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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? 
ngiordano

Showing 4 responses by timlub

timlub
2,039 posts
 
I wish I would have seen who it was, a post was deleted.  I assume it was this one.  A real turd is correct.  
timlub
2,039 posts
 
I have heard many of the Dac's mentioned above.  These are all nice sounding Dac's and some good recommendations.  I have had a dozen Dac's in my system and am just stunned with how the SMSL M500 sounds.  This little Dac is like $400 and has clearly outperformed some pricey Dac's in my system.  It does require a fair amount of burn in.  
Even though you may prefer another Dac from above, it is all personal.  I can promise that it won't be embarrassed by any of them. 
timlub
2,039 posts
 
I see @loomisjohnson recommended the SMSL SU-9. I emailed SMSL about the differences in the SU-9 vs the M500. SMSL replied that they have tested them side by side many times and there is no audible difference. I suspect that there is something but.... The SU9 has 2 ES9038pro chips, the M500 has 1. The SU9 does have bluetooth, the M500 is a stand alone DAC, they both have a headphone amp, a remote, handle MQA, single ended and balanced output. The SU9 uses the Xmos XU208, the M500 uses the Xmos XU216. Not sure that there is any interest here for the op, but I wanted to at least mention the differences. Good Luck
timlub
2,039 posts
 
@boomerbillone I’m glad that you like your Project Prebox s2... I am using the M500 now. In my system the Project was a bit on the lean side, but to be fair, I am using the M500 running balanced and I tweaked the filters to my liking. I did not touch filters on the project. I also find the M500 slightly more dynamic. I really believe that it is a matter of taste and system matching to a high degree.
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