Budget USB DAC for Macbook Pro

[gurjitsidhu]

Hi

I was reading up about the DragonFly Dac and thought it sounded like a good idea to get a USB DAC however im not up for spending that much- up to £35 tops. So my question is that are there budget DACS which will give me better quality than the headphone out from my macbookpro or do i need to spend silly money to get one thats better?
I only use the laptop to watch films, sometimes music and once every 2 years or so I use the macbook headphone out into a PA system for some house parties.

thanks in advance 🙂

 

[MajorFubar]

While the DAC in a Mac can be bettered by an external device, compared to some PCs the DAC they come with is quite reasonable. I'm not sure so little money on a new DAC will hugely better it. If someone does post any suggestions within your budget, I highly recommend a 'try before you buy'. Also maybe consider buying second-hand: that generally buys you more. It's not like DACs physically wear out, you could get a real bargain.

 

[AL13N]

Agree with the above. At that price definitely try before you buy (and make sure to familiarise yourself with the returns policy of the vendor in question if you decide to try at home).

I'd recommend a couple of products from the Behringer stable. The UCA202 has the features you require (plus many more) and falls within budget at £20.90.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_ucontrol_uca_202.htm

Alternatively, if your MacBook has a FireWire connection and your willing to stretch your budget a little (£53.06 or £47.43 B-Stock) there's the FCA202. This also features balanced outputs, useful if you use long cable runs with your PA System.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/search_dir.html?xsid=04586dfef43eebf49fd533ca7e613e86&sw=fca202&x=0&y=0&gk=&bn=

There's a review of the FCA202 here: http://www.jakeludington.com/gadget_envy/20060215_f-control_audio_fca202.html

And an in-depth write up on the UCA202 here: http://nwavguy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html

 

[Dom]

In general a pc will always sound better connecting directly, digitally.

 

[SteveR750]

Being deliberately provocative here in the literal sense, I reckon the DAC in my galaxy S2 is easily good enough to distinguish between standard and "xtreme" spotify file quality via a pair of Beyer DT101 buds. The realtek HD sound card in my laptop is probably "better", it's more the windows subprocessing / resampling of the k mixer that's responsible for the crap sound out of a PC.

 

[El Hefe]

Yes there is a DAC as cheap as that. Refer to this thread....well at least to my ears, they are value for money...GBP 35 for an ESS Sabre DAC...

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/dacs/audioquest-dragonfly-dac

 

[quadpatch]

Yes there is a DAC as cheap as that. Refer to this thread....well at least to my ears, they are value for money...GBP 35 for an ESS Sabre DAC...

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/dacs/audioquest-dragonfly-dac

Are you recommending a 'non-commercialised' DAC here? or is this actually available for £35 now?

 

[El Hefe]

It is actually being sold by a legitimate company and can be ordered via email. Have a read of this thread http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2452730. Its actually about GBP 30. He sends out the DAC internationally as well.

 

[woodster]

It is actually being sold by a legitimate company and can be ordered via email. Have a read of this thread http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2452730. Its actually about GBP 30. He sends out the DAC internationally as well.

Ok, I am intrigued by this product. How on earth do I get one please?

 

[woodster]

It is actually being sold by a legitimate company and can be ordered via email. Have a read of this thread http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2452730. Its actually about GBP 30. He sends out the DAC internationally as well.

Very intrigued by this, so how on earth do I get one please?

 

[woodster]

It is actually being sold by a legitimate company and can be ordered via email. Have a read of this thread http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2452730. Its actually about GBP 30. He sends out the DAC internationally as well.

Very intrigued by this, so how on earth do I get one please?

 

[woodster]

How do I get one of these little beauties El Hefe?

 

[woodster]

Calling El Hefe!!!!!

 

[El Hefe]

Calling El Hefe!!!!!

You can email stoneracoustics@gmail.com

For the records, I do not have any commercial interest in this. Just sharing a unique DIY product. Hopefully I am not breaking any house rules here.

 

[woodster]

Cheers pal