DAC - AudioQuest Dragonfly vs. Arcam rPac vs. Audioengine D1 vs. HRT MusicStreamerII

[marcosavc]

Ok folks, I'm a college student with a budget, and after hours of online research, these are the best DACs I found. Now, I really need your help eliminating, and comparing and contrasting these, since I can't compare all four of them anywhere close to where I live. Also, I don't care about features, all I want to know is which one will produce the BEST sound. My current set up is a late 2011 MacBook Pro with its standard sound card, Channel D Pure Music iTunes plug-in, and a pair of Audioengine A2, which I will be connecting the DAC to, obviously. And yes, most of my music library is in Apple Lossless codec. HELP! Please and thank you.

 

[bikemig]

I own the HRT music streamer II and it's pretty good but I'd get the audioengine d1 if I had to choose between the ones you picked out. The added functionality of the headphone amp makes this a solid choice (it also costs a fair bit less than the arcam rpac). That said, your speakers (which are pretty good) are your weakest link and I'd seriously consider getting a good pair of headphones (maybe after buying the d1 dac).

 

[ImcLoud]

Audioengine d1... I believe there is on in the fs section...

 

[jinjuku]

I wouldn't pay $249 for that.

Get the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 for $149

Companies like Focusrite have forgotten more about audio than AQ knows about it. Plus I would be willing to bet that AQ piece is a rebadged product from another vendor.