In my limited experience I have used the Schiit Bifrost 4490, Denafrips Ares II, Topping D90/D50, and the DACs included in the PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC and the Bluesound Node 2 - nothing too crazy. My order of preference - Denafrips by a large margin, then Topping D90, PSGCD, Topping D50 and Bifrost. I could live with any of those, but the Bluesound didn't measure up to any of the others in A/B testing, IMO, but the Node 2/2i (if you want streaming capabilities too) is a good for-now choice and you can get them used for a good price, and if you decide to get a better DAC in the future, you can still use the Node streaming capabilities. I would find a used Ares II and be done with it (they do come up on eBay from time to time, and really the warranty directly from the company isn't all that much better), or the most expensive Topping or Schiit you feel comfortable buying. If you need/want MQA decoding, then that narrows the field a bit.
Best Bang for your Buck DAC ?
I just realized I’m in the market for a DAC , I don’t want to spend a fortune on a DAC either . I picked up a drangonfly cobalt a while back and am unimpressed so I moved it to my CPU and sounds really good on my system there which when I bought it figured I would do anyway since it was my first DAC purchase . There are so many DACs I have no clue , how high up on the returns chart can I go at say $1,000 before I run into heavy Diminished returns resistance. I’m open to buying used . I was thinking about a Schitt made in the states ? Anyone’s take on best bang for buck DACs?
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Hands down, best bang for the buck, Denafrips Ares II. You buy it direct from Denafrips online. $773. US Dollars. https://www.vinshineaudio.com/product-page/denafrips-ares-r2r-dac Here is a good review from Audio Science Review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/denafrips-ares-ii-usb-r2r-dac-review.1116... |
it is safe to say this thread has degenerated into the usual random spewing of folks just touting what they have bought or read about, using unfounded superlatives, not having compared a relevant set of legit competing products that would be under consideration if someone really wanted to know don’t know if op is even reading these replies anymore... good news is, op is after a relatively cheap dac... so if he/she has the real desire to know, he can try several and see for himself what works well... otherwise we are in the zone of -- ’what is the best bang for buck meal in london?’ ’what is the best bang for buck economy car’? ’what is the best bang for buck espresso grind’? -- leaving aside the idiocy of asking such a subjective question to start with depends how much you care and how much time effort and $ you are willing to commit to find out - do you want to just be done, or do you have some real ’fomo’? |
@in_shore 100%. Just to change up my day and take a break, I just tested this out again. I have a Pro-ject streamer that's been connected to a Denafrips Pontus II DAC for the last two weeks. I unplugged the USB cable attached to an Audioquest Jitterbug noise filter and plugged both into an Apple iPhone via an Apple
Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter. The iPhone as a source sounded good, BUT the Pro-ject sounded hands down better in the following ways:
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