I'm hoping to hook up my laptop to my Outlaw 950.  From what I've read, a USB DAC is the way to go.

 Anyone got one for sale?

I don't have one for sale, but I can whole-heartedly endorse the Benchmark DAC1. I recently purchased one of their non-USB units, using it with a Macintosh computer (with optical out) as a music server, and I am very pleased with the results. Even mp3s sound significantly better, but I am in the process of re-ripping my entire music collection into a lossless format now after experiencing great results. Benchmark now makes a version of the DAC1 with a USB input that I would expect to fit your needs very well. They come up for sale every now and again on Agon. OTF

Try a Behringer "U Control" for $30. 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-UCONTROL-UCA202-USBAudio-Interface?sku=702540

If you decide that you like it but want something better, then go out and get a USB DAC. 

I assume that the Outlaw has a digital input.  If not, the Behringer will still work.  I think that it is limited to 44.1 or 48 sample rates.  I use one every day into a Musical Fidelity DAC.  Sounds great. 

I don't have one for sale either ... but have recently started using a Keces DA-151. I was using a cheap ($30) iMic .... switching to the Keces was a very noticeable gain in clarity as well as top and bottom frequencies.

Lots of options out there .... The Keces goes for $250 sold new on eBay .... comes straight from Taiwan, only took 3 days to ship ... no local dealers .... very good quality ... google it and a review over at Headfi will come up ... lots of happy customers.

I did not want to bite the Benchmark bullet ($1000) on my first DAC..... I am very happy with the Keces.

 

How do you hook up the Keces? USB to computer and on the back of the Keces - audio outs I assume? do you just take audio cables and connect to tape or aux input of audio reciever???

harleyfatboy:

 

How do you hook up the Keces? USB to computer and on the back of the Keces - audio outs I assume? do you just take audio cables and connect to tape or aux input of audio reciever???

The Keces 151 uses USB out of the computer to the DAC and RCA out of the DAC to you system to any Line In RCA's

sorry of this sounds like a dumb question, but if my laptop has a headphone jack and I connect a cable that takes the output of the laptop and connect it to line inputs of my receiver, whats the purpose of the DAC? Thanks for any clarification... 

Funny that this thread is in the garage Sale section ... maybe I will ask a mod to split it and move it ...

Your laptop is taking the data from the hard drive and sending it to an internal DAC located on the soundcard and spiting it out in analog via the mini headphone jack. When using an external DAC the signal from the hard drive .... skips the (generally crappy) soundcard and sends it out the USB (or optical or coax or ....) in digital form to the DAC unit which does the converting.

In choosing an External DAC you have to look at the different DAC chips that are being used .... caps in the signal path ... stuff like that. In CD players and DAC's .... more and more ... it is the chip that is being discussed as flavoring the music .... it is... when it is all said and done ... the DAC chip that is turning the 1's and 0's into sound waves.

You will see that prices for Externals run from $30 to $15,000+ ...... Can your sound card beat the $30 DAC .... maybe ... but my Apple sound card was easily beat by a $250 DAC..... YMMV

I'm not sure about the other devices here, but re-read my post.  The Behringer has a streaming ditigal output as well and RCA ins and outs.  If your receiver has digital in, this is an easy way to use the receiver's (or preamps's) DACs and it is only $30.

The imic only has line level ins and outs. no digital stream.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic

 

G.Kennedy:

I agree with GK with a tiny modification - When using an external DAC the signal from the hard drive (MIGHT or YOU HOPE AND NEED TO CONFIRM).... skips the (generally crappy) soundcard and sends it out the USB

Mac with iTunes USB is good to go.  WIN can have issues with KMixer and soundcards and you need to understand your player and internals a bit.  The objective is to get the raw data out of the PC and use an external DAC for conversion as GK describes.  WIN is just a bit more tedious.

If you are not playing HI Rez, using regular CDs, there are a lot of DAC choices (16/44.1 is fine) in the $100 (maybe lower) and up range.  I use an M-audio USB Audiophile portable 24/96 I think it is.  Cost $150.  Might be discontinued now, but they also make internal cards.  Next, for me, will probably be Benchmark USB Pre or Wavelenth Proton 24/96 when released and reviewed.  I'm waiting to hear more on the Proton.

A low cost 24/96 USB with headphone output on front and analogs on back should give you everything you need to grow with digital.  The other trick is to be sure they natively handle 24/96 and are not doing over/under/sidewards/down sampling as magic mumbo jumbo.

Here's a bit of chit chat on 24/96 DACs if you are interested.

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/node/58

tigerwoodKhorns:

The imic only has line level ins and outs. no digital stream. 

As stated ... lots of options .... I would consider the iMic a DAC .... in that ... it takes a Digital signal from the USB port .... and converts it to an Analog Line level out .... the Line level In part is for recording vinyl and stuff. Where it is taking an Analog signal and converting it to digi to go in the USB port

I am not sure how the iMic is interacting with a sound card ... I actually have one here .. maybe I will crack it open and see whats in there .... seems like there has to be a chip in there.

InnerTuber:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/node/58

Great Link Innertuber !!! Lots of info there .... and it really bring home the point of how many choices are out there ..... You really need to determine your needs ... I am running at 16/44.1 .... right now I haven no need for more .... but who knows what the future holds .. I am sure the day will come that my $230 USB DAC based on a 2702 Burr Brown will be obsolete ... but for now it meets my needs ... I feel like I am getting quality equal to a real nice stand alone CDP

I'll get shot for saying this, but unless you really have a lot of spare bucks, why would anyone want a CDP anymore?  Heck, you can have thousands of songs controlled by remote with great sound.  I'm with you there!

Now I do have a CD player for when somebody drags over some music, (shhhhhh, it's a DVD player).

I am learning this too ... really , it seems to me ... its just a digital signal moving along a wire .... wether it comes from a CD or Hard Drive ... it is the same (no flaming ... talking at a basic level here) .... then it gets decoded by a DAC ... wether that DAC is in your stand alone CDP or an external DAC hooked to a computer ... its the same process.

If some one brings a CD over here ... they have to rip it into my library ....

thanks for all the input guys

It sounds like the Behringer's digital optical output would plug right into my Outlaw pre/pro for conversion.

As long as I get the laptop to send a clean signal through the USB, I think it should work great.