NO NAME USB Dac - is it any good? tight budget

[admin_exported]

Hi,

It is the first time i found myself writing in this forum however i feel i must to. I am hoping to have a nice, warm welcome 😉

and to find an answer of course. i have been searching for a good and cheap dac to use with my hifi (nothing fancy) on the internet and finally i found something, i guess. and now its where the fun begins. there is this no name dac: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/great-multifunctional-USB-DAC-headphone-amp-/320808206748?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item4ab1a8c19c#ht_10436wt_1163

it seems it has some decent quality chip like cirrus cs4398 also the summary table looks very promising but the question is, is it good as they claimed it should be. Would anyone knowledgeable advice on it - is it worth to try or definetly not? Maybe some suggestion around that budget let say up to 70 quid.

All your help is much apprieciated,

Regards, Dave

 

[the record spot]

Hi Dave, welcome to the forum and merry Christmas! (How's that for a warm welcome?)

I'm sure your choice would be fine, but just to check, do you want all the features this DAC offers including the headphone amp? If so, then go for it - £70's a great price. The alternatives offering the same kind of connectivity are more expensive, while others, such as M-Audio's Transit USB DAC are just that, USB only and needs connection to a computer or a TV for its power.

I'd give it a whirl; if it turns out you've bought a lemon, you can put it down to experience and sell it on.

 

[tino]

The same (or very similar) no name DAC actually goes under different "brand" names e.g. Aune. If you want to play it safe, you can buy the Aune branded DAC on that auction site from a UK seller with free P&P. It works out slightly more expensive, but includes a 1 year warranty. Looks like it's limited to 16 bit / 48 kHz, but that is probably OK. Also the one I mentioned does not have optical SPDIF input, but does have a separate power switch on the back, and looking at the PCB, the op-amps look replaceable OPA2134 types. Either way, can't vouch for their quality or performance, but you pays your money you takes your choice. PS There is an OKish review of the "Aune DAC" if you types those words into the search engine of your choice 😉

 

[Anonymous]

Hi and thanks guys for a speedy response and fine welcome.

It cleared my mind a little bit. Just as the record spot suggested I might have use a headphone out in the future which is a nice bonus considering the price of a unit. I also had a look at aune which indeed looks excactly the same, just different logo i guess. So i definately check those two out. Thanks again

Regards, Dave

 

[Overdose]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Edirol-UA25-EX-audio-interface-/220912127799?pt=Midi_Controllers&hash=item336f638f37

This would also do, try the cheaper non 'EX' version.

alternatively.

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Control-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000J0IIEQ

 

[mitch65]

Hi

I have the Aune and it's a cracking little headphone amp, I have not used the DAC part but it's a very well made product and certainly worth more IMO