Anyone have experience with Emotiva EGO+ DAC/Amp Dongles?
Price is right and specs look good.
Thinking of using for listening to Amazon Ultra HD from My Dell Precision laptop.
I have a JDS Labs Atom stack for my desktop but its not practical to move it around.
Fwiw, I thought the Big Ego had a serviceable dac section. The amp was marginal for low sensitivity circumaural cans but overall I liked it better than the Meridian Explorer I had and to which I compared it. I didn’t actually use either much as an amp, mostly via LO. And never with a phone, PC only. They both used a pcm5102 chip at the time iirc, and I think the Big Ego has switched to the 5122, but I doubt that that changes much.
Now though, ~6 years later, I think for that amount of $, I would get a dac that doubles as a bt adapter as well as a usb dac. I have the fiio btr5, which from memory sounds better than either of the above, has way more options and power, and even has a balanced out if that matters to you. Doesn’t have a dedicated LO tho, so if that matters? Big Ego is an old design in a market that is changing fast. Another member here thinks that the comparable Qudelix (?, L100?) is the best thing since sliced bread. I haven’t heard that one, sooo… I just don’t think the Big Ego is very good value in today’s market, in which one cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a new dongle dac. But you will never know til you try.
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Thank you for your thoughtful and timely response.
My end game here (don’t laugh) is to be able to stream Amazon ultra HD music from my multiple
devices.
After much head scratching and looking, I’ve discovered that the answer to one of my most vexing issues was right under
my nose. I can stream Amazon through my (decidedly mid-fi) stereo system when I discovered the front USB input on my Yamaha receiver. I can plug my iphone in and behold, I have a streamer.
As for my laptop, I don’t know the quality but it has a Realtek sound card that outputs up to 24/192.
I can also plug in my Tempo Tec Sonata HD pro to see if it sounds better to my 73 year old ears.
I know many out there are itching to tell me what a POS rig I’m running and I need mega dollar DACs
and streamers and tube amps to make it right. All I can say is I’ve loved music and stereo equipment
since back in the early 60’s. Never really had the disposable income to become really too involved.
Now that I could spend more, I choose to spend on other things.
After all, the music is the end game. Not much makes me happier than going on a walk on a nice day
while listening to music from my iphone via Bluetooth on my Sennheiser Momentum phones.
Thanks.
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