Review and discussions - Audioengine D1 24/96 USB and Optical DAC/amp for laptops and computers

[kwatch]

I just ordered Audioengine D1 from Crutchfield.  Do I have to have a good sound card in order to take a full advantage of D1?  I'll be connecting it to a computer via USB cable.

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

I just ordered Audioengine D1 from Crutchfield.  Do I have to have a good sound card in order to take a full advantage of D1?  I'll be connecting it to a computer via USB cable.

 
The point of D1 is to bypass the built in sound card. The D1 IS a sound card. The way it works is that the music is sent digitally in 1's and 0's through the USB wire into the D1, then inside the D1, the digital files are converted to an analog form (current) that comes out of the headphone jack through your headphone cable into the earcup where it converts into sound (vibrations) hence why it's called a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter).....Unless you were talking about jitter related topics with transport issues, but I'm guessing not.   
 

 

[kwatch]

Quote:

 
The point of D1 is to bypass the built in sound card. The D1 IS a sound card. The way it works is that the music is sent digitally in 1's and 0's through the USB wire into the D1, then inside the D1, the digital files are converted to an analog form (current) that comes out of the headphone jack through your headphone cable into the earcup where it converts into sound (vibrations) hence why it's called a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter).....Unless you were talking about jitter related topics with transport issues, but I'm guessing not.   
 

Perfectly make sense.  Thanks.

 

[Zoom25]

You're welcome
 

 

[kwatch]

Quote:

You're welcome
 

 
 
I can remove the sound card made by Creative Labs from desktop computer if I want, right?

 

[Zoom25]

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I can remove the sound card made by Creative Labs from desktop computer if I want, right?

 
You could if you wanted to...I think it shouldn't matter??? (not too sure as I haven't ever thought about it) Although I would not recommend doing that, it's best to leave it in there just in case something happens with the D1 or if you have a laptop or portable computers that you like to move around, and sometimes you don't want to carry the extra amp/dac for casual listening or watching shows late at night like I do. If you are worried about the sound being affected from Creative Labs when using the D1, then don't be - it has no effect on the conversion process. Unless you want that soundcard for other computers.
 

 

[KT66]

I find it too powerful for a lot of portable headphones. With HD600 or D2000s there is some room to move with the volume control,
but with ES7 or T-50P its either silence or too loud, which means I have to turn Foobar's digital volume down.

 

[nboyer]

George - Audioengine did respond back very quickly and sent out a replacement the same time that I sent my faulty one back.  Their customer service is top notch and the replacement works great.  I could not be any happier with the quality of sound from the D1.  The instruments sound airy and very focused.  I think this has a lot to do with the high-end AKM DAC in it.  Cheers.  -Norm

 

[laxtothemax]

I would not recommend the D1 for a headphone with an impedance of 40 ohms. The reason is that the D1 headphone amp has a 10 ohm output. Using the 1/8 rule, you should only use headphones that are > 80 ohms for optimal sound quality.

I don't have a problem using the D1 with low impedance phones like the D7000, so Pro 750 might be just fine.  Some say the 10 ohm output impedance would cause a bump in the phone's mid-bass, but I'm not sure that's all that noticeable enough to make a difference.

I apologize for the late reply everyone; I left the country (to Austria, home of the best headphones and I did end up buying the Audioengine D1. I am new to the audiophile community so I guess you could say my ears are inexperienced but the D1 DRASTICALLY improved the sound of my headphones.

I also noticed that the higher quality music I used, the better and more crisp the sound was (even well over 1000kbps)

Thanks for your recommendations and time,
Andrew

 

[minimal1210]

Hi there...
 
I was considering buying this unit for two uses:
 
1.  To power a pair of Audioengine 2 speakers
2.  To power my Audio Technica ATH M50 headphones
 
Aside from the fact that the headphone power ratio isn't optimal (I can get over this), I'm curious as to how the volume knob would work in this setup.  Can anyone enlighten me?
 
I've been used to an outboard audio interface where headphone and speaker levels can be controlled independently.  In this setup, would it control both outs at the same time, or would it only be possible to use one at any given time?
 
Confused...

 

[martinkutt]

I have MSI P67A motherboard with optical output. If i use this to connect it with audioengine optical port it does not seem to work. I take power from computer USB and made optical output the default output. It work good on USB, but ill like to try optical. Any thoughts? sorry for bad english

 

[gdpeck]

Quote:

Hi there...
 
I was considering buying this unit for two uses:
 
1.  To power a pair of Audioengine 2 speakers
 
2.  To power my Audio Technica ATH M50 headphones
 
Aside from the fact that the headphone power ratio isn't optimal (I can get over this), I'm curious as to how the volume knob would work in this setup.  Can anyone enlighten me?
 
I've been used to an outboard audio interface where headphone and speaker levels can be controlled independently.  In this setup, would it control both outs at the same time, or would it only be possible to use one at any given time?
 
Confused...

 
I think the D1 pairs nicely with Audioengine speakers. I use mine with a pair of Audioengine A5s, and I feel like it makes a nice difference over running them directly from the headphone jack of my macbook pro. I believe it would do well with the Audionengine 2s as well. I have access to a pair of those, but have never used them with the D1 DAC. I don't know how it will do with the Audio Technica headphones as I don't own those. If they are very sensitive, it could pose a problem. I don't use mine with headphones very much, but when I do, I have some trouble keeping the volume at a low enough level that it doesn't blast my ears. I use Westone 3s and Alessandro MS-1s, and both headphones are pretty sensitive, and the amp provides too much gain for them. I either have to turn the volume down in software at the player level (MOG interface, squeezeslave interface, iTunes volume control, etc.) or use an in-line attenuator. One issue I run into, which has been mentioned in this thread is that right before the volume on the D1 gets to it's minimum setting the audio will cut out completely. I actually prefer this to channel imbalance, but the problem becomes, the headphones are either too loud or silent.
 
As for how the volume knob works, sound is only sent to the speakers through the line out jacks when there are not headphones plugged in. So when you have headphones plugged in, the volume knob controls the headphones. When you unplug the headphones, the volume controls the line out jacks, which really are pre-amp out jacks instead of line out (they are variable with volume control). Also on my computer, the system volume (Mac OSx volume control) is disabled when the computer is using the D1 as it's audio device.
 
Hopefully this clears things up a little bit for you.
 
Thanks!
George

 

[gdpeck]

Quote:

George - Audioengine did respond back very quickly and sent out a replacement the same time that I sent my faulty one back.  Their customer service is top notch and the replacement works great.  I could not be any happier with the quality of sound from the D1.  The instruments sound airy and very focused.  I think this has a lot to do with the high-end AKM DAC in it.  Cheers.  -Norm

I'm glad to hear it. As I mentioned I've been really happy with Audioengine's customer service on a couple of occasions, and your experience just reinforces that they make a nice product, and more importantly, that they stand behind it.

 

[minimal1210]

Quote:

Hopefully this clears things up a little bit for you.
 

 
Yes, it certainly does.  Thank you very much for taking the time to put together such an informative reply!
 
Jim

 

[2ChannelAnimal]

Fresh, new, audiophile here. (very new at this)
 
I am wanting to use the D1 solely for the 2 channel audio benefits. (reading comments above this DAC is not the best for my Shure SE530 IEM)
 
My setup right now is: Apple TV and BluRay Player plugged into my TV through HDMI. I then have an optical cable running from my TV to my Sony receiver and that audio goes through the receiver into an old pair of Bose Series II Loudspeakers (which have unexpectedly rich sound).
 
I am really wanting any information on the audio quality of this setup and how much it would change adding this DAC???
 
I use Lossless and WAV files mostly, as well as CD's in my BluRay player.
 
Is this the best option for a 2 channel setup like this? (Note: I am not looking to spend more than $170 USD)
 
Thank you in advance!!!!!