REVIEW - Encore mDAC portable headphone DAC/amp with 24bit/96kHz USB input - for Mac/PC, iPhone with Camera Connection Kit, and Android - 2 THUMBS UP

[jjacq]

   
No, mDAC doesn't do any native DSD decoding.  It is an extremely good sounding DAC for its price.
If you want a portable DAC that can do everything, I mean DSD128 native, PCM384, USB cable connection to PC Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices, plus wireless streaming via Airplay and DLNA at 24/192 (fastest wifi streaming on the market), wait for the high-end portable DAC from a new brand that I am launching in late November.

Curved frame machined from a single block of aluminum, gorilla glass top and bottom, exceptional build quality unlike anything on the market.  Price? Very affordable.
That's all the tease for now . 
 
By the way, I need to ask the Admin to change my Sponsor name, I am no longer with NuForce, the company that I co-founded.  I left NuForce to start a new venture creating and managing brands: NuPrime Audio, Encore Design, and soon Celsus Sound.

Seems promising. Is there any way to follow the updates??

 

[jasonl]

There is a mailing list on www.heapaudio.com home page where you can sign up to receive news about any of the brands: NuPrime Audio, Celsus Sound and Encore Design.   Celsus Companion One is expected to ship in 4 weeks time.

 

[Sasaki]

Celsus Companion 1 in my hand at Tokyo headphone show!

 

[jexby]

Celsus Companion 1 in my hand at Tokyo headphone show!
 

 
By the gods man please tell us EVERYTHING about this Celsus Companion One possible!
 
I am very interested in the wifi 24/192 streaming ability, and the various specs of mW output, impedance, usb jitter protection, DAC chips inside, battery life, etc.
 
this could be one amazing portable unit if the sonics are delivered well.

 

[jasonl]

Celsus Companion 1 in my hand at Tokyo headphone show!

The trade show is not the best place for audition. WiFi too congested to work well.  Noisy environment.
If you like, I can arrange for you to audition it for a few days since you are in Tokyo.  This is the pre-production sample, there are still minor bugs that we fixed last week but it is very close to production version.  This is one of the only two that existed. Another one is in France.  I don't even have enough samples to send to USA.  Hopefully I can get one or two to USA for Larry and someone else to audition in early November.
MSRP $595 but we will be offering special discount for pre-order.  If interested, sign up for the mailing list on heapaudio.com.  PM me for other questions. Lets leave this thread for mDAC.  I don't want to hijack this thread for Celsus. 

 

[Sasaki]

PM sent. Sorry for hijacking the thread ..
Going back to mDAC, it was also there. Their planned domestic price is a good price I think. I hope it sells well here.

 

[pekingduck]

Sasaki san, please start a new thread for the Celsus Companion One and post your impressions there. Thanks.

 

[kissmevn]

I've tested this little box today and I must say that I'm very amazed. Huge sound stage, sparkle high, good low and sweet mid. 
In fact, it can play DSD and it can handle DSD very well. The ss has both width and height, it make my K10 sound like a full size headphone, very nice.
This has become my DAC - budget king for portable now

 

[jasonl]

I think your player (JRiver ?) convert DSD64 into 24-bit/192kHz PCM because mDAC can not do native DSD decode.
But no matter, a good sounding DAC & headphone amp is not just about the spec. I would encourage user to compare mDAC with other so called native DSD DAC in the $300 or so price range.  One of the main reason mDAC sounded good is the work that we do around the power supply, in addition to several years of experience evolving the NuForce uDAC series.
Jason

 

[kissmevn]

  I think your player (JRiver ?) convert DSD64 into 24-bit/192kHz PCM because mDAC can not do native DSD decode.
But no matter, a good sounding DAC & headphone amp is not just about the spec. I would encourage user to compare mDAC with other so called native DSD DAC in the $300 or so price range.  One of the main reason mDAC sounded good is the work that we do around the power supply, in addition to several years of experience evolving the NuForce uDAC series.
Jason

No, I used foobar alone with ASIO DSD plugin. You can check it in here : http://www.qobuz.com/ie-en/info/Hi-Fi-Guide/The-exclusive-Encore-mDAC-A-Golden176241.
The chart say it can read DSD64 and I must say it's one of the biggest ss I've heard before from a portable source .

 

[jasonl]

Foobar ASIO DSD does the automatic conversion to PCM. Actually this can be better sounding than entry level DSD dac chip.
It is not just the spec. I bet mDAC sounded better than some DSD DACs that with DSD128 or DSD256 spec.

Jason

 

[jexby]

had a side-by-side 2 hour window of time with friend’s Encore mDAC and my GeekOut450 running v1.5 firmware.
 
Path: macbook pro—>Audirvana+ 2.0.4—>integer mode—> GO450/mDAC—>NAD HP50.
24/96 FLAC files and some lossless 16/44.  no DSD to PCM conversions.
 
love the mDac small size, battery operation, fine grained volume control, quality buttons, finish of metal casing.
wish only 1 USB port was on back (simplicity)
or
single port on back was actually USB A-male so Apple CCK cable was a direct connect not requiring a micro USB cable.
 
  some sonic deltas noticed:

 
mDAC detail retrieval was very good, didn’t jump out as unnatural.
mDAC did deliver quite the soundstage width!  bravo.
GO450 had the same width, but increased height and depth, a more full/complete sound in space.
 
Especially with bass and vocal placements, backing vocals at times sounded a “half-step to the back” of the GO450 sound field, whereas mDAC keep the backing vocal “in line” with the rest of the song but still well separated to the left/right.
 
I find the GeekOut has that smack-dab-on-stage presence with most recordings.
mDAC might be described as “one step back” from the stage, but not rows back from stage front.  This is not unwelcome in some songs, and a differing preference for different ears.
 
Drum kit definition (in space, sounding like a round instrument) was easier to detect in the GO450.
GO450 presented details precisely during attack/decay (hard bass string pluck), mDAC was close but not always as precise.
if one went back to the same attack/decay section via the mDAC it could be noticed, just not as obvious.
 
All in all, mDAC would be a great choice today for those looking for the smallest battery powered DAC+Amp for iDevices and computers that delivers impressive sound at a nice low price.
 
is GO450 plug and play with iPhone/iPad like Encore mDAC?  nope.
Geek Stream is coming soon with similar features. 
 
time to go back and re-read the HeadphoneAddict review to see if any of my findings are wildly off base.  ha!

 

[Armillary]

I just got the mDac today and I've been doing my best to get it set up to work as a dac/amp for my laptop. I've noticed a few technical issues which I hope someone might be able to help me correct. Firstly I noticed that in the options for the playback device there isn't an option to set 24 bit as the default bitrate with any options. I've also noticed that during some operations the dac appears to cause my computer to behave oddly, I've had issues with media players refusing to play or freezing and when I tried to use the dac while playing a game launched from steam the game played normally until the sound randomly cut out and the game froze shortly after. Lastly I'm having an issue where the device will produce noise in either the left or right channel randomly. This noise is extremely annoying and will persist until the unit is cut off and back on again. I'm wondering if there may be something I'm missing concerning the unit's operation. I followed the quick start instructions and charged the unit and I've looked at all the (rather limited) material available for support and so far I've been out of luck. It may be that this unit wasn't designed to be used for general purpose and I was mistaken to buy it for that purpose but I'm hoping I just overlooked something while setting it up.  

 

[jasonl]

Set it to 32 bit for 24 bit format. The DAC used is 32 bit so for some unknown reason, the firmware was set to 32 bit even though the USB chip can only decode 24 bit.

Unless the unit is faulty, if you can select it from the control panel, sound device setup, it should work. If you can play music or watch YouTube without problem, but not playing certain games, it might be the speed issue as USB audio decoding consumes CPU power, which is not limited to mDAC.
You might have to find out how to optimize USB audio for your specific game.

Jason

 

[SAR14]

I had one I quickly returned. It wzs only 16 bits from windows. 24 bits and dsd only worked properly with a dedicated player like foobar and the appropriate drivers. Native 24 bits is a lie. I do not kno if mine had a problem but sound scratched with my lg g2 after 5 or 6 minutes playing, each time. Too bad. No issue with a 25 dollars hifimediy