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USB DAC or CDP for $200?

Hi All,

Looking to upgrade my digital front end, was thinking of getting the new Dragonfly 1.2 or similar, but was curious whether folks who have made the comparison would recommend the dac or a standalone entry level cep like a marantz or similar. I have a relatively small cd collection, in the 200 range, and prolly half is in my harddrives already, and I have a spare laptop to dedicate to music, so neither of those is really an issue, just value for money. Have at it!

GBB
gbb
timlub
1,649 posts
 
GBB,
I wanted to give you another solution, very inexpensive, several hundred of these sold to the DIY community, overall a good response... This should compete with any name brand @ $300 and its cheap. They offer a $35 upgrade on the clocks, probably worth it. Tim

http://www.ebay.com/itm/XMOS-PCM5102-USB-to-fiber-coax-DAC-headphone384kHz-32bit-completed-in-case-/231130735111?pt=US_Amplifier_Parts_Components&hash=item35d0772207
kaijorg
4 posts
 
Just want to add that I love my Emotiva xda2 also. I paid full price when it came out and have no regrets.
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mesch
1,679 posts
 
Sorry I am late to this thread. To answer your question, go with a DAC. Many goog recs posted. If later you choose to play CDs via disk, you can buy an inexpensive player with SPDIF out and run through your DAC.
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