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TEAC UD-H01 USB DAC
Apr 9, 2013 at 3:51 AM Post #136 of 385
Hello !
 
I would like to upgrade my usb dacs.
Presently I own two very cheap units:
  • behringer uca 202
  • audinst mini
 
All in all i like the sound, maybe the mini is a little better than the UCA but it is still breaking-in.
I wonder if this Teac is really a step-up compared to the two usb dacs above mentioned
I have already a separate headphone amp so I would use the Teac only as a dac
Thanks for any suggestion/advice.
Regards,
gino
 
Apr 10, 2013 at 1:58 PM Post #137 of 385
You know that everything depends,
On the: price you can get it for; headphones you use....
As a general rule mains powered DAC should sound better than USB powered one, but than again new headphones would change the sound much more than a DAC.
Personally I like my TEAC a lot, and would probably like it even more with better headphones (I'm using Goldring DR150) I have no troubles with TEAC drivers, everything works great using TEAC HR audio player for hi res files and optical for youtube and else, I think TEAC UD H01 is already in the land of diminishing returns so
if you want to be guaranteed that you have the best buy something like Benchmark DAC, otherwise weigh your options and listen :wink: maybe try musical fidelity M1DAC or audiolab MDAC
 
Apr 10, 2013 at 3:09 PM Post #138 of 385
Thank you very much indeed for your kind and very valuable reply
bigsmile_face.gif

I have decided for a dac + separated headphone amp solution in the end
The Teac is very nice and well built
As amp i am using a Fiio e9 (old version) with both Akg 242hd and Beyer dt990 Pro (250 ohm version)
The Teac is about 350 euro new.
The audiolab is twice the price.  The M1DAC is in between i think
As you say the power supply counts a lot.
The usb cannot provide much energy at 5VDC.
Thanks again
Kind regards,
gino
 
Apr 11, 2013 at 7:04 AM Post #139 of 385
Hey Gino. All I am saying is there is so many DAC's around that it is so hard to choose so just look around for best deal cause many of DAC's are quite similar in performance. I got my TEAC UD H01 from UK at a discounted price of 150 GBP plus 40 GBP for shipping. It has quite a nice headphone amp built-in and it's handy to have it all in one box.
You could even try NWAVGUY's ODAC which is quite cheap but very nice http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/products-page/dacs/e-dac-24bit-miniature-usb-dac/
and see if you hear an improvement.
Good luck in your "quest"
 
Apr 11, 2013 at 12:03 PM Post #140 of 385
Hello !
I have an opinion on this much debated issue
I think that measurements tell a lot, if done correctly
When i see tests on amps with pure resistive loads I am puzzled
Which is that headphone that is a pure resistive load ?  all are complex and tougher loads than a simple resistor
Instead I like very much Inner Fidelity tests because they are carried out directly on headphones (even if they do not say with which amp by the way)
And the same applies for line stages
I think that DACs are all quite good.  Power supplies and analog stages make the difference
And I am pretty sure that the Fiio is weaker in both aspects compared to the ODAC and even more to the Teac
Thanks a lot again
Kind regards,
gino
 
May 8, 2013 at 1:08 AM Post #141 of 385
Is anyone able to get support for all the sample rates using toslink optical? I can only seem to get 44.1,48, and 96 kHz working. I'm note sure if its a limitation of the digital out on my notebook or is it the Teac DAC. The manual doesn't mention any limitations with digital inputs.
 
May 8, 2013 at 12:05 PM Post #142 of 385
Quote:
tj max said:
Is anyone able to get support for all the sample rates using toslink optical? I can only seem to get 44.1,48, and 96 kHz working. I'm note sure if its a limitation of the digital out on my notebook or is it the Teac DAC. The manual doesn't mention any limitations with digital inputs.
Click to expand...

 


No limitations for me.  The Teac hooked up to a Squeezebox Touch with the EDO add-on does 176.4 and 192 just fine.
 
May 8, 2013 at 12:19 PM Post #143 of 385
Ok thanks. So I guess its limitations on my notebook, which uses Realtek drivers.
Anyone know a way around this? I got an Acer 6930G notebook.
 
Jun 19, 2013 at 2:41 PM Post #146 of 385
I bought a UD-H01 as a starter USB DAC for part of a new PC set up for headphone listening. The headphones were HD650s with balanced ends connected to a nine year old Headroom Blockhead amp. The sound was good but I needed to use an equaliser to get it to my tastes, notably increasing the highs.
 
Then I bought the HD800s with the stock cable and 1/4 inch jack so all I could use was the TEAC's headphone out or a Chorda Headphone amp.
 
I am very impressed with the TEAC and HD800s. The bass is nice but a bit light if you like lots of it, but the detail is excellent. I'm learning new sides to familiar songs and with it a greater appreciations of the songsmith's art. To me and my tastes, it is a very enjoyable sound. In fact I prefer this to the HD650s and Blockhead.
 
Jul 22, 2013 at 12:35 AM Post #147 of 385
Hi !
 
Just bought the UD-H01 recently . Too bad I didn't read the review in thread before I bought this DAC , otherwise I should know that the driver issue for 64 bit system earlier .
 
Personally , I like the sound from this DAC more than my previous DAC , which is Fiio E10 . However , the driver issue make the DAC is not stable enough to use . It will generate loud noise , and cracks , at unpredictable frequency . Sometimes the DAC just generate noise after 15 minutes of operate , and sometimes it runs for hours without problem .
 
So , there will be two option for me at this moment :
1) Endure the USB problem and wait for the next update from TEAC
2) Buy an additional USB-Digital interface to connect the DAC via Digital Coaxial or Optical
 
For option 2 , I'm now considering either SMSL SD-022+ , or Musiland Monitor 01 USD (version 2012) . Please , advice me which one I should buy for a better audio experience ? Personally I prefer Musiland Monitor 01 more because once TEAC's driver is stable enough , the Monitor 01 can be withdraw from the system and can use as a standalone sound card .
 
BTW , is there a practical workaround solution for Windows 7 64 bit user to operate this DAC stably ?
 
Thanks very much !
 
Regards,
Kurz
 
Jul 22, 2013 at 1:06 AM Post #148 of 385
I found that most of the problems with the Teac UD-H01 is that it's seems to have been created with usage with a computer as an after thought. It doesn't communicate with the OS hardly at all. It appears as though Windows can't tell whether or not the DAC is in use or idle. After a period of time Windows times out the USB port and attempt to shut it down or lower the power allocated to the USB ports when it thinks its not in use, causeing a blue screen of death. In the Teac Manual I think it even says that Windows cannot control the DAC.
 
The work around I found is to 1. disable USB Selective Suspend in the Advanced Power Options, and 2. Uncheck Allow Windows to Turn Off This device for USB Controller in the Device Manager.
 
The downside after doing this is that Windows will not enter sleep and the screen will not turn off while the DAC is turned on. BUT I find that it never crashes. And is always stable.
Also the Teac UD-H01 maynot work properly with WASAPI 3.x, so try Wasapi 2.x. The best buffer size in Foobar to set is 1380. (at least on my system)
 
P.S. Resuming from Pause using WASAPI does cause issues with Playback.
P.S.2  ASIO is an option but I found that it doesn't support Apple Lossless.
 
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