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I've been working on a review of the Audioengine D1 that I picked up at RMAF, for which I'll post most of it now. I'll add to this later when I am completely done, and also post it in the review section at that time. I felt bad for taking this long to get any impressions posted, so I wanted to make this post while I'm still 80-90% done.
I didn't get to unbox it until a few weeks after I got it at RMAF so I'm still burning it in to my 300 hours standard, although they only recommend 50-100. The amp sounded good out of the box, but seems to become more transparent with burn-in, without other major changes in sonic character. So far I have used it as a USB DAC through Macbook Pro and Amarra Mini 2.2 audio player, with 24/96 and 16/44.1 lossless music. It has both a USB and optical input, but needs power via USB to run the optical DAC. I will report more on optical later, in my update.
For those that can't read the whole review, I find the D1 to have a nice headphone amp and great sounding RCA line-out. I think this DAC should be a hit for the $169 price, if you don't need analog input with battery power for MP3 players. I'd venture to say it could have been sold for closer to $250-300, or more, without too many complaints about it not being worth the expense. I find the DAC and amp to be fairly uncolored, with good extension on the bass and treble, and no big dips or valleys in the sonic signature. And power is not lacking for a USB powered device.
Some specs I have are:
I've mostly been listening with some Jenna Labs re-cabled Denon D7000 (aka LA7000) and HiFiMan HE-300 from the second batch. I've also tried the Westone 4 and ES5 IEM, LCD-2 with Silver Dragon cable, HD600 with APS V3 cable, and HD800 with Locus-Design Hyperion cable. I still plan to try the D1 with my ESW-10JPN, HF-2, HE-500, and other more sensitive IEM. Of those phones I've tried, I preferred the D1 most with the LCD-2 and LA7000, then HE-300 and HD-600 similarly. I really don't like the HD-800 with many of my other amps, except Eddie Current ZDT which drives the HD800 with absolute authority.
Note - I'm a strong advocate of system synergy. I don't even really enjoy the HD800 out of my beloved DACmini, and don't use them in my bedroom or laptop rig at all anymore. So, it's no surprise that while the D1 can drive the HD800 fairly loudly that I don't think the HD800 have the best synergy with it. I prefer the HD800 with a warmer sounding amp like the DACport or ALO Amphora, but even those still can't compare to the ZDT amp with HD800. I found with the LCD-2 and LA7000 that the D1 almost has better synergy than my DACport, because the D1 acts like it has more current reserves for loud listening even though the voltage swing is less. The DACport seems to peter out and run out of juice sooner than the D1 when pushing these low impedance phones to the limit. At more normal volumes the DACport edges ahead.
With my IEM - the Westone 4 were good with the D1 and not too sensitive, but they still have that laid-back treble with the D1, and work better with my iBasso D4 which along with the needed treble also adds some space to the soundstage. The sonic synergy with my ES5 was excellent. However, the ES5 were a little too sensitive to use with the D1 if I wanted to sleep listening to music. At the lowest volumes that I could achieve before the sound would cut out suddenly, I found that the ES5 listening level was only about 2-3 dB below the levels that I would normally listen, so there was room to turn it up more, but not less. There is no dot or mark on the volume knob to aid in knowing where on the "clock" the volume is set.
I had to use a Westone volume attenuator with the ES5 to go quiet enough to listen while going to sleep. The system volume control does not affect the output volume for listening at extremely low volumes, so in that arena something like the uDAC-2 would come more in handy (at such low volumes lowering the system volume wont audibly hurt the sound). The D1 volume knob doesn't have a low volume channel imbalance, but it would go from no volume and then jump to a low volume in a very short range of turning the knob. In comparison, my original uDAC-2 had an imbalance at low volumes that necessitated using the system volume to go low enough to sleep with music, while the newer uDAC-2 SE has much better low volume control and doesn't need system volume attenuation to sleep with very sensitive IEM.
I also found that with the volume all the way down, with the ES5 I could hear a quiet high pitched whine if I plugged the D1 into my 8-port hub along with 5 others DACs, my EyeTV and external hard drive. When plugged directly into the USB port on my Macbook Pro the D1 was silent. With any of my full size phones the whine was inaudible, and pretty much gone with the less sensitive W4 as well. Again, solved by not plugging it into my full 8-port hub.
In comparison to the DACport, the Audioengine D1 is more forward sounding and slightly less spacious, but still possessing good timbre, tone and great micro-detail. The D1 might even offer slightly better extension on the treble for me. The DACport still seems to open up the performance a bit more over the D1, but mostly via the soundstage enhancements. It's this presentation where they differ most, so someone's tastes might even put the D1 ahead. The D1 Image placement is fairly precise, and layering of instruments was pretty good. But the performance was more intimately placed and in a smaller venue than when listening with the DACport. However, the D1's DAC RCA line-out did seem to open things up more than the headphone amp, and when driving something like my SR-71b amp with balanced headphones I didn't notice much of a difference vs my $350 Pico DAC-only or $399 DACport as a pre-amp feeding the SR-71b.
In other comparisons I found that the D1's DAC is a bit better than the PCM2702E Japan DAC chip in my $250 Meier 3MOVE DAC/amp or Practical Devices XM5 (which is closer to $350 with optional BUF634 buffers and AD8065 opamps). Both of those amps have a somewhat forward presentation like the D1, but when using their built-in DAC's the they offer a slightly grainy texture to the sound that the D1 doesn't have. I've found in the past that these two amps are great but usually perform a bit better when using a better DAC via analog input, and with the D1 DAC it's no exception. The D1 feeding these amps sounds smoother and offers a better sense of space, micro-detail and transparency, allowing these amps to shine vs with their own DAC.
Those amps run on more powerful 9v power supplies with similar sound characteristics, but their DAC's are simply not as resolving. I also find that the D1 headphone output is good enough that the improvement in feeding the D1 into these portable amps is not huge, and may not be all that cost effective unless you really need their extra voltage swing or synergy for something like HD600/800. The 3MOVE was one of my favorite single ended portable amps for HD600/800, and the XM5 bested the 3MOVE with the LCD-2 and LA7000. However, the D1 seems to do just as well with the LA7000 and LCD-2 (and HE-300). As for features, neither of those amps offer 24/96 USB/optical input or line-out, but they do offer analog input and battery operation for digital music players and such.
My iBasso D4 uses dual Wolfson WM8740 DACs, and is upgraded with the HiFlight opamp kit. The D4 has a better DAC than the 3MOVE and XM5, and as a whole it seems to fall between the DACport and D1 when driving headphones (in 9v mode). The D4 has a similar soundstage to the DACport but slightly less warmth than D1 or DACport. Although it's limited to 16/48, that's perfectly fine with redbook CD rips. The opamp upgrade makes my iBasso D4 sound identical to a $350 Ray Samuels Audio Mustang amp (which is close to the DACport). The D4 also runs on 9v battery, with a little more power than the D1, but I still didn't think it performed as well with the LA7000 and LCD-2 when pushing them to high volumes. The 3MOVE and D4 both have a 5v mode in case your 9v battery is dead, but they really needed the 9v battery mode to perform their best.
The DACport runs on only 5v USB power, but usually has a little more power than the other 5v amps, although not as much as the amps in 9v mode. However, with the Denon D7000 and LCD-2 the Audioengine D1 sounds noticeably less strained at high volumes than the DACport, D4, or 3MOVE. It was closest to the XM5 in that regard. The Sennheiser HD600 and HD800 are 300 ohm and present a bigger challenge than low impedance phones, due to their need for a higher voltage swing. Not surprisingly the 9v amps offer more power to the 300 ohm phones, but those phones have an efficiency of over 100dB/mw and the D1's 12mw at 300 ohm provides adequate volume levels. For HD600/800 I'd still pick the 3MOVE, but using an upgraded source like the D1.
I have not had much time to compare to my uDAC-2 yet, but I will do more listening and post later. I'll also try the D1 optical DAC via my Macbook Pro. I also have a new Nuforce uDAC-2 SE with assynchronous USB mode, which I think sounds a bit more transparent and realistic/natural than the original uDAC-2. It also has a much better volume pot than the original uDAC-2 as far as low volume channel imbalance goes. I'll be posting those impressions of that one elsewhere when I have time. For now I'd say the D1 sounds at least as good as the more expensive assynch Nuforce DAC ($249), and a little better than my original uDAC-2 (which is better via RCA line-out and S/PDIF output than via headphone out).
In my opinion the Audioengine D1 and new Nuforce assynch uDAC-2 SE are both strong competition to the best of the DAC/amps I've previously reviewed in my big portable USB DAC/amp thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/306883/updated-2-22-review-13-usb-dac-amp-predator-pico-2-3move-d10-d3-d2-viper-boa-d1-lyrix-microamp-vivid-v1-nuforce-xm5/1080#post_7905352, and their RCA line-out DAC-only audio quality seems to be on par with more costly DAC's like my Pico Slim DAC-only or DACport (used as a pre-amp).
I think for some the choice will be made based more on features than sound. Where the D1 has 24/96 optical input, the uDAC-2 SE offers a 24/96 coax S/PDIF output. The uDAC-2 SE is smaller, but the D1 has a little more juice for the LCD-2 and LA7000. And the uDAC-2 SE will allow listening to very sensitive IEM at lower volumes before needing a volume attenuator. I'll try to find more differences in the sound of these as I spend more time with them, but power output levels seem similar as well. And, both do even better as a DAC feeding a nicer amp.
I didn't get to unbox it until a few weeks after I got it at RMAF so I'm still burning it in to my 300 hours standard, although they only recommend 50-100. The amp sounded good out of the box, but seems to become more transparent with burn-in, without other major changes in sonic character. So far I have used it as a USB DAC through Macbook Pro and Amarra Mini 2.2 audio player, with 24/96 and 16/44.1 lossless music. It has both a USB and optical input, but needs power via USB to run the optical DAC. I will report more on optical later, in my update.
For those that can't read the whole review, I find the D1 to have a nice headphone amp and great sounding RCA line-out. I think this DAC should be a hit for the $169 price, if you don't need analog input with battery power for MP3 players. I'd venture to say it could have been sold for closer to $250-300, or more, without too many complaints about it not being worth the expense. I find the DAC and amp to be fairly uncolored, with good extension on the bass and treble, and no big dips or valleys in the sonic signature. And power is not lacking for a USB powered device.
Some specs I have are:
I've mostly been listening with some Jenna Labs re-cabled Denon D7000 (aka LA7000) and HiFiMan HE-300 from the second batch. I've also tried the Westone 4 and ES5 IEM, LCD-2 with Silver Dragon cable, HD600 with APS V3 cable, and HD800 with Locus-Design Hyperion cable. I still plan to try the D1 with my ESW-10JPN, HF-2, HE-500, and other more sensitive IEM. Of those phones I've tried, I preferred the D1 most with the LCD-2 and LA7000, then HE-300 and HD-600 similarly. I really don't like the HD-800 with many of my other amps, except Eddie Current ZDT which drives the HD800 with absolute authority.
Note - I'm a strong advocate of system synergy. I don't even really enjoy the HD800 out of my beloved DACmini, and don't use them in my bedroom or laptop rig at all anymore. So, it's no surprise that while the D1 can drive the HD800 fairly loudly that I don't think the HD800 have the best synergy with it. I prefer the HD800 with a warmer sounding amp like the DACport or ALO Amphora, but even those still can't compare to the ZDT amp with HD800. I found with the LCD-2 and LA7000 that the D1 almost has better synergy than my DACport, because the D1 acts like it has more current reserves for loud listening even though the voltage swing is less. The DACport seems to peter out and run out of juice sooner than the D1 when pushing these low impedance phones to the limit. At more normal volumes the DACport edges ahead.
With my IEM - the Westone 4 were good with the D1 and not too sensitive, but they still have that laid-back treble with the D1, and work better with my iBasso D4 which along with the needed treble also adds some space to the soundstage. The sonic synergy with my ES5 was excellent. However, the ES5 were a little too sensitive to use with the D1 if I wanted to sleep listening to music. At the lowest volumes that I could achieve before the sound would cut out suddenly, I found that the ES5 listening level was only about 2-3 dB below the levels that I would normally listen, so there was room to turn it up more, but not less. There is no dot or mark on the volume knob to aid in knowing where on the "clock" the volume is set.
I had to use a Westone volume attenuator with the ES5 to go quiet enough to listen while going to sleep. The system volume control does not affect the output volume for listening at extremely low volumes, so in that arena something like the uDAC-2 would come more in handy (at such low volumes lowering the system volume wont audibly hurt the sound). The D1 volume knob doesn't have a low volume channel imbalance, but it would go from no volume and then jump to a low volume in a very short range of turning the knob. In comparison, my original uDAC-2 had an imbalance at low volumes that necessitated using the system volume to go low enough to sleep with music, while the newer uDAC-2 SE has much better low volume control and doesn't need system volume attenuation to sleep with very sensitive IEM.
I also found that with the volume all the way down, with the ES5 I could hear a quiet high pitched whine if I plugged the D1 into my 8-port hub along with 5 others DACs, my EyeTV and external hard drive. When plugged directly into the USB port on my Macbook Pro the D1 was silent. With any of my full size phones the whine was inaudible, and pretty much gone with the less sensitive W4 as well. Again, solved by not plugging it into my full 8-port hub.
In comparison to the DACport, the Audioengine D1 is more forward sounding and slightly less spacious, but still possessing good timbre, tone and great micro-detail. The D1 might even offer slightly better extension on the treble for me. The DACport still seems to open up the performance a bit more over the D1, but mostly via the soundstage enhancements. It's this presentation where they differ most, so someone's tastes might even put the D1 ahead. The D1 Image placement is fairly precise, and layering of instruments was pretty good. But the performance was more intimately placed and in a smaller venue than when listening with the DACport. However, the D1's DAC RCA line-out did seem to open things up more than the headphone amp, and when driving something like my SR-71b amp with balanced headphones I didn't notice much of a difference vs my $350 Pico DAC-only or $399 DACport as a pre-amp feeding the SR-71b.
In other comparisons I found that the D1's DAC is a bit better than the PCM2702E Japan DAC chip in my $250 Meier 3MOVE DAC/amp or Practical Devices XM5 (which is closer to $350 with optional BUF634 buffers and AD8065 opamps). Both of those amps have a somewhat forward presentation like the D1, but when using their built-in DAC's the they offer a slightly grainy texture to the sound that the D1 doesn't have. I've found in the past that these two amps are great but usually perform a bit better when using a better DAC via analog input, and with the D1 DAC it's no exception. The D1 feeding these amps sounds smoother and offers a better sense of space, micro-detail and transparency, allowing these amps to shine vs with their own DAC.
Those amps run on more powerful 9v power supplies with similar sound characteristics, but their DAC's are simply not as resolving. I also find that the D1 headphone output is good enough that the improvement in feeding the D1 into these portable amps is not huge, and may not be all that cost effective unless you really need their extra voltage swing or synergy for something like HD600/800. The 3MOVE was one of my favorite single ended portable amps for HD600/800, and the XM5 bested the 3MOVE with the LCD-2 and LA7000. However, the D1 seems to do just as well with the LA7000 and LCD-2 (and HE-300). As for features, neither of those amps offer 24/96 USB/optical input or line-out, but they do offer analog input and battery operation for digital music players and such.
My iBasso D4 uses dual Wolfson WM8740 DACs, and is upgraded with the HiFlight opamp kit. The D4 has a better DAC than the 3MOVE and XM5, and as a whole it seems to fall between the DACport and D1 when driving headphones (in 9v mode). The D4 has a similar soundstage to the DACport but slightly less warmth than D1 or DACport. Although it's limited to 16/48, that's perfectly fine with redbook CD rips. The opamp upgrade makes my iBasso D4 sound identical to a $350 Ray Samuels Audio Mustang amp (which is close to the DACport). The D4 also runs on 9v battery, with a little more power than the D1, but I still didn't think it performed as well with the LA7000 and LCD-2 when pushing them to high volumes. The 3MOVE and D4 both have a 5v mode in case your 9v battery is dead, but they really needed the 9v battery mode to perform their best.
The DACport runs on only 5v USB power, but usually has a little more power than the other 5v amps, although not as much as the amps in 9v mode. However, with the Denon D7000 and LCD-2 the Audioengine D1 sounds noticeably less strained at high volumes than the DACport, D4, or 3MOVE. It was closest to the XM5 in that regard. The Sennheiser HD600 and HD800 are 300 ohm and present a bigger challenge than low impedance phones, due to their need for a higher voltage swing. Not surprisingly the 9v amps offer more power to the 300 ohm phones, but those phones have an efficiency of over 100dB/mw and the D1's 12mw at 300 ohm provides adequate volume levels. For HD600/800 I'd still pick the 3MOVE, but using an upgraded source like the D1.
I have not had much time to compare to my uDAC-2 yet, but I will do more listening and post later. I'll also try the D1 optical DAC via my Macbook Pro. I also have a new Nuforce uDAC-2 SE with assynchronous USB mode, which I think sounds a bit more transparent and realistic/natural than the original uDAC-2. It also has a much better volume pot than the original uDAC-2 as far as low volume channel imbalance goes. I'll be posting those impressions of that one elsewhere when I have time. For now I'd say the D1 sounds at least as good as the more expensive assynch Nuforce DAC ($249), and a little better than my original uDAC-2 (which is better via RCA line-out and S/PDIF output than via headphone out).
In my opinion the Audioengine D1 and new Nuforce assynch uDAC-2 SE are both strong competition to the best of the DAC/amps I've previously reviewed in my big portable USB DAC/amp thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/306883/updated-2-22-review-13-usb-dac-amp-predator-pico-2-3move-d10-d3-d2-viper-boa-d1-lyrix-microamp-vivid-v1-nuforce-xm5/1080#post_7905352, and their RCA line-out DAC-only audio quality seems to be on par with more costly DAC's like my Pico Slim DAC-only or DACport (used as a pre-amp).
I think for some the choice will be made based more on features than sound. Where the D1 has 24/96 optical input, the uDAC-2 SE offers a 24/96 coax S/PDIF output. The uDAC-2 SE is smaller, but the D1 has a little more juice for the LCD-2 and LA7000. And the uDAC-2 SE will allow listening to very sensitive IEM at lower volumes before needing a volume attenuator. I'll try to find more differences in the sound of these as I spend more time with them, but power output levels seem similar as well. And, both do even better as a DAC feeding a nicer amp.
