.  I tend to try new front ends every 3-5 years or so once I settle on a piece I like.

[chgolatin2]

These are the ones that I came across, keep in mind that I am searching for a budget conscious DAC's but that quite performs.  Like I stated before I was going to consider/purchase a Jolida DAC but it's not cheap. 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K2TXMO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2FDYLXCLK92TX&coliid=I7Z5V79ZEQR18

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009346RSS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2FDYLXCLK92TX&coliid=I3OUVXZDJN4OK4

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008EPW7TA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2FDYLXCLK92TX&coliid=I3APXJWG3VUV71&psc=1  This one grabbed my eye for under $25 but then again, you get what you paid for...  It has some nice reviews though

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H5UYLO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2FDYLXCLK92TX&coliid=I1J1VCNQLIHU15

http://www.amazon.com/Jolida-Digital-Analog-Converter-Bluetooth/dp/B00TKTQTPM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443623768&sr=8-2&keywords=jolida+dac  $600 option 

http://www.amazon.com/DAC-iT-Digital-Analog-Converter-Asynchronous/dp/B00E4WSPBG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_23_13?ie=UTF8&refRID=1B3EKE5KFW2MVK5Q0CGC 2nd option...

[krikor]

I am repeatedly impressed by my lowly HRT Music Streamer II (not even the + or III). Picked it up used a couple years back and occasionally pull it for use, like I did last week with a headphone amp at work, and find myself scratching my head wondering why I don't use it more often. 

I'd also throw any of the Schiit products into the ring. I've heard all their products from the Fulla up through their statement Yggy/Rag stack and they never fail to impress me. Grab a Modi 2 Uber DAC for $150, then drop a Magni 2 Uber on top if you need headphone/preamp duties for another $150.

[RDavidson]

I've read that the iFi DACs are EXCELLENT, and not just for the money. A friend, whose opinion I really respect, says the iDSD sounds about just as good as his Sony HAPZ1-ES in many ways. The iDSD is now an older model sort of replaced by this one:
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-343092-ifi-micro-idac2-ipurifier-bundle.aspx
I say "sort of replaced" because the iDSD has some features the iDAC2 doesn't, though the iDAC2 seems to be technically superior if USB is all you need. I'm sure overall performance is very similar between the two, so it'd more or less boil down to choosing which features are important to you.

[Letitroll98]

Yes, the Micro line is very nice sounding, and the iDAC2 you linked to has an attractive sale price.  If you only need usb connectivity it could be a viable option.  It's pushing C&C guidelines at the $379 bundle price, the $295 price on Amazon for the older iDAC is closer.  I like the look of the iDSD a lot, haven't heard it yet, the dealer had sold out of them by the time I got there, but at $499 it bounces out of C&C guidelines by a touch.  The Nano line (I called it the mini in my earlier post, sorry) is more in touch with C&C pricing and doesn't do anything wrong, especially in light of the pricing, but it doesn't have the same omph the higher price model has.  There's a family resemblance in the sound, but the Nano quite naturally can't deliver the same power output so the dynamics are compromised somewhat and the soundstage is more closed in.  Neither totally wowed me, but I thought the sound was clear and detailed, with a nice touch of warmth.  You couldn't get hurt buying any of their products.

[RDavidson]

Good points. Forgot we were in the Cheap & Cheerful Circle. Indeed the bundle on Music Direct is enticing, if slightly pushing C&C guidelines. Thanks for pointing out other iFi options that are more closely aligned with C&CC and sharing your thoughts on them.