― Love For Music & Technology ―
DAC/AMP devices are those that have both a DAC or a digital to analogue converter inside, but also an AMP, either for headphones and portables for a stereo AMP made for speakers. They are usually great for versatility, and have better price / performance ratio compared to getting standalone AMPs, DACs and other in between devices.
You can find my reviews on DAC/AMPs below, and also the best DAC/AMPs here: https://amzn.to/3JQcUM6
Views 26,320 HIDIZS S9 PRO is a $119 USD DAC / AMP made for smartphones and portables, but which works with Windows computers, designed around the ESS 9038Q2M DAC chip, with both a Single Ended and a Balanced Output, and will be the star of today’s review. It will be …
Views 26,572 IKKo Zerda ITM02 is a $59 USD DAC/AMP with the smallest design I’ve seen so far, up to December 2022. It will be compared to other super affordable DAC/AMPs, including TempoTec Sonata Hd V (70 USD), FiiO KA1 (49 USD), Periodic Audio Rhodium (49 USD), and IKKO’s own …
Views 27,457 Shanling UP5 is a 179 USD, flagship Portable Bluetooth Amplifier / DAC, with Dual DACs, MQA decoding, and up to 240mW / 32 OHMs of power. It will be compared to other DAC/AMPs and Bluetooth Receivers, including FiiO BTR5 (110 USD), Earstudio ES100 MKII (90 USD), Questyle M15 …
Views 26,914 Tempotec Sonata HD V is a 70 USD DAC/AMP with a microUSB connector, DSD256 decoding, 2 X ESS ES9219 DAC Chips, and MQA support too. It will be compared to other entry-level DAC/AMPs, including Hiby FC4 (99 USD), IKKO Zerda ITM01 (59 USD), and Jade Audio FiiO KA1 …
Views 32,270 Dethonray SG1 Pegasus is a 400 USD Bluetooth DAC/AMPlifier, with DPPU (Desktop Plus Power Unit), support for LDAC, aptX HD, aptX LL, aptX, and a large 3000mAh battery. It will be compared to other DAC/AMPs, including iFi xDSD (400 USD), iBasso DX160 (400 USD), Palab M1 Mini (500 …
Views 26,917 Shanling UA3 is a 110 USD portable USB DAC / AMP with an AKM AK4493SEQ DAC chip and Dual Ricore RT6963 AMP Chips. With two headphone outputs, one that’s a 3.5mm Single Ended Output and one that’s a 4.4mm Balanced Output, Shanling UA3 will be compared to other …
Views 30,747 The Lotoo PAW S2 is a 279 USD portable DAC AMP with an AKM4377 DAC inside, and up to 150mW at 32 OHMs of power over the 4.4mm Balanced Output. Given the price which is higher than most dongle DAC AMPs, Lotoo PAW S2 will be compared to …
Views 25,562 SMSL C200 is 219 USD a DAC / Headphone AMP / Bluetooth Receiver with Hi-Res and DSD Playback abilities, sold and supported by Aoshida Audio, with both a 6.35mm and a 4.4mm output, Hi-Res Wireless Audio support, and with 4 x OPA 1612A OP-AMPs to support the headphone …
Views 24,602 Hiby FC4 USB DAC / AMP is priced at 99 USD, and it is a dongle with MQA support, as well as two headphone outputs, one that’s 4.4mm and balanced, and one that’s 3.5mm in size and single ended. It will be compared to other high-quality dongle DAC/AMPs …
Views 38,321 iBasso DC06 is a 119 USD Dongle DAC / AMP, with Dual ES9219C DACs, 320mW in 32 OHMs, Balanced output and support for decoding MQA as well as DSD up to 256x. It will be compared to other popular Dongle DAC/AMPs in the price range including ddHIFI TC44C …
Views 38,962 Aune X1s GT is a 349 USD DAC/AMP with LDAC Bluetooth, Balanced 4.4mm Headphone Output, and Hi-Res decoding. Given the price and design, it will be compared to the Soundaware A1X (700 USD), iFi xDSD DAC/AMP (400 USD), and Palab M1 Mini (500 USD). Introduction Aune Audio …
Views 33,372 Questyle M15 is a Dongle DAC / AMP priced at 250 USD, sporting an ES9281AC Sabre DAC Chip, with two headphone outputs, one 3.5mm SE and one 4.4mm Balanced, and with two gain levels. It will be compared with the best DAC AMPs around the price point, including …
Views 35,686 ddHiFi TC44C is a dongle or DAC / AMP priced at 119 USD at the moment of writing today’s review, and it is made for smartphones designed for IEMs and portable earphones, but with enough power for larger, harder to drive headphones too. Given the price point and …
Views 42,002 Jade Audio / FiiO KA1 is a dongle DAC / AMP priced at 49 USD, with a type-C connector, Type-A adapter included in the package, RGB status indicator, and with an ES9281AC PRO DAC Chip. It will be compared to other entry-level Dongle DAC / AMPs in the …
Views 60,731 Tempotec Sonata HD II is a mini DAC/AMP Dongle priced at 29.9 USD, with a type-C USB Port, a 3.5mm Headphone Output, and 70mW of power into 32 OHMs, making it a good option for those who don’t have a 3.5mm headphone output for their smartphones, or who …
Views 23,344 Hiby FC5 is a DAC/AMP with MQA Decoding, priced at 159 USD, and has one balanced output in the form of 4.4mm, 125MW of power per channel at 32 OHMs, a LED data rate indicator, and a type-C USB port. It will be compared to other DAC/AMPs in …
Views 22,041 Paw 1 is a complex recording interface bundle with a price tag of 800 USD, and with multiple usage scenarios. It has an embedded memory of 64 GB, which should be enough for most people, and it also has a type-C interface, it can drive headphones, and the …
Views 27,574 We have an interesting guest today, in the Tone 2 PRO, from Khadas, priced at 250 USD, and with a 4.4mm balanced headphone output, and a Class A amplifier design. It will be compared to other DAC/AMPs, and the list includes Pro-Ject Head Box DS (400 USD), iFi …
Views 42,738 Priced at 49 USD, Rhodium is one of the smallest and discreet dongle DAC/AMPs made to date, with 32Bit / 384 kHz decoding abilities. It features a fairly low power output, of 31mW, so it will be suited for usage with IEMS and portable headphones. Introduction Periodic …
Views 24,559 Ikko designed a new DAC/AMP with a pocket-friendly price point of 59 USD, under the Zerda naming. It features a high-quality decoding chip or DAC, and a magnetic detachable cable with a proprietary interface. The main competitors, given the price point, will be iBasso DC05 (69 USD), Soundmagic …
Views 52,195 We’re having a look at Shanling UA1, a dongle USB DAC priced at 45 USD, making it one of the most affordable DAC/AMPs, so today’s mini review will focus on the sound of UA1, as within this price point there are far too few competitors capable of the …
Views 60,814 iBasso comes back to the entry-level to help music lovers enjoy their passion, DC05 being a 69 USD Dongle DAC/AMP with a Dual ES9219C DAC, and capable of decoding MQA up to 16X, and 140mW output power. I will also be comparing DC05 to Spectra X2 from Maktar (200 …
Views 62,012 HIDIZS DH80 is a Dac Amp priced at 139 USD, made as a cradle for their AP80 DAC, but which can work standalone as well. It has a good amount of output power, an ESS 9281C PRO DAC, and supports MQA as well. Given the design, I will …
Views 67,016 Coming straight out of the technologized South Korea, N25 is a flagship streamer with DAC functions, and priced at 1400 USD. For this price, it features a Streaming function, network player, Roon point, and MQA decoding, along with a DAC function, so you can connect it straight to …
Views 40,409 Maktar Spectra x2 is a DAC/AMP made for smartphones, and iPhones (the model we’re reviewing today), and it features a price tag of 200 USD, placing it above, or at least in line with iFi Hip-DAC2 (150 USD), Earmen Sparrow (200 USD), and Lotoo Paw S1 (170 USD), …
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