twk123 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I am getting tired of the dicey ritual of moving my tube buffered DAC from my office to my home theater all the time and am looking for a new DAC for my office setup. I have about a $100 budget and and currently looking between the Audioquest Dragonfly and the Shiit Modi 2. So far I am leaning to the Shiit as they are highly regarded here and it will look better on my desk than a USB stick but at the end of the day I want something that sounds the best. Being capable of WASAPI connection is important to me as well. Thanks in advance for the advice as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I really love my new Dragonfly (red) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I really love my new Dragonfly (red) Is that the newer one that with an adapter is suitable for phones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Yes, the black is less expensive and still quite good 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 Yes, the black is less expensive and still quite good I have heard many good things about them. I ended up getting the Shiit though as I am using it for a 2 channel system and it can use my new RCA cables instead of the headphone jack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I have the first Schitt Modi. The only problem i had with it was, i didn't have enough power from my usb port. Once i upgraded my 10 year old laptop, the problem went away. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobK Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Is this for a laptop or a iphone? If its a full sized PC just get a good pcix sound card save all the cables hanging off the computer. If for a iPhone than yes those little usb sticks are better, but not better than a good sound card and they have input lag in games which you don't get with pcix sound cards. Here is someones review on a dragon sound stick "Well, to be honest, I'm quite a bit dissappointed. Lots of hype over months, the sound was promised to improve enormously over1.2. I used to hear with dragonfly 1.2 and AQ jitter bug and could not wait for the new red to appear. Well the difference is, the red has more power, is louder, at he same time a bit darker, more veiled imho. The new dragonflies were invented to work with mobile phones imho, that's the hole thing. Users with pc were promised a sound improvement over 1.2 at the same time which I cannot confirm at all and is only a marketing statement. I'm using AKG K-702 headphones, quite a precise and resolving machine. Hearing flac files with JRiver on PC, all settings optimized. Music is no longer flowing somehow. Heard the ifi micro idsd which is a LARGE step forward. The red is a step back to me. I will return it. ;-(" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Is this for a laptop or a iphone? If its a full sized PC just get a good pcix sound card save all the cables hanging off the computer. If for a iPhone than yes those little usb sticks are better, but not better than a good sound card and they have input lag in games which you don't get with pcix sound cards. Here is someones review on a dragon sound stick "Well, to be honest, I'm quite a bit dissappointed. Lots of hype over months, the sound was promised to improve enormously over1.2. I used to hear with dragonfly 1.2 and AQ jitter bug and could not wait for the new red to appear. Well the difference is, the red has more power, is louder, at he same time a bit darker, more veiled imho. The new dragonflies were invented to work with mobile phones imho, that's the hole thing. Users with pc were promised a sound improvement over 1.2 at the same time which I cannot confirm at all and is only a marketing statement. I'm using AKG K-702 headphones, quite a precise and resolving machine. Hearing flac files with JRiver on PC, all settings optimized. Music is no longer flowing somehow. Heard the ifi micro idsd which is a LARGE step forward. The red is a step back to me. I will return it. ;-(" I have the new Dragonfly Red, and I heartily disagree with all of the above. So there you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Fahnoe Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 This doesn't directly answer your question, however, I'll give a solid "thumbs up" for Schiit's line of DACs. I didn't know anything about this company but stumbled upon Jason Stoddard's http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/schiit-happened-the-story-of-the-worlds-most-improbable-start-up and was intrigued with his approach to both audio design and business. Later on I found his partner, Mike Moffat, http://www.head-fi.org/t/784471/what-a-long-strange-trip-its-been-robert-hunter and was even more intrigued by his perspectives on the development of DAC technology. Intrigued enough that my current DAC is the Schiit Yggdrasil which replaced my Wadia 861b CDP. --Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 BTW, I also have a Schiit Bifrost Uber set up permanently on one of my systems, and I also think it's terrific. The Schiit products are outstanding IMHO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 (edited) Thanks for all the help guys. I ordered the Schiit Modi2 and have it hooked up now. So far it is sounding pretty good. It looks nice on my desk and the build quality is excellent. The color matches my metallic painted Lepai amp as well which I like. I am having some issues with the drivers to run it in WASAPI mode through Fidelify but hopefully I can get that figured out soon. It has a very neutral presentation with no fatigue which is what I was looking for for my office rig. It cant touch my Aune T1 with the upgraded Aprex tube though in realism, especially vocals. Overall I am very happy with the purchase and dont have to move a device with a valve sticking out of the top between my office and theater room every time I want to listen to music which was a sketchy operation that I dreaded. Edited June 21, 2016 by twk123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBPK402 Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Thanks for all the help guys. I ordered the Schiit Modi2 and have it hooked up now. So far it is sounding pretty good. It looks nice on my desk and the build quality is excellent. The color matches my metallic painted Lepai amp as well which I like. I am having some issues with the drivers to run it in WASAPI mode through Fidelify but hopefully I can get that figured out soon. It has a very neutral presentation with no fatigue which is what I was looking for for my office rig. It cant touch my Aune T1 with the upgraded Aprex tube though in realism, especially vocals. Overall I am very happy with the purchase and dont have to move a device with a valve sticking out of the top between my office and theater room every time I want to listen to music which was a sketchy operation that I dreaded. Are these better than what you would find in a typical highend Japanese AVp, or are they mainly for people using a phone or PC with pc speakers. I play everything from my i3NUC to my Yamaha CX-A5100 AVP, and was wondering if this would be an improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 Thanks for all the help guys. I ordered the Schiit Modi2 and have it hooked up now. So far it is sounding pretty good. It looks nice on my desk and the build quality is excellent. The color matches my metallic painted Lepai amp as well which I like. I am having some issues with the drivers to run it in WASAPI mode through Fidelify but hopefully I can get that figured out soon. It has a very neutral presentation with no fatigue which is what I was looking for for my office rig. It cant touch my Aune T1 with the upgraded Aprex tube though in realism, especially vocals. Overall I am very happy with the purchase and dont have to move a device with a valve sticking out of the top between my office and theater room every time I want to listen to music which was a sketchy operation that I dreaded. Are these better than what you would find in a typical highend Japanese AVp, or are they mainly for people using a phone or PC with pc speakers. I play everything from my i3NUC to my Yamaha CX-A5100 AVP, and was wondering if this would be an improvement. They are similar in a way. DACs typically are used to replace your computer or phone's internal sound card and convert a digital USB signal into a line level analog signal for 2 channel stereo. Some will do HDMI and optical as well but I always have just used them for USB from my laptop. I did an AB test from my older Denon AVR converting an optical signal from my Xbox 360 playing a CD and my Aune T1 playing Fidelify and the Aune T1 won hands down. What I do in my home theater is have the Aune T1 convert the USB signal from my laptop then run the RCA plugs into my AVR input to act as a pre-amp and that works really well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vjdebart Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 off topic somewhat but I do a lot of streaming mostly Spotify premium. using Chromecast Audio going into a Denon receiver via toslink never tried the analog outputs ...limited apps supporting Chromecast Audio at this time but the little guy is pretty cheap and kinda handy too I think it sounds pretty good ...like I said kinda off topic Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaman Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 I have seen a few Emotiva XDA-1's go for around that $100 mark. From what I hear they are pretty good. I own five XDA-2's and they work really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 off topic somewhat but I do a lot of streaming mostly Spotify premium. using Chromecast Audio going into a Denon receiver via toslink never tried the analog outputs ...limited apps supporting Chromecast Audio at this time but the little guy is pretty cheap and kinda handy too I think it sounds pretty good ...like I said kinda off topic Thoughts? I stream Spotify Premium through my Schiit Bifrost analog outputs and it sounds great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 off topic somewhat but I do a lot of streaming mostly Spotify premium. using Chromecast Audio going into a Denon receiver via toslink never tried the analog outputs ...limited apps supporting Chromecast Audio at this time but the little guy is pretty cheap and kinda handy too I think it sounds pretty good ...like I said kinda off topic Thoughts? I stream Spotify Premium through my Schiit Bifrost analog outputs and it sounds great. Have you tried Fidelify? I really like the simple interface and the WASAPI or AISO connection. Its in perpetual beta stage though so it can be a little buggy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vjdebart Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Thanks for the tip regarding Fidelity ... Looks to be PC dependent I'm a Mac guy maybe if donate a bunch of money they'll come up with a Mac version ..looks pretty cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 off topic somewhat but I do a lot of streaming mostly Spotify premium. using Chromecast Audio going into a Denon receiver via toslink never tried the analog outputs ...limited apps supporting Chromecast Audio at this time but the little guy is pretty cheap and kinda handy too I think it sounds pretty good ...like I said kinda off topic Thoughts? I stream Spotify Premium through my Schiit Bifrost analog outputs and it sounds great. Have you tried Fidelify? I really like the simple interface and the WASAPI or AISO connection. Its in perpetual beta stage though so it can be a little buggy. I gave up because of the bugs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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