[pageman99]

I received my SDAC about a week ago and have been listening quite a bit. It's not fully burned in yet imo, but it's close enough to post some impressions.
 
It's smoother than the BDP105 in the top end but not by a large amount, it can still be a little strident at loud volumes. The mids and mid bass are definitely richer. In exchange, the leading edges of the notes aren't quite as defined as I would like. Is this good or bad? Will it improve with more burn in? I don't know yet, but the overall sound now is quite pleasing. It is no where near as analytical as my Light Harmonics Geek Pulse and is somewhat more musical. In summary, I'd say it's a pleasant sounding dac well worth the money in its price range, with networking and the app an additional bonus. 
 
The software for the app, is in my opinion, just ok. It works but is very simplistic. So I simply use JRiver as my control app with no problems. I'm running a wired network with both my HP laptop with SSD and my Melco HA N1 as sources. They both sound fine, but I'm curious to try a USB External SSD. I have an External USB drive but it doesn't work. Another site says this is because the SDAC only supports FAT32 and not NTFS file systems. Dunno if this is true without more testing. I'll need to reformat one of the drives I have laying around to find out.
 
Overall, I'd say the SDAC is worth its asking price. Will I keep it? I don't know, as I have many similar sounding items in my setups. 
 
Melco>Light Harmonics Geek Pulse>Violectric V281>HiFiMan HE560 or HE1000 or Senn 650's all fully balanced.
 
BDP105 or Melco>DK Reference VS1 Mk2>PSB Synchrony Ones
 
HPSpectre 13 w/SSD>Pioneer SC-72>Elac Uni-Fi UF5-PSB Synchrony One Center and Sony 155h surrounds-SVS B2000 sub.
 
My systems are pretty resolving for what they are, my feeling at this point is that to take the next step, I'd have to move up the ladder quite a bit to get substantial improvements. I suppose an Aurender A10 would do it, but it's $5500 and I don't know if it would be worth it, at least until MQA becomes more widely available.

 

[thyname]

For sale here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/840597/oppo-sonica-dac-sdac-3-like-new-for-trade-or-sale

 

[bestcoast127]

As promised... I spent 3 hours last night and two hours this morning with my new Sonica. Full disclosure, I am an ex-sonar tech on submarines. I have extensive schooling and field experience working with sound, sound propagation, and electronics. But I’m not a studio engineer so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
 
Yamaha WXC-50 vs Sonica DAC
 
My first listen I just set it up and let her rip. No AB testing just listening to songs I have listened to a lot recently.
 
Feist – Undiscovered First(16b/44kHz): Harsh, gobs of sibilance, overly critical and headache inducing in bypass mode. In pre-mode it’s WAY tamed down. Definitely a little loss of detail but more bearable (musical?). Soundstage and dynamics don’t change much at all. Just sounds tempered…
 
Leo Moracchioli – Various Metal Songs(16b/44kHz): I like Leo because he changes his guitars nearly every song he does. And he is hyper accurate for a musician. The Sonica really excelled with all of Leo’s works.
 
Caro Emerald – That Man(16b/44kHz): Bass was brought up and tightened up. Her voice was thinned out some on bypass so back to variable volume! Much better… tamed the highs WAY down.
 
Skylar Grey – Wreak Havoc (16b/44kHz): This is highly engineered music and man the ES9038 is so resolving! I am in pre-mode so it’s leashed. Time for full bypass. Wow…  Like femtosecond level accuracy you can hear. Uber crisp. Stereo separation is fantastic! Like hearing thunder live vs hearing it on a record. Even with my Woo Audio WA2 and upgraded tubes it’s too much. Perhaps some more forgiving tubes will help? FYI: 7236 power tubes matched, and Amperex white label 6922 matched, EZ80 British rectifiers - Haltron labeled matched. I honestly think these tubes work better with lower quality gear. Like adding 4 quarts of octane booster to your Ford Escort.
 
The Police – Mother (24b/96kHz): Psycho-carnival Sting (Edit - Andy Summers! Thanks frahengo!) at his best! Love how this DAC takes the song by the balls and dissects it…  makes it sound like it was remastered yesterday. The effects on his vocals have never sounded so good! Could it be because I entered 24bit music territory?
 
Olivia Foa’I – Tulou Tagaloa (24b/96kHz): Yup from Moana. Holy smokes this sounded the best I have ever heard it! The DAC manages to turn her voice into an orchestra of tones! Crazy good job.
 
Overwatch PC – Audio Maxed: Don’t let this fool you. Gaming audio is crazy technical! Found the bypass mode was too heavy in the highs but heard detail I never heard before. Pre-mode was perfect. Sound placement was pinpoint accurate and everything had more heft. A very large upgrade from the Yamaha.
 
AB Testing
 
Toslink from PC is a tiny bit clearer than the USB stick in the back on all four songs I tried. Same result when comparing Toslink to putting a USB stick in the back. USB doesn't help the ES glare that shows it's ugly head from time to time. 
 
A/B Testing:    (16b/44kHz) & (24b/96kHz) All files are FLAC
 
The Yamaha on Direct Mode gets crushed with its ES9006A. The Sonica is 10x better up and down. Like comparing Senn HD800 to HD600. So the Yamaha is in using DSP and running at its best performance throughout. The Sonica is in full bypass mode so even though I know it’s can be too harsh on the 15kHz-ish range I want to hear it at its best too.
 
Feist – 1234 (16b/44kHz : Sonica REALLY brings out tonal inflection. Makes a good artist sound great. The Yamaha sorta glosses over tonal inflection. It’s there but not prevalent. For artists that use a lot of inflection like Xenia Martinez from The Voice the Sonica does wonders! Definitely more spit in the vocals too… very impressed!
 
Bad Suns – Cardiac Arrest (16b/44kHz): Yamaha is more dynamic. Higher highs, lower lows, but trades off detail and accuracy for it. Like comparing a low-resolution photo with the saturation boosted nicely compared to a high-resolution raw photo. Like a 2 MB JPEG to a 10 MB RAW image… if that makes sense. Definitely like the Sonica here. You can hear the modulation in male vocals crystal clear!
 
Adele – Take It All (24b/96kHz): Had to do Adele… Not liking the Sonica here! It takes some of the soulfulness out of her voice! The piano lacks any “room” sound (ambiance) and her voice lacks almost all bass. Her upper register sounds a little shrill on the Sonica. The Yamaha wins this hands down. Dare I say it's perfect for Adele? Too much of a “good thing” from the Sonica.
 
Skrillex & Rick Ross – Purple Lamborghini (16b/44kHz): Times to test the bass and how well the Sonica hits that drop. Yamaha adds bass and it’s obvious. The DSP is doing its best but it’s muddy. About 2x < 40Hz vs. the Sonica. The Sonica bass attacks are sharp and the bass might be lighter but it’s pure. If you have a good subwoofer the Sonica will give you good fibrous bass. My B&W and Velodyne subs rreeaallyy like the Sonica. The highs are a little too piquant in some parts. And this with HD600s which are known to be Switzerland in the bright vs warm battle. The Woo Audio WA2 w/ Sonica combo could be trouble for HD800s or bright headphones.
 
Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (24b/96kHz): The Sonica pours on the ambiance thick! Sounds like I’m in a medium size auditorium with concrete walls, suspension acoustic ceiling, about 150 fake velour covered chairs, purple… yeah purple (you get my drift). Jeff’s voice is airy, crisp in a good way as it compliments the gobs of reverb in his guitar. The separation between the two is massive. Yamaha sounds like a 1984 Sears and Roebuck’s boombox. No contest. I’m beginning to realize the Sonica is the best I have ever heard at acoustic music. And soft music in general as long as there isn’t a 15-18kHz peak in it.
 
App comparison:
 
Yamaha has Spotify, Pandora, SeriusXM and Napster --- Sonica has Tidal and Spotify. Not a Spotify user but I think you made need a premium account to connect to other devices. I love Pandora and have learned of many many new incredible groups that they add to my station. Will miss it!
Both can take a USB stick with your entire music collection in it.
Yamaha app is a little better looking and after 6 months of use it’s rock solid. The Sonica hasn’t dropped me out yet so time will tell.
 
 
Yamaha WXC-50 ($350)
PROS: More dynamic, can control the treble, mids and bass, so if an album has harsh highs you can knock then out completely. Has enhanced mode for a monster soundstage, improvement. Also good for customizing if used with large speakers. My Veritas 1.8s are hyper critical so dropping the highs and boosting the mids helps immensely. Small and can be put on its side.
CONS: The Sonica made it sound 6 years old not 6 months. It might beat the Sonica in 5% of music.
 
Sonica DAC ($800)
PROS: Amazing resolution. Sounds more natural than the Yamaha. No issues with operating it. Pre-mode can cut a lot of the glare out when it is present with only a minute anount of detail loss.
CONS: No DSP. If it had the Yamaha in-house made DSP chipset it would make this 3x better. Glare. It’s there. I am hoping I can correct it with some tube rolling. My tubes are meant for an organic, crsip, dynamic soundstage. Will try a set of warmer tubes.
 
Conclusion:
I am keeping it. For 29 more days at least… lol. Kidding aside I have to keep it or get another DAC since it spanked my Yamaha. Can’t “unhear” all the missing details now! The soundstage and holographics are almost identical between the two. The Sonica's detail orientation helps with timbre, more natural bass, better punch and attack, and even the decay is tighter.
 
I am planning on upgrading my headphones next but need to wait until the Sonica burns in. Then I’ll get headphones and tube roll my way into my final setup. Now for trying it out on my main system! 4 more hours gone… sigh. I’ll update on that later. Cheers!

 

[ekrauss]

I get my Sonica Tuesday. It will go head to head with my Yamaha WXC-50 pre/DAC. I just got a Bel Canto DAC2 (Burr Brown PCM1738 DAC chip) and compared it to my WXC-50 in my headphone setup: PC (MusicBee WASAPI 24bit, 192Khz music, Toslink) > Yamaha WXC-50 > Woo Audio WA2 with upgraded tubes > Senn HD600. With the Yamaha in "direct mode" the Bel Canto wins. Not "wow this is incredible" but it beats the Yammy. But put the DSP on in the Yamaha and it crushes the Bel Canto DAC2. I'm a little sad because I was hoping the Bel Canto DAC2, a $1300 MSRP stand alone DAC (no pre / etc), would beat the Yamaha and it's "paultry" ES9006A DAC because I don't need the Yammy with my PC. I need it on my main system: Yamaha WXC-50 > Manley Stingray integrated tube amp > Energy Veritas 1.8s.

Side note: the DSP, aka "enhanced mode", quadruples the soundstage and dynamics without losing any detail, adding artifacts or sibilance, and lets you control treble, mid, bass, jitter filters, etc.. Might not be "pure" or "as recorded" but it is a solid 400% improvement over the ES9006A in direct mode.

All things considered, chalk this up as a 1 in the modern affordable $350 DAC column and a 0 in the $1000K+ older top-of-the-line DAC column. ES9006A + DSP > Burr Brown PCM1738. Easily. Like not even funny.

So stay tuned and I will give a heads up comparison Wednesday and another after a burn in period.

Great review! Very thorough. I haven't noticed any "glare" from the Sonica DAC. Rather, it gives an "accurate" sonic presentation, rather than a "warm" one. I am amazed at how much it sounds like my Ayre QB-9 in character. Every bit its equal. If you want to warm up the sound, any number of aftermarket tube buffers should do the trick. The new iFi one is very cool. A used Musical Fidelity X-10Dv3 would do the job nicely, too.

 

[bugeyed]

  I've had the Sonica running continuously in my system for a little less than a week now.  It's still breaking-in, but I think I'm getting a handle on the sound.  Some initial comments:
 
1. Great features/functionality for price.  The unit replaces a dedicated PC and USB dac.  The Sonica is truly an all-in-one wireless media player.  I using it to play files stored on a NAS and attached USB drive directly...no PC/Mac needed.  Have the ability to find music by artist/album/file folder and create playlists thru the app.  Also have the ability to stream Tidal thru the unit directly (albeit w/o MQA decoding).
 
2.  Soundwise it's comparable to a budget, entry-level dac.  For comparison I've recently used Wadia 121, Cambridge Audio 851C and a 20 year-old Wadia 830.  The Sonica appears to have a very low noise-floor...hearing new details on well-worn tracks.  Hi-rez files sound really good...red-book files are a mixed bag (poorly recorded tracks from the 80's sound like ass).  
 
3.  If you're looking for a euphonic or forgiving dac...look elsewhere.  The Sonica is similar to 1st generation Benchmark dac (neutral to some, bright/unforgiving to others).
 
Ultimately, the value in the Sonica is it's ability to act as a media-streamer + dac. If you want a simple USB dac (i.e., a separate PC/Mac/Media streamer + DAC), there are likely better sounding options (e.g., multi-bit Bifrost).

Any comments about this review from those who have been living with the Sonica DAC? In light of the reviews that I have read, comments 2 & 3 surprises me. "budget, entry-level DAC"? 
 
Curious,
kev

 

[bestcoast127]

Hi Kev,
 
I'll chime in... been playing with my Sonica practically nonstop and on day 1.5 now. Haven't turned it off yet so still burning in. So here  goes:
 
1. Absolutely correct. Only things I would add are that Tidal and Spotify are the only streaming services directly to the Sonica ATM. Doesn't mean they can't / won't add any in the future.Tidal is $10/mo for basic and $20/mo for HiFi. Spotify won't connect to my Sonica directly. The option is grayed out. I remember reading somewhere that you need a Premium account to connect to "speakers" and I think the Sonica counts as one but don't quote me. So it appears that you HAVE to pay to stream to the Sonica. No Pandor or Napster (yet?).
 
2. No. Depends on the source. An entry-level DAC? LOL! I have a Yamaha WXC-50, Bel Canto DAC2, Chord Mojo and about 8 tablets and cell phones with real entry level DACs. The Sonica is substantially better than them all. As for the source... I found that my fav player, MusicBee using WASAPI out to digital optical, definitely does have a harshness on certain tracks. But my Tidal HiFi (trial of course) sounds WAY better. No glare at all and it lets the ES9038pro get surgical on music without any detractors. I watch all my tv and movies on my PC. The Sonica blows the doors off my WXC-50 (which I used for 6 months) and the Chord Mojo.
 
3. I have the Bel Canto DAC2. $1300 MSRP. It does nothing but D/A conversion. No pre no amp no streaming etc. It has amazing reviews and is supposed to be incredibly musical. It sounds like a car stereo in a 1988 Chevy Baretta compared the Sonica. At least in my tube amped (Woo Audio WA2 with $400 upgraded tubes) headphone setup. With a highly analytical SS system it could do wonders! So having listened to both extensively I will say the Sonica IS forgiving or else my x264 compressed movies and tv shows would sound like poop. And euphonic is a subjective word that means "pleasing to the ear". My Sonica is DEFINITELY pleasing to my ear because I want hypercritical detail without losing any musicality. I realize it takes $100K to get both in their entirety so in an effort to quantify the Sonica I'll say it's detailing is ahead of its musicality and that's the beef some people have with it. The level of detailing is unchangeable from source to source BUT the musicality changes drastically. The Chord Mojo on the other hand, sounds the same no matter what it's hooked up to and I'd say the detailing and musicality are equal on it. Still prefer the Sonica though. No contest. Nothing like listening to highly engineered old industrial tracks from the late 80's (cough cough Skinny Puppy) and hearing what they were supposed to sound like from day 1. And these are songs I listened to in many many many different home / car stereo systems over the last 30 years.
 
As for the last statement... I have a Schiit Bimby on the way. Waiting for it to ship and I'm overnighting it. It will go head to head with the Sonica for a spot in my headphone setup. I don't need the Sonica's streaming ability with it connected to my PC. Just need a really good DAC. I'll post my results from the battle royale here in this post.

 

[bestcoast127]

Hi Kev,
 
I'll chime in... been playing with my Sonica practically nonstop and on day 1.5 now. Haven't turned it off yet so still burning in. So here  goes:
 
1. Absolutely correct. Only things I would add are that Tidal and Spotify are the only streaming services directly to the Sonica ATM. Doesn't mean they can't / won't add any in the future.Tidal is $10/mo for basic and $20/mo for HiFi. Spotify won't connect to my Sonica directly. The option is grayed out. I remember reading somewhere that you need a Premium account to connect to "speakers" and I think the Sonica counts as one but don't quote me. So it appears that you HAVE to pay to stream to the Sonica. No Pandor or Napster (yet?).
 
2. No. Depends on the source. An entry-level DAC? LOL! I have a Yamaha WXC-50, Bel Canto DAC2, Chord Mojo and about 8 tablets and cell phones with real entry level DACs. The Sonica is substantially better than them all. As for the source... I found that my fav player, MusicBee using WASAPI out to digital optical, definitely does have a harshness on certain tracks. But my Tidal HiFi (trial of course) sounds WAY better. No glare at all and it lets the ES9038pro get surgical on music without any detractors. I watch all my tv and movies on my PC. The Sonica blows the doors off my WXC-50 (which I used for 6 months) and the Chord Mojo.
 
3. I have the Bel Canto DAC2. $1300 MSRP. It does nothing but D/A conversion. No pre no amp no streaming etc. It has amazing reviews and is supposed to be incredibly musical. It sounds like a car stereo in a 1988 Chevy Baretta compared the Sonica. At least in my tube amped (Woo Audio WA2 with $400 upgraded tubes) headphone setup. With a highly analytical SS system it could do wonders! So having listened to both extensively I will say the Sonica IS forgiving or else my x264 compressed movies and tv shows would sound like poop. And euphonic is a subjective word that means "pleasing to the ear". My Sonica is DEFINITELY pleasing to my ear because I want hypercritical detail without losing any musicality. I realize it takes $100K to get both in their entirety so in an effort to quantify the Sonica I'll say it's detailing is ahead of its musicality and that's the beef some people have with it. The level of detailing is unchangeable from source to source BUT the musicality changes drastically. The Chord Mojo on the other hand, sounds the same no matter what it's hooked up to and I'd say the detailing and musicality are equal on it. Still prefer the Sonica though. No contest. Nothing like listening to highly engineered old industrial tracks from the late 80's (cough cough Skinny Puppy) and hearing what they were supposed to sound like from day 1. And these are songs I listened to in many many many different home / car stereo systems over the last 30 years.
 
As for the last statement... I have a Schiit Bimby on the way. Waiting for it to ship and I'm overnighting it. It will go head to head with the Sonica for a spot in my headphone setup. I don't need the Sonica's streaming ability with it connected to my PC. Just need a really good DAC. I'll post my results from the battle royale here in this post.

 

[pageman99]

Umm... "budget, entry level dac"? Sorry, I simply can't agree. I'd consider the Sonica dac as an upper mid level dac or at the lower end of the upper level dacs.
 
So much of what we hear depends on other pieces of the audio chain, I'd be very careful of making this type of blanket statement. My Sonica DAC is still breaking in, but I listen quite a few hours every day and each day shows constant improvement. There is no doubt in my mind the Sonica is a worthy improvement over the BDP 105. I definitely think it has a sweeter sound, especially in the bass/mid bass area and while still detailed in the upper registers shows no sign of the shrillness exhibited by the 105.
 
I happen to like a revealing sound, but I also like the sweet sound of tubes. I own a mad ear+ and my amp is a DK Reference vs1 (google it, many rave reviews) both with the best tubes money can buy. And the Sonica does them justice. I also use a Violectric v281 with a Light Harmonics geek pulse pushing HiFiMan HE560's which are about as revealing as you can find in headphones. The Sonica sounds every bit as revealing, yet lacks the harshness found in most ESS 9018 implementations. There is no veil in this dac, which for me is quite an accomplishment at its price point. 
 
Is it perfect? Of course not. There's always room for more detail, speed and musicality. I'll wait for more break in so I can find its limits before I'll comment more on its place among dacs I've known. But it is far far from entry level. I've seen comments comparing it with the Ayre qx5 and PSAudio dacs. So trust your own ears and take everyone's opinion into account. But it's your opinion that matters most along with system synergy. 

 

[LarryMagoo]

The only comment I can add is the ESS Sabre 9018 DAC that's in my Oppo HA-1 and my Oppo 105 Disc player, was bested by a large margin with my new Yggy.  I was told about the ESS glare but did not want to believe it....claimed I could not hear it.......the Yggy changed all that. WOW.  I still use the Class A amp in the HA-1 with the Yggy....love how it sounds!
 
I understand the new ESS Sabre 9038 DAC sounds way smoother but just not like a R2R DAC. 

 

[sfseay]

You must use the Sonica app on your phone or tablet.  And the app drains the battery like you wouldn't believe.  It appears to run in the background if you merely switch to other apps on ios...you need to close the app completely to avoid battery drain.

That is not normal behavior (battery drain). If you are playing music, the app will continue to run in the background, but if you are not playing anything, it should not be consuming any processor time (and not using any battery). I think you should delete the Sonica app and then reinstall through the App Store.

Applications don't run in the background on the iPhone. They go into standby mode


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zilch0md]

  The only comment I can add is the ESS Sabre 9018 DAC that's in my Oppo HA-1 and my Oppo 105 Disc player, was bested by a large margin with my new Yggy.  I was told about the ESS glare but did not want to believe it....claimed I could not hear it.......the Yggy changed all that. WOW.  I still use the Class A amp in the HA-1 with the Yggy....love how it sounds!
 
I understand the new ESS Sabre 9038 DAC sounds way smoother but just not like a R2R DAC. 
 

 
I'm happy for you!  Really!  My neighbor's Lexus is much nicer than my Toyota.  I'm happy for him, too!  

 

 

[nhtran1]

Applications don't run in the background on the iPhone. They go into standby mode


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not 100% correct.  The Sonica App appears on the lock screen of the iphone/ipad when the device locks/sleeps...this can only happen if it's still running in the background

 

[ekrauss]

Applications don't run in the background on the iPhone. They go into standby mode


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not entirely correct. Some of iOS apps can (and do) run in the background if they access a special set of API's. Music applications are one such category, Location Services are another.

 

[lglions]

  Any comments about this review from those who have been living with the Sonica DAC? In light of the reviews that I have read, comments 2 & 3 surprises me. "budget, entry-level DAC"? 
 
Curious,
kev

Words like "budget" and "entry-level" are usually something I choose to ignore. Sure, I was looking to buy Chord Dave and then decided that I am not there yet. So yes, Sonica, is a budget option for me. But on the other side I have probably 20 DACs around my house in different devices that came free. In that regard, $800 price tag is not cheap at all.
 
I bought it based on my experience with Oppo made devices and it didn't disappoint. To test - I threw various PCM and DSD content at it and Sonica performed very well.
 
To decide whether you like it sonically, you probably will need to hear it. On a technical level I have no complains. I used MacBook to Oppo HA-2 then feeding LDMK3 with moded tubes (which cost probs 2/3 of the amp). I could hear defects that were introduced by HA-2. Even, when I wasn't able to recognize all of them - once I listened to Sonica I can totally detect them now and they bother me. With Sonica I do not hear anything that throws me off.
 
The only bad thing i can tell about it is that Sonica made LDMK3 the weakest element of my setup. Vicious cost spiral of this hobby ...

 

[lglions]

  The only comment I can add is the ESS Sabre 9018 DAC that's in my Oppo HA-1 and my Oppo 105 Disc player, was bested by a large margin with my new Yggy.  I was told about the ESS glare but did not want to believe it....claimed I could not hear it.......the Yggy changed all that. WOW.  I still use the Class A amp in the HA-1 with the Yggy....love how it sounds!
 
I understand the new ESS Sabre 9038 DAC sounds way smoother but just not like a R2R DAC. 

I would expect nothing else from Yggy, but to outperform though quality, but nevertheless less sophisticated DAC that resides in a device with other than DAC functions (streamer etc.).
 
I read similar comment someone made about Dave vs Yggy.