Choosing a DAC or External Soundcard, Looking at good options for affordable USB DAC to use with a laptop at |
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Choosing a DAC or External Soundcard, Looking at good options for affordable USB DAC to use with a laptop at |
 Jul 22 2008, 08:04
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#1
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Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 19-June 08 Member No.: 54565  |
This topic has been addressed on the forums a bit already but I am not satisfied with the information I found. I'm hoping someone can help me out.
Right now I am on a notebook (Thinkpad T61) and looking for a solution for external sound. I am trying to pick out a USB DAC or a consumer external soundcard. I am leaning toward the DAC options right now because this will be used only to listen to music (my files vary in quality) and maybe an occasional DVD. I do not play games and so do not need fancy distortion or deceptive effects. I want impressive high quality output, but I am not quite an audiophile. I plan on using these M-Audio AV 40 speakers. I would like to go as low as I can go on price without sacrificing much quality. Something under $100 would be nice but going over $100 is acceptable if it makes a huge difference. RCA output would be nice but not necessary. If I can get something without line-in and recording features to save a few bucks that would be a great too. I might take portability into consideration. This is what I've looked at so far: Asus Xonar U1 (I found great reviews after much digging) M-Audio Transit E-MU 0202 Behringer UCA202 Echo Indigo (I don't want to spend the $160 price but if the quality difference is really significant I'll get it) I'm not gonna bother with Creative X-Fi products. Can anyone offer more suggestions or dismiss one of the above options? Would any of the above be overkill? This post has been edited by janky: Jul 22 2008, 09:42 |
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Jul 22 2008, 08:10
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#2
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Group: Members Posts: 40 Joined: 12-October 07 Member No.: 47794 |
Given the very good rules on this forum I cannot claim product superiority. But I think that this guy's models :
http://www.diykits.com.hk/ Are very good. The Citypulse with the USB input or the Zhaolu with a Coax/Tosklink to USB converter are worth the little bit more you will pay (in my very unscientific opinion). Great fellow to deal with and a product that is reliable and does what it is supposed to do. - Jason This post has been edited by JasonQ: Jul 22 2008, 08:12 |
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Jul 22 2008, 08:21
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#3
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Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 19-June 08 Member No.: 54565 |
Thanks for the tipoff. I hadn't looked at those before, but those products are definitely beyond what I need and also out of my price range.
This post has been edited by janky: Jul 22 2008, 08:22 |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 22nd November 2009 - 06:30 |
