I think that I am going to buy some Yamaha active speakers soon and I need a DAC that has a volume control. The Cambridge Audio DAC Magic Plus looks good but is a bit expensive at £350. The Teac UD-H01 and Matrix Mini DACs are only £200 and have volume controls. Will they work with active speakers or is the volume control just for using headphones.
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Will this DAC work with active speakers
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Anything that says it has a pre-amp in it really will do the trick. Are you using any other sources (analogue) or just something going into the DAC? There are quite a few "pro audio" options around that would do it. But they tend not to look as pretty.
Ryan92 said:
I am willing to consider a pro audio DAC but I would prefer a DAC that looks pretty as it will be sitting on my desk next to the speakers and TV. The source will be a Mac Mini for now but I might end up using something else later on.
Ah okay, the Matrix and Teac are (as far as I can tell) just a headphone amplifier, not a pre-amp. I'm not farmiliar with the speakers, do they need XLR inputs or just a phono?
I think Beresford do a decent line in budget preamps/DACs though again, they do look budget, they are also pretty well reviewed by WHF.
The Baresford DAC looks ok. Does the volume control work with active speakers or just headphones.
Myefforts said in his post that the Matrix dac works ok with his active speakers.
Myefforts said in his post that the Matrix dac works ok with his active speakers.
Do you actually need a DAC section or are you just saying that because it’s an option for volume control?
I’m not sure which Beresford you’re talking about, the Caiman or new Bushmaster? The new Bushmaster does have a volume control but this only controls the headphone output so the Mk 1 version is not suitable as a pre. The Caiman however can be used as a pre. I won the Caiman and it is a very good DAC for the money, that said I used it as a short term solution as a pre-amp and for me it wasn’t up to the task, it works yes but I found the sound a bit flat. Although you are working to a tight budget so it may be a practical option and a sound you can compromise with.
If you don’t actually need the DAC section and don’t need many inputs you could also consider using a headphone amp as a pre, this was suggested to me when I was searching for a pre-amp and it actually seemed like a really good idea although I didn’t go down this route. You tend to get quite a lot for your money, the can have high quality volume pots and often a good active tube stage too, have a look at the schiit headphone amps if this is a viable option.
Lastly if you do need a DAC stage also consider a pre-amp that has a DAC (rather than the other way around, ok ultimately it’s the same thing but much more attention will be given to the pre stage rather than it being an afterthought / secondary function as it is on many DACs). I reckon if you don’t mind going the 2nd hand route you may well find one of the Cyrus pre-amps with digital inputs within you price range.
I’m not sure which Beresford you’re talking about, the Caiman or new Bushmaster? The new Bushmaster does have a volume control but this only controls the headphone output so the Mk 1 version is not suitable as a pre. The Caiman however can be used as a pre. I won the Caiman and it is a very good DAC for the money, that said I used it as a short term solution as a pre-amp and for me it wasn’t up to the task, it works yes but I found the sound a bit flat. Although you are working to a tight budget so it may be a practical option and a sound you can compromise with.
If you don’t actually need the DAC section and don’t need many inputs you could also consider using a headphone amp as a pre, this was suggested to me when I was searching for a pre-amp and it actually seemed like a really good idea although I didn’t go down this route. You tend to get quite a lot for your money, the can have high quality volume pots and often a good active tube stage too, have a look at the schiit headphone amps if this is a viable option.
Lastly if you do need a DAC stage also consider a pre-amp that has a DAC (rather than the other way around, ok ultimately it’s the same thing but much more attention will be given to the pre stage rather than it being an afterthought / secondary function as it is on many DACs). I reckon if you don’t mind going the 2nd hand route you may well find one of the Cyrus pre-amps with digital inputs within you price range.
Yes I need a DAC and a volume control. I will have a look for a Cyrus pre-amp. 
I had a phone call from a shop this morning because they has a second hand Roland UA-25EX DAC for £90. It is a bit ugly but I am going to have a listen anyway because it is cheap.
I had a phone call from a shop this morning because they has a second hand Roland UA-25EX DAC for £90. It is a bit ugly but I am going to have a listen anyway because it is cheap.
MattSPL
Well-known member
Overdose
Well-known member
StarCraft said:Yes I need a DAC and a volume control. I will have a look for a Cyrus pre-amp.
I had a phone call from a shop this morning because they has a second hand Roland UA-25EX DAC for £90. It is a bit ugly but I am going to have a listen anyway because it is cheap.
The UA-25EX will work just fine, it's an upgraded version of the interface that I use. £90 seems a bit steep though, as they can be had for a bit less on the bay.
The TEAC DAC will not work, as the volume is only for the headphone out, the analogue outs at the back are fixed level.
The min-i DAC, is the only DAC that I have found at it's price point that has variable analogue outputs other than headphone, XLR connection and remote function, it has no competition in this regard.
It will also nicely match the Mac mini.
Overdose
Well-known member
myefforts said:
Interesting, the mini-i DAC I presume?
Do you get any hum or hiss through the speakers when using the DAC?
The Roland UA-25EX DAC sounds ok and does not look too bad so I have bought it. After a bit of haggling he sold me the Roland DAC together with the Yamaha HS50M speakers and some cables for £300 which seemed like fair deal. For the price it is a really good sounding system.
Part of the deal was he promised to sell me the matching HS10W subwoofer for £380 when I get paid at the end of the month.
Part of the deal was he promised to sell me the matching HS10W subwoofer for £380 when I get paid at the end of the month.
Yes it's the Mini-i DAC. There is a little background noise, for sure but it's not a bad combination when hooked up to my Mac Pro.
Overdose
Well-known member
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