Rega DAC R

Hi-Fi Corner
1

hi

i am looking for a DAC in the USD 1000 range

only USB

plan to feed wav files via my laptop foobar and into the DAC and onto the SN2

Music tastes are very varied…

The Rega DAC R seems to be a good potential recruit

The absence of volume control suits me fine.

I dont plan to play any high res files as such…

what are your thoughts ? - especially Rega DAC R & Naim amp owners…

regards

2

there is also a used Naim DAC at USD 1800

3

I ran a DAC r for a couple of years into my 552 but fed from a Core via coax but I never tried the USB input. It acquitted itself surprisingly well in such company but cable choice had a big influence, the sound could be rather bland with some I tried (an SDI 12G beat two chord digital cables by a large margin). From a computer via USB ???

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4

Yeti,

thank you

My Dell Inspiron 11 - 3000 series - laptop only has USB and HDMI ports

Thats why

Wish you had tried the USB input as well on the Rega DAC R - i would have had a nice feedback before i buy

with the USD 500 i save - maybe i can buy more music ??

Thanks
mpw

5

A (multibit) Schiit DAC could fit the bill. Have a look at Bifrost or Gungnir. They are supposed to have a good (Gen 5) USB implementation and pretty good performance for the money.

I haven’t heard one myself, so I am afraid I cannot provide any first-hand feedback! Happy with my (second-hand) nDAC, but of course no USB-A on that one.

Cheers.

6

I tried rega dac-r and I think the beresford caiman seg dac is better than Rega. Especially when you try with external power supply.

If you find second hand nDAC, you can also use usb to coax converter with your Dell Inspiron.

7

I was thinking that a V1 would be ideal, as this has a USB input, and was developed specifically to for use with a computer. There are good deals to be had on NDACs now that they are discontinued. All more expensive that a DAC-R, though.

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8

ChrisSU,

thank you.

I am quite clear - i dont want a pre amp section or e headphone section

need something in a USD 1200 budget to keep the music flowing - withy musicality and some good PRAT

am not a detail freak

regards

9

The V1 does have a preamp enabling you to use if with just a power amp if you prefer, but you can also use it as a DAC into a preamp or integrated. In the Naim world, there can often be redundancy, but my view is that it’s best just to ignore this and judge the product as you wish to use it, against other options within your budget.

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10

I do have an ifi Nano IDSD head amp and DAC ( with RCA o/p as well )

I do not want to introduce this into the chain as i do not know what gain the volume pot will introduce

The SN2 is far more pricey than the ifi Nano iDSD DAC

I want to use the SN2 as it is.

hence the aversion to preamp / volume control etc…

regards

11

If you just want usb input, you can also look Ayre Qb-9 dac. You may find under USD 1000.

12

As long as a DAC has a regular line out, you can use it into the SN2 as normal. If it also has a pre out, digital or analogue volume control, just ignore it.

13

The used Naim DAC here is a Jan 2010 model

Its 9 years old

any potential service issues / pitfalls to consider for me ?

I think GBP 1400 is too steep - i will have check if the seller is flexible on price

Naim DAC is hard to sell as only folks with Naim gear might bite

regards

14

any thoughts on a schiit yggdrasil with Gen 5 USB ?

15

I have a Dac-r in study system. Largely used for streaming from digital output of Chromecast, runs into a 30 year old Ion Obelisk and then a pair of Neat Iotas.

I think this set up is marvellous and initially no-one who visits can quite believe the lovely sound this ‘back room’ system produces.

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16

I had a Rega DAC R for 3 years. I used it with my Nait 5i and a Mac Mini to feed it files by USB. I liked it very much. Smooth with nice PRaT, easy on the ears. I only sold it when I upgraded to an ND5 XS. For its price, the Rega DAC R is great.

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17

Hi - you live in the US, for the money you’ll pay for a Rega dac (which, imo, is unexceptional anyway) you could get a much better (imo, again) Schiit.

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18

almost finalised a Schiit Yggdrasil

I live in Mumbai India

this will be a pre owned one but with the Gen 5 USB

i hope it will work for me

will update the forum once i have it home.

regards

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19

Hope you enjoy the new DAC, let us know how you get on. It might be good for the forum to move on from the NDAC vs Hugo debate :slightly_smiling_face:

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20

I strongly preferred the Chord Mojo to the Rega DAC-R. It also took up less space and cost a lot less money. The V-1 was pretty good but lacked a good bit of the Naim signature sound (for my taste) and cost way too much money given its performance. Now, if you could find a used Chord Qutest within your budget that would easily be the way to go.

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