The Reviewer's Tool

The DA Converter

Reviewing for a while, and you turn into a tool.

Here are the sort of questions you find yourself asking:

1) Would a JDS Lab's The Element DAC / Headphone amplifier be good for the mixing station? It could go on the Ah Tojeb! CD-38 CD Player and go with the Fostex TH-600 Headphones.

2) Would the Chord Mojo work with it? For a DAC?

3) Wouldn't the Oppo HA-1 Headphone Amplifier ($1,199.00 USD) be a better buy, work better, and have a lower (combined) noise floor?

4) Would the Chord Mojo be a good buy for a Stax SRM-007t Tube Headphone Amplifier (as a inexpensive DAC)?

5) Would it make sense to buy a Crystal Cable PEF15/PEF14 Piccolo Diamond RCA Cable ($500.00 USD) as a match for the Chord Mojo ($599.00 USD), aesthetically? [The price is reasonable given one considers a cord an essential component. You may disagree, though.]

5) Would it make sense also to buy the iFi Nano iDSD DAC / Headphone Amplifier ($199.00 USD) to alternate with the Chord Mojo ($599.00 USD) as a DAC for the Stax SRM-007t Tube Amplifier (tii, $2,150.00 USD)?


6) What is with all these low-priced little DAC's?

1) Our Recommendations:

1) FiiO Olympus ($79.00 USD) - great over-all performer. Fine headphone amplifier, too. GO++.
2) Audinst HUD-DX1 DAC ($398.00 USD)

For gaming, there may be no better choice than the Audinst DX-1.

Optical Input -and- Output
Separate Power Supply
Dynamic Range: 127 dB
THD+N: -120 dB


3) Oppo HA-1 Headphone Amplifier / DAC ($1,199.00 USD)

For the office, the Oppo HA-1 computes you.

3) MSB The Analogue DAC ($6,995.00 USD) - say you have more than a computer and want something for more than your console or desktop station. The MSB Analogue DAC is that.
4) MSB Select DAC II ($89,950.00 USD) - if you were a reviewer, what would you buy? The MSB Select DAC II, full ($199,980.00 USD). 2 DAC's needed for balanced and RCA.

Dynamic Range: 173 dB

JP 2015/11/25
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