Budget DAC with optical input

[nuvo]

From Hifimart I have purchased the following:

1. Marantz PM 5004

2. Wharfedale diamond 9.1


Now I am looking for a budget DAC to hook up my PS3 (optical out) to Amp.

From whatever information I have gathered, most branded DAC are above 300$ and is beyond my budget. At this point, I can not afford to spend more than 10k.

So gurus, kindly suggest :

1. Any budget DAC in this range.

2. Or advise whether I should stop my search, wait for money to grow in the tree and then jump into the market for a DAC.

Thanx.

 

[koushikp]

You are right there aren't any good dacs with optical input below 20k. Although I haven't personally listened to it, the beresford bushmaster has a lot of admirers in this forum and it costs 150 gbp. Taxes are a big problem in uk so you can check out if you can avoid the taxes by buying from some other country. .Still it would go close to 220 gbp which is quite ahead of your budget. . not sure how flexible you are. .

My suggestion would be to wait and save some money and have a budget of 15k and then watch the for sale forum like a hawk here rather than buying something sub standard. .sooner or later something will turn up. .Not so long ago a Cambridge dac (forgot which model) was available in the forum for a long time at 15k before getting sold. .

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[kvandhi]

Hi
Can you share when how much price for this combo in Hifimart. Me too looking for the same combo. But i couldnt see Whaf 9.1.

From Hifimart I have purchased the following:

1. Marantz PM 5004

2. Wharfedale diamond 9.1


Now I am looking for a budget DAC to hook up my PS3 (optical out) to Amp.

From whatever information I have gathered, most branded DAC are above 300$ and is beyond my budget. At this point, I can not afford to spend more than 10k.

So gurus, kindly suggest :

1. Any budget DAC in this range.

2. Or advise whether I should stop my search, wait for money to grow in the tree and then jump into the market for a DAC.

Thanx.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Taxes are a big problem in uk...

They are if you live there: there is a high rate of VAT.

However, companies shipping abroad (outside Europe) should not charge VAT. The larger on-line businesses will be set up to do business this way.

 

[vivek.saikia]

You can check out the Fiio headphone amplifiers with DAC. They are decent sounding DACs and will serve the purpose.

 

[Audiodoc]

The Fiio ones dont have an optical input. Your best bet in the 10-15K range will be good Chinese products DACs / DIY kits. You can review a lot of them on Head Fi.

This link answers all your queries.

All the DACs money can buy, pt. 2

 

[ranjeetrain]

^^ +1

At budgets like those Chinese DACs make a very strong case. Search eBay, you will find what you need.

Or --- buy an used classic iPod --- poor man's audiophile source. I am not kidding, its a serious advice.

Or --- if Asus OPlay has optical input. Or --- a Valab NOS DAC. Not sure if these have Optical input though.

 

[Audiodoc]

Unfortunately, the oplay doesn't have optical input it has an optical output.

The link I have provided has DACs in Rs 5000 to 10000 range with optical input. You can read their specs and reviews and choose a few for us to further guide you.

 

[hemantwaghe]

Audioengine D1 at US$ 169 in US - with optical I/p

Anyone heard this??
Audioengine D1 - Audioengineusa.com

 

[nuvo]

You can check out the Fiio headphone amplifiers with DAC. They are decent sounding DACs and will serve the purpose.

How good is this Fiio - will it serve the purpose?

FiiO

 

[Audiodoc]

FiiO

TAISHAN-D03K one will do. It has an optical in.

 

[nuvo]

FiiO D03K Coaxial/Optical to R/L Audio convertor

This is incredibly cheap, but is the site reliable ?

 

[baijuxavior]

You can buy it from pristinenote. FiiO D03K Coaxial/Optical to R/L Audio convertor [D03K] - Rs.1,476.20 : Pristine Note, Shop audio, headphones, amplifier, DAC, hifi, mp3, audiophile products online store India

 

[Cherian]

Has anyone here used Fiio D03K?

Planning to use along with the HiMedia 600B media player to feed the Onkyo HTS 3400 > Cambridge Audio s30 speakers for stereo.

 

[vivek.saikia]

The Fiio ones dont have an optical input. Your best bet in the 10-15K range will be good Chinese products DACs / DIY kits. You can review a lot of them on Head Fi.

This link answers all your queries.

All the DACs money can buy, pt. 2

My Fiio E17 has optical, SPDIF, USB and line inputs

 

[jackschack]

Has anyone here used Fiio D03K?

Planning to use along with the HiMedia 600B media player to feed the Onkyo HTS 3400 > Cambridge Audio s30 speakers for stereo.

I am using it with my Samsung BD Player to feed my topping TP20 and MA BX2 speakers. Comparing with the CA CD player which I heard during the audition, I feel the decrease in SQ, however the excellent demo room setup vs my no-so-optimal room also needs to be considered.
Overall I am totally satisfied with the setup.

 

[ferns1]

Hi,

Has anyone tried the creative sound blaster ? They have two external sound cards (DAC's)

1. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD. (has optical in, optical out can play 5.1) - good for music. (recently got one for 80 euros in Europe).

2. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Sound Card. Good for gamers. Music is ok-ok according to reviews. (avaliable around 4k on ebay.in)

There are lot of reviews available on Amazon.
here's a good comparison , but need to be translated using Google.
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi HD - Sir_Hendro - Userreviews - Tweakers

Rohan

 

[jackschack]

Let me take that back, for your setup this may not work since the FIIO D3 only accepts PCM in, so that would not work with you.

 

[sjith]

go for "audioengine d1" through ebay india

for buyer reviews check amazone.com

me too also in the same ship for a budjet dac

 

[ferns1]

I got a 'Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD', for 80 euros.
It also has an optical IN and OUT. You can check reviews on amazon.
Rohan