DAC for entry level system

Had 3 of the DACS you list, HRT II, VDAC II and Rega. All were worthy performers. The best of those for me was probably the Rega. (I could not do head to head comparisons so take this with a grain of salt and from memory) You won't know which one is best in your setup until you hear it and compare to your current sound. Those 3 can be auditioned in your system and returned if they don't enhance the sound from your speakers.

Foster_9, thank you for your input. I guess there is no short cut here, and I need to start to audition different level of DACs in my system.

Take a look at the ODAC sold at JDS Labs. There are a number of reviews on it, especially in the headphone forums. For the hefty price of $150 you won't be disappointed.

I just got a 2 year old Rega with a year left on warranty for $550 online. So you can have one for much less if that is the route you want to take.

Still waiting for it in the mail. So cant say much about the Rega yet. It will be used with a Marantz CDP 5004 as a transport.

Sterophile has a review comparing V-Dac and Rega. The reviewer liked both said it depends on your system and preference.

The HRT streamers (top of line $375) has a review which says its amazing but you have to use extra USB power hubs to get the amazing results.

All have got a good bit of online press so there is a lot of research that can be done.

Take a look at the ODAC sold at JDS Labs. There are a number of reviews on it, especially in the headphone forums. For the hefty price of $150 you won't be disappointed.

Unless I'm mistaken, the ODAC is a USB DAC only.