ODAC Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by Everyday45, Apr 29, 2017.

  1. Everyday45

    Everyday45 New

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    I'm new to the audiophile world and sbaf. I'm looking for dacs in the $150 range that have a spidf input. So far , it's between the modi Uber 2 and the ol dac (I believe released 6 months ago, little information). I have lurked here long enough to know that people love schiit audio but the rebel in me doesn't like the monopoly schiit seems to have on low or mid fi gear. Supposedly the ol dac is based on the philosophy of the odac but it has very different parts. I am not a technical person and i wanted to ask knowledgeable people before I drop $150 on a dac. I am also here on sbaf because I wanted to avoid that other site aND its sponsors. Thanks

    Originally titled "jds labs ol dac (any info please)"
    -thegunner100
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 2, 2017
  2. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    I doubt but you'll find many fans here, but maybe someone has heard it. I have to say I found it funny when I looked it up just now and found some people excited to replace their ODAC with it. I thought a big part of the Objective's appeal was the "one and done" idea; that there is no "better" to be had.

    Wanting to rebel or be different is how people spend endless hours and dollars on unknown chifi gear or get suckered on unknown massdrops, because they think it wouldn't cost that much if it wasn't that good (see S19), or it wouldn't cost that much and be poor quality (see Audeze or LH QC issues) or they're going to magically stumble upon the next amazing thing that nobody knows about. It's basically a compulsion for gambling rather than informed decision making. What is it you're worried about? How many friends are gonna pop into your room and call you a poser for having Schiit products? Anyway, welcome to SBAF. Next time you may want to try the Advice thread.
     
  3. Everyday45

    Everyday45 New

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  4. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I wouldn't say schiit has a monopoly, I would say they just made better products at lower prices.
    Also, you can say Head-fi here. We are not like headfi banning the use of sbaf.

    As for the dac, it may not even be worth it for a dac lower priced like this, but if you need one, then modi 2 uber.
    What is the rest of your system?
     
  5. Everyday45

    Everyday45 New

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    I shouldn't have said I wanted to rebel. What I want to say is, something about the unholy alliance between headfi and schiit rubs me the wrong way and I almost certainly came to the wrong place to discuss it. If schiit makes the best dac in my price range then that's something I will have to consider. Thanks for your reply.
     
  6. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    This isn't a site that glorifies products based on brand. It is a site that cares about maximizing performance / price ratio. You will find people selling items here for what they think they're worth within the overall range of products available in that category rather than what they can get for them on a site like HF. If Schiit has front-runners for ratio in most product categories, it's because they have earned high regard from users here, especially for their price.
     
  7. Everyday45

    Everyday45 New

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    Don't get me wrong it's obvious schiit makes Excellent products but sometimes it's hard to decipher between Fandom/sponsorship and actual performance. I also am sceptical of the term chifi. Like I said I'm not technical, but calling products "chifi" seems overly dismissive and by implication saying American made is automatically superior, I honestly don't know. As for the amp I'm using your going to laugh me off the site the fiio k5. I think the k5 is the most I'm going to invest in a solid state amp, down the road I plan on getting a quality built tube amp (maybe even a schiit who knows). For me a dac in the $150 range is an endgame one time investment i am currently using the $30 fiio d03k dac. Thanks for your reply.
     
  8. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    The term chifi is a bit dismissive but it's a great pun and most underwhelming or knockoff or not-quite-ready-for-market audio products are being produced in China at this moment in time. You could buy Chinese produced unknown brand products if you wanted to... but why? It's certainly riskier. You'll have, on average, lower performance / price ratios, worse service and warranty support, lower resale value, and less reliable review information to inform your decision making. If you just want to gamble, that's your prerogative, and if you have pre-existing opinions I'm not going to put in the effort it would take to budge them for you.

    I suppose there's a bit of cynicism here, but it's the result of experience and not intent to deceive. The best thing you can do for yourself at this point is find a few threads, say for the Modi, or this DAC comparison chart and see if you think the opinions being expressed are generally well informed and seem to be coming from reasonable people.
     
  9. Everyday45

    Everyday45 New

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  10. Everyday45

    Everyday45 New

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    The very general consensus on the modi 2 is that it's the best I can get in my price range , the problem I'm having is Noone has tried anything else. I don't know is jds labs build quality poor? Is the difference in performance between the two products I mentioned enough to compensate for my biases? I have a much bigger problem with head fi than schiit. Schiit isn't passing themselves off as an unbiased community of headphone enthusiasts. I'm sure the overwhelming majority of schiit product reviews are sincere and if they make the best products in my price range, I accept that. I guess I am just frustrated with a lack of options.
     
  11. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Well, it's a market out there: you have every option there is. You don't have to take advice from any person or any forum. Sadly, I don't know what to suggest. I have a currently unused ODAC on the shelf; I auditioned and did not buy a second-hand gungnir. It's lovely to be told "what's best" but it doesn't always work out.

    On the other hand, advice here/elsewhere, on my headphone purchases (just two) of the last few years has worked out very helpful for me.

    Did you just get here from Headfi? Settle in. Find out what's different here. Then you can make use of people's experience. And enjoy...
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2017
  12. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    You seem to have several barriers to acceptance here. I don't know what they are. Do you know what they are? You should figure out what it is you actually want. Do you want it to look badass or do you want it to be exclusive? I don't care about those things, maybe you do. You're on the lowest end of the price spectrum here. You need to think about what is most important to you in terms of tradeoffs. I don't think anyone else can help you with your perception barriers, whatever they are.
     
  13. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Okay, let me give you some quick affordable options that might give you an idea of how unbiased we are. Not everything here has SPDIF. USB can also do the job.

    Schiit Fulla 1
    Schiit Fulla 2 (amazing value for money)
    Dragonfly 1
    Dragonfly Black
    Dragonfly Red
    Pico DAC (old but still good)
    Pico Amp/DAC (old, some people still love them to bits)
    Fiio (they have some good audio gear)

    Now if you think this humble list (I am not fully up to date with all current options) is not suitable, deal with it.

    For starters you have failed to specify the use of this budget DAC in a specific system. What is your audio set-up you are building? Up to now, no information, only guess work.

    Next time you walk in with this attitude prepare for more f'ing sarcasm...
     
  14. Everyday45

    Everyday45 New

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    I'm not trying to be a dick, but why do I have to accept the schiit dac is better than everything else when there is no evidence anyoNE has tried anything else. Is jds labs crap?
     
  15. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    The JDS DAC might be amazing, who knows? Buy one and try one. It is your time and money.

    Just do not expect everyone here to agree with you because you think you are right. When we do not have an answer, find your own answers.
     
  16. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    If you can stretch, I would equally suggest a Modi MB that goes for 250$. Otherwise, see @a44100Hz's thoughts...

    If you have religious attachment to the "objectivist" persuasions, then you're likely simply seeking confirmation and it's unlikely you'll find much of it here. If measurements are all that matter, then Modi gives you much the same as ODAC (or whatever upgrade they offer now for that supposedly "perfectest evah" product) for less and in a prettier format. If not, then you'll have to do more research to understand the sonic profiles of each of the DACs you're considering and choose based on personal preferences. If at all possible, auditions prior to purchasing are warmly recommended.
     
  17. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    The main thing is that people here will want you to put in the effort to inform yourself and use the search function and read around before asking us to inform you. See Deep Funk's post above; those are all good options for DACs in your price range. Most will be USB only. Comes with the price territory.

    You can be skeptical; it's healthy to be skeptical. But if you are just asking "what should I get?" and someone tells you what to get, and you don't like that answer but can't articulate why or what you need, what do you want someone else to tell you? The Modi2U is a great option at its price point, especially used. But if you really want the OL, get the OL. Maybe it's good. But you're on the wrong forum for this specific product: it's simply too low end, too new, and doesn't fill a niche that users here are desperate to have filled (we already have good options), so it's unlikely anyone has sought it out. But we tell you what we do know.

    (And we likely subconsciously doubt that there's any remarkably outperforming products out there that we didn't know about in that low price range. The market is more competitive now than it ever has been.)
     
  18. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    Whoa. Where did you come with that from? Many people here have tried many products, at many price points. Most people around here haven't heard only Schiit products. You don't have to accept the Schiit DAC is better. Accept whatever you want.


    I'll be calling @Psalmanazar to the rescue.
     
  19. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    And maybe write about it.

    I'm in this thread because I was using an ODAC... so hey, what are JDS up to now. Yes, it is a little frustrating that nobody has tried the new stuff, but I can't force people to buy it.

    When I bought the ODAC, it was cheap enough (for me) to be an impulse, throw-away buy. Actually, I listened to it quite happily for a while. You want to buy something from JDS: will it, at the price, be crap? Personally, (for the price) I doubt that very much. And if it is, then $150 is not that much to pay for a lesson. And if it is...

    If you really want budget audio, and you have a desktop machine, stick your headphone jack in its earphone socket. You know what? it won't be as bad as you think. By a long way. In fact, it is almost twenty years since they were that bad. So what stops people using them now? Including me: prejudice (from years back), snobbery, and a love of cluttering our desks with electronics.

    Oh, and do Schiit still have a return-if-you-don't-like-it plan? What's to loose?
     
  20. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Not all of us are fans of Schiit. I've owned or tried all the gen1 amps and dacs and didn't like them. I had a Modi Multibit and sold it after a week. The only piece of Schiit I've heard that really tickles my fancy is the Yggdrasil. Oh I guess the Wyrd is ok; it sits in the chain and I forget it's there.
     

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