£150-300 DAC need help!

dragonslayer · 18 Feb 2017 at 16:22

Hi, I'm currently looking for a DAC+ Headphone AMP to use on my PC, Xbox and possible Nintendo Switch/TV does anyone have any recommendations It will mainly be used for music games and movies.

My budget is £150-300
I was looking at http://schiit.com/products/modi-2 but unsure if this suits my needs.

Thanks.

Noxia · 18 Feb 2017 at 18:16

I'd be looking at a Creative X7 as it's very versatile. The modi is just a DAC, you'd still need a seperate amp (magni). If you are lucky you can sometimes snag them second hand for less then £200.

rids57 · 18 Feb 2017 at 20:28

With so many requirements I'd have to agree, the versatility of the Creative X7 is pretty hard to beat.

dragonslayer · 18 Feb 2017 at 21:32

Oh right what if my requirements was just the TV+PC then would it still be the creative X7? was hoping it would be something else as i don't like the design of it

rids57 · 18 Feb 2017 at 22:26

Depends, do you want virtual surround for gaming? If you do then a sound card is essential, whether it be internal or external and this includes the Creative X7.

If stereo is all you need then a Schiit Modi 2 Uber and a Magni 2 will do you fine. You would need the Uber version of the Modi 2 as it has USB, Optical and Coaxial inputs, the standard Modi 2 only has USB. The Magni 2 is the actual headphone amp, which takes the line level signal from the Modi 2 / 2 Uber and takes it to suitable levels for headphone use.

Things change I've changed · 19 Feb 2017 at 00:46

Onkyo A9010 + Schiit Modi 2 = £305

I know this recommendation might seem bit different but in your shoes this is what I would do, the Onkyo is a fantastic stereo amp for the money, great for book shelf speakers, also the amp has it's own built in headphone amplifier that will even power high impedance headphones, if you really want a dac, and headphone/speaker amp for £300 or less I can't think of a better alternative.

edit -

Sorry misread and thought you wanted a speaker amp as well, rids57 recommendation above is good, but if you do want to power speakers as well my recommendation might suit you better.

deFiniLoGy · 19 Feb 2017 at 02:12

rids57 said:
Depends, do you want virtual surround for gaming? If you do then a sound card is essential, whether it be internal or external and this includes the Creative X7.

If stereo is all you need then a Schiit Modi 2 Uber and a Magni 2 will do you fine. You would need the Uber version of the Modi 2 as it has USB, Optical and Coaxial inputs, the standard Modi 2 only has USB. The Magni 2 is the actual headphone amp, which takes the line level signal from the Modi 2 / 2 Uber and takes it to suitable levels for headphone use.

Basically that.

You'll need Magni 2 Uber if you want to include a speaker in your setup as well.

TheDesX77 · 19 Feb 2017 at 14:06

Another stereo option would be the Aune X1s for about £250. It has analogue, optical, coaxial and USB inputs and a headphone amp. It seems to have very good reviews.