affordable DAC for rock/metal


Any headbangers with suggestions for a DAC around $300?

I have Klipsch Heresy and Onkyo A-9555, which sounds great and I want to upgrade to an external DAC from the pc soundcard I've been using.

The overall sound I like is crunchy, full and dynamic with presence to suit live rock shows.

I'm guessing the DAC should be able to separate instruments well and have a clear, neutral midrange.

The Heresys don't sound bright to me, so I'm thinking something that makes the even more alive would work.
mstapletn
Cambridge DacMagic fits into your system nicely and the sound improvement will be remarkable.
mhdt Constantine is up to the task + sounds very good on all kinds of music.
Yeah, I have to agree about the Valab. When I was comparing a Valab to some other dacs (Dacmagic being one of them), the one thing I really liked about the Valab was it's ability to allow me to totally crank up my nastiest sounding rock/metal cd's, and they remained listenable and enjoyable, even with my Magnepans. I ended up settling on a Jolida player, but I hung onto the Valab and I'm considering throwing it back into the rig, and use it on occasion as a "party" dac :-)