Short story:
Got a mate visiting from Germany, thought I might order a €100 (or less, preferably) USB DAC, have it delivered to him, and he'll bring it here. Which DAC would I get the most joy out of?
Long story:
Got a bunch of DJ friends, and when we gather, we play music for each other. Sometimes live, sometimes pre-recorded sets. For this I haul around my gear (2x Wharfedale Pro EVP-15 passives, 1x Samson S1000 Poweramp recently serviced by Nilam, and 1x ZED6 Allen & Heath mixer/preamp).
When playing live, a DAC is superfluous, as the DJ decks have an internal DAC (USB from laptop, to main RCA out). However when playing pre-recorded sets, a DAC is necessary. Rather than the laptop's onboard DAC, I only have an ASUS U3 external USB DAC which feeds the pre-amp/mixer. As DJs we usually endevour to use flac files.
The sound from the aforementioned setup is good and loud. The bass has good thump, and isn't poorly defined. The highs have good crisp attack. The problem however has been the vocals (midrange). They often get quite lost in busy electronic music.
Is this actually the DAC's fault?
Is it worth it to upgrade to a €100 (or preferably less) USB DAC?
It would be best if the DAC included a headphone amp and Bluetooth receiver.
Which German online store is best to order from?
Thanks for your experienced thoughts!
Got a mate visiting from Germany, thought I might order a €100 (or less, preferably) USB DAC, have it delivered to him, and he'll bring it here. Which DAC would I get the most joy out of?
Long story:
Got a bunch of DJ friends, and when we gather, we play music for each other. Sometimes live, sometimes pre-recorded sets. For this I haul around my gear (2x Wharfedale Pro EVP-15 passives, 1x Samson S1000 Poweramp recently serviced by Nilam, and 1x ZED6 Allen & Heath mixer/preamp).
When playing live, a DAC is superfluous, as the DJ decks have an internal DAC (USB from laptop, to main RCA out). However when playing pre-recorded sets, a DAC is necessary. Rather than the laptop's onboard DAC, I only have an ASUS U3 external USB DAC which feeds the pre-amp/mixer. As DJs we usually endevour to use flac files.
The sound from the aforementioned setup is good and loud. The bass has good thump, and isn't poorly defined. The highs have good crisp attack. The problem however has been the vocals (midrange). They often get quite lost in busy electronic music.
Is this actually the DAC's fault?
Is it worth it to upgrade to a €100 (or preferably less) USB DAC?
It would be best if the DAC included a headphone amp and Bluetooth receiver.
Which German online store is best to order from?
Thanks for your experienced thoughts!
