[quote user="al7478"]Thanks. And i thouht there wasnt that much out there to choose from lol![/quote]
Well, like I said, there isn't, not if you want to avoid the rubbish, and don't want to fork out the cash. As you have seen, the Benchmark is getting on for a grand (though you can get the version without USB for a bit under 700) and the modded-Trend discussed above is twice the budget you gave us to begin with. The real limitation, is as I said, with the hifi DACs - we've discussed a few options with computer DACs, and I'll give you another below.
[quote user="al7478"]Thanks again for your time and patience! With the weakest link point in mind, am i looking to invest too little in a soundcard? I just wonder, as im no expert on the quality of components in these things. Anyway, 'night all![/quote]
If you're going to change the brief, and give us even more work to do, lol, I am happy to report that this won't take up much of our time since your options are even more severely limited than even in the hundred quid bracket. I don't know of any external hifi DACs in the 100-to-500 quid price range in this country (though other nations like the US may be better served). It would be great if people could point some out, to be honest, as I could use a few. Or at least ones that would offer a worthwhile improvement on the Beresford...
And it doesn't get much better with USB DACs: there are plenty in that price range, especially in the pro-audio sector, but they tend to cost more for having lots for features and inputs etc. for multitrack recording, rather than investing in upping sound quality of the DAC.
Part of the reason for this is that Digital-to-analogue conversion is already pretty good, and has been for some time. The USB DACs we've discussed have been around for years. That's not to say you can't get an improvement by spending a lot more: most regard the Benchmark DAC mentioned above as a significant step up - it's especially good at nailing the problem of jitter - but as you have seen, they cost ya.
One way to improve things is to improve certain aspects of the budget DACs where manufacturers tend to skimp to save cash, like the power-supply etc. - hence the Russ Andrews-modded Trend box mentioned above. The internet is awash with folk modding soundcards in such ways. One internal card that's a favourite of modders is the Emu 1212m, which even in its unmodded form is commonly used by hifi fans. Although an internal card, it's well-screened from interference, and has a result has better figures than many external DACs. The "m" in the "1212m" moniker stands for "mastering" grade DACs - they used the same chips for the Digital-to-analog conversion as used in the professional Pro-Tools systems. It's only about 110 quid, and you might like to consider that too.
This is the thing: if everyone's using the same chips for the DAC, it limits the gains that can be achieved. There are more recent chips, but of course, these are again going to cost. For example, the more expensive Cambridge CD players that have 384kHz DACs, and a digital input so you can use them with other gear. But, again: 500 quid. Given that you are using budget gear, gains from spending substantially more might be curtailed a bit anyway, so I don't know if you need to fret about it.
[quote user="al7478"]...you can only connect one item to DACs, is that right or is my memory failing? Not sure if thatd be an issue yet, ill have to think about it.[/quote]
of course you can connect more than one thing to some DACs - that's one of the good things about the Beresford: it has FOUR digital inputs: two coax and two optical. But surely you don't need us to point out that inputs can up the cost, and of course the size, and both of these seem to be something you don't want. The Benchmark, for example, offers balanced inputs and outputs as well. The Emu 0404, as opposed to the 0202, offers digital ins and outs, but costs twice as much and is bigger, and needs external power. Though you are not confined to just using it with a computer.
You suggested you were going to think about whether you'd need multple outputs: it depends whether you have other digital sources you'd like to upgrade. With the Beresford, you could potentially upgrade your computer, a CD player, and still have two inputs left to upgrade say a DVD player or wireless-streaming device, or PVR, or DAB radio, and so on. It's a rather cost-effective upgrade.
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