[Joong]

There is definitely a problem in the high mids. The violon and horns sound nasal. My ears are tired after half an hour of listening to this interface even at low volumes. I don't have that sensation when I use my Apogee Duet 2 or plug my CD player directly in the amp.

Crazy amounts of details & wide sound stage doesn't compensate the tiring sound.

(I've used USB, Toslink & Coaxial for my tests.)

Your ears are highly developed to detect those nuances.
I didn't sense those things when I used only USB input.

My unit (very early production) has some sound delay with USB input.
It's quite annoying...
With Toslink & Coaxial input there is no delay of sound?

 

[crabdog]

Your ears are highly developed to detect those nuances.
I didn't sense those things when I used only USB input.

My unit (very early production) has some sound delay with USB input.
It's quite annoying...
With Toslink & Coaxial input there is no delay of sound?

Yes, the delay only occurs with USB. IMO that is unacceptable for the current times. I have never experienced such a delay in a DAC, even the cheap ones.

 

[Joong]

Yes, the delay only occurs with USB. IMO that is unacceptable for the current times. I have never experienced such a delay in a DAC, even the cheap ones.

Topping D10 can be a solution?
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/TOPPING-D10...h=item520972ff55:g:J1YAAOSw5IFa69rw:rk:1:pf:0
They might be used as a DDC
Or I might wait for Topping DX3 pro.

 

[crabdog]

Topping D10 can be a solution?
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/TOPPING-D10...h=item520972ff55:g:J1YAAOSw5IFa69rw:rk:1:pf:0
They might be used as a DDC
Or I might wait for Topping DX3 pro.

I guess you could do it that way. If the return window for your X7 has expired that might be your best option. If it were me, however, I would go with the DX3 Pro. It should be available any time now.

 

[Solurano]

My unit (very early production) has some sound delay with USB input.
It's quite annoying...
With Toslink & Coaxial input there is no delay of sound?

Yes, the delay only occurs with USB. IMO that is unacceptable for the current times. I have never experienced such a delay in a DAC, even the cheap ones.

There's no delay in my new unit with the USB input.I had the delay issue in my "old" unit.I dont know if FX-AUDIO has fixed the problem or it's just a lucky shot.

 

[crabdog]

There's no delay in my new unit with the USB input.I had the delay issue in my "old" unit.I dont know if FX-AUDIO has fixed the problem or it's just a lucky shot.

That's interesting. Did you send the "old" one back? Are you using Windows 10 and did you install drivers or use the default Windows ones (or are you a Mac/Linux user?)

 

[Solurano]

That's interesting. Did you send the "old" one back? Are you using Windows 10 and did you install drivers or use the default Windows ones (or are you a Mac/Linux user?)

My "old" unit was faulty, the USB input broke, and I sent it back to the shop (in France...) as it was under warranty.They sent me back a new unit.
I've checked it with several drivers,W10.

 

[crabdog]

My "old" unit was faulty, the USB input broke, and I sent it back to the shop (in France...) as it was under warranty.They sent me back a new unit.
I've checked it with several drivers,W10.

Sorry, I forgot it was you who had the broken USB input. Great news about getting a working replacement. Thanks for the info!

 

[daftcombo]

Still listening to this unit plugged via Toslink on my CD player. Tiring but detailled listening. My main concern is with horns, which doesn't sound natural to me. On my laptop, I'll stick with my Apogee Duet 2.

Has anyone tried to compare this DAC X7 with other Chinese DACs, like the Topping DX7 or the Gustard X20?
(It is clearly better than the DAC part of the Topping D10).

Thanks.

 

[Solurano]

There's no delay in my new unit with the USB input.I had the delay issue in my "old" unit.I dont know if FX-AUDIO has fixed the problem or it's just a lucky shot.

Yet another issue concerning the delay.My new unit seems to mute (I hear a pop as the DAC recieves/cut signal from the PC) when not playing anything, and when you start playing something again there is a tenth of a second delay untill DAC wakes up.It's not the two seconds delay but still a bit annoying.Once awake there's no delay at all and you can switch between files, albums, DSD with no problem.

 

[crabdog]

Yet ahother issue concerning the delay.My new unit seems to mute (I hear a pop as the DAC recieves/cut signal from the PC) when not playing anything, and when you start playing something again there is a tenth of a second delay untill DAC wakes up.It's not the two seconds delay but still a bit annoying.Once awake there's no delay at all and you can switch between files, albums, DSD with no problem.

That is frustrating but something I could live with, as it's obviously some type of power saving feature. The other delay that some units have when awake is unacceptable.

@daftcombo I did compare them and was not happy with what I heard. It was the same as you describe yours to be i.e. massive bass falloff that resulted in a detailed but fatiguing sound. I was told I had a defective unit and am currently waiting on a replacement. Maybe you have a similar issue.

 

[Solurano]

I don't think you have a defective unit, crabdog.Missing bass is part of the "trickery"...
Even though its DAC section is remarkable IMO.
I'm going to make a direct comparison with an AudioGD R2R, shortly, but I do not think it's necessary to convince myself of that.I already know there's a bass miss...

 

[daftcombo]

@crabdog
On your graph, what are the grey & green curves for?
Is the green one the frequency response of the DAC X7? Where did you find that, or how did you measure it?

+3,25dB between 100Hz and 1kHz is not so bad and could be corrected with EQ (in RePhase or so). Would be worth a try.

Anyway, -3.25dB to -1dB (compared to 1Khz) among the range 100Hz-300Hz would be a good explaination of why male voices are so quiet and in the background.

 

[daftcombo]

Wait, I just woke up: that frequency response curve is just impossible, at least with my unit:

Last week I measured the frequency response of my speakers through DAC X7 and my Apogee Duet 2 with a Behringer ECM8000 and REW.
Both curves were exactly the same, except a small +0.05dB difference for the Duet around 3Khz.

Here is a frequency response curve of the Duet 2 found on another forum:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/att...ps-means-audio-diffmaker-duet_vs_babyface.jpg
(green curve)

There was no roll off in the bass department.

This curve shown here is definitely of a faulty unit! Or maybe the USB of the DAC X7 (if that curve was made with a USB connection) is a lot worse than coaxial? Was ASIO used?

 

[trtmrt]

Hello everyone, I just got fx DAC-7, but I was wondering if I can expect improved sound with the passage of time?