As you may have noticed by now, I am a big fan of computer audio. For those of you who enjoyed any of my 'USB DAC and headphone amplifier' reviews I have a nice surprise for you. I've managed to get my hands on three more models. Reviews of these devices are coming soon, but for now here is a teaser photo of what's to come.
- Arcam rPAC (Top)
- Audinst HUD-Mini (Middle)
- Yulong U100 (Bottom)
Let's kick off with some basic info for each...
Arcam rPAC - £150
This is the cheapest DAC from the English audio specialist and their only model to come with a headphone amp. Most chassis of USB DACs in this price range look pretty basic and follow a similar pattern, this little gem breaks the mould in several ways. It's the only one here not to have a physical volume dial, it's not an uncommon feature at this price, but it's an odd thing to see from a company like Arcam. Another thing that surprised me coming from this kind of audio pedigree is that it takes it's power over USB. Is this too many cut corners or necessary evil for audio greatness?
Audinst HUD-Mini - £83
This is the second ever DAC/amp from the new Korean company. It may lack the pedigree of some of the competition, but most people who tried their first model, the 'HUD-MX1', find it's value and performance very impressive. As the name suggests this new model is smaller than the MX1. It removes the ability to be driven by mains power so USB power is the only option, but this is true of almost all the competition anyway. Other changes from the MX1 are: A move to the PCM1791a DAC and a price drop of nearly 30%, while retaining the 6.35mm headphone and RCA outputs - wow! Is this a refinement of the MX1 specification or a cut-down model to fit a new budget?
Yulong U100 - £157
Last, but by no means least, is the little brother to the extremely well received desktop DAC The Yulong D100. I also own the D100 mkII and will be reviewing this soon as well. The U100 model can only be driven by mains power, putting it more in the desktop camp than portable but hey, it does come with a bag :). It's price might be competing with many portable units, but this is very much a cut-down version of a desktop model. Unlike it's even bigger brother (D100) there is no display, no XLR outputs, no other digital inputs and no high gain headphone connection. However, you do still get a larger headphone plug (which I prefer) and the volume dial seems to be completely lifted from the full D100 model. So how similar to it's big brother does it sound?
All these questions and more will be answered soon...
COMMENTS
I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who would like to say anything, ask questions or give their own opinions - please feel free to post a comment here. I know not everyone has a Google account but if you do or can be bothered to sign up I'd love to hear your thoughts.
NEXT UP
This leads me nicely on to my next post (coming very soon). This will be a list of all the USB DAC and headphone amplifiers that I have found during my information gathering phase. It's something that I started on the 'What Hi-Fi' forums, but thought it could be more easily updated and better displayed here. For each device it contains a bunch of technical information in an easy to read table. Once again I would like to encourage anyone who has information regarding it's contents to please leave a comment. I would like to keep it as accurate as possible.
