Hi All,
Thank you so much for making these forums a great place! I could really use your help regarding suggestions for the least expensive DAC that significantly improves upon a suspected poor onboard DAC in a stand-alone internet radio.
Specifically, I love internet radio and I've just had to replace my old stand-alone Aluratek AIRMM01F with a new internet radio. While fewer stand-alone units are being produced, I really want another dedicated stand-alone internet radio and it appears the highest-end models are the Grace GDI-IRDT200 and the Sangean WFT-1. The Sangean sounds great via it's analog RCA outputs going into my Onkyo A-9555 and Paradigm Studio 20s, but the Grace's sound via its analog RCA outputs is significantly more compressed, veiled (I never thought I'd use that term), and so much less musical when using the same source material, interconnects, integrated amplifier, and speakers. Several have suggested that the Grace's internal DAC is most likely the culprit and that I would likely get sound as good or even better than the Sangean if I simply used the Grace's digital coax or TosLink outputs and an external DAC (my Onkyo A-9555 does not have any digital inputs). I hate to spend $300-$400 on a popular and well reviewed DAC like the DacMagic 100, Arcam rDAC, or Schiit Bitfrost solely to improve the listening experience of a $160 radio... I'm thinking that given the law of diminishing returns, I might be able to find a sub-$100 DAC with coax and/or TosLink that sounds significantly better than the onboard, mass-produced, commodity-level DAC apparently in the Grace.
Might you have any suggestions for a very inexpensive DAC for this specific set-up? I'm a little concerned about preowned DACs and would rather purchase new unit in the US if possible.
Thank you, djyas
Hi All,
Thank you so much for making these forums a great place! I could really use your help regarding suggestions for the least expensive DAC that significantly improves upon a suspected poor onboard DAC in a stand-alone internet radio.
Specifically, I love internet radio and I've just had to replace my old stand-alone Aluratek AIRMM01F with a new internet radio. While fewer stand-alone units are being produced, I really want another dedicated stand-alone internet radio and it appears the highest-end models are the Grace GDI-IRDT200 and the Sangean WFT-1. The Sangean sounds great via it's analog RCA outputs going into my Onkyo A-9555 and Paradigm Studio 20s, but the Grace's sound via its analog RCA outputs is significantly more compressed, veiled (I never thought I'd use that term), and so much less musical when using the same source material, interconnects, integrated amplifier, and speakers. Several have suggested that the Grace's internal DAC is most likely the culprit and that I would likely get sound as good or even better than the Sangean if I simply used the Grace's digital coax or TosLink outputs and an external DAC (my Onkyo A-9555 does not have any digital inputs). I hate to spend $300-$400 on a popular and well reviewed DAC like the DacMagic 100, Arcam rDAC, or Schiit Bitfrost solely to improve the listening experience of a $160 radio... I'm thinking that given the law of diminishing returns, I might be able to find a sub-$100 DAC with coax and/or TosLink that sounds significantly better than the onboard, mass-produced, commodity-level DAC apparently in the Grace.
Might you have any suggestions for a very inexpensive DAC for this specific set-up? I'm a little concerned about preowned DACs and would rather purchase new unit in the US if possible.
Thank you, djyas