Budget DAC??

[Ollie_H_]

Alright everyone, I'm back once again with more painful beginner questions . Ive finally secured a really nice pair of book shelf speakers (Yamaha ns-b750) and amp (Yamaha AX-590). When I bought the speakers off this guy, he played them and they sounded AMAZING. Now that I've taken them home they just don't sound as punchy and rich. And yes I know cabling, wiring, room size, speaker placement, different amps, sound diffusion etc all make a difference to how a set up sounds. BUT, I mean they sounded like different speakers. Im 99% sure he had a DAC set up plugged in. So my question is would a DAC be the fix to my problems? do they really make that much of a difference? and if yes, could u amazing people please let me know of the cheapest DACs that work well. Ive noticed one flaw of this community that many people im sure agree with is u ask for something budget and get recommendations for something that costs like $1500 lol. Thats okay tho. Anyways I just wanna know if they really are that good and ur cheap recommendations. Ive already spent so much money, for a uni student, but now I just can't ignore how they sounded when the guy tested them infront of me and knowing they just don't sound the same in my room is slowly killing me. Cheers everyone  and sorry for the complete rookie question.

[Guest MAXXX]

I can recommend Yulong D100, cheap (chinese made), but works great  and looks good too.

[aussievintage]

10 minutes ago, Ollie_H_ said:

So my question is would a DAC be the fix to my problems?

I doubt it.    It's MUCH more likely the room, speaker placement etc.

[Ollie_H_]

12 minutes ago, aussievintage said:

I doubt it.    It's MUCH more likely the room, speaker placement etc.

u don't think its worth getting a DAC then?

[Snoopy8]

7 minutes ago, aussievintage said:

I doubt it.    It's MUCH more likely the room, speaker placement etc.

I agree. Suggest spending some time & effort to get the room, speaker placement right. They have a big impact on the sound quality.

 

@Ollie_H_ suggest posting a sketch of the room with location of speakers and your listening position.  Also a photo of where the speakers are.  Ideally, speakers should not be placed too close to the walls and on stands.

[aechmea]

I agree with aussievintage (and now snoopy8).  I too doubt that a new DAC is a solution. 

 

Room and placement of speakers and chair(s) are fundamental to good sound.  And it's free to experiment with alternative placements.

 

Audio spectrum analysers for a phone are cheap/free.  They should give a good enough indication of what is happening at your seat.  Play some white noise and see.

 

As a general statement, it's better with speakers and ears away from walls, but of course that may or may not be possible in your situation.

 

 

[Ollie_H_]

7 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said:

I agree. Suggest spending some time & effort to get the room, speaker placement right. They have a big impact on the sound quality.

 

@Ollie_H_ suggest posting a sketch of the room with location of speakers and your listening position.  Also a photo of where the speakers are.  Ideally, speakers should not be placed too close to the walls and on stands.

Here you go. My speakers are set up like so. The second picture is the shape of my room, its about 8m x 4m ? The red line is where my speakers are set up in relation to my room. CHeers

 

 

[Ollie_H_]

3 minutes ago, aechmea said:

I agree with aussievintage (and now snoopy8).  I too doubt that a new DAC is a solution. 

 

Room and placement of speakers and chair(s) are fundamental to good sound.  And it's free to experiment with alternative placements.

 

Audio spectrum analysers for a phone are cheap/free.  They should give a good enough indication of what is happening at your seat.  Play some white noise and see.

 

As a general statement, it's better with speakers and ears away from walls, but of course that may or may not be possible in your situation.

 

 

cheers, i guess ill have to experiment. Im kind of limited in my room with how they can be set up because of other furniture + a big window i dont want to have my equipment infront of

[idiomatically]

A good dac will most certainly improve your SQ by unlocking the details in the music (if they are there in the master), the source has to be decent though.

I would look at the new Schiit Modius, SMSL SU8v2, JDS Labs EL Dac2, Topping range, all budget friendly and do a good job.

[Hi-Fi Whipped]

What are you using as a source now?

[Ollie_H_]

3 minutes ago, Hi-Fi Whipped said:

What are you using as a source now?

using a Logitech Bluetooth adaptor atm (my personal phones aux port is broken lol)  but also just used an aux to a phone playing google play music. 

[Pops110]

I would probably be investing in some Isoacoustics stands for the speakers first off if you’re going to keep them on the unit.

Ideally be moving them further apart and on dedicated stands.

[Ollie_H_]

2 minutes ago, Pops110 said:

I would probably be investing in some Isoacoustics stands for the speakers first off if you’re going to keep them on the unit.

Ideally be moving them further apart and on dedicated stands.

yeah im thinking of making some stands... 

[Hi-Fi Whipped]

4 minutes ago, Ollie_H_ said:

using a Logitech Bluetooth adaptor atm (my personal phones aux port is broken lol)  but also just used an aux to a phone playing google play music. 

Yep that would be the main reason for the lack of richness. Bluetooth and analog from a phone is at the bottom of the audio quality chain.

 

start with a dedicated streamer like a Bluesound node 2 and then a dac if still not happy, placement of speakers is also huge so take all of the other advice above onboard too.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Hi-Fi Whipped

[Ollie_H_]

1 minute ago, Hi-Fi Whipped said:

Yep that would be the main reason for the lack of richness.

 

start with a dedicated streamer like a Bluesound node 2 and then a dac if still not happy, placement of speakers is also huge so take all of the other advice above onboard too.

i unfortunately cant afford a node 2 , but surely just the dac would help a lot?

[idiomatically]

The node 2i will do nothing for SQ imo, it has a very ordinary DAC in it which is easily it’s bottleneck.  You would do much much better with a Raspberry Pi 4 doing the streaming using an external USB DAC like the Schiit Modius and you’re wallet will be much healthier for it.

You certainly want to get away from Bluetooth as your source if you can. 

[Pops110]

Nup, I think you would gain very little from a budget dac. But the Topping dacs cost very little, measure well and people do like them. Might be worth a try

[allthumbs]

May I ask the OP how long have you had your new speakers?  What music and how did the seller play the music, was it louder than you usually play, big room, small room?

 

Maybe take a few weeks get used to your new speakers, have a play around with positioning, relax and enjoy them for a while take some time, just listen to the music instead of listening to the system.  Affordable DAC's will still be around weeks from now. There's plenty of people here to help with advice (and spend your money). 

 

Just a thought.

 

 

[Steffen]

I don’t think this system will reveal much of a difference between the BlueTooth adapter and a separate DAC. There will be a big, immediate and not at all subtle difference when changing speaker placement (wall distance, mounting, listening position, toe-in). This can be quickly optimised by ear, within the confines of room furnishings, WAF, etc.

[Ollie_H_]

1 minute ago, allthumbs said:

May I ask the OP how long have you had your new speakers?  What music and how did the seller play the music, was it louder than you usually play, big room, small room?

 

Maybe take a few weeks get used to your new speakers, have a play around with positioning, relax and enjoy them for a while take some time, just listen to the music instead of listening to the system.  Affordable DAC's will still be around weeks from now. There's plenty of people here to help with advice (and spend your money). 

 

Just a thought.

 

 

only had the speakers for like 3 days. I think ur right, just want them to sound how they did before lol. Dont get me wrong they still sound nice but they can sound much better. He had a room like half the size of mine with carpet (mine doesnt). So yeah that could be a factor in the difference. He played some indie music, idk what artist. Ive listened to a good range, hip hop, johnny cash, acoustic heavy music etc. Cheers

[Ollie_H_]

3 minutes ago, Steffen said:

I don’t think this system will reveal much of a difference between the BlueTooth adapter and a separate DAC. There will be a big, immediate and not at all subtle difference when changing speaker placement (wall distance, mounting, listening position, toe-in). This can be quickly optimised by ear, within the confines of room furnishings, WAF, etc.

if i did get a dac i would retire the blue tooth adaptor and set up a laptop or something right next to my set up. Thinking ill get some buy some cheap stands or make some

[Ollie_H_]

9 minutes ago, Pops110 said:

Nup, I think you would gain very little from a budget dac. But the Topping dacs cost very little, measure well and people do like them. Might be worth a try

might be worth looking into. Cheers

[Steffen]

1 minute ago, Ollie_H_ said:

 He had a room like half the size of mine with carpet (mine doesnt).

In that case you may be able to make some gains by coupling the speakers more efficiently to your room. Can you move them closer to the corners, for example?

[allthumbs]

1 minute ago, Ollie_H_ said:

only had the speakers for like 3 days.

It's funny I was looking at those speakers and considering auditioning them because they were on sale down from $1600 RRP. They look the real deal and I bet they sound pretty good as well.

 

Throw a blanket on the floor, put a phonebook under each speaker, see if that makes a difference, hang a blanket over the window, experiment a little.  This is a hobby for the long term, and everyone gets a little panicky after shedding out some substantial cash, even the guy who spends a hundred thousand $ sweats a little and feels s sphincter contraction momentarily.

 

You are not alone! Speaker choice was a good one I am willing to bet.

[Ollie_H_]

Just now, allthumbs said:

It's funny I was looking at those speakers and considering auditioning them because they were on sale down from $1600 RRP. They look the real deal and I bet they sound pretty good as well.

 

Throw a blanket on the floor, put a phonebook under each speaker, see if that makes a difference, hang a blanket over the window, experiment a little.  This is a hobby for the long term, and everyone gets a little panicky after shedding out some substantial cash, even the guy who spends a hundred thousand $ sweats a little and feels s sphincter contraction momentarily.

 

You are not alone! Speaker choice was a good one I am willing to bet.

thanks so much! you've definitely calmed me down and made me feel better. Got them for 500 bucks mint condition. They're great. Yeeah ive just raised them up closer to the ears and they do sound better. Probably gna macgyver some sort of stand. Might go raid bunnings or something lol. Thanks for that