to DAC or not to DAC

[admin_exported]

Hi there

i am wanting to set up a system based around using my imac for input source and want to know if i need to get a DAC. It is just to be used for listening to music in my home and not for near-field listening (i wont be sitting in front of the computer listening to music.) so i want good sound that fills the room unlike my imac speakers.

would something like a nu force icon 2, be good:

http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/icon2/index.php

and if so what speakers would work well with it?

or would i be better off getting a dac and budget amp and speakers. how does the Musical Fidelity V-DAC compare to the HRT Music Streamer II?

my budget is of course minimal.

i'm sure this has been much discussed but i cant seem to find the right search terms!

thanks alot ofr anyone's help.

niallybin

 

[steve_1979]

niallybin: i am wanting to set up a system based around using my imac for input source and want to know if i need to get a DAC.

Hello and welcome to the forum

Yes you definitly do want to use a DAC to get the best sound quality from your Mac. You don't actually need to use a DAC though because you can get the audio from the Mac using the 3.5mm headphone jack, however this is not advised because the sound quality will be rubbish compared to using a DAC.

First of all though, what is your budget?

This £120 Beresford TC-7510 is a very popular budget DAC which has received lots of very good reviews. http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Beresford-TC-7510/

 

[Anonymous]

The nuforce icon looks pretty good as a budget dac/amp, I seem to remember 6moons being impressed with it. I'm not sure about speaker pairing synergy though, but for £100 you could pick up the q acoustics 2010 or tannoy mercury f1s, both have been shown alot of love on WHF.

£250 dac, amp, headamp, speakers sorted

 

[Anonymous]

hey thanks guys for you responses

the beresford TC-7520 seems like a good option (i think that the 7510 has been upgraded). i was also thinking of the Cambridge Audio Azur 350A SE as an amp, seems great value. i also am being given some old wharfdale bookshelf speakers (don't know what type) so hopefully this will give us a good result.

does anyone have a suggestion for a budget amp?

cheers

niall

 

[Anonymous]

Onkyo A5VL is going for around £250, it got good reviews in hi-fi world, WHF didn't seem to like it much but it's a decent amp imho. It's got a nice built in DAC, so that would kill 2 birds in one stone.

 

[steve_1979]

niallybin: does anyone have a suggestion for a budget amp?

Cambridge Audio generally has a good repuation for budget amplifiers.

The Marantz PM6003 is also available for £250. http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Marantz-PM6003/

Or the Yamaha A-S500 can be found for £300. http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Yamaha-A-S500/

Don't forget to budget for speaker stands, speaker cable and an S/PDIF optical cable too. You won't need to spend a fortune on these but don't go for the cheapest either.

 

[the record spot]

I'd be careful around the mass assumptions that laptop DACs are by and large rubbish. Apple didn't do a bad job with theirs by all accounts, so I'd suggest you dig deep and read up than just *** out and buy a DACMagic. Have a listen first, see what you think and take it from there. I use a DAC from Firestone Audio (the new Spitfire II) and can't recommend it highly enough. Currently £150 but that's with a £100 discount and it'll go up again soon. Whether that's significantly better than the Apple Mac's DAC is another matter however.

 

[roger06]

steve_1979:
niallybin: does anyone have a suggestion for a budget amp?

The Marantz PM6003 is also available for £250. http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Marantz-PM6003/

Or the Yamaha A-S500 can be found for £300. http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Yamaha-A-S500/

Don't forget to budget for speaker stands, speaker cable and an S/PDIF optical cable too. You won't need to spend a fortune on these but don't go for the cheapest either.

I listened to both these amps at the weekend - I'm not usually a Marantz fan - a little too warm for me - but I thought this amp was a stonker, and totally amazing for £250. It blew me away.

Wasn't impressed with the Yamaha. OK it perhaps was a little more detailed but it was brash, harsh and seemed to let the bass wonder off where ever it fancied...

 

[Overdose]

Firstly, you have some speakers and the imac, so you only really need an amplifier and speaker cables. £250 would get you a reasonable new amp or nice second hand example and speaker cable should be thrown in as part of the deal on a new amp.

So that's you up and running (assuming you already have a cable from imac to amp). After that you can experiment with DACs by some home auditioning or take your imac into a store for some demos.