alper_yilmaz
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Hi Eric,
I currently have a few DAC's at my disposal except my studio gear to record...
- Hegel HD30: This is a Norwegian company with great solid-state amps, CD players and DACs. HD30 is their top model and costs around $5,000 in the US to the best of my knowledge. Apart from having optical, S/PDIF and USB connections, it also has Ethernet input that you can stream directly from streaming sites like TIDAL, which sounds great, by the way. It has balanced outputs apart from standard RCA connections. To this day, it is maybe the best DAC I have ever heard. With separate volume adjustment and remote, it can function as a preamp as well. Highly recommended!
- Copland DAC 215: This is a Danish brand which is not well-known in the US. I ordered it from their Canadian dealer and received in a few days. It is around $2,200 including customs charges, etc. Apart from being a DAC, this is a tube preamp and headphone amp. It does not have the complexity that Hegel has, but it sounds very smooth and detailed. It is warm thanks to the tube preamp, but has quite some tight bass as well. In terms of its looks, it is the sexiest of the bunch! It does not have a remote, just keep in mind. Quite recommended! :)
- Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100: Despite its size, this is a great box for the dollar ($200) and it has USB, optical and coaxial inputs. As a starting unit for bedroom or office systems, I highly recommend it. It does not have the tight bass of the above units, but we are talking about different caliber gear here. Please keep in mind that it is fixed output volume.
- Hegel HD2: This is also a very small unit which is discontinued by Hegel, but for the price ($250-300) it is an amazing piece! The only drawback is it is only USB, but it is powered from its USB port, so no need for external power supplies/cables. You can find this only on EBay, I would assume. But again, this is in the category of the Cambridge Audio I just mentioned, and actually significantly better.
In the style of the last two, I have heard some Musical Fidelity DAC's as well. They are also decent pieces of gear...
Hope this helps... Best,
Alper
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