INTRO
Computer audio seems to be one of the fastest growing segments of the audiophile scene. I’ve noticed a huge increase in the number of USB only DACs on the market, and many conventional DACs are incorporating USB inputs as well. I see this as a good thing since computers are practically ubiquitous in our society; most people are not in a position to buy a mid to high end CD player, but almost everyone has a computer at home. With the help of a decent USB DAC, any reasonably powerful computer can be made into an excellent music transport. Of course, some computer soundcards do feature coaxial or optical digital outputs, so they could be used with a regular DAC, but a USB DAC guarantees compatibility with any computer. USB also simplifies connectivity by negating the need for an external power supply, which allows for a very transportable system using a laptop or even a netbook. A simple USB DAC can be a great foundation for a budget audiophile setup.
One name that frequently comes up when discussing budget USB DACs is Hot Audio. They have been around for a long time, selling mostly low priced DACs and portable amps. A few of their models have featured other types of inputs, but most DACs are primarily USB oriented. Many people have gotten their first taste of good sound through a Hot Audio product.
Hot Audio is basically a one man show. The proprietor is a longtime audio enthusiast who designs and hand builds all of his products himself. I’ve seen him mention that he never set out to be known as someone who makes extremely cheap products, but it just ended up that way. I don’t see any shame in focusing on that segment of the market; if nobody did, then many enthusiasts on a tight budget would be left out. Still, I see signs that Hot Audio is trying to market more mid priced higher end products.
One of those products is the Hot Audio DAC Extasy. I recently picked one up and liked it so much that I decided to write this review. I try out a lot of gear just for fun, and generally only write a review if it is something I find to be worthwhile, which is definitely the case with this DAC. The DAC Extasy sells for $140 shipped, which is still a very low price in the grand scheme of things, but a bit higher than some of the entry level Hot Audio DACs. I have not heard any of those so I can’t compare them.
DESIGN
The DAC Extasy is a basic USB only DAC. It is powered by the USB bus, and has a single pair of RCA outputs. It also features a 1/8” headphone jack for direct monitoring. There is a red light indicating power and another red light indicating “no signal”, which turns off once you get music going. It really couldn’t be much simpler. The unit is plug and play with no drivers required.
The DAC chip used is a Wolfson WM8501. Many people have heard this chip in the well regarded gamma1 DAC from AMB Labs. The chip specs are not as good as higher end models like the WM8740, but as we know specs don’t always tell the entire story. This all in one type chip has a built-in output stage with digital and analog filtering, so the direct signal can be listened to via the 1/8” jack without need of filtration or amplification. The only issue with that is that obviously volume needs to be controlled, and in this case it must be done through software volume control which is not ideal. On the plus side, this really simplifies the design, as there is no need to add op-amps for filtering or buffering.
The USB signal is accepted by a Burr Brown PCM2705, and then sent to a Burr Brown DIR9001 digital audio receiver. From there it goes straight to the DAC chip. All capacitors are either Rubycon ZL or Nichicon FW. Add in a precision system clock, LED lights, and all the connection ports, and that’s pretty much the entire device. As I said, it is a very simple and straightforward.
It accepts signals up to 16-bit/48kHz which is pretty standard for a DAC of this price. In theory I don’t like having to downsample hi-res material. But in practice the difference between 16/48 and 24/96 requires fairly high end gear to really appreciate, which is generally outside of the target market for this DAC. Considering the fact that the vast majority of recorded music is in standard CD quality it is not a huge loss.
Nichicon and Rubycon caps
From left to right: Wolfson WM8501, BB DIR9001, BB PCM2705
BUILD QUALITY
The DAC Extasy is a simple small aluminum box with a USB port on one side and RCA connections on the other. There really isn’t much to it. There is no off switch as power is always applied when a USB cable is attached. Build quality is suitably rugged and it feels solid in your hand. Since it has cables going in to both sides, it seems designed to be tucked away during use much like a Musical Fidelity V-DAC. There is no presentable front section, and indeed there is not even a single word or logo on the device at all. I actually rather like the stealth look of it. The only potential problem I see would be when trying to tell the difference between this and other DACs from Hot Audio. Some use the very same case, and the only external difference appears to be the configuration of ports and lights. This would only really be a problem when buying one on the used market, and a quick glance at www.HotAudio.com would be enough to settle the question. It also has printing on the PCB inside indicating it is a DAC Extasy model.
The only other thing to keep in mind is that this is a hand built product. As such, it arrived with a few very minor smudges and practically invisible imperfections. It is nothing worse than what would accumulate after about a week of normal use, but it is worth mentioning. I was tried getting pictures but the issue is too minor and doesn’t show up.
TEST GEAR
I tested the DAC Extasy using a Dell Mini netbook as a music server. It has no moving parts, using a fanless passive CPU cooler and a 64GB Solid State hard drive. I run Foobar in WASAPI mode and the OS is Windows 7. I used the DAC Extasy with a variety of headphone amps including the Matrix M-Stage, Maverick Audio TubeMagic A1, Musical Fidelity V-CAN, and Darkvoice 337SE. I listened through a Sennheiser HD600, LiveWires Trips, Grado RS-1, JVC RX-700, Koss Portapro, and Ultimate Ears Super Fi 3. Comparisons to other budget DACs were done, including the HRT Music Streamer+, Audinst HUD-mx1, Sigtone Shek D1, and Musical Fidelity V-DAC. I used all types of music, all lossless FLAC files. Most were 16/44.1 CD quality but I did try a few downconverted hi-res files as well.
The DAC Extasy nearly disappears in an equipment rack
LISTENING
The DAC Extasy is an immediately likable DAC. If anyone read my recent review of the Maverick Audio TubeMagic A1, you can basically apply everything I said about that product to this product. In fact, those two play very well together and make for an excellent match. For those who haven’t read that review, it basically described a warm, smooth sound with a slightly cool top end and excellent bass response. Obviously the fact that this is a DAC means that it is more subtle of an effect than that caused by the A1, but the similarity is definitely there.
I don’t know that it is quite accurate to say this DAC has a boosted low end, but that was definitely my first impression. Upon further listening I’ve decided that this is due to the high quality of the bass and the slight recess of the top end. Your focus is just drawn to the low frequencies due to their excellent extension and clarity. This is what people seem to mean when they describe something as “danceable” or having great “PRaT”. I dislike those words but I get the point of what is being said, and this DAC does have that quality.
The low frequency performance was surprisingly good for the price.
Mids are fairly detailed and come out nicely without any midbass bleeding over. I kept listening for the dreaded “honk” to show up since the bass is so powerful, but things seemed pretty well controlled. Clarity and resolution are good, although in absolute terms there is a slight haze or fuzziness. That’s compared to DACs costing much more than this humble unit, and for the price I’m very pleased with what it has to offer. The result is that some less than perfect recordings end up being more listenable than they would with a more revealing DAC. The downside is that you don’t quite get a pure vision into the music, but sort of view it through a window with a slight film on it. It is still pretty clear but not transparent.
Highs are generally good as well. They extend reasonably high and are free from grain and harshness. There is a smooth roll off to the very highest frequencies, which means that you don’t get all of the airiness that you would with a higher end DAC. Cymbals for example “sound” fairly real but don’t exactly “feel” real, if that makes sense. It sounds like listening to good music being played by equipment, rather than actual live music. I might be making this sound like more of a problem than it really is. Rest assured this DAC sounds quite good, and the deficiency that I am reporting is something that can plague even much more expensive DACs as well.
Soundstage is quite nice. It seems more focused on accuracy than expansiveness, but is still decently wide. I found it more believable when listening to something like a smaller jazz ensemble than a large orchestra, but it still did the job reasonably well.
So far I’ve been discussing use as a normal DAC- sending the signal out through RCA cables to an external amp. But with the Extasy, you can also plug right in and monitor directly through the 1/8” jack. It actually sounds surprisingly good. The sound signature is the same as I mentioned above, and is quite clean. Volume must be adjusted from within your playback software, and there is plenty of power available. A setting of about 70% was as loud as I could handle. I read somewhere that Hot Audio does not suggest using this output with IEMs. I tried anyway, and it actually works fine, but the volume has to be set extremely low. I think 15% was the maximum I could tolerate. This means that you have a very small range for volume adjustment. Still, it would work in a pinch, and does a good job with a silent background and the same warm punchy sound.
Overall the amp function is better than I thought it would be, and sounds like an amp that would cost at least $100 or so if sold on its own.
COMPARISONS
When upgrading from standard on-board audio, the Extasy is a nice step up. My Dell Mini doesn’t have the worst built in audio I’ve ever heard, but it certainly is close. It is noisy, has compressed dynamics, muddled soundstage, and really lops off frequency response at both ends. The Extasy gives a big improvement in all of those areas. My home PC has an M-Audio 2496 soundcard which is fairly decent, but still not in the same league as the USB DAC, which beats it with a lower noise floor and more clarity. There are some higher end sound cards out there that might be able to compete with the Extasy, such as the models from Asus, but I haven’t heard them so I can’t really compare. The prices on those are generally higher than the Extasy so I don’t know if they are direct competitors anyway.
So I’ve established that the Hot Audio product is superior to some low to mid priced PC audio solutions. That’s to be expected from a dedicated piece of hardware like this. The real test is when comparing it to other USB DACs on the market. When doing so, I found that it was quite competitive for the price.
Sigtone Shek D1: This is a NOS DAC that cost roughly double what the Extasy costs. The general sound signature is fairly similar, but the Extasy has it beat in overall balance. The bass seems more full but a bit less clean on the D1, and the highs are more intrusively rolled off. The D1 does have a certain “naturalness” of tone that is unmatched by the Extasy, but overall the Hot Audio product is slightly better. Keep in mind that the Shek does not have USB input, so I had to feed it through the coaxial input.
HRT Music Streamer+: This DAC is clearly a direct competitor to the Extasy. They both sound good overall, and both have a very black background. The HRT seems a bit thinner though, with a slight rolloff in the sub bass region, and at times it seemed somewhat bright for my taste. That was surprising because I had never noticed it before, but in direct comparison it was obvious. The Hot Audio product was a clear winner here, and at half the price.
Audinst HUD-mx1: This has become my favorite low priced USB DAC, and I highly recommend it. It is kind of tough to compare to the Extasy because they have a different sound signature. The Audinst has sort of a reference sound, very balanced and transparent. The Extasy is smoother and fuller sounding, possibly artificially so. This could be better or worse depending on your setup and preferences. For me, the Audinst remains the favorite, but I see how the Extasy would benefit certain headphones. The Extasy is also $40 cheaper, which is a significant difference at this price level.
Musical Fidelity V-DAC: I’m borrowing this, along with the matching V-CAN amp and V-PSU power supply. I’m impressed with the way it sounds, and I feel it offers a very strong value for the price, especially considering that it is from a well known audio company. The price is more than double that of the Hot Audio DAC but there are plenty more features to make up for that, and the sound is of a higher caliber as well. They actually have a somewhat similar presentation, with the V-DAC having a bit more detail in the mids and a lot more air and realism in the highs. The more expensive product is definitely the winner here, but the flavor is similar enough that I would recommend the V-DAC as the next logical upgrade for someone who owns and likes the DAC Extasy.
CONCLUSION
If it sounds like I am not thrilled with the Hot Audio DAC Extasy, I apologize. I do like it a lot; in fact this is the cheapest stand alone DAC that I like enough to recommend. It has excellent bass, good mids, smooth highs, and a respectable soundstage. It is also a very forgiving DAC, which is probably for the best considering the caliber of equipment it would likely be paired with.
While it might not be the most prestigious name in the audio world, Hot Audio has been a pleasure to deal with. They stand behind their products 100%, with a 1 year warranty for the very unlikely event that an issue arises. Since each unit is hand made and tested before shipping, that probably would not happen, but it is nice to know just in case. Perhaps best of all, there is a 30 day money back guarantee. If you try this or any other Hot Audio product, and don’t like it, you can return it for a full refund minus $10 for shipping. That makes it virtually risk free to try. In my case, I’m keeping the DAC Extasy. It sounds great and stacks up well against some tough competitors.
The only potential issue I see here is that the market is so packed full with excellent products. Increase your budget by $40, and you can get the Audinst HUD-mx1 which is probably a better all around product. But you have to draw the line somewhere; you could keep increasing your budget in small amounts until you are in the thousands of dollars, each time netting a justifiable improvement. Or you can pick a budget and find a good product that fits within that budget. If your budget caps out at $150 or less, the Hot Audio DAC Extasy is a very good choice.
The size is so small, it would be easy to hide
USB works with no special drivers, which means it should work on almost any system. It appears as "USB Audio DAC" and works fine with WASAPI, Kernel Streaming, and ASIO without issue.
Edited by project86 - 9/30/10 at 8:44am
