I am looking for a cheap USB Dac (kit) for my O2 headphone amp. Depending on the size of the unit it will be either built into the O2 or just connected externally. I will connect the Dac to my Android phone and Windows PC. I won't use software volume control and the 16bit DACs are more likely to work on Android so I'm not sure if 24bit is an advantage.
Here are a few I've found:
1. Hifimediy Sabre tiny / PCM2706 , ESS9023 (16bit)
+ Small, fits in the O2
+ No drivers needed, works on Android
- Too small? (Missing a lot of components compared to the other ones)
2. Hifimediy Sabre / Sa9023//TE7022 , ESS9023 (24Bit)
+ Small, fits in the O2
- Drivers needed, does it work on android and with which USB receiver?
3.TI PCM2706 ESS Sabre ES9023 USB DAC 44 1K 48K 16 Bit | eBay
/ PCM2706 , ESS9023 (16bit)
+ perfect size, fits in the O2 like a poor man's ODAC
+ Unlike the very similar Sabre tiny, this seems to have "enough" components...
+ Same usb receiver and dac as the Sabre tiny, so it will likely work on Android
- Can't find any experiences/Has anyone tried this one?
4. GrubDAC
+ It's a kit
+ Fits in the O2
- I'm afraid of SMD soldering
- No idea if it works on Android
5. Ebay DAC 2496
+ Huge thread here on Diyaudio
- Needs external power
- Does it work on Android?
Does it need modding?
Which one would you recommend or are there some other similar DAC's I should consider? It's not easy to know if those kits on Ebay are any good...
Here are a few I've found:
1. Hifimediy Sabre tiny / PCM2706 , ESS9023 (16bit)
+ Small, fits in the O2
+ No drivers needed, works on Android
- Too small? (Missing a lot of components compared to the other ones)
2. Hifimediy Sabre / Sa9023//TE7022 , ESS9023 (24Bit)
+ Small, fits in the O2
- Drivers needed, does it work on android and with which USB receiver?
3.TI PCM2706 ESS Sabre ES9023 USB DAC 44 1K 48K 16 Bit | eBay
/ PCM2706 , ESS9023 (16bit)
+ perfect size, fits in the O2 like a poor man's ODAC
+ Unlike the very similar Sabre tiny, this seems to have "enough" components...
+ Same usb receiver and dac as the Sabre tiny, so it will likely work on Android
- Can't find any experiences/Has anyone tried this one?
4. GrubDAC
+ It's a kit
+ Fits in the O2
- I'm afraid of SMD soldering
- No idea if it works on Android
5. Ebay DAC 2496
+ Huge thread here on Diyaudio
- Needs external power
- Does it work on Android?
Does it need modding?
Which one would you recommend or are there some other similar DAC's I should consider? It's not easy to know if those kits on Ebay are any good...
Dumb question, why not just use an ODAC?
Only other i have used is the GrubDAC which is a nice little unit but not in the same league as an ODAC, Sabre or any other ESS based unit.
Only other i have used is the GrubDAC which is a nice little unit but not in the same league as an ODAC, Sabre or any other ESS based unit.
Because the ODAC is ~100€ board only, inc. shipping....
The O2 was cheap to build and I'm looking for a cheap dac to go with (in) it. I'll rather put those 100€ towards better headphones. And I'm not sure how the tenor receiver in the ODAC works with Android, which is important to me.
The Behringer UCA202 would also be an option as it doesn't need any special drivers and the line-outs seem to be fine.
I think I will just get the Sabre 9023 board from Ebay for 20€ and see what it can do. At that price, if it's not what I want, I can still just get the ODAC.
I have a UCA202. Replaced it with
HiFimeDIY Sabre USB DAC ES9023 96Khz/24bit
The Sabre is vastly superior. The small extra cost is well worth it.
HiFimeDIY Sabre USB DAC ES9023 96Khz/24bit
The Sabre is vastly superior. The small extra cost is well worth it.
Thanks. I was about to get the UCA202 but I decided to get the Sabre board from Ebay instead. I guess it will be very similar to the Hifimediy Dac except that it doesn't do 24/96. 24/96 is useless for me as I don't have such music and I don't use software volume control. The Hifimediy TE7022 doesn't work as well on Android as the PCM2706 does. The (more spacious) Ebay board seems quite good for modding/tweaking, too... 😛
I got the Ebay Sabre board today and it's looking great. Good looking soldering joints and it even came in a solid esd safe packaging. I tried it and it's truly plug&play, no drivers whatsoever needed.
BUT the (line) output is way too strong for my headphones. If I connect it to my O2 (w/o gain) I will have like 25° of useable volume control. I think I need to attentuate the signal in some way before it enters the O2. Would this have a negative effect on something and would just a simple resistor on the output of the dac be ok?
BUT the (line) output is way too strong for my headphones. If I connect it to my O2 (w/o gain) I will have like 25° of useable volume control. I think I need to attentuate the signal in some way before it enters the O2. Would this have a negative effect on something and would just a simple resistor on the output of the dac be ok?
Can you provide a link to the one you bought? If it's this one:
TI PCM2706 ESS Sabre ES9023 USB DAC 44 1K 48K 16 Bit | eBay
it's listed as no longer being sold.
TI PCM2706 ESS Sabre ES9023 USB DAC 44 1K 48K 16 Bit | eBay
it's listed as no longer being sold.
Yep, I bought the last one. The seller isn't specialized on audio stuff and I haven't seen the board anywhere else. I have no idea where they are built, maybe they are usually sold with a housing / inside some other product?
If you attenuate the signal with some resistors, giving the DAC an output of 5K or more to ground, there should be no degradation in the sound.
I listen to music mostly with headphones, and 24 bit is clearly better than 16 bit. To Paul, I recommend the 24 bit version. The extra small amount of money is well worth it.
I listen to music mostly with headphones, and 24 bit is clearly better than 16 bit. To Paul, I recommend the 24 bit version. The extra small amount of money is well worth it.
That was the simple fix I was thinking of, I will see what resistors I have and try it out. I will do line-out RCA's that are connected in front of the resistors and connect the O2 to the DAC with the resistors in between.
Yes, 24bit is technically better. Yes, you probably want a 24bit DAC if all your files are 24bit. Yes, it allows carefree volume control.
If you think it just sounds better, I think it would be better to say "it sounds" or "I perceive it as" than "it is" but that's you're choice.
How did you compare?
How would you describe the difference?
Just the facts! State your evidence.
I didn't really care about 24bit as I don't use 24bit files and I use analog volume control. (although I could use a digital one now... 🙁 ) In addition to that, the 16bit dac works perfectly on android and doesn't need any special drivers.
The extra small amount of money needed for what? The ODAC? 4-5x the price is hardly a "small amount" in this case but the ODAC is probably worth the money anyway and it's the obvious choice for the O2.
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Adding a resistor circuit on the output obviously works, but this might be an option:
While looking at the ES9023 datasheet I noticed the resistor referred to as R8.
According to the datasheet, it is used to adjust the output level and thus prevent clipping at different supply voltages.
I took a look at the board and it uses a Micrel 5205 3.3V and a 130kOhm R8 value, just like suggested on the datasheet. This apparently limits it to 1.9Vrms.
Now the real question: Could I just lower R8 to significantly reduce the output level? If yes, do I need to replace other components? (I don't think so.) What R8 value should I try? / What is realistic?
Thanks for your help!
While looking at the ES9023 datasheet I noticed the resistor referred to as R8.
According to the datasheet, it is used to adjust the output level and thus prevent clipping at different supply voltages.
I took a look at the board and it uses a Micrel 5205 3.3V and a 130kOhm R8 value, just like suggested on the datasheet. This apparently limits it to 1.9Vrms.
Now the real question: Could I just lower R8 to significantly reduce the output level? If yes, do I need to replace other components? (I don't think so.) What R8 value should I try? / What is realistic?
Thanks for your help!
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