Looking for a decent entry DAC for desktop use

[FroNt]

Good evening,

i'm currently building a new PC and decided that since i listen to a lot of music i want actual quality audio, so i decided on a Mainboard with Toslink out.
Now i'm still looking for a DAC and headphones, might get the Sennheiser HD560s or one of the DT 9XX Pro line. But right now i'm looking for an answer for a DAC (and AMP combo if needed? i am new to this). I don't have a lot of techical knowledge yet so i was basing my research mostly on reviews.

The only criteria i have is Toslink input since i need it for my desktop PC. Budget for the DAC would be around 100€, i am from germany, so some US deals might not be available.
I do not necessarily need a seperate audio-in at the DAC, i can always just plug it directly into the PC, don't need that high quality input.
I listen to mostly athmospheric electronic stuff with both strong baselines and powerful highs if that matters.

I've been looking at the Fosi Audio K5 Pro, but was told that it has sloppy electronics. Would the DAC X6 MKII mini be a good choice? Or might my budget be to small for a decent DAC?

Thanks in advance,
greetings from germany

 

[Rja4000]

I'd give a try to the SMSL M300 SE​

 

[jmillar]

Topping E30ii

 

[gvl]

Better use USB into the DAC, not Toslink.

 

[Dunring]

I agree the SMSL M300se is a good choice, but only the balanced side has decent power. It's easy to add a balanced amp later like the Sabaj A20h.
Of you can stretch the budget the SMSL DL200 is what I use for a dac and the amp on it has terrific power for most things.

 

[antcollinet]

Better use USB into the DAC, not Toslink.

Why? With any recent DAC there will be no audible difference.

 

[gvl]

Why? With any recent DAC there will be no audible difference.

For one, why pay for hardware you don’t need. Topping D10s fits.

 

[DVDdoug]

i can always just plug it directly into the PC

I'd try that first.

...I've never owned a stand-alone DAC and the only time I've heard a defect or difference from a DAC is once when I had a noisy soundcard.

And with some headphones I don't get enough volume from my laptop, but I don't listen to headphones that much. And the active "computer speakers" plugged-into another computer have an amplified headphone output jack..

 

[jcarys]

USB is capable of higher playback capability than Toslink, and is asynchronous, eliminating jitter as a concern. It may not be better in some applications, but it's the standard for playback from PC these days and works perfectly with a Topping, SMSL, or other cheap, great DACs.

 

[Quexos]

DE: SybaSonic SD-DAC63118
US: SybaSonic SD-DAC63118

Some may point and laugh at me, but I just got one of these for $37, and it's great so far via PC USB > SybaSonic DAC/preamp > Fosi Audio V3 amp > very nice home built speakers.

The optical/coax is output/passthrough only though, so this one is just USB input, but why use onboard sound drivers (I disabled mine in the BIOS) and all that just to get digital audio out to another device? Anyway, I find the audio quality to be as good as anything else I've heard (Focusrite 2i4, SONY STR-DE945 receiver, etc.)...keeping in mind, I've never owned $x,xxx tube amps, etc. though I suspect my speakers would surpass $1000 commercial stuff.

More info on the variations of this thing from what I could gather (I got #1 just in case that op-amp was better as reported):
#1 - Syba (sliver), model: SD-DAC63118, Op-Amp TI-LM4562 (better in theory)
#2 - Syba (black), model: SD-DAC63116, Op-Amp TI-LM358 (worse in theory?)
#3 - Syba (sliver), model: SD-DAC63057, Op-Amp TI-LM358 (worse in theory?)
#4 - NEOHIPO H1 (black, rebrand), presumably this is a "Syba #2" SD-DAC63116

All use DAC/ADC: C-Media CM6533?

 

[kemmler3D]

DE: SybaSonic SD-DAC63118
US: SybaSonic SD-DAC63118

Some may point and laugh at me, but I just got one of these for $37, and it's great so far via PC USB > SybaSonic DAC/preamp > Fosi Audio V3 amp > very nice home built speakers.

The optical/coax is output/passthrough only though, so this one is just USB input, but why use onboard sound drivers (I disabled mine @bios) and all that just to get digital audio out to another device? Anyway, I find the audio quality to be as good as anything else I've heard (Focusrite 2i4, SONY STR-DE945 receiver, etc.)...keeping in mind, I've never owned $x,xxx tube amps, etc. though I suspect my speakers would surpass $1000 commercial stuff.

On this site we like to recommend DACs with >100dB SINAD performance and spit on DACs with ~80dB performance as substandard.

However, listening to almost any music at almost any volume level, it's super, super hard to hear noise or distortion that's 80dB below the music.

I am sure your setup would pass a lot of blind tests, maybe all of them, against more expensive stuff.

 

[Quexos]

On this site we like to recommend DACs with >100dB SINAD performance and spit on DACs with ~80dB performance as substandard.

Fair enough, and I have no clue what the specs on the Syba are, but I can tell you I can not hear a single db of noise coming from it, it powers my SHP9500 headphones well, and for simple PC audio, the thing is great, so I thought I'd toss it out there...for those like me who just can't, or don't want to, afford the really high end stuff with it's massive diminishing return. So on my budget, I'd much rather spend the money on better amp or even more important, speakers.

 

[Somafunk]

If I was after a desktop dac/amp combo I’d be tempted to consider the Fiio K11 for €139,

 

[raif71]

Why? With any recent DAC there will be no audible difference.

To play files that are more than 96khz/24bits without downsampling.

 

[ThatGuyYouKnow]

For one, why pay for hardware you don’t need. Topping D10s fits.

And two, to avoid the possibility of signal drops, as is common with these modern DACs when handling imperfect optical transmission. I would rather get no sound at all than anticipating the next loss of signal.

 

[antcollinet]

USB is capable of higher playback capability than Toslink, and is asynchronous, eliminating jitter as a concern. It may not be better in some applications, but it's the standard for playback from PC these days and works perfectly with a Topping, SMSL, or other cheap, great DACs.

But the higher capability of USB - AND jitter - are both inaudible with any decent DAC. Even low to moderate bit rates such as 24/48 are fully transparent.

Toslink does have one audible benefit however, and that is the breaking of a ground loop (if a ground loop is causing noise issues).


I'm not saying the OP shouldn't use USB - it is a perfectly suitable interface in most circumstances. However, there is also no need to advise against toslink. That is also perfectly suitable.

 

[antcollinet]

I am sure your setup would pass a lot of blind tests, maybe all of them, against more expensive stuff.

I agree. I'd love to see a bunch of audiophiles who own $ multi K DACs do a blind test against this.

 

[Nutul]

(...)
I do not necessarily need a seperate audio-in at the DAC, i can always just plug it directly into the PC, don't need that high quality input.

Well, the toslink out of your new PC will go into (one of) the corresponding inputs on the DAC...
Anyway, as few have already pointed out, USB should be your connection of choice, it offers more bandwidth, using UAC2.0 is less sensible to jitter (if that matters, though, at less than 100dB...), and may have the advantage of being powered by the PC, eliminating an external power brick... (then, again, it depends on whether it comes with a HPA or not, in which case a PSU may be a better choice due to power demand).

 

[kemmler3D]

on my budget, I'd much rather spend the money on better amp or even more important, speakers.

Probably the right move on ANY budget. My personal thinking is that your budget (if you can) should be about 75% speakers, 20% amp, 5% DAC... realistically that means a budget of $2000 with a $100 DAC... but you get my point, speakers are the most important by far.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Probably the right move on ANY budget. My personal thinking is that your budget (if you can) should be about 75% speakers, 20% amp, 5% DAC... realistically that means a budget of $2000 with a $100 DAC... but you get my point, speakers are the most important by far.

Or even subtract the amp part and get active speakers like Genelecs instead

In any case I agree. You can get an end game DAC that will NEVER be the weakest link in your audio chain for around $100. But you have to spend quite a bit more if you need that DAC to be balanced to work with such a system.