[Gokhan Guler]

There are settings to use with USB.
But you said you got the driver installed now right?

I downloaded componenst of Foobar and now its working.
Thanks for your messages.

 

[tenedosian]

Does anyone have some knowledge about how JDS Labs OL DAC competes against the likes of M8A and D30?

OL DAC has beautiful technical specs with a relatively low $139 price etiquette.

 

[st939]

No idea but it looks a lot simpler and very basic, does not do DSD, does not do 32/768, a whole different league.
FYI check this test of the SMSL iDEA with detailed measurements and how it compares to DACs at many times its price. http://archimago.blogspot.ch/2017/05/measurements-smsl-idea-usb-dac.html

 

[Jimster480]

Does anyone have some knowledge about how JDS Labs OL DAC competes against the likes of M8A and D30?

OL DAC has beautiful technical specs with a relatively low $139 price etiquette.

Well I would say the d30 is better than the OL DAC because it does dsd, has an xmos controller and has more connectivity.
Sound quality should be on par between the two but the D30 is more modern and cheaper.
M8/M8A are slightly better but I don't feel they are as transparent as the D30 or OL DAC so "better" is subjective.
I Own all of them except the OL DAC but I have listened to one.

 

[ozboater]

TL-DR - The M8A really needs time to burn in, then you have a really great DAC.

Having been totally satisfied with my M8 doing great service in my hifi system, I decided to get an M8A on spec when I read reports about how much better the 9028Q2M was over the 9018K2M in the M8.

Moments after the M8A's arrival from Shenzhen Audio I had it plugged in and immediately noticed a difference in sound. First, there was more volume (I hadn't changed amp settings from the just removed M8), there was a much wider sound stage with extremely noticeable stereo separation, and stronger highs. so much so it initially sounded harsh.
As I listened, I began to notice that the sound had a big hole in the centre, and after 2 days, I thought with both the harshness and the hole that this purchase was a big mistake. Also, it sounded like the stereo separation was exaggerated. I harboured serious thoughts about packing this up and plugging the M8 back in.

With the M8, I liked the sound using the Slow filter, but found the M8A too harsh on Fast and Slow, but the Mini filter made it easier and less fatiguing to listen to.

Anyway, I stuck with it, feeling frustrated and disappointed while feeding it mostly 44.1k FLAC files.

After a week and some 35 hours of use, I fed it some 384k Ravel files and sat back, and in the second hour of this I noticed that the hole in the middle of the sound had completely disappeared, the sound was silky smooth with not a hint of sharpness, but with brilliant clarity and definition, and had a lovely wide soundstage.

As lovely as my original M8 was, now I could never go back, This is a significant step forward in sound quality over the ESS 9018K2M. Classical, prog rock and especially acoustic folk is just sublime. I am amazed at the clarity and definition in the sound, spread across a wide soundscape.

I really don't know why electronic devices like DACs need a burn in period, after al it is just electrons whizzing around circuitry that isn't changing. I noticed it with my valve amp when I got it, but that was nowhere near as much a difference as with the M8A.

I'd read reports of $10,000 and even $20,000 DACs that left me wondering if it is just smoke and mirrors (and adjectives) with high end hifi. However, so great is the difference from the M8 to the M8A that I've decided to take a punt again, and I'm saving for an L.K.S DH004 with dual ES9038 chips, but that will be several months away. DACs are components I don't think can be usefully auditioned in a hifi shop, and there is an element of just taking a chance with your budget.

FWIW, my system starts with FooBar2000 feeding FLACs piped out of a Gigabyte motherboard with DACUP on the USB port, through a Chord SIlver USB cable to the M8A powered with the SMSL P1 linear power supply. The signal moves through Chord RCA plugs to a Yaqin M13S valve amp and via 12 gauge copper to Richter Dragon V tower speakers. It sounds incredible to me.

If anyone can explain more to me about how electronic burn-in is possible, and how it makes such a difference, I'd be very keen to know.

Cheers, and happy listening.

 

[Jimster480]

TL-DR - The M8A really needs time to burn in, then you have a really great DAC.

Having been totally satisfied with my M8 doing great service in my hifi system, I decided to get an M8A on spec when I read reports about how much better the 9028Q2M was over the 9018K2M in the M8.

Moments after the M8A's arrival from Shenzhen Audio I had it plugged in and immediately noticed a difference in sound. First, there was more volume (I hadn't changed amp settings from the just removed M8), there was a much wider sound stage with extremely noticeable stereo separation, and stronger highs. so much so it initially sounded harsh.
As I listened, I began to notice that the sound had a big hole in the centre, and after 2 days, I thought with both the harshness and the hole that this purchase was a big mistake. Also, it sounded like the stereo separation was exaggerated. I harboured serious thoughts about packing this up and plugging the M8 back in.

With the M8, I liked the sound using the Slow filter, but found the M8A too harsh on Fast and Slow, but the Mini filter made it easier and less fatiguing to listen to.

Anyway, I stuck with it, feeling frustrated and disappointed while feeding it mostly 44.1k FLAC files.

After a week and some 35 hours of use, I fed it some 384k Ravel files and sat back, and in the second hour of this I noticed that the hole in the middle of the sound had completely disappeared, the sound was silky smooth with not a hint of sharpness, but with brilliant clarity and definition, and had a lovely wide soundstage.

As lovely as my original M8 was, now I could never go back, This is a significant step forward in sound quality over the ESS 9018K2M. Classical, prog rock and especially acoustic folk is just sublime. I am amazed at the clarity and definition in the sound, spread across a wide soundscape.

I really don't know why electronic devices like DACs need a burn in period, after al it is just electrons whizzing around circuitry that isn't changing. I noticed it with my valve amp when I got it, but that was nowhere near as much a difference as with the M8A.

I'd read reports of $10,000 and even $20,000 DACs that left me wondering if it is just smoke and mirrors (and adjectives) with high end hifi. However, so great is the difference from the M8 to the M8A that I've decided to take a punt again, and I'm saving for an L.K.S DH004 with dual ES9038 chips, but that will be several months away. DACs are components I don't think can be usefully auditioned in a hifi shop, and there is an element of just taking a chance with your budget.

FWIW, my system starts with FooBar2000 feeding FLACs piped out of a Gigabyte motherboard with DACUP on the USB port, through a Chord SIlver USB cable to the M8A powered with the SMSL P1 linear power supply. The signal moves through Chord RCA plugs to a Yaqin M13S valve amp and via 12 gauge copper to Richter Dragon V tower speakers. It sounds incredible to me.

If anyone can explain more to me about how electronic burn-in is possible, and how it makes such a difference, I'd be very keen to know.

Cheers, and happy listening.

Technically heat cycling the capacitors can change electrical properties ever so slightly. But in theory it shouldn't ever matter.
The M8A did sound good but the slightly buggy firmware really had me put it away.
A $10000 or $20000 DAC is just smoke and mirrors. The SMSL DAC literally is using the same components as those and will perform within 99%.
Using dual DAC chips can be slightly better, but its just slightly as a single DAC chip is able to reproduce sound in stereo mode that is already better than our hearing is capable of with noise floors lower than what we can hear aswell.
If you want a dual DAC setup I would wait for the Topping dual DAC to come out or check out the SMSL M9 as I believe that is also Dual DAC.

 

[st939]

Technically heat cycling the capacitors can change electrical properties ever so slightly. But in theory it shouldn't ever matter.
The M8A did sound good but the slightly buggy firmware really had me put it away.
A $10000 or $20000 DAC is just smoke and mirrors. The SMSL DAC literally is using the same components as those and will perform within 99%.
Using dual DAC chips can be slightly better, but its just slightly as a single DAC chip is able to reproduce sound in stereo mode that is already better than our hearing is capable of with noise floors lower than what we can hear aswell.
If you want a dual DAC setup I would wait for the Topping dual DAC to come out or check out the SMSL M9 as I believe that is also Dual DAC.

Buggy firmware? No issue whatsoever here. You may have issues with your computer but the firmware is excellent.
FYI there is a brand new firmware on the SMSL site, V4.11. Installed any works flowlessly like the previous one.

 

[Jimster480]

Buggy firmware? No issue whatsoever here. You may have issues with your computer but the firmware is excellent.
FYI there is a brand new firmware on the SMSL site, V4.11. Installed any works flowlessly like the previous one.

Hmm I'll have to check it out.
I had mine crash a few times when changing filters or changing inputs.
The entire DAC had to be powered off because despite showing in windows it wouldn't play anything.

Happened to me about 3 times during my testing period.

Right now I'm using my Schiit Mimby but I'm about to box that up again and take out one of the SMSL's.

 

[Jon L]

Can anyone confirm if any of these DAC's work with Android phone via OTG USB?

 

[Jimster480]

Can anyone confirm if any of these DAC's work with Android phone via OTG USB?

I'll try to find my cable and test it out.

 

[taxman2]

Well, has anyone installed the new driver that comes with M8a and still using M8. I am curious if there is an improvement in sq with that new driver.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Does anyone have some knowledge about how JDS Labs OL DAC competes against the likes of M8A and D30?

OL DAC has beautiful technical specs with a relatively low $139 price etiquette.

I have the D30 and the OL-DAC, to me the OL-DAC is better providing you don't need the coaxial input and DSD support.

The OL-DAC is just very well engineered and sounds flat but natural, the D30 just sounds flat to me, and a little more artifical.

I think the D30 is excellent for the price, and has a lot of features, but if you compare them, the D30 has a ton more features which means corners have been cut somewhere.

The OL-DAC is superb, hence why I purchased it after reviewing it, the same with the EL-DAC.

 

[Jimster480]

I have the D30 and the OL-DAC, to me the OL-DAC is better providing you don't need the coaxial input and DSD support.

The OL-DAC is just very well engineered and sounds flat but natural, the D30 just sounds flat to me, and a little more artifical.

I think the D30 is excellent for the price, and has a lot of features, but if you compare them, the D30 has a ton more features which means corners have been cut somewhere.

The OL-DAC is superb, hence why I purchased it after reviewing it, the same with the EL-DAC.

No corners were cut. Just the profit margin on the OL-DAC is HUGE compared to the D30.
The fact that you can Build your own OL-DAC for literally about half or less than half of what one costs proves you are completely incorrect.
Topping is a brand trying to make a name for itself, the parts inside of the D30 are better in almost every way compared to the OL-DAC and the price is still lower.

 

[ostewart]

No corners were cut. Just the profit margin on the OL-DAC is HUGE compared to the D30.
The fact that you can Build your own OL-DAC for literally about half or less than half of what one costs proves you are completely incorrect.
Topping is a brand trying to make a name for itself, the parts inside of the D30 are better in almost every way compared to the OL-DAC and the price is still lower.

Ok...

Well all I am saying is I prefer the sound of the OL-DAC over the D30.

 

[Jimster480]

Ok...

Well all I am saying is I prefer the sound of the OL-DAC over the D30.

Preferences are fine. Nobody said you have to like the D30's sound.
But to say corners are cut on a device that is better than the OL-DAC just due to prices is inaccurate.

Happy Listening!

Well, has anyone installed the new driver that comes with M8a and still using M8. I am curious if there is an improvement in sq with that new driver.

I could install the driver and check, but I have 3 XMOS devices (D30, M8, M8A) and in the event that it didn't work I would have to find the old driver.
Right now I am using the latest driver for the first gen XMOS chip.
I cannot imagine that any sound quality improvements would exist in a driver update as its only to enable DSD512 support on the M8A.