DAC upgrade from Audioquest Dragonfly 1.0

[britain4]

I’m looking for a USB DAC upgrade from my Dragonfly 1.0 as it’s the only part of my system at present that’s not really doing it for me. It’s fine but lacking in a little refinement compared to my CD player when streaming from Tidal Hifi on my laptop.

I know WHF recommend the Dragonfly Red or Chord Mojo depending on budget. I could maybe stretch to £300 but that’s just about what the rest of the system cost me in total (though you’d probably have to spend several times that to significantly better it). I would really like to spend as little as possible to get a decent upgrade from the Dragonfly particularly in terms of refinement.

I’d be happier with something non-portable if it gives better sound for the money compared to a portable device. I understand the Schiit Audio options are well regarded but unsure how they compare to the Dragonfly range pound for pound.

The only input I need is a USB input, don’t need optical, or anything wireless.

I don’t mind building or upgrading something myself if that’s an option with DACs, nor do I mind buying used. I would probably prefer to go down one of those routes if it represents better value for money.

Any recommendations appreciated!

The JDS Labs ODAC seems to come recommended, as does the Hifime DIY Sabre, but would welcome any and all input

 

[gasolin]

https://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs/Sabre-9018-DAC

 

[britain4]

Yeah I had looked at that, very good by all accounts but who knows if it’s an upgrade from the Dragonfly or not?

 

[Al ears]

Yeah I had looked at that, very good by all accounts but who knows if it’s an upgrade from the Dragonfly or not?

As these things are all about the dac chip itself and the fact the Audioquest has to downsample 24/192 files then you can assume it is an upgrade.

 

[drummerman]

I have the Hifime. Good. Bear in mind that Sabre Dac's usually have a slightly sharper treble compared to say Wolfson's or Asahi Kasei which tend to be a bit more 'recessed' in that region. The difference is minute but noticeable, more so on bad recordings.

 

[gasolin]

For the money it's really good i wouldn't know what to buy that for the same money that sounds better

 

[cheeseboy]

here you go, currently on offer for just under 100.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/roland_mobile_ua_m10.htm?ref=search_prv_15

Roland UA-M10 - native DSD / full 32bit pcm, bus powered, headphone amp and line out.

 

[britain4]

OK thanks. Think I’d best start looking into DAC chips because at the moment the DAC market makes no sense to me at all in terms of which is higher spec on paper than another!

Thanks that’s two recommendations for the Sabre now, does anyone have experience with the ODAC or anything else that might be suitable?

 

[britain4]

here you go, currently on offer for just under 100.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/roland_mobile_ua_m10.htm?ref=search_prv_15

Roland UA-M10 - native DSD / full 32bit pcm, bus powered, headphone amp and line out.

Didnt see that one before I wrote my last post, that certainly looks like a strong contender...

 

[gasolin]

what the f....... can this really be true?
A superb, high quality little DACTomkaten, 05.10.2017thomannThis is a superb DAC, with first class audiophile components.

Previously I was using a small, portable HifimeDIY Sabre DAC for my desktop needs. It sounded great, but this Roland absolutely trumps it. The stereo image is much wider, the sound fuller... thomann Everything just sounds better.

I've tested it with PCM and DSD, both sound amazing. Loved the fact that you can keep your headphones connected to port A and your speakers to Line Out/Port B and have sound going to both at the same time.

I'm using thomann it on a desktop box with a Platinum certified PSU (Seasonic) and everything's peachy. Used it with active monitors and several types of cans (Superlux HD 681, Pioneer MS5T) and they all sounded great. Have a pair of AKG K612 Pro on the way, as the headphones I thomann already own are a bit limited when paired with such a great device.

I can highly recommend it to anyone looking for a simple USB DAC for a desktop/notebook.

 

[britain4]

Yes the Roland really does look like a serious contender and seems to have come down massively in price for whatever reason. My £300 budget would involve a couple of months of saving up (I’m a student ) so to get what I’m after for under £100 would be a huge bonus.

Currently got my eye on an Audiolab DAC which looks lovely but I expect it’ll probably sell for much more than I’m able to spend at the moment.

 

[gasolin]

antoher review from thomann

Now why i gave it only 3 stars? When you connect the device to your computer it sends voltage a thomann voltage transient through the mini-jack a pop. When you disconnect the device or shutdown your computer a more powerful voltage spike is send through the minijacks. This is not good for the connected headphone in the long run.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/roland-mobile-ua-ua-m10-usb-audio-interface.22058/reviews

Might consider this dac, i can somehow relate to that the Sabre Dac's usually have a slightly sharper treble

But still sounds good and is cheaper than the roland dac although i don't like that it's a bit bright according to the link

 

[britain4]

I don’t mind a very slight tendency towards brightness, I feel that’s the way my CD player is at its current stage of modification but I do like the way it sounds. I think my 70s speakers work quite well with bright sources too.

I might have to pick one of those Rolands up come payday, as far as I can gather that’s a really impressive spec for the money...

 

[gasolin]

I don’t mind a very slight tendency towards brightness, I feel that’s the way my CD player is at its current stage of modification but I do like the way it sounds. I think my 70s speakers work quite well with bright sources too.

I might have to pick one of those Rolands up come payday, as far as I can gather that’s a really impressive spec for the money...

Yes and could be interesting to hear if it sounds better than the HIFIme sabre 9018, i can't imagine the difference is big, even when i have studio monitors from a highly regarded brand (neutral and analytic)

 

[britain4]

I don’t mind a very slight tendency towards brightness, I feel that’s the way my CD player is at its current stage of modification but I do like the way it sounds. I think my 70s speakers work quite well with bright sources too.

I might have to pick one of those Rolands up come payday, as far as I can gather that’s a really impressive spec for the money...

Yes and could be interesting to hear if it sounds better than the HIFIme sabre 9018, i can't imagine the difference is big, even when i have studio monitors from a highly regarded brand (neutral and analytic)

Yes it could be a sleeper option especially at the current price if that's the case.

The setup I'm using tends to be very revealing but bearing in mind the Pioneer A400 is known for sounding bright it ends up a very balanced sound overall. The only speaker comparison I have done is with a set of Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s I was considering using - the £80 (in total including new audio grade caps and an internal rewire) Pageants absolutely blow them out of the water in every single aspect. I think you'd have to spend many times more than £80 to better them with something modern.

I can only imagine how the top end Signifiers must sound when restored, must need something quite special to match those.

 

[gasolin]

How is the Meridian explorer against the audioquest dragonfly black/red and HIFIme Sabre 9018 ?

https://www.whathifi.com/meridian/explorer-dac/review

 

[cheeseboy]

well I got one of them roland dacs. Very very good is all I can say Definitely worth the cash.

 

[maroonbells]

I would recommend a Mojo, it's like having candy poured into your ears.

 

[gasolin]

I would recommend a Mojo, it's like having candy poured into your ears.

And the price ... are you nuts............ completly different compared to roland,dragonfly,meridian explorer,hifime sabre 9010

 

[cheeseboy]

I would recommend a Mojo, it's like having candy poured into your ears.

i get what you are trying to say, but it's probably one of the worst metaphors I've heard. I mean who actually wants candy poured in to their ears? *biggrin*

 

[grimharry]

I would recommend a Mojo, it's like having candy poured into your ears.

i get what you are trying to say, but it's probably one of the worst metaphors I've heard. I mean who actually wants candy poured in to their ears? *biggrin*

depends on who’s doing the pouring *smile*

 

[maroonbells]

Hannah Reid was pouring it in the other night. *biggrin*