External Audiofile DAC for Macs ?

[xserret]

Hi there, I'm now rebuilding my old stereo and ... of course I'm going to feed some digital music from my iMac.

I already connected it from the audio jack and the sound it quite good indeed.

But I was wondering, how many of you are actually using one of the real DACs from USB as some available in this list ?
and what's your improvement experience with respect to the standard headphone jack when connected to a typical home stereo amplifier from the late 90's (when those where still very popular) ?

"Best Dacs" examples

 

[iluvmacs99]

Hi there, I'm now rebuilding my old stereo and ... of course I'm going to feed some digital music from my iMac.

I already connected it from the audio jack and the sound it quite good indeed.

But I was wondering, how many of you are actually using one of the real DACs from USB as some available in this list ?
and what's your improvement experience with respect to the standard headphone jack when connected to a typical home stereo amplifier from the late 90's (when those where still very popular) ?

"Best Dacs" examples

I have an AudioEngine D1 24bit DAC which is considered to be a pretty good USB external DAC connected to my Mac Pro. My Mac Pro already has a pretty great built-in DAC already, but I bought the AudioEngine on clearance for like $60 just to give it a try. I connect it to my Monsoon speakers which was at the time considered a pretty good set of computer speaker system made in Canada before they folded in the early 2000s and with 24bit FLAC and hi-res audio recordings that you can listen to from Youtube and other sources, the DAC gives an amazing low noise floor, crispness, fullness and depth that my built-in Mac Pro headphone jack can't match. But not all music benefit the DAC either and you need to have a pretty good amplifier and speaker sets or headphones to take advantage of the DAC, otherwise it's going to be a waste of money.

D1 Desktop Headphone Amplifier and DAC (Open Box) — Audioengine

Perfect for providing high quality audio to speakers or headphones, the D1 is a premium 32-bit DAC and headphone amplifier for your computer, TV, and more. The D1 connects to your computer’s USB port or optical output without any software to download, making the D1 quick and easy to set up.

audioengineusa.com

 

[cbautis2]

Hi there, I'm now rebuilding my old stereo and ... of course I'm going to feed some digital music from my iMac.

I already connected it from the audio jack and the sound it quite good indeed.

But I was wondering, how many of you are actually using one of the real DACs from USB as some available in this list ?
and what's your improvement experience with respect to the standard headphone jack when connected to a typical home stereo amplifier from the late 90's (when those where still very popular) ?

"Best Dacs" examples

I prefer newly designed vintage DAC implementations over the new delta sigma ones (aka same DAC tech inside your iMac) as they provide a more pleasing timbre to the music. If you do live in USA, I'd start looking at Schiit Audio Multibit DACs (the Multibit ones have that vintage DAC implementation using modern chip from Analog Devices) https://www.schiit.com/products/bifrost-1

 

[bwayne]

Hi there, I'm now rebuilding my old stereo and ... of course I'm going to feed some digital music from my iMac.

I already connected it from the audio jack and the sound it quite good indeed.

But I was wondering, how many of you are actually using one of the real DACs from USB as some available in this list ?
and what's your improvement experience with respect to the standard headphone jack when connected to a typical home stereo amplifier from the late 90's (when those where still very popular) ?

"Best Dacs" examples

Hi, I have a closet full of DACs. They seem to hang around awhile. These days you can get a very decent performer for less than $300 in general. Or you can waste your money on a lot of technical excellence that is far above the capability of your preamp/amp/speakers or headphones. So it goes to best match the DAC with the rest of the system.

Do you listen to headphones or speakers? That’s probably the biggest factor at the moment. For example if you are listening to headphones, there are many DAC+Headphone Amp combinations out there that really rock, of course depending on your headphones style and the music. I noticed you had a list at the end of your post. The RME ADI-DAC FS they’ve highlighted is an outstanding choice if you are into headphones. it’s like the Swiss Army knife of digital. I have the pro version, but you probably don’t need that unless you’re wanting to record analog sources to digital. The RME has an excellent headphone amplifier, parametric equalizer, spectrum analyzer, and more capability than you’ll probably ever use. it’s a great little preamp to boot.

if you could describe your listening habits, music, and budget that would be a good start for people to suggest gear.

I suspect if all you want to do is connect your iMac to your existing stereo, you could get away with $200 or less for a USB DAC….

 

[xserret]

Hi, I have a closet full of DACs. They seem to hang around awhile. These days you can get a very decent performer for less than $300 in general. Or you can waste your money on a lot of technical excellence that is far above the capability of your preamp/amp/speakers or headphones. So it goes to best match the DAC with the rest of the system.

Do you listen to headphones or speakers? That’s probably the biggest factor at the moment. For example if you are listening to headphones, there are many DAC+Headphone Amp combinations out there that really rock, of course depending on your headphones style and the music. I noticed you had a list at the end of your post. The RME ADI-DAC FS they’ve highlighted is an outstanding choice if you are into headphones. it’s like the Swiss Army knife of digital. I have the pro version, but you probably don’t need that unless you’re wanting to record analog sources to digital. The RME has an excellent headphone amplifier, parametric equalizer, spectrum analyzer, and more capability than you’ll probably ever use. it’s a great little preamp to boot.

if you could describe your listening habits, music, and budget that would be a good start for people to suggest gear.

I suspect if all you want to do is connect your iMac to your existing stereo, you could get away with $200 or less for a USB DAC….

Yes, I for now I have privilege of working all for myself in a nice office, so I very much prefer using speakers.
That said, these are "just build Ok" bookshelf speakers from Onkyo, so my next project after the DAC could be to build a new set of proper ones.
He Ampli is decent for now, an old mid-system from Onkyo, the an A-905X it has a very nice frequency range and it's quite adequate to drive 20 W 4 ohm speakers, which is what I'm shooting for in any case. (It's getting old, but I did not see or feel in the sound any need to re-Cap it)
Music wise I'm into piano-classic and , classic rock from the 90's and what I can descrive as "clean lounge" , some sharp pop too, but I hate the too many superimposed dynamic-range compressed instruments of most mothern stuff.

 

[bwayne]

Yes, I for now I have privilege of working all for myself in a nice office, so I very much prefer using speakers.
That said, these are "just build Ok" bookshelf speakers from Onkyo, so my next project after the DAC could be to build a new set of proper ones.
He Ampli is decent for now, an old mid-system from Onkyo, the an A-905X it has a very nice frequency range and it's quite adequate to drive 20 W 4 ohm speakers, which is what I'm shooting for in any case. (It's getting old, but I did not see or feel in the sound any need to re-Cap it)
Music wise I'm into piano-classic and , classic rock from the 90's and what I can descrive as "clean lounge" , some sharp pop too, but I hate the too many superimposed dynamic-range compressed instruments of most mothern stuff.

Onkyo makes great gear! The unit you have is a classic “mini-compo” design which was very popular in Japan because you could stack the components in a small space. Believe it or not you can still get Onkyo serviced here in Japan. Abroad as well if you can find an electronics tech, and on your own if you download the service manual from Hifiengine dot com library (free). I love vintage these days, reverted back to a classic rack of Sansui from the ‘70s which was completely overhauled. I still listen to records on a hand rolled 300B class A tube amp though.

I bought the pro version of the RME for ripping from lossless stream to files. That’s $2000, the other version is about $1200, but I wouldn’t get it just for a DAC unless you also needed a good headphone amp and parametric equalizer etc etc. RME is really pro gear but the AK DAC processor it has is quite common.

Of all the DACs I have and have listened to the one which packs fantastic fidelity and value for me is the ifi Audio iDSD Nano Black. It’s tiny, inexpensive ($200), has a classically wonderful yet contemporarily very capable Burr-Brown DA processor. It’s also has a headphone amp, connects seamlessly with iOS and Mac alike, and a lot of line noise filtering. The only possible downside some fanatics may pick about is that the line out is a 3.5mm 2 channel jack, however you can easily get cables for it. It’s a very versatile, portable, and fine sounding unit. With your current set up it would require a lot of extraneous investment to get close to pushing its limits. And since it has a lithium ion battery, and it’s small as a pack of cigarettes, you can use it anywhere. Have a look!

 

[xserret]

Onkyo makes great gear! The unit you have is a classic “mini-compo” design which was very popular in Japan because you could stack the components in a small space. Believe it or not you can still get Onkyo serviced here in Japan. Abroad as well if you can find an electronics tech, and on your own if you download the service manual from Hifiengine dot com library (free). I love vintage these days, reverted back to a classic rack of Sansui from the ‘70s which was completely overhauled. I still listen to records on a hand rolled 300B class A tube amp though.

I bought the pro version of the RME for ripping from lossless stream to files. That’s $2000, the other version is about $1200, but I wouldn’t get it just for a DAC unless you also needed a good headphone amp and parametric equalizer etc etc. RME is really pro gear but the AK DAC processor it has is quite common.

Of all the DACs I have and have listened to the one which packs fantastic fidelity and value for me is the ifi Audio iDSD Nano Black. It’s tiny, inexpensive ($200), has a classically wonderful yet contemporarily very capable Burr-Brown DA processor. It’s also has a headphone amp, connects seamlessly with iOS and Mac alike, and a lot of line noise filtering. The only possible downside some fanatics may pick about is that the line out is a 3.5mm 2 channel jack, however you can easily get cables for it. It’s a very versatile, portable, and fine sounding unit. With your current set up it would require a lot of extraneous investment to get close to pushing its limits. And since it has a lithium ion battery, and it’s small as a pack of cigarettes, you can use it anywhere. Have a look!

I have downloaded the ifi Audio iDSD Nano documents and I could see they very good indeed and to the point (I have studied electronics, so it's more than a feeling). BTW: I already had the service manuals downloaded for the amp. BTW I also have a pair of vintage HD 580s' (identical to the original HD 600's at 600 ohms, just not fully matched drivers), that my son currenlty used to play shooting games (n.c...) I may recover from him .

 

[bwayne]

I have downloaded the ifi Audio iDSD Nano documents and I could see they very good indeed and to the point (I have studied electronics, so it's more than a feeling). BTW: I already had the service manuals downloaded for the amp. BTW I also have a pair of vintage HD 580s' (identical to the original HD 600's at 600 ohms, just not fully matched drivers), that my son currenlty used to play shooting games (n.c...) I may recover from him .

Hey have fun with it! Have a look at other things too. I actually stumbled on the iDSD nano black only because I bought the earliest iDSD for its RCA SPIDF out and then started looking at the other lines. You’ll be very surprised at it’s size! However, please don’t expect its opamp to drive HD 580/600s at mid-high levels properly- those cans need a dedicated phone amp with proper transistors!

 

[perspective7]

Hi there, I'm now rebuilding my old stereo and ... of course I'm going to feed some digital music from my iMac.

I already connected it from the audio jack and the sound it quite good indeed.

But I was wondering, how many of you are actually using one of the real DACs from USB as some available in this list ?
and what's your improvement experience with respect to the standard headphone jack when connected to a typical home stereo amplifier from the late 90's (when those where still very popular) ?

"Best Dacs" examples

Hello

i had the audio quest cobalt for about 9 months , was very good.

But i needed something with more power for my headphones, i went for the ADI-2 DAC FS.

I did a load of reading up at all the Dacs and for me this looked the best.

I can only say WOW , what a DAC this is for the money.

its exceptional…