[davidland]

 

[Paysen]

I came across your thread because I am searching for a cheap dac. My Realtek 1150 doesn't let me disable the amp, and I also have a good amp (objective2).

The problem is, that the bass sounds terrible. Even on low volume it sounds very bad. I think it's the fault of the onboard amp. I would like to circumvent this by using a cheap dac. I use it mainly for competitive gaming, but also for listening to music on my k712.

Which one should I try?

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

I came across your thread because I am searching for a cheap dac. My Realtek 1150 doesn't let me disable the amp, and I also have a good amp (objective2).

The problem is, that the bass sounds terrible. Even on low volume it sounds very bad. I think it's the fault of the onboard amp. I would like to circumvent this by using a cheap dac. I use it mainly for competitive gaming, but also for listening to music on my k712.

Which one should I try?

Budget?

Can't go wrong with the JDS Labs OL DAC or the Topping D30

 

[Paysen]

Budget - well let's say below 100€.

A pure DAC is okay. Are these better than an Asus Xonar DX?

Or worth the money compared to the hifime SABRE 24/96 with ES9023 chip?

 

[LordZero]

Anyone know what sound better between the FX-AUDIO DAC-X6 x Smsl M3 x Fiio E10?

Was looking for something to drive earbuds between 150 to 400ohms.

 

[FastAndClean]

you can ad Sabaj DA3 with double ess SABRE9018Q2C chips and second generation XMOS USB Audio solution, in comparison to the dragonfly 1.2 sound like it is from another planet
it is 85 dollars right now for the next 3 days

 

[rpeebles]

CM108 + TDA1305T + TDA1308 3.5mm Output USB Amp USB Sound Card DAC Decoder 5V
Very neat. Could you please help me to connect it to an Iphone Smartphone 7.
It needs external 5V power ? - Transformer + what connection ? Thanks !

 

[omegaorgun]

This intrigued me so I bit the bullet. US $99.99

Breeze Audio DSD USB DAC ES9018K2M XMOS U8 OP275 * 2 LM49860 Class A Earphone Decoder I2S DSD USB audio amplifier AMP

Technical parameter:

• Chip combination program: XMOS-U8-64+ES9018K2M+LM49860+OP275X2
• Input mode: USB interface, support WIN7 WIN8 WIN10 WINXP Apple Computer
• Output interface: 35, 6 earphone interface +RCA line interface
• Power supply: 50-60HZ 220V
• Output support: support 192K 24BIT PCM support DSD
• Headphone load: 16-600ohms

 

[KipNix]

I'm enjoying my FX Audio DAC-X6. It's a solid piece of equipment; all controls are tight. There's no noise bleeding or excessive bass or treble like you would get with cheap sound cards. I like the inputs and outputs; those are the best features for me.
24 bit/192
I like being able to "crank it up" when I want.
$73 Canadian on ebay.

 

[omegaorgun]

I'm enjoying my FX Audio DAC-X6. It's a solid piece of equipment; all controls are tight. There's no noise bleeding or excessive bass or treble like you would get with cheap sound cards. I like the inputs and outputs; those are the best features for me.
24 bit/192
I like being able to "crank it up" when I want.
$73 Canadian on ebay.

I like the NE5532 opamp in this.

 

[KipNix]

I like the NE5532 opamp in this.

Mine has the OPA2134 in it and the clean gain is good. I'm sure the NE5532 is equally good.

 

[omegaorgun]

Yea the NE5532 was clearer to my ears but not harsh, I tried teh LME49860NA too but I think I preferred the NE5532, I would have to test again.

 

[chris.d.m.]

I was curious about the Topping D30, but started reading negative comments about the mids etc.

In the $100 DAC ball park, some have + things to say about,
-SMSL Sankrit M6
-SMSL SANSKIRT 6th Anno DAC

...Is there really anything close to consensus on best bang for buck budget DACs in June/2018 ?

In my case, need something to feed the Gilmore light mk2, running off a MacBook pro

 

[yurt28]

Ok, took delivery of my Breeze ( Weiliang Audio) E19 DAC amplifier yesterday. Its based on the ES9028Q2M chip, with a SA9226 USB decoder, NJM5534DD Op-Amp chips.

Edit: Added pictures.


The volume controls and phone jack

Rear access to power and USB port. No, it doesn't charge the battery, needs the 12V DC adaptor.


The things that came with the set.


Great Stuff :
Very good rendition of details. Very smooth sounding as its a little bit warmer when compared using the same songs to my LG G6 Quad DAC. Very comparable in soundstage between the 2, can't honestly say that I can differentiate between them for these details. That was based on quick A/B comparisons using both my CI880 and ZS6 earphones.

Tracks used:
i) Tchaikovsky and Sibelius Violin Concertos : David Ostrakh with Eugene Ormandy. - FLAC
ii) Fallen (Album ): Sarah Mclachlan - FLAC
iii) Somebody for Someone : The Corrs - MP3 320kbps
iv) Yoshique (Album): Deep Dish - FLAC
v) Santorini - Live ! Yanni - FLAC
vi) Rachmaninov Piano Concerto : Askenazy - FLAC

I have not tested it directly with my handphone for connection yet ( don't have correct cables)

Will have to compare again using harder to drive headphones to see if there are greater differences at higher power output levels. Also, not sure if the circuit needs some burn in period.

Not-that-great stuff:

i) Drivers : Will not work out of the box without the correct drivers for Windows 7. Had to get the download link from seller ( which was wonderfully responsive and helpful, full marks for that ! ) Without the seller's help, it would be virtually impossible to find it on my own.
ii) No instruction sheets of any sort. Put it to charge on with supplied 12V DC adaptor but there were no clear signs of anything (such as LED switching off or changing colour) even after 3~4 hours on the plug. The charger and the unit didn't register any heating up at all. So no idea if the charging was working or not.
iii) Minimal package. Came with USB -> Micro USB charging data cable, Micro USB to Micro USB connector cable, allen keys, 2 silicon bands and that was it.
I would need a USB C to Micro USB cable to plug it into my phone (to test at least).

iv) Its a pure digital DAC. You cannot use it with a line-in as an auxiliary amplifier.

v) It doesn't seem to have iOS support.


Shall post back with pictures when I have some time to do that. Also, I have placed orders for some Op-amps with higher slew rates and bandwidths to test out how much they will influence the overall sound signature.

Preliminary impression:

It totally transformed the sound output quality from my laptop. I would say its really good now, compared to the pretty bland sound previously. But need more time to pin down what's the specific qualities as circuitry has not had any burn-in. And also, if op-amps used are optimal for its purpose.

It needs a BURN in my friend, is their a internal battery inside? I have the mini version of yours Weilang Audio with es9028Q2m and opa16xx with SoundPlus codec" Andriod Friendly and boy does it sound realistic!

 

[yurt28]

Hum, this one look very promising, but you need an external amp (portable one can do)....but hell, the famous WOLFSON WM8741 high end DAC worth by himself 14$!!!!!!! And this DAC is....35$!!!!!!!!

To beautiful to be true??? Perhaps....but its a finish product so it should work perfectly, and inside construction doesnt look bad at all...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/D3-...-5fdf-462b-b8ef-ebf3b4fc070c&rmStoreLevelAB=5


I'm sicko(really want to put this on my credit card that is already full!)....right now I listen to the incredible sound of AK4490 dac,bassy, wide, ultra detailed and 3D sounding....and wait for the thing to stop working in about 10 minutes....still strugling about this, and really think seller should have talk about the heatsink to add by yourself. But, when it work, yes, the sound is fabulous.

huh, Hum is the only good one but this does not have a Headphone output which is a huge bummer. Cannot beat the price though!