I've been looking for a DAC/AMP to replace my really, really old Creative DDTS-30 (Google it)
The sound out of it is worse than the analogue output on the Chromecast Audio but superior to the sound from my onboard sound or the Asus DGX.
I also wanted a Toslink in and out if possible or an RCA out (line out)
My budget was kind of tight as well, around ?150 including taxes.
First I want to make this disclaimer: I'm not an audiophile, nor have I access to high-end equipment.
The HAD-1 also have RCA in and out. The USB to Optical out is bus powered, so I can use the optical out even when the amp is powered off.
Sound improvements? Compared to the CCA analogue output, slight improvement. I even tried to use the CCA as an analogue source but that was worse than using the CCA as a digital transport.
One big difference is the sound from the computer with Youtube as source. It has improved but I also can hear the difference between the Opus 251 160 Kbit compressed audio and the 256-320 kbit audio from the CCA playing the same song in Google Music, something I couldn't hear with the DDTS-30. It sounds like there is a bigger sound stage and better imaging. Less "fog" in the sound with better bass control. It is a lot harder to listen to music on Youtube with a better DAC/amp. :)
I was initially trying to get a Fulla 2 or the SMSL M3 but the in and outputs of the HAD-1 suited my use case better.
Equipment used:
Sony MDR-1a
Swissonic HAD-1 (Thomann in-house brand)
ChromeCast Audio