Canever ZeroUno DAC-HPA

[Redwingnine]

Recently stumbled across this DAC/Headphone amp. Decided to give an audition, as the price was very reasonable, especially compared to the original selling price.

To cut to the chase, I am very impressed with the sound from this. If you were to listen to this blind, not knowing what the setup was, you would think you were listening to a high end tube setup. The dynamics, detail, and natural sound from this is outstanding.

Here's the technical data:

Technical data
 The circuit of the ZeroUno DAC-HPA is based on the ESS SABRE32 ES9018S DAC chip plus a proprietary hybrid filter design and
encapsulation against external noises.
 For optimum performance the SABRE chip runs on a proprietary implementation of special developed firmware
 One motherboard is based on a four-layer PCB with extra thick copper traces to achieve ultra-short signal paths with minimal
wiring to avoid electromagnetic induction of noise and to insure perfect grounding
 Discrete power supplies built for the digital and the analogue sections using six toroidal transformers - the last generation of
ultra-low noise rectifier diodes and high quality – low noise regulators
 Audio-grade resistors and capacitors
 Comprehensive noise regulation for all digital circuits
 Jitter free operation by patented high performance algorithm
 Integrated 32 bits volume control with a residual noise below -130dB for the best performances even at very low output levels
 On board output level setup to match different sensitivity levels of the direct connects power amplifies
 Voltage-compensated, ultra-low phase noise and low jitter crystal oscillators (clock) acts as master clock
 Two separated clocks for sampling families of 44.1, 88.2, 176.4, 352.8 kHz and 48, 96, 192, 384 kHz
 DAC output stage with the shortest possible signal path based on custom made amorphous audio transformers produced by
Lundahl, with first order discrete analogue filter for the best THD and digital noise suppression
 True Class A discrete built analog output stage with zero negative global feedback
 Separately powered USB chip by a “quasi battery power supply” to avoid any distortion induced by the connected computer
(no connection to the +5V powerline of the USB cable)
 USB input based on XMOS xCore audio chip with bit perfect transfer for 16bit, 24bit or 32bit data in PCM format up to 384
kHz, including support for native DSD/DoP and MQA.
 4 Digital-Inputs: 1x USB 2.0; 1x true S/PDIF 75 Ohm BNC or true AES/EBU 110Ohm XLR; 1x S/PDIF RCA; 1x S/PDIF optical
 USB input compatible with following audio formats via PC and MAC:
- PCM: 44.1; 48; 88.2; 96; 176.4; 192; 352.8 and 384 kHz up to 32 bits
- DSD (DoP): 2.822 MHz / DSD64, 3.072 MHz, 5.644 MHz / DSD128
- MQA all formats
 SPDIF inputs (AES/EBU, BNC, RCA) compatible with PCM signals from 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz, up to 24 bits. The
optical input accepts music files with a resolution up to 24/96 kHz
 LCD Display with variable brightness and letter size for better reading from listening position
 Infrared remote control with direct function keys for volume, balance, absolute polarity, mute and input channel
 No drivers required for LINUX or MAC OSx
USB Audio 2.0 driver available for Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10
 Gain = 26dB (x20);
 Zout < 1 ohm;
 Vo max = ±17V (24dBu)
 Pre-gain between 0dB to +24dB in step of 1dB
 Pout = 2.5Wrms onto 30ohm
 Headphone load within 30 to 600 ohm
 Power amplifier input impedance ≥ 600ohm
 Distortion with 1KHz, 1Vrms, into 30ohm load: 2nd harmonic below -102db; 3rd harmonic below -100dB
4th harmonic below -125dB; 5th harmonic below -120dB
The Specifications

There was not al of reviews on this model. I did fine one review from Six Moons:
https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/canever/

The build quality convinced me to audition one. The price was right, so gave it a go. Very satisfied with the overall performance. This unit has taught me that there is a lot more to digital audio playback besides the DAC flavor of the month. I was hesitant to try this at first, mostly because of the 9018 chip. Turns out the 9018 chip can sound great, provided the design around it supports the overall playback. The built in headphone amp is also very high quality, and can drive most headphones very well. It's not a forgiving playback chain. If the recording quality is poor, it will expose that. However, with high quality recordings, the ZeroUno will reward the listener with great sound and enjoyment.

The USB input sounds exemplary when using foobar 2000 and RGGB-RT at 352/385 KHz.

So many good options out there .

 

[Redwingnine]

So, I've been listening to this for awhile now, and the more I use, the more impressive it sounds. The design really intrigued me. Between using Lundhal transformers, overbuilt power supplies, custom DAC filtering, and ultra linear amp stages, I knew I had to audition one. It's hard to describe sonically, but the lack of any extra non-linear harmonics is noticeable.

The best way to describe it is a total lack of any distortion characteristics. It's something a listener doesn't realize is there until it isn't. Distortion characteristics I thought were part of the recording were actually with the playback chain. We're talking very low levels, but, the absence of it jumps out with this setup, especially with TOTL headphones.