That one uses the pcm27XX, so, again, wouldn’t be my first choice.
I had that same board as my first dac for a diy project. To me, it sounded only slightly better than my laptop headphone output.
Seems like you are right !
So, saying no to his offer.
SO, I'm almost decided on the DAC mentioned in the first link, the XMOS U8+AK4490+NE5532
But they are charging a 20USD extra for the enclosure.
You are correct, still didn’t sound like anything better than my laptop or phone would provide however, made me feel pretty silly having gone to the trouble of assembling it into a case and everything.
I understand !One thing I saw in the AliExpress feedback page of the xmos dac is a blow up
. A guy from Russia supposedly had his dac exploded. The pic he posted felt a bit sketchy like he did some modifications to it but...who knows.Should I be worried ?
The Wolfson dac I posted about has been checked and verified by my friend. He says he's selling it because he just don't have the time to build a case for it.
He say the same thing as Abrax, pcm2704 is not that bad for digital to digital conversion.
So, I'm confused again
but I really like the quality of soldering and the general appearance of components in the xmos dac PCB.By the way, I saw this in the diyhk site. Out of my budget but seems like a well built unit.
ES9023 192kHz I2S DAC, XMOS USB input, 4uV Low Noise Regulator - DIYINHK
Here's a review of that Wolfson based dac. May be it's what convinced my friend to purchase it .
Review: Wolfson WM8740 USB DAC from China - Music Server Tips
FX-AUDIO FX-01 Mini USB DAC Audio Amplifier USB Sound Card 24bit Decoder Sampling Rate Display SA9023 PCM5102 Portable Amplifier
FX-AUDIO FX-01 Mini USB DAC Audio Amplifier USB Sound Card 24bit Decoder Sampling Rate Display SA9023 PCM5102 Portable Amplifier Sale - Banggood.com
Also, what about Fiio E10 K ?
Is it good ?
Never tried those, no room for modifications and I don’t need anything that small or portable. Try Head-Fi forum maybe for a review of that.
No free lunch really, I haven’t seen any super great, low cost DACs that run on air/usb power yet. I am pretty frugal myself, so can completely understand not wanting to spend a lot.
My dac cost overall about $200 US $ including a bunch of parts replaced over the course of a year or so to get to a point where I feel like it sounds good, add another $120 for a headphone amplifier and some work to assemble into an enclosure. That was after a few years trying things out on other devices, some more successful than others. I quickly abandoned the single rail power schemes for the output stages.
No free lunch really, I haven’t seen any super great, low cost DACs that run on air/usb power yet. I am pretty frugal myself, so can completely understand not wanting to spend a lot.
My dac cost overall about $200 US $ including a bunch of parts replaced over the course of a year or so to get to a point where I feel like it sounds good, add another $120 for a headphone amplifier and some work to assemble into an enclosure. That was after a few years trying things out on other devices, some more successful than others. I quickly abandoned the single rail power schemes for the output stages.
I agree about the no free lunch
It's just that I might leave everything behind soon for a new job. That's why I don't want to invest too much as I would surely be getting a whole new hi-fi set up.
Btw, saw some great reviews for Topping D series of dacs. Let me see if I can get it within my budget.
It's just that I might leave everything behind soon for a new job. That's why I don't want to invest too much as I would surely be getting a whole new hi-fi set up.
Btw, saw some great reviews for Topping D series of dacs. Let me see if I can get it within my budget.
A portable setup would be good then, and headphone output also, can always use it later as a preamp...
I can see why you’re looking at all those now, makes much more sense.
There have been a couple like that that have stood out over the years, but I haven’t paid a lot of attention since my setup is home bound. I recall one that used opa2604 and some other parts that looked promising as well.
I can see why you’re looking at all those now, makes much more sense.
There have been a couple like that that have stood out over the years, but I haven’t paid a lot of attention since my setup is home bound. I recall one that used opa2604 and some other parts that looked promising as well.
Exactly !
I tried ebay.com and the lowest price for Topping D10 is 78 USD, out of my budget.
BUT, there are a lot of "new" models in eBay which are not available in AliExpress.
1.Xiangsheng DA-04A SV TE7022L USB DAC Computer Converter Headphone Amplifier U | eBay
2. Mini XMOS PCM5102 32Bit 384K USB DAC TDA1308 Headphone Amplifier Sound Card | eBay
3. Mini ES9038Q2M DAC HiFi XMOS XU208 USB DAC Soundcard Headphone Out DSD256 Native | eBay
4. Mini ES9038Q2M DAC HiFi XMOS XU208 USB DAC Soundcard Headphone Out DSD256 Native | eBay
I tried ebay.com and the lowest price for Topping D10 is 78 USD, out of my budget.
BUT, there are a lot of "new" models in eBay which are not available in AliExpress.
1.Xiangsheng DA-04A SV TE7022L USB DAC Computer Converter Headphone Amplifier U | eBay
2. Mini XMOS PCM5102 32Bit 384K USB DAC TDA1308 Headphone Amplifier Sound Card | eBay
3. Mini ES9038Q2M DAC HiFi XMOS XU208 USB DAC Soundcard Headphone Out DSD256 Native | eBay
4. Mini ES9038Q2M DAC HiFi XMOS XU208 USB DAC Soundcard Headphone Out DSD256 Native | eBay
If you still can't make up your mind on a DAC then it looks like several punters on my lingDAC thread might have spare PhiDACs to sell once they've gotten bulk kits from me. This isn't going to be for at least another month though so don't go this route if you're in an extreme hurry. The PhiDAC doesn't include a headphone amp but you can pick up one of these TPA6120-based designs very cheap on Taobao : TPA6120 ???HIFI TPA6120A2????????????????-???
As I said, my soundcard, the Xonar DX is blocking the "new" cooling fan of my graphics card and need to remove it soon. Graphics card temps are hovering around 69 degrees (C) but due to the obstruction, the sound it makes is almost unbearable. Thats why I created this thread to find a temporary solution of a decent replacement for Xonar DX. I don't think I can wait for one more month.
cooling fan of my graphics card and need to remove it soon. Graphics card temps are hovering around 69 degrees (C) but due to the obstruction, the sound it makes is almost unbearable. Thats why I created this thread to find a temporary solution of a decent replacement for Xonar DX. I don't think I can wait for one more month.
Ok but what about number 2 ?
Any specific detail that you didn't like in it ?
Also, any idea on those three "gold" ish chips near those leds (in the number 2 link) ?
EDIT:
In the description of the 3rd dac, they say "OPA2132 high performance opamp from BURR-BROWN of Texus Instrument,It is very musical besides of high analysis and rich details,Also warm sound just like vacuum tube"
I don't like "warm" sound lol
I like it bright
So, can I just change the op-amp (I have some LME49XXX op-amps with me) ?
Any specific detail that you didn't like in it ?
Also, any idea on those three "gold" ish chips near those leds (in the number 2 link) ?
EDIT:
In the description of the 3rd dac, they say "OPA2132 high performance opamp from BURR-BROWN of Texus Instrument,It is very musical besides of high analysis and rich details,Also warm sound just like vacuum tube"
I don't like "warm" sound lol
I like it bright
So, can I just change the op-amp (I have some LME49XXX op-amps with me) ?
Last edited:
Cool
Also found this board at that same seller
Mini XMOS U8 32bit 384K USB DSD DAC MAX4410 Headphone Amplifier Sound Card | eBay
Is it better than the other two interms of pcb layout ?
Mini ES9038Q2M DAC HiFi XMOS XU208 USB DAC Soundcard Headphone Out DSD256 Native | eBay
This DAC has only 4 nos of electrolytic caps while the other comparable dacs have lots (like 9 or 10). Also lots of SMD components and seems like mass production friendly board overall. 12V supply.
Mini XMOS U8 32bit 384K USB DSD DAC MAX4410 Headphone Amplifier Sound Card | eBay
This one has lots of quality caps and the "latest" DSD1796 DAC chip.
5V supply.
So, if you have to choose, which one would you pick ?
Also found this board at that same seller
Mini XMOS U8 32bit 384K USB DSD DAC MAX4410 Headphone Amplifier Sound Card | eBay
Is it better than the other two interms of pcb layout ?
Mini ES9038Q2M DAC HiFi XMOS XU208 USB DAC Soundcard Headphone Out DSD256 Native | eBay
This DAC has only 4 nos of electrolytic caps while the other comparable dacs have lots (like 9 or 10). Also lots of SMD components and seems like mass production friendly board overall. 12V supply.
Mini XMOS U8 32bit 384K USB DSD DAC MAX4410 Headphone Amplifier Sound Card | eBay
This one has lots of quality caps and the "latest" DSD1796 DAC chip.
5V supply.
So, if you have to choose, which one would you pick ?
Latest DSD1796? You're kidding - datasheet dates back to 2003.
If I had to choose I'd have neither one. But if I had to choose one of the two it would be hard. #2 has much more modding potential but I'm curious about the sound of ES9038. So probably, given I'm usually driven by curiosity it would be #1.
If I had to choose I'd have neither one. But if I had to choose one of the two it would be hard. #2 has much more modding potential but I'm curious about the sound of ES9038. So probably, given I'm usually driven by curiosity it would be #1.