Budget DAC recommendation for Office system

Get the cheapest Schiit or a Topping D10.

Schiit bifrost ii.  I bought one while shopping for a high end dac and was very impressed for the money I spent.   very inexpensive.  

MyDac

original Parasound ZDac, previous Bifrost Multi are both good sounding great values...

The ZDAC is a fabulous recommendation, used Mytek Brooklyn is another one but not as cheap.

I may also recommend you consider the NAD desktop sized integrateds.  Hybrid Class D/Class A/B amps and they sound pretty decent.  Much better than the first gen Master DAC

Thanks. Good recommendations.  Any opinions  about the Schiit Modi 3?

I'll second the MyDac.  I will likely be putting mine up for sale soon as I no longer have an office system so it's just resting in a box.  It's a great unit and a fabulous bargain IMO.

I’ve been super happy with my Topping E30. It made a notable audible improvement from the stock DAC in my Denon, works well, and the remote is good.  What more could I ask from a $130 component?

I think you’ll be fine with the Modi 3, but I’d definitely pony up the extra 120 bucks to get the multibit version as that is their strength and probably adds a good dose of musicality and refinement.  Best of luck. 

Ayre Codex. Now under 1K used.

I would give the Schiit Gungnir and Yggy as somewhat comparable to the Codex.

B

Search Topping and Gustard on this forum.

Cannot recommend any Schiit.

@tellefsen 

I had the Topping D90SE ($899), Gustard X26 Pro ($1500), and Matrix Audio Mini i3 Pro ($750 though now more expensive). I consider these all good DACs and should be more than adequate for your use case. I would look for them in the used market.

As high up the Schiit hierarchy as you can get: Gungnir and Yggdrasil are outstanding for the money. I use a Gungnir in. Y office.

This sounds as good as the Schiit Modi Multibit it replaced. At least on Kennertons and Focals.

Of course I can’t compare because the Schiit failed in less than 3 years.

I got it same price on Amazon. The included headphone amp is fine also.

I ordered a S.M.S.L SU-9n for $340 all in, 30 day free trial. It looks like the best buy out there right now,

Both have all three switchable inputs and play resolutions that Schiit ignored.

Diggin’ Machine Head in DSD in my office now on the $65 special:.

FX.AUDIO DAC-X6 MINI

The Topping E30 just showed up new with warranty for $127 all in.

What sort of budget?

I have a Schiit Modi 3+ between my digital program sources and my preamp. It sounds great.

I’ve been happy with my modi multibit in my main system although it will soon be relegated to the office system to make way for the Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE that’s on its way. 

What speakers would people recommend for an office system?

Speakers I've recently put some Triangle BR02's on my desk. They are being driven by a Sprout 100. They are about arm's length away from my sitting position and about 6 inches from the wall.  They sound nice and image fairly well.

Might take grinnell up on his offer to sell the MyDac. I own one I bought used to pair with a headphone amp. Has optical, coax and USB input. 

The Schiit Modi3 is also a worthy budget DAC having the same inputs as the MyDac. . I own the Modi2 which is USB only. 

Sorry to help hijack. But I have Totem Mite speakers and a small matching Totem subwoofer. They sound wonderful, punchy and beautiful with voices. They are also beautiful wood.