A Comparison - Stoner Acoustics UD100 vs Hifimediy SABRE USB DAC on eBay:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HeadphoneAddict 
My Brief 1st Impressions of UD100:
This is an audible upgrade over feeding the headphone-out of my Macbook Pro into the A2 and A5 speakers with stands. The treble extension and presence is a little better with UD100 vs with the MBP alone or with my original uDAC, with a slightly bigger and less forward soundstage too. In the past I've written that the original uDAC was just a little too dark with the Audioengine speakers, and I had switched to the DACport until I got my uDAC-2 and Audioengine D1. The uD100 is a good match for these speakers.
But overall, the uDAC-2 and Audioengine D1 line-out both seem to have a little bigger soundstage than the uD100, with the DACport surpassing even those in soundstage depth and size. Still, for $50 it shouldn't sound this close to the $130-170 DACs via line-out. These all seem to have fairly comparable levels of detail (not including the original uDAC). I do not think the UD100 is in the same league as my HDP with S11 PSU. I know the S11 PSU makes the HDP sound more refined and holographic, but I can't compare things with the stock PSU right now because it's been misplaced. Based on my past comparisons of stock HDP to the uDAC-2, and knowing where uDAC-2 stands vs the uD100, I don't think I would say that the uD100 is on par with the HDP as a DAC only. Still, the UD100 is surprisingly good for the price (and size).
I do really wish that the volume could be controlled by the computer, or that it had some kind of physical volume control. Instead I have to reach behind the A2 speakers to adjust the volume, or use a Westone in-line attenuator between the DAC and the speakers, which hurts clarity slightly. Compared to my old $49 Headstage DAC cable (a PCM2706 by itself) the sound is also miles ahead. But at least the Headstage DAC cable can have the volume adjusted via the PC system volume control, and it's using the same USB receiver chip as the UD100.
I bought the same TF card reader to transplant the DAC into later, but TF reader showed up in lime-green instead of black, so it's a little more fun but less professional looking. No pics until I get this DAC installed. I'm going to try feeding the UD100 into my SR-71b balanced amp in the next few days, and try it with my LCD-2 and HE-500. More to come later (when I feel like it).
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HeadphoneAddict I forgot to mention, I bought the Hifimediy Sabre USB DAC ES9023 + Tenor TE7022, 96khz/24bit, 96/24 in that link a few days ago. I'll post something about it when it comes.
IMPRESSIONS Hifymediy SABRE USB DAC:
So, I've got about 24 hours of burn-in on the Hifimediy SABRE USB DAC from eBay, and so far I am very pleasantly pleased with it. It's definitely worth the $45 or more. While the Stoner Acoustics uD100 is great as the tiniest DAC that I've seen, this new one is a much better budget solution for directly driving headphones than the Stoner Acoustics, since the Mac's system volume will adjust the output levels (rather than having to adjust the volume within the apps). I'm using OSX 10.8.2 on a 15" retina Macbook Pro, and I set Audio MIDI setup for 24/96 and left it there.
Vs the Stoner Acoustics UD100 as a DAC-only, this Hifimediy SABRE DAC is very similar to the UD100 although just a little closer in soundstage size to the line-out from the Audioengine D1 and uDAC-2 SE. I tried it while feeding my Pico Slim amp, and my Audioengine A2 and A5 powered speakers. When driving headphones directly from the headphone out, as an amp it's a little more spacious sounding than the D1 or uDAC-2 SE built-in headphone amps.
This puts the soundstage depth and transparency (lack of coloration) somewhere between the D1/uDAC-2 SE and the DACport. Even at moderate volumes with the LCD-2 rev2 it's easy to appreciate the level of transparency and soundstage that this little DAC/amp offers. Note - I've always preferred the D1 or uDAC-2 line-out over their headphone out, which are still pleasant to use with headphones but not as impressive as their line-out capabilities.
Unfortunately it's not nearly as powerful as the Audioengine D1, uDAC-2 SE, or DACport - so when driving the LCD-2 rev2 the volume levels are just adequate but not exceptional, and there is less punch and weight or authority to the sound. The little thing just couldn't do justice to the LCD-2 like a good strong amp can. It wasn't even worth trying my less efficient HE-500.
Switching to the V-MODA M-100 is where the Hifimediy found a much better partner, since those are so easy to drive. The Hifimediy driving the M-100 seems to have a similar power output to the iPhone or iPods, and it's much more volume than anyone needs. I can listen to the M-100 with the volume set to 50-60% where the LCD-2 rev2 require increasing the volume setting to 80-100% to give similar volume levels. It's not nearly as powerful as the Pico Slim either, which is not a very powerful amp because it's really designed for IEM. Also, I suspect the output impedance is >1 ohm because the M-100 mid-bass is just a little more boomy with the Hifimediy SABRE DAC than if I drive the M-100 with the Pico Slim (<1ohm).
Fortunately, the Hifimediy is dead silent with my Westone ES5 custom IEM. And the low power output is such that it's the only amp I've tried where I can turn the volume to 100% and not blow out my ear drums with my custom IEM. I would listen to the ES5 through this DAC with the Mac's volume at 60%, same setting as what I'd use with the M-100, where 80% and above is louder than I would normally listen.
The Hifimediy SABRE DAC is a bit bigger than the UD100, but if you are toting about a laptop then the slightly bigger size isn't going to matter. It's about the size of 4 UD100 set in a rectangle pattern, or about 60% the length of a 5th gen iPod nano, the same width, and about 2x the thickness. If I set it on my Mac keyboard, it only covers the tab, caps lock, Q and A keys. It probably takes up about 1/3 of the cubic inches of the uDAC-2 SE, so it's still very small.
The short attached 4" USB cable acts nicely as a strain relief, so when using a stiff mini>RCA cable to my speakers it's not trying to twist the DAC out of the USB socket. I know you can just add a 6" USB extension to the uD100, so that's not a deal breaker. And the rim of the 3.5" mm jack is a little shiny so it's not too hard to find and plug in a headphone in very dim light.
SUMMARY: If I had to pick just one, I have to say it would be the Hifimediy SABRE USB DAC - it's more versatile due to allowing system volume control, accepts 24/96 natively, and is better when driving headphones.
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