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DAC or Digital To Analogue converter is a class of device that does just this – converts the data from the digital domain, or files, to the analogue domain, or variations of voltage and power that a transducer or IEM / Headphone can further convert to sonic waves.
You can find my reviews on DACs below, and also the best DACs here: https://amzn.to/3r3NuCj
Views 16,131 Rose Technics RT-5000 is a $699 USD Desktop DAC and Headphone Amplifier by ROSESELSA with a wooden face, golden accents, High-End Dual ESS9038PRO DACs inside, and 10 Texas Instruments Amplifier Chips inside. Today we will review the RT5000 and compare it with other similarly priced DAC/AMPs, including Burson …
Views 32,529 Shanling EH1 is a $219 USD Entry-Level DAC / Headphone AMP designed for desktop usage, with a Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC at the heart, and up to 1015mW at 32 OHMs of driving power, and with a 4.4mm headphone output too. Today we will review the EH1 and …
Views 33,472 FiiO BTR17 is a $199 USD portable Bluetooth DAC, Headphone Amplifier that can be used as a desktop DAC/AMP, wired and wireless, and which has both a single ended and a balanced headphone output. With a flagship Dual DAC ES9096Q and a maximum driving power of 650mW x2 …
Views 30,830 Fosi Audio MC351 is a $202 USD (for the variant we’re testing with the 32V Power Supply) DAC, Integrated Headphone Amplifier, with a VU Meter, Bluetooth Receiver, and it has a 2.1 Channels configuration, including both speaker outputs and an output for both a different pair of active …
Views 36,296 Fosi Audio ZD3 is a $219 USD desktop DAC with a high performance ES9039Q2M DAC at the heart, XLR output, Trigger input and output, and which also allows Tube Rolling. Toda we will study the sound and design of the ZD3, how it works in multiple sonic systems, …
Views 37,119 With the winter holidays drawing us closer to each other and to our families, it is time to be grateful that we survived another year, that we got to listen to so much excellent music, to meet so many new awesome people, and to explore this wonderful hobby …
Views 28,595 Creative Sound Blaster G8 is a $149 USD desktop DAC / AMP with a Dual DAC inside, Hi-Res decoding support, and Proprietary XAMP dedicated amplifier. Today we will review the G8 and explore how it works, how it sounds like and if it would make a good purchase …
Views 36,917 SMSL B200 is a $85 USD Bluetooth Receiver and DAC, with a very rectangular design, and a 2.33″ display at the front. Today we will explore the B200, what it is, how it works, and how it sounds. Introduction SMSL is one of the most popular Chifi …
Views 31,823 Loxjie A40 is a $255 USD entry-level Integrated Power Amplifier with a huge driving power per channel, HDMI ARC input, USB input, Aux Input, Phono input, and with both a Speaker Output and a Headphone Output. Today we will explore the diverse and boundless world of the A40 …
Views 55,532 HIFIMAN EF500 is a $459 USD Desktop Headphone Amplifier, DAC, Streamer based on the novel Hymalaya R2R DACs developed by HIFIMAN, known to surpass the venerable PCM1704K. Today we will review the EF500 and also compare it with other DAC/AMPs including HIFIMAN EF499 (299 USD), Burson PlayMate2 (544 …
Views 78,420 HIFIMAN EF499 is a $299 USD Entry-Level R-2R DAC / Headphone Amplifier, with a powerful 4.35 W headphone output, and a full-black, vertical design. Given the price point, and the quality of the unit, we will also compare the EF499 with other similarly priced DAC / AMPs, including …
Views 25,234 NeoHipo DC10 is a $79 USD desktop DAC with a USB, Optical and Coaxial input, and an RCA Line out, here to give you a clean and crisp sound. Today we will review the DC10 and explore whether it is worth integrating in your stereo system. Introduction …
Views 44,823 Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 is a $350 USD PCIe Internal Sound Card with an external console controller, a full audio kit designed to be your DAC/AMP with a rich selection of software features, as well as lots of driving power, Xamp, BiAMP, Line Out, and many more features …
Views 31,720 SMSL PS200 is a $89 USD Multi Function Audio Converter with Bluetooth 5.0 input, DSD512 Support, MQA-CD support, and with an ES9039Q2M DAC at the heart for decoding the input signals. With all the signals going through the XMOS Xu316 popular USB interface, today we will review the …
Views 56,474 Musician Pegasus II is an R2R $1099 USD DAC sold and fulfilled by Aoshida, and produced by Musician. Today we will review and explore the Pegasus II and compare it to other high-end flagship DACs, including Dethonray Listening M1 (2599 USD), Denafrips Ares II R2R DAC (800 USD), …
Views 45,357 KAEI TAP-1 DACs is a $329 USD DAC / Headphone Amplifier, with Dual CS43131 DACs inside, a Tube Preamplifier stage, and a solid state amplifier stage with modular OP-AMPs, that allow you to fine tune and change the sound. The unit can come in multiple variations, with DACs …
Views 56,915 FiiO SP3 BT is a $349 USD pair of Hifi Speakers made for desktop nearfield monitoring, with 80W of Power, a 3.5″ Carbon Fibre Midrange driver and an 1″ Silk Tweeter. Today we will review the SP3 BT and compare them to other speakers and audio solutions that …
Views 88,753 iBasso D16 is a $1499 USD Digital to Analog Converter and Super Class A Headphone Amplifier, designed as a portable unit, with what I consider to be the most unique DAC tech we have seen this year. I am talking about 1Bit DACs, with 16 sets of cascaded …
Views 33,479 FiiO K11 R2R is a $169 USD DAC and Headphone Amplifier with an R2R or RRR DAC inside, lots of driving power, and as we will explore today, a very colorful, dynamic and punchy sound, not necessarily characteristic of R2R, but enjoyable and fun nonetheless. Instead of the …
Views 68,312 ECdesigns PowerDAC-SX is a 3450 EURO / $3700 USD DAC which can directly drive speakers, and balanced headphones without using any amplifiers. It comes with a remote, and it is one of the most interesting and unique stereo sound reproduction solutions in the whole world. Today we will …
Views 35,768 Topping D50 III is a $229 USD HIFI DAC with a beautiful silver metallic case, Bluetooth input, TRS Balanced outputs, and RCA Single Ended outputs, with a mini display, and with High Resolution support. Today we will explore how the new D50 III sounds like, and how it …
Views 45,752 iFi Zen DAC 3 is a $229 USD DAC / AMP designed by iFi Audio, with a Balanced headphone output, a single ended headphone output, and it is the latest variant in their lineup of affordable and freshly designed DACs. Today we will review the Zen DAC 3 …
Views 46,950 SMSL DO200 PRO is a $399 USD DAC or Digital To Analog Converter sold by Aoshida Audio, with PRE Function, and 12 DAC chips inside working together to bring you a whole new type of sound and tuning for the price point it carries. Today we will review …
Views 61,313 Burson Playmate 2 is a $544 USD DAC / Headphone Amplifier, with a huge driving power for headphones, and a full metallic chassis, but also with modular OP-AMPs for you to tune and sound and enjoy it in your own favorite flavor. Today we will review the PlayMate …
Views 33,179 Shanling H2 is a $169 USD DAC/AMP with a warm and smooth sound, following the same flask design that we’ve seen with other DAC/AMPs, to which we will compare the H2, including Shanling h5 (369 USD), iFi Hip-DAC2 (190 USD), and Questyle M15 (250 USD). Introduction Shanling …
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