eth2 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I really love Spotify, but the quality was just marginal until I bought a DAC. I just received the DacMagic Plus and it makes a HUGE difference in the sound quality. It is a lower end DAC, but even so it makes the soundstage much more defined and the music is much smoother. I wonder what a real high end DAC would sound like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Thanks for sharing, I have been wondering if a DAC would do anything to what I have going on. Guess I could only try, and find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 I was running Spotify from my Dell Alienware with a fairly high end soundcard to my preamp (with no DAC). Listening to Spotify from the USB out connection to the DAC sounds significantly better. Also, I got a good deal on the DacMagic Plus on Amazon's warehouse site. It was advertised as "like new" and I paid $150 less than on the regular Amazon site. I have gotten some good deals on the Warehouse site. You just need to know what you want and be patient. Someone will return the item from the regular site and you can pick it up cheaper -and you still get Amazon's great service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2014 I just received the DacMagic Plus and it makes a HUGE difference in the sound quality. Different brand, Emotiva but the same difference here, greatly improved. I needed a way to connect without using the USB on the DAC to get Spotify and any other internet radio with a laptop. Pzannucci was kind enough to point this out to me which will help me connect my DAC which doesn't do great on USB so I ordered this, not for Windows 8 so I'm getting a little laptop just for this. This thing looks good, and on sale for $49 from one of there distributors because I think it's being discontinued but perfect for what I need, hoping it helps also. https://www.nuforce.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=33:u192s&Itemid=185 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Dtel does your dac not except usb. I have 2 laptops at work, one with hdmi, the other with just usb. I have to go through some mumbull jumbull to use the one with hdmi. So I am thinking a dac with usb in would work best. I am currently using a behringer UFO-202, but I have needs for that at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 My Cambridge Audio 840C CD player/DAC has done wonders with Pandora streaming. I send it native from Samsung SMART TV to the 840C via optical and upsample to 24/384 before out analog to NAD T175HD. An audible difference vs no upsampling. The Dacmagic Plus is a "budget" DAC but a darn good one. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) Dtel does your dac not except usb. I have 2 laptops at work, one with hdmi, the other with just usb. I have to go through some mumbull jumbull to use the one with hdmi. So I am thinking a dac with usb in would work best. I am currently using a behringer UFO-202, but I have needs for that at home. The DAC (XDA-1) does have USB input but on that input it limits the bit rate which it does not do on the optical or coax. I was limited to Pandora streaming from the Br player but wanted to try Spotify and others. The little NuForce box changes the computers USB output to optical or coax output without any loss, just what I needed. It's being discontinued and sold off at 1/4 of the normal price probably because it needs windows 7 or XP. From what I have read it should improve any USB output connection from a computer with it's software that works with the soundcards in the computer to more or less just pass the sound along without changes. Already have the little box but have yet to try it, a friend is replacing a cracked screen on the laptop and it will be used just for streaming music, hoping it works as advertised it appears to be really well built, we will see. If this works it will free me up to play anything I can find on a computer, hopefully with good sound. Check this thing out, pretty neat little box and at that price it looks promising. link to where I got it http://www.audioadvisor.com/NuForce-U192S-USB-to-S_PDIF-Converter/productinfo/NUU192S/ The company who make it https://www.nuforce.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=33&Itemid=758 Edited April 3, 2014 by dtel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2014 My Cambridge Audio 840C CD player/DAC has done wonders with Pandora streaming. I send it native from Samsung SMART TV to the 840C via optical and upsample to 24/384 before out analog to NAD T175HD. An audible difference vs no upsampling. The Dacmagic Plus is a "budget" DAC but a darn good one. Bill I was looking at the Dacmagic Plus when I ran across the XDA-1 for $140 with a warranty, well I looked at many DAC's most were way more than I wanted to spend, they can really get up in price. I was looking at DAC's that could be used as a preamp, I wanted to get away from the HTR as a preamp, and it was a really worthwhile change, MUCH better not even close. The difference in sound with the DAC is well worth it, but as normal, I want it all, which includes good sound from whatever internet radio I can drag up without being limited to Pandora which is all my Samsung Br player has apps for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I wonder why they (or any manufacturer) limits what the USB input can handle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2014 It is crazy considering most computers have a USB output and sometimes that's it except for a headphone output. Poor planning I guess, or cutting corners ? It has optical, coax and even EBS/EBU inputs, whatever that is, but limits the USB only, that's silly ? But the newer higher priced model doesn't limit the USB input, guess they figured out there mistake and will make money off it, that's about normal. But I do love the way it sounds compared to the HTR as a preamp, huge overall improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2014 Eth2 I'm not trying to derail your thread just wanted to agree with you about DAC's and show that NuForce box, it may help solve problems for people looking for a better connection ? I say this because it looks like a big part of the future in listening to music is going to be online, almost unlimited in what you can listen to and now technology is catching up to deliver the quality along with almost unlimited music choices. All this for free and if you want to pay about the cost of 1 CD per month you get quality better than a CD and more music than you could physically store. I love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 A word of caution- If you use a DacMagic and Spotify, the output sounds much better if you upgrade the driver to USB 2.0. However, if you do that, Spotify will not work with the DAC app. There is only one known workaround and that is to access Spotify from the Web based app (e.g., not the Spotify app). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Eth2 I'm not trying to derail your thread just wanted to agree with you about DAC's and show that NuForce box, it may help solve problems for people looking for a better connection ? I say this because it looks like a big part of the future in listening to music is going to be online, almost unlimited in what you can listen to and now technology is catching up to deliver the quality along with almost unlimited music choices. All this for free and if you want to pay about the cost of 1 CD per month you get quality better than a CD and more music than you could physically store. I love it Heck - you are not derailing the thread. (And even if you were, that's fine with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) A word of caution- If you use a DacMagic and Spotify, the output sounds much better if you upgrade the driver to USB 2.0. However, if you do that, Spotify will not work with the DAC app. There is only one known workaround and that is to access Spotify from the Web based app (e.g., not the Spotify app). It seems like app's are different on every different device, some suck. One of the reasons for wanting to get the laptop screen fixed was to use it for Spotify. In the garden we built a place to hang out and relax and I put some old Heresy's out there (under a dry shelter). The wireless works out there and I have been using an old phone to stream Pandora and Spotify. The app on the phone sucks with Spotify and plan on using the laptop instead because it's easier to move around Spotify on a computer than a phone, I hate phones but love laying in a hammock in the shade listening to music. Edited April 3, 2014 by dtel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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