NAD - DAC 2

This thing is very very good. Simple to set up, doesn't use your internet bandwidth, sound quality at least as good if not better than my CD players, streams from my Mac Mini in the room upstairs and controlled remotely from my iPad. My music is copied uncompressed from CDs at 16bit 44.1kHz as no human can hear any higher than this, I refuse to get sucked into being screwed soft for alleged "High Definition" sound that is in fact inferior if anything, but I digress, I am as you may be able to tell rather impressed with this thing.

Excellent sound quality and the most straightforward piece of equipment you will ever set up. Just plug in and play.

Great sound quality, works fine from anywhere in the same room (no dropouts). Recommended.

This is a lovely bit of kit. The other reviews go into technical detail so I won't bother to repeat them. Its simple to set up, foolproof. I have a cyrus cd player on the same system and there is a difference in sound, but not in the detail of the NADs play back. Certainly not enough that if the cd isn't to hand I'll more likely stream from spotify at hi res than go looking for the cd!If you are working from a table based pc or laptop the transmitter sits happily beside the machine. I use mine in the living room and needed to buy a slightly longer connector so the transmitter can sit on a table next to my chair, problem solved. If you are using it on a laptop and move forgetting to unplug the transmitter it weighs little it doesn't cause any damage.I'm very impressed with this unit.

It does exactly what is advertises...Amazing audio quality and 3 channels available in order not to have any interferences with the WiFi networks that might disturb your trasmittance...Just awesome!

It does exactly as advertised. Plug and play hi def music from pc to hifi.

I was looking for an external DAC for playing the music on my PC and related apps. After plugging in the receiver to my amplifier and powering it up it took only a few seconds after plugging in the transmitter for it to connect. The PC also automatically set the Speaker (NAD USB Audio) - this is how it appears in the audio tray near the clock - and I was playing sounds and music from my PC in about 5 minutes from opening the box.There are not a lot of features to speak of other but the main one of converting digital audio to analogue, which this unit does very well. Comparing it to casting or using the optical input on my receiver I was very pleased with the sound quality. Definitely seems like an upgrade from my previous setup.Some might be concerned by the unit only supporting up to 24bit/96kHz audio but this is higher than CD quality and it is very hard to find audio files/sources to take advantage of higher bit rates. Most people will probably use it for their MP3s or other streaming audio platforms. Listening to Spotify (on the highest audio quality setting) I would say the quality appears better than my dedicated CD player.NAD is a good company that makes quality components and the DAC 2 is no exception. The price is lower than other similar DACs on the market from comparable manufacturers and that comes at the cost of less bit rate and/or less input/output options. However, for the majority of users the USB connection should be sufficient. The unit does have a coax digital output but I have not used that (defeats the purpose of an external DAC, I think).

Conectar y listo. La música se transfiere con muy buena calidad. Buen precio. Absolutamente recomendable para quien tenga en el ordenador almacenada música de buena calidad y éste se encuentre alejado, en distinta habitación, de su equipo de sonido HiFi.

In lieu of diving into the recently popular vinyl scene and spending what would've amounted to quadruple the cost, I decided to check out NAD's latest offering of Digital Audio Converters. Having just been released in the summer of 2013, the DAC 2 was a significant update to the DAC 1. The most notable difference between the two is that the DAC 1 can handle up to 16-bit/44.1kHz audio, while the DAC 2 can handle up to 24-bit/96kHz audio, despite both devices being fitted with 24/192 Burr-Brown DAC's.Upon tearing open the packaging like a child on Christmas, I was greeted with regulatory documents, a power supply with international adapters (could come in handy), RCA cables, a USB cable, the DAC unit, and USB transmitter. Everything was packed nicely and was easy to get out of the box.Set-up was as simple as plugging both devices into power/a computer and pressing "play". On a Mac, I had to go into System Preferences and set the output to "NAD DAC 2". For those of you wondering, Audio Midi Setup automatically adjusts itself on the NAD DAC 2 to 24-bit/96 kHz output. Again, I was able to output audio from anything on my system, whether it was VLC, iTunes, or even Safari. Let me note that notification sounds from Mail, Twitter, etc. can also be heard alongside your music.Pros:-Seamless setup, plug-and-play in all respects; no pairing necessary-Noticeable difference in audio quality coming from Apple TV streaming over Airplay-Audio is crisp, clear, and the sound stage (depending on source, environment) is immense-Immediate response; the second you press "play" you will hear your music-Does not disrupt local wifi signals whatsoever-Wireless range is as advertised, goes right through wallsCons:-As noted by some, the sound is slightly "softer" than I thought it would be. Maybe "reserved" is a better description.-Didn't come with instructions, but ery easy to set up anywayOverall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. For a mere $250, I am able to play 24-bit 96kHz tracks through iTunes (AIFF files) and VLC (FLAC/DTS) on my Mac without a single hassle. I'm a beginner in this hifi audiophile game, but I do think I know enough to say that this is a great start for anyone going from analog to digital, or for those who began in digital and want to "up the ante".If you're looking to experience hifi without the hifi price, look no further. Forgo spending your money on vinyl and all required equipment and take a chance on digital. You'll be glad you did.(System components: Onkyo TX-SR308 receiver, Rocketfish RCA cables, KEF C40 series speakers, late 2011 Macbook Pro. Audio files: Daft Punk - Random Access Memories: lossless Studio Masters, Marantz Hifi Audiophile Test Demo - lossless SACD rip.)

I am using the DAC-2 with an old Nad 7740PE amp and a pair of Klipsch RP-5000f. I am not an audiophile, but after a casual test run, I can definitely claim that the DAC-2 makes the bass punchier (like old Akai turn tables). I also checked it with low quality youtube videos; in my opinion, the dac-2 is makes the highs a little bit cleaner (and a "little bit cleaner" matters to me). I sit about 8/10 feet away from the receiver, and have had no problem with signal dropping (except for only a few times, for a fraction of a second). I got it for a lower price, and for me, it is a keeper. My only complain is that it does not have a volume control, but if you have a remote, this is good to go. P.S. ignore review(s) saying there is no US/Canada plug, the default plug pins are for US/Canada.A little update: I have purchased a Cambridge Audio CXA60 to pair better with rp-5000f speakers. The CXA60 comes with its own built-in DAC (Wolfson). To check if the internal DAC sounds better, have tried the cxa60 both with its digital input, and also via the NAD DAC2, both high-fi quality TIDAL files, and bad quality youtube files. Can't tell any significant difference; to me, both DACs make music more musical. If both dacs were external, and if I had to choose one of the two, I would pic the NAD for 2 reasons (1) the NAD sounds a tiny bit more open and brighter, and a tiny bit less boomy to me which I like better. (2) the NAD has a direct digital out and therefore, can also be used just as a wireless receiver for digital data; for me, this wireless capability is perfect for listening to internet radio.

I was looking for a wireless DAC to stream high quality FLAC/ALAC files from my computer to my AV to play on my B&W CM10 speakers. My computer is far away and running a long cable is impractical. I bought this NAD and a coax optical cable to meet that need. Amazing sound. Very happy with the purchase. This streams 24/96 and it makes a difference over my Apple TV which down converts everything to 16/44 regardless of the quality of the file. This will take a higher than 96 file and down convert to 96 but it does make a difference. Setup could not be easier. Plug in the power cable and the digital coax cable into the AV system. Plug the remote unit via USB to your computer. I have a MAC so no drivers needed to be downloaed. All I had to do was switch the sound to the NAD output and my high quality files just played. Best I have heard them. I can define it as the cleanest sound I have heard. Good example was some old Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell. My AAC version sounded a little hollow. Same with a 24/96 ALAC on Apple TV. On the NAD it seemed to bring it to like. Highly recommend this unit.