[mix4fix]

Anybody have suggestions on a DAC that is:

1. The size of a Benchmark
2. The price of an Emotiva ($300)

I know the Cambridge Audio is $600.

Any direct brands???

[DZetye]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Matrix-mini-i-24-192-Balanced-USB-DAC-Headphone-Amp-N-/110609233280?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c0d2f580

[DZetye]

I own a Matrix Mini DAC.  The headphone output is only so-so but the DAC is as good or better than the Cambridge.

[jmc207]

Yes, the Matrix Mini is a very nice little DAC. Available in black or silver. I bought mine from Ebay seller "CoolFunGadget". Had it for about a month now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Matrix-mini-i-24-192-Balanced-DAC-Headphone-Amp-/350235725907?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item518bad1053

[mix4fix]

Any other suggestions?

The $300 is not set in stone; I'm mean, I can double it.

[low.pfile]

Mix4fix,
what type of resolution do you want? 16/44 or higher?
what type of connections? Toslink, coax, USB, etc.

[mix4fix]

Don't most have most or all of those connections???

It's so I can use a normal DVD/Blu-Ray player and exceed the audio of the higher end player I was considering...

[tabrink]

Heck

The Eastern Electric is almost impossible to beat!
I did hear That Virtue may be in the DAC game!
Those guys are absolutely worth watching and dirt cheap for the money!

[batmanslc2]

Another vote here for Matrix mini  I've had it around 6 months and no problems at all and great sound.  definite step up over musical fidelity v-dac

[wushuliu]

Another vote here for Matrix mini  I've had it around 6 months and no problems at all and great sound.  definite step up over musical fidelity v-dac

Interestingly it uses the same DAC chip and output opamp as the Emotiva, so I'm betting they sound more alike than not.

[srb]

Interestingly it uses the same DAC chip and output opamp as the Emotiva, so I'm betting they sound more alike than not.

The Emotiva XDA-1 uses Burr Brown OPA2134 for I/V conversion, but the output stage is discrete.  Does the Matrix Mini-i have a discrete output stage also?
 
Steve

[RCduck7]

Heck

The Eastern Electric is almost impossible to beat!
I did hear That Virtue may be in the DAC game!
Those guys are absolutely worth watching and dirt cheap for the money!

I read the reviews of the Eastern Electric DAC, intresting and very promising indeed.
Since i am from Belgium and speak dutch i always look for good stuff and reviews from te Netherlands to, there are many hifi enthusiastic people there and some small but very respected companies in the hifi business to that make very good quality stuff.
As an example, the guy Guido Tent, known for his DIY products like hybrid amps, the modifictions he does to excisting components and very good review on 6moons for his DIY CD player (not cheap though).
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/tentlabs/player.html
He has now released a DAC as good as jitter free around the same price as the Eastern Electric DAC.
http://www.tentlabs.com/
I might ask my dealer for an audition one day for that one and also the eastern electric if possible.

Also there is a very good review of 2 much cheaper NOS mini DAC's from Metrum Acoustics priced at 199 euro for the Duo DAC and 295 euro for the Quad DAC.
The review is in dutch but from what i have read build quality is very good and these, especially the Quad version competes to DAC's costing several times more. I'm very tempted.
http://www.hifi.nl/recensies/4265/Metrum-Acoustics-NOS-Mini-DACs.html
http://www.metrum-acoustics.nl/Producten.html