Cheap USB DAC between MacBookPro and Nait5i. Suggestions welcome.

John Kenny's Ciunas DAC €550

What's your budget Max?

I've not heard it, but the new M2-Tech HiFace Asyncronous USB 24/384 Dac's an interesting, and very neat, bit of kit.  £185 or thereabouts in the UK.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Actually, since I have read so well (and heard a few first-hand impressions from friends) about the HRT MusicStreamerII, I was considering its budget - around €150 max. It's for Internet Radio only, and I don't want to feel too silly for having sold the SN..

But the M2 - Tech seems a good idea (safe that I have a slight bias against 3.5 mini-jack connections).

Max

Max I'd also have a look at the Arcam rPac for around £150.I use one for internet radio it comes with 3.5mm headphone jack and rca outs.

OK Max, here's another suggestion - Maplin do a very cheap DAC which I've heard good reports on and I suspect for your purposes will fit the bill nicely. £37 to you!

How about an Audioquest Dragonfly or Meridian Explorer? Really neat, no wall wart/SMPS, and gives you a nice portable headphone option.

Meridian Explorer.

Thanks to all, I think I have enough food for thought..

Max

HRT Streamer II+ here... the '+' is a bit more expensive, but it sounds rather excellent. It's very small, only takes async USB, and can be powered by the USB for a small footprint. With a linear power supply the cost and size go up, but sonically it's an upgrade that almost puts in the major league. The Mac is not my main music source, but for casual listening, the HRT will do nicely.

EJ

I have a dragonfly DAC in a second system and like it a lot.  Pure USB, I think does high rez and essentially the size of a large thumb drive

Rega DAC

MF V-DAC II

Micromega MyDac is a peach @ around £250.

Asynch USB, Coax and Optical all at 24/192.

To tell the truth, I have bought the Micromega a few months ago. I just had an Oppo DV980H and wanted to better its dac into my 42.5/140/n-Sats. Having read raving reviews (at my age, I still read reviews... poor fool), I decided to give it a try.

In the end I returned it because I found it a bit 'sour', a little uselessly treble-y. Or perhaps it was my 42.5/140...

If I had kept it, perhaps now it would be just ok.

It's a good unit for the money, but since all sort of dacs can be found from £100 to £10000, I think I can just pick the one that suits my taste.

Thanks for the suggestion, anyway.

M

Ok,

this looks interesting at this price. I'll take a look.

Thanks

M

At least you gave it a try Max.

As we all know, it is in the context of one's system/room that decisions must be made.

I love your 'sour' description. Thankfully in my setup, and to my ears the MyDac has been nothing but 'sweet' and very even handed, being fed asynch USB from a SB Touch then into a 52/SupercapDR.

Enjoy the search - loads of interesting and economical alternatives out there.

Sam

I have a Epiphany Acoustics E-DAC plugged into my old Vaio.  I'm only using it with a cheapo but good sounding sub and sat system from Edifer.  The sound is so, so much better than from the laptop into the speakers alone and it cost about 100 notes.  It was a little late to arrive (big demand) so EA threw in the upgraded USB cable - bargain

The E-DAC is tiny and that is important to my nomadic life.

Download the Apple Remote App and sit back in your hotel.....lazee stylee 

Try a Micromega MyDAC,  To get better you really have to go to the NAIM DAC.