[sarathcpt]

Can someone please explain the significant price difference between these 3 portable DAC/amps ?

iBasso D10 - $275
Predator - $475!
Pico - $499!

1). 2 of them(D10 & Pico) use the same WM8740 DAC chip.
2). The D10 seems to have usb,optical and coax inputs whereas the Predator & Pico seems to support only USB.
3). The form factor doesn't seem to be significantly different.
4). Opamp rolling seems to be possible in D10..don't know about the other two.

Considering these factors..I am just not able to understand the $200 difference. Is there something I am missing here..things like high quality caps/resistors in predator/pico ? Or is the Amp section significantly better? I just want to know what exactly I am paying for when I am buying something...thats my only concern.

 

[bakhtiar]

D10 = made in China

Cheap labour.

 

[htotsuka]

The difference in price is caused by Internal structure???

 

[qusp]

X2 on the Labour and parts being cheaper in china. I have heard all the DACs you mention and the D10 is better in many ways to me. the addition of coax and optical as well as the regular USB means that it is much more flexible (as well as spdif being superior to USB IMO) and if you pick yourself up an iriver you can use the dac on the go via optical. something that can only be done with usb if you have a laptop or eepeecee.

so all in all I feel that not only is it the best value, but even if it cost the same as the other 2 I would still pick it over them.

D10 also has a true AUX/Line output, so you can use with your favorite portable amp as well. not that the amp is at all lacking; just not as good or powerful as my Lisa III

save yourself the money and get the D10

 

[bakhtiar]

Actually, USB is better than SPDIF. SPDIF: Data transfer is asynchronous, but USB is isosynchronous, ie, no data loss. but, I might be wrong

Actually, D10 has 3 DACs, which handle different functions.
PCM2906 = USB interface
CS8416 = SPDIF optic/coax
WM8740 = The main DAC


References :
PCM2906 datasheet.
CS8416 datasheet
WM8740 datasheet

 

[El_Doug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bakhtiar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, USB is better than SPDIF. SPDIF: Data transfer is asynchronous, but USB is isosynchronous, ie, no data loss. but, I might be wrong Actually, D10 has 3 DACs, which handle different functions. PCM2906 = USB interface CS8416 = SPDIF optic/coax WM8740 = The main DAC References : PCM2906 datasheet. CS8416 datasheet WM8740 datasheet

you are in fact wrong

USB is CAPABLE of being isosynchronous. However the way all of these DAC's are implemented, they are using a standard spdif-like stream, without error checking of any kind.

also, the D10 only has one DAC, what you are calling the "main DAC." the other chips are receiver chips, which convert the USB or SPDIF signals into I2S signals that can be interpreted by the DAC - however, there is no analog conversion with those chips

 

[bakhtiar]

Yes, and thank for the correction

. Yes, the other two DACs just a converter from USB and digital inputs to I2S signal, and feed to WM8740 DAC.

Anyway, it is still 3 DAC chips

. but only 1 DAC is being used for analog convertion.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_Doug /img/forum/go_quote.gif you are in fact wrong USB is CAPABLE of being isosynchronous. However the way all of these DAC's are implemented, they are using a standard spdif-like stream, without error checking of any kind. also, the D10 only has one DAC, what you are calling the "main DAC." the other chips are receiver chips, which convert the USB or SPDIF signals into I2S signals that can be interpreted by the DAC - however, there is no analog conversion with those chips

X2 ya beat me to it. the man left himself wide open there. plenty of misunderstanding going on there, dont know where you got your info.

besides regardless of how you put it, optical or coax will beat USB every time to my ears. in professional aidio USB is generally avoided like the plague. with firewire or direct link being preferred and for good reason. the USB audio stream requires a customized driver to even handle anything above 16/48. the USB codec on D10 is no exception and since the D10 is a driverless dac all you can get out of it with USB is 16/48 and it has no upsampling. D10 spits out what it is given, making it highly suitable for bit-perfect audio.

 

[qusp]

yes the other 2 are capable, but having made myself a bantam dac PCM2707, I can tell you which one I prefer to do the conversion.

 

[bakhtiar]

Ok, from this nice post,
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pc...ages/7719.html

Quote:

The reality: There are NO USB audio chips that out of the box support asynchronous mode! If any one here is aware of any please let me know. I have researched the field quite thoroughly and not found any. There are a few that theoretically do support it, but their firmware has to be rewritten to support asynchronous transfer. I have been trying to do this for one of these chips for the last several months and have been running into a lot of roadblocks. Sometime in the future I hope to get it working, but for now I have to live with chips that support adaptive mode.

Thank you my friends, for helping me refreshing my digital audio knowledges. Thank you again

.

 

[DeTrun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarathcpt /img/forum/go_quote.gif iBasso D10 - $275 Predator - $475! Pico - $499! 1). All 3 of them use the same WM8740 DAC chip.

I thought the Predator uses another DAC chip. Could anyone confirm this?

 

[dazzer1975]

I am not sure anyone can confirm this but it has been heavily suggested it is'nt a wolfson dac. However, as the id on the chip is sanded off and painted over i'm unsure as to how it could be suggested as being one chip over another?

Perhaps others can chime in here.

As to op, chinese labour and parts as has been suggested, and the form factors of the amps are totally different, with the pico and predator being ultra small and d10 quite a bit larger.

 

[Cankin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bakhtiar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, and thank for the correction . Yes, the other two DACs just a converter from USB and digital inputs to I2S signal, and feed to WM8740 DAC. Anyway, it is still 3 DAC chips . but only 1 DAC is being used for analog convertion.

Do PCM2906 or CS8416 output analog signal?

 

[etys rule]

And friends, do not forget, in regard to the OP, different amp builders work off different profit margins. I highly doubt the D10 is marked up as much as it's US counterparts.

FWIW, I came across a iRiver and have a D10 on the way.

Go Team iBasso

 

[bakhtiar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cankin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do PCM2906 or CS8416 output analog signal?

No. They just a media interfaces/translators.