XyriumThe 503 at a decent discount would be fantastic. Or if this was a bit cheaper, especially since it's discontinued. A drop for the UD-301 would be welcomed, too.
I'm just looking for a good balanced DAC with XLR outs that won't put me in the poor house. Already blew my budget on the iFi iCan Pro.
XyriumI've read some complains about 503, inside it looked like a bird nest and the sound improvements were questionable.
I can only speak for 501 that I have but the sound quality is excellent, warm, analog-like sound. Please read some professional reviews - they loved it.
GubaFaceI agree. Sometimes that is indeed the case of mass produced products (especially mid-fi). Fortunately, you can Google images of the inside, and though its not million-dollar-DAC/Pre-pristine, it's definitely befitting of its price range. That said, I didn't think that you could contol the outputs volume on the XLR and SE conns on the 501. If that's accurate, this is another step forward for the 503, in which you can.
GubaFaceIndeed, you can, direct from the Teac website:
"Preamp circuits now use TEAC-QVCS high-precision volume control with a four-circuit structureThe UD-503 can also be used as a preamp. One pair of XLR balanced outputs and one pair of RCA unbalanced outputs and included and can be set to either an adjustable or a fixed volume level, allowing a simple system to be put together in combination with a power amplifier or active speakers."
BTW, that volume control system is from their Esoteric brand. Talk about super high end trickle down technology. Good stuff. http://www.esoteric-usa.com/
Dec 27, 2016
N147JK
Dec 30, 2016
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XyriumYou can, but it's through the same knob that also controls the headphone volume, so it's kind of a kludge.
XyriumI love my 503. It's built like a tank and sounds great. It happily replaced my Zdac mk.2 and has held its own when compared with Meitner gear I've demoed at home. The amp section I've found to be a little dirty, though.