How much are these dacs worth?

amazingtrade

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Seen a few on ebay and may buy one but I am not really sure what my maximum bid should be. Also this is an experiment and unless it improves the CD sound greatly I shall want to resell it.

My extreme maximum is £80

Cambridge Audio DAC3
Audio Alchemy DAC (private offer)
Audio Alchemy DDE DAC
MUSICAL FIDELITY X DAC

Thats pretty much the lot at the moment so how much do you think each one is worth?

Thanks
 
You may wish to consider a multi-input DAC in order to allow you to connect CD, DVD and PC.

The DAC3 is just such a DAC, and is pretty good by all accounts. However, this is reflected in used prices, which are still 50% or more of the original selling price. Likely to fetch around £80.

Audio Alchemy were well reviewed in their day, but they went belly up a few years back, so any problems with the DAC could be difficult to resolve. DDE 3 is probably going to fetch £150 or so, DDE 1 about £115 or so, and less for the Dac in the box or the DACman.

MF... well, opinions vary. Not my cup of tea. X24Ks go for about £220, X-DACs less but still probably rather more than your £80 budget.

Keep an eye out for used M-audio superDACs as well. Mine was £100, and I was the only bidder (that was the start price). One with a lower start price could well fetch less than £100.
 
Originally posted by Isaac Sibson
You may wish to consider a multi-input DAC in order to allow you to connect CD, DVD and PC.

The DAC3 is just such a DAC, and is pretty good by all accounts. However, this is reflected in used prices, which are still 50% or more of the original selling price. Likely to fetch around £80.

Audio Alchemy were well reviewed in their day, but they went belly up a few years back, so any problems with the DAC could be difficult to resolve. DDE 3 is probably going to fetch £150 or so, DDE 1 about £115 or so, and less for the Dac in the box or the DACman.

MF... well, opinions vary. Not my cup of tea. X24Ks go for about £220, X-DACs less but still probably rather more than your £80 budget.

Keep an eye out for used M-audio superDACs as well. Mine was £100, and I was the only bidder (that was the start price). One with a lower start price could well fetch less than £100.

The X DAC (HDCD) will probably go for about £130 (ish) and as Isaac says, the X24K will be somewhere around £200-£300 (depends how many bidders are after it).

You keep asking this question, and keep gettin the same answer of "probably better to just wait and save a bit MOre for a MOre significant improvement". Are you just after people to squash your upgraditus and reassure you about your kit ;)
 
Heheh yes I can't settle maybe when I got my work placement next year I shall just splash out on a new £2000 amp/cd/speaker combo:)
 
I bought a dde v1.1 for £80 and sold for £115, its stonking good, a bit too full on..monster bass, bigger than the chord or eikos, less subtle.

what a shame audio alchemy went tits up, really good stuff, I bet their power amp is brill, its a 150 watter.

maybe an isodac?
 
I did idealy want an iso dac but they fetch patheticly stupid money on ebay I saw one go for £250 a few months back.
 
The ISOmagic was never as highly regarded (that I'm aware) as the DACmagic series.

I did once (in '97) hear an audio alchemy transport, DDE3.0, power station one combo into an 8000S into a pair of monitor audio floorstanders, and it did sound pretty damn good.

You have to consider what you want from the DAC. If the superdac had a volume control I would just get/build a power amp with XLR in and be done with it. As it is, I may make my power amp as an integrated (well, input switching and an attenuator... nothing more).

I would at least recommend a multi-input, as I said, because then any money spent on improvements to the DAC, or power conditioning etc for it will benefit several sources. I intend to run my PC (optical), Transport (AES/EBU once the DOB is fitted) and eventually a DVD player (coax) through mine. That way the money spent on the modifications I have and will make benefit all three. Of course, it limits upgrade potential to multi-input DACs, but most DACs that I would consider replacing the superDAC with are anyway...
 
The DAC 3 is a veritable musical riot, but it doesn't bother much with the niceitys of hi-fi. If you like it loud, proud and driving, and wonder where the bass impotus is with most budget cdps is, it's right up your street. They're worth it for the money just for the smile alone.

The DDE 3.0 is a quality pieceof kit, but service for them in the UK is, well, probably isn't actually, and they're not the most robust of stuff it seems. If you get a good one, then you're lucky and probably won't look back. The same applies to the other Audio Alchemy stuff, although their aspirations were never as high. They're not bad though even today, and if you consider every day they fire up as a bonus, then you won't go wrong. Get a DAC 3 as well for the time you might spend asking the guys at Perpetual Technologies (in the USA) nicely if they'll look at it for you

Cheers
 
If I were you I wouldn't waste your money on the Musical Fidelity X-dac, with any of the x-series you are paying a huge premium just for the fact that it comes in an x-series can.

There's a lot of people out there collecting them..... gotta have em all!! Just like pokemon :-) Most of them don't need a dac but as they have 3 or 4 other x-cans it's all part of the fun.

John
 
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