USB or Optical DAC for < $150

I want to DAC, but I'm not sure how to sift through the options. I have an ARM computer with usb and optical out.

As far as usb goes, I've been looking at things like the Creative X-Fi HD and the Fiio E10. There are others too. I just have no idea what to look for in them besides the input/output I need.

I just recently realized that the computer also has optical output, and maybe that would be better/cheaper. A quick search made me find the Fiio D3 for only $30.

All I need it for is good stereo sound.

Any suggestions?

The Schiit MODI looks nice. Nice plain box, simple I/O. It seems to be reviewed well too. I'm leaning towards that now.

What do you mean when you say USB support is random under Linux? As I understand it, USB audio is a standard that's widely adhered to, so any usb DAC should just work with the usb audio driver.

The Behringer UCA202, Schiit MODI, Fiio E10, Creative X-FI HD, NuForce uDAC2 should all be plug and play in Linux. I personally have the Asus Xonar U3 which is plug and play (I'm replacing it mainly because somebody decided it'd be fun to bend the usb plug back and forth, so now I can barely touch it without it turning off).

You should only need to make sure you have the usb audio driver in the kernel or loaded as a module, and specify which device to use either in the program or pulseaudio if you're going that route.

It should work on the Raspberry Pi. Like I said before, you should only need to make sure you have the usb audio driver in the kernel or loaded as a module, and specify which device to use either in the program or pulseaudio if you're going that route.

There shouldn't be any difference between between using it on a tiny ARM computer like the Raspberry Pi and a desktop/laptop, except that the distribution for the desktop/laptop is more likely to include the usb audio driver by default and have pulseaudio set up alongside a GUI for pulseaudio for selecting the output device.