Balanced DAC under $300.00 (US$)

You are a very patient person. I would have upgraded three times during the time spent on your equipment search…just kidding of course, but congrats on the new toy!

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As I get older I do seem to find patience I never knew I had.:grin:

I really didn’t want to break the bank on a product that I wasn’t sure I really needed and I am not sure will even work (Sony Canada says that my line out cable does not even exist and several people have not even been able to make it work with various DAC’s.).

I have also been waiting to test out my Schiit Loki for this to come in.

Going to watch a ball game this afternoon (Blue Jays/Yankees) as I start hooking things up.

Shane D

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Everything works on my DAC. No bad channels, no humming, works great with my DAP and putting out RCA and XLR just fine.

And the Loki is cool! It’ll give your Grado’s and Beyerdynamic’s some bass.:smiley:

Shane D

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I am sure this has been posted about before but you can have the SMSL SU-8 balanced Dac On sale right now for only $170 on drop and if you want to buy from another source based in Oakland, CA, (west coast baby) with fast shipping and great service Apos Audio will price match as well. The unit measures extremely well, above its price point.

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Hi, can u give advice. Wanna make a gift for friend. Looked for DAC compares and couldn’t choose.
Liked Audioengine D1 24-bit and Avantree DAC02. Can u tell me is there a big difference between them and which manufacturer is better?

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I would choose an SMSL SU-8 DAC. I love mine and it is feeding four amps. I ordered mine direct from Shenzhen Audio during a sale. Drop has been putting it on sale regularly for about $170.00, I think.

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Heads up, the SMSL SU-9 is supposed to be coming out soon, but got delayed due to whats going on right now. I was also going to get the SU-8, until I found out about the SU-9. No idea what the SU-9 will cost so it could end up being more expensive.

I have a Modi 3 coming in for my THX 789, not even sure if it’s worth upgrading but we’ll see.

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wow, thanks for variants. I’ll look them

What is your solution here? XLR splitter/switcher? Can you elaborate?

Thanks!

I just run split cables out of the DAC. Split RCA and split XLR.

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I add the ifi Zen DAC , after I scrolled thru this thread and could not find it

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Can the Ifi be used as just a balanced DAC without the amp?

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Yes it can be used as DAC only, with balanced 4.4 Pentacon out.
If I remember correctly, there is a switch on the back, for line- or variable out.
Your gonna need a optional power Unit, if you want to get out the most out of it.

Please Check the official Thread, I linked for more Information

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Interesting. I hadn’t noticed the 4.4mm balanced out at the back of the unit. XLR fans will require an adapter.

I had totally forgotten about that, thanks for the reminder!

This may actually be a good option to feed the P20 at work freeing my SU-8 for another place I have in mind that needs a remote

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Not sure about this pairing. Could be quite warmish…

though a nice little stack with solid state and a tube

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The many that it takes to float outfits like Moon by Sim (Simaudio) whose cheapest DAC is about $12,000 but good news! It’s Canadian currency lol

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Sorry to resurrect this, but I had a question. Is the $200 Schiit Modius a balanced DAC? It has balanced XLR outs, that’s what made me wonder. Or is a true balanced DAC one DAC chip per Left and Right channels?

Two DAC chips is a dual mono configuration I beleive. Balanced is something else:

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That makes sense to me. Therefore, Modius would be a balanced DAC in this price range, I suppose.

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