Macbook > Audioengine D1 > Audioengine A5
Macbook > Audioengine D1 > Grado SR225 / Audiotechnica AD700 / Sennheiser HD650
Music used : FLAC
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...
Clint Mansell - Fountain / Requiem For A Dream OST
Keith Jarrett - Koln Concert
Tool - Lateralus
Feist - Let It Die
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Sade - Greatest Hits
My frame of reference is just between the D1 and the Fiio E10.
As we all hear things differently remember these are just my personal opinions/observations.
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Audioengine recommends a 50 hour burn-in before any critical listening is done. I don't really buy into the burn-in topic when it comes to anything other than a slight change in a headphone driver but I followed suit anyways. I listened through the burn-in and the first thing that jumped out at me is the difference in bass. It sounded fuller, extended deeper and had more punch. This was definitely the case after a couple weeks when I did some back and forth testing with the E10. Massive Attack's - Angel has some very deep bass and listening through the speakers was always a satisfying listen. Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt off DJ Shadow has a drum breakdown around the 2:50 mark that is a good test for fast bass response and the D1/A5 combo handled it nicely. Tight, punchy, not muddy at all. The best part of the D1 for me was definitely how it handled/improved the low end compared to the E10.
The highs were a bit more laid back, less bright and slightly smoother. I prefer a bright sound so this wasn't a plus/minus for me. It did make it possible to listen to a louder volume for a longer listening session though so that might definitely be an advantage for users who get fatigued with a brighter sound. There was a slight increase in detail retrieval when listening through the AD700. I could hear little ticks/sounds/breaths clearer in the opening part of the Koln Concert by Keith Jarrett.
Midrange was smoother but it also was a bit darker than I like. Again as I enjoy a brighter sound there was just a bit dialed back but it was smoother so it's a fair tradeoff. If you like the Sennheiser sound as opposed to the Grado sound this might be a benefit. Vocals like Sade/Feist sounded good but I personally enjoyed the E10 a bit more when listening specifically to female vocals.
Overall sound was improved noticeably between the D1/E10 especially when focusing on the bass. Less fatiguing sound when it comes to the mids/highs which is great when it comes to long listening sessions at louder volumes or you prefer a laid back sound signature.
The headphone amp portion of the D1 handled the three headphones I put through it just fine. The Grado/AT don't need much volume to get loud so I borrowed some HD650s to test a more power hungry headphone and whereas I only needed about 25-35% to get the Grado/AT loud I needed close to 50-60% volume to get the Sennheisers at a decent enough volume to drive. I'm not a fan of the Sennheiser sound so I really only tested them to see if they could power them properly to satisfying listening volume and it does it well enough for me, although YMMV.
Audioengine priced the D1 at an interesting price point of $170. It's double the price of the Fiio offerings but close to half the price of the numerous offerings at the $300 range. It bridges the gap well and I would consider it a worthy choice over the $100 offerings. AKM4396 chip with the solid customer support of AE and a 3 year warranty is worth saving up for over something like the E10 or uDac. I had contacted NuForce about a loaner unit to directly compare them a few days before CES and as they were busy getting ready for the show they told me to contact them again after in getting one sent out. My follow up email 5 days after CES was never returned so take that how you will.
If I had known the D1 was to be released when it was and I hadn't purchased an E10 just 3 weeks prior I would have definitely picked the D1 over it. Owners of the AE speakers should definitely look into the D1 as a nice DAC upgrade with the added benefit of it acting as a pre-amp to control your volume. Very handy.
The only negatives I can point out is the slight manufacturing roughness on the front panel. I was told that the new batches have improved in the design of the rubber endcaps so this is not an issue anymore. I also noticed one of the RCA jacks became slightly loose when I would disconnect a BJC interconnect. Nothing that a socket wrench didn't fix though. As this was a loaner unit it wasn't that big of a deal.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask and also check out HeadphoneAddict's more in-depth writeup about it here to get some more opinions.
