Budget dac/amp with quality internal dac

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories DACs
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My read is that @thecannon7 has four boxes to check: 1) ~$200, 2) multiple digital ins, 3) balanced DAC, 4) amp (does the amp also need to be balanced? unclear). You can do 3 out of those 4. For the price, dumping balanced is the smartest, probably.

If you must go balanced… Grace SDAC balanced has a USB in and a mini optical/coax in, costs $150. The Loxhie P20 is a balanced amp, but yes, a tube upgrade is smart AND you should really beef up the power cord to a 3A model at least. Loxjie definitely cut corners on that power supply. If you don’t roll tubes that’s another ~$115 for the P20 and upgrade cord.

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Even then for that price personally I would just get an enog 2 pro and archel 2.5 pro and get better performance imo (but no balanced output)

1 Like
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Yeah, it was unclear if the amp needed a balanced output. However, he also needs USB in on his DAC. DOes the Enog2 have USB? I thought they were only SPDIF.

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Very true, I forgot about that, then in that case wait for the su8 to go on sale for 200 and still get the 2.5 pro lol

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LOL i’m really wanting another pair of iems and this is making it harder.

So no balanced is fine. I’m after the combo for the simplicity of a single unit given my current setup. However, with the exception of the input needs i’m really after it having a quality dac. Nothing above the k5 without pushing $500??

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I generally agree the best call for $200 is to ditch balanced. If a combo unit is necessary, K5 Pro. If separate units are ok, M100 for DAC and any of Atom, Liquid Spark, Heresy, or Magni 3+ for amp.

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I mean, that would be my pick if you wanted everything except balanced for a good price for a combo. Separates might be less convenient but more flexible in the future if that matters to you

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Hmmm, yeah. I’m not readily thinking of a combo unit above K5 Pro that isn’t at least $400. That’s where the Element II and the ProJect S2 (or something like that) hang out. $500 combos gets you into Klipsch Heritage and Monolith THX combo territory, which both have balanced headphone outputs.

Also @M0N meant to say separates will increase your system flexibility moving forward.

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Thanks lol I got sidetracked

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Now i know it says “gaming” but what’s the opinion on the Mayflower ARC v the k5?

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if the element ii had the optical i wouldn’t have ever posted this. i was very disappointed when i went to the website to purchase awhile back. what a bummer.

what’s the community thought on the project s2??

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I personally don’t like the s2 for the price, somewhat mediocre.

The arc is good but I think it’s not worth it unless you need the mic in

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for a temporary-ish setup, and stack solution, would you spend more on dac or amp with emphasis on replacing in future? would still want a solid setup today of course.

Edit: Such as… a su-8 and a spark? or a d10 and a sp200?

Edit#2: Sorry… just thought about the element ii amp with a temporary dac? with intent to nab the element ii dac in the future?

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It depends on your priories tbh. I think if you wanted to go for a balanced amp in the future, getting a dac like the su8 may be worth it, along with an atom or liquid spark.

The el stack is pretty awesome so you could do that as well (also the element is the all in one, the el are the separates)

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so generally speaking… to fit a budget would you favor the dac or amp? with the intent to replace the lower end unit at some point. based on your su8 comment i assume you’d lean toward favoring the dac?

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So typically I would favor the amp if they didn’t decide to upgrade anytime soon. The reason I said su8 for now is because it’s something you can use in the future and buy a balanced amp and keep the dac, since you want to have this be a balanced setup in the future. The atom is also very solid but still an attractive price, but since you would be replacing it with a balanced amp that would be what I wouldn’t go overkill on the amp. Later on you could grab a sp200 amp and get to full balanced for a reasonable price (if you are still set on a full balanced setup in the future)

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I don’t think there is a ‘general’ answer to your question. Based on the gear options right now, an SU-8 DAC strikes an awesome price/performance ratio that amps haven’t quite found yet. The Atom amp is a really good amp. So good that even the SP200 isn’t a huge upgrade unless you need the extra power or balanced output. Even if you just need the power, my understanding is the Heresy gives you Atom-like performance but Magni 3-like power (I can’t confirm this with my own ears, though). The SU-8 is a package that is a noticeable and worthwhile upgrade over a $99 DAC moreso than current $200 amps are over current $100 amps. The only thing the SU-8 ‘lacks’ is MQA, but you haven’t mentioned that as a need. There isn’t as big a jump in the amp realm right now for a similar price difference. The SU-8 is also a strong enough performer that when you do upgrade your amp down the road, it won’t be much of an anchor. Hope all that made sense…

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Can confirm, the heresy sounds pretty similar to the atom but with more power (but I think the atom has an edge in tonality but that’s pretty minute)

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El stack or SMSL stack (su8 & sp200)? Relatively same price.

Regarding combo unit, thoughts on M500?

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Personally I like the el stack sound wise more tbh.

The m500 is a good dac but an average amp