New to DAC, need advice.


I recently purchased a Parasound ZDAC here and it worked well for a short time but then started acting up with short, intermittent bursts of static while streaming Tidal. Then for a day wouldn't play certain parts of the music such as missing a guitar or piano notes. After contacting Parasound they tell me it's a circuit issue. It's out of warranty and they are offering to have me ship it there for repair. It's been error-free for a few days now and in the mean time it's been recommended to me by Jim Williams of Adcom modification fame that I should consider the Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital DAC. It's roughly twice the price I paid for the ZDAC but if I send it in for repair, with shipping, I'll be right around the price of the Pro-ject DAC new, and it can decode MQA files where the ZDAC can't. So I defer to the community here. What's my best option on a limited budget?
128x128ratboysr
I _really_ like the sound of the ZDAC. For the price, and when it was available, it is a really nice piece of kit! 

If you are going to upgrade, you want to look at Schiit or Mytek. 

On the other hand, the ZDac can make a nice DAC for your desktop. :) 

Best,


E
Erik thanks for the reply. I really like the ZDAC as well but I'm hesitant to listen to anything at volume because when the static kicks in it's REALLY loud and I'm afraid of damaging my new speakers. Everyone seems to agree Mytek (well out of my budget sadly) is amazing but I've heard mixed reviews on Schiit.
If the price is right, try the Pro-ject DAC box. I like Parasound but the MQA alone makes the Pro-ject better.