[Ichos]

I am only us sung them for iem and maybe for some Bluetooth headphones that also can work wired. Nothing more than 32ohm not 320.
Will the A30 be sufficient? Have you used an item with them where it was not adequate amplification?

I have tested it with various normal iems like FD1 , FH3 , Tripowin TC-01 , Starfield , Dunu EST 112 , Rai Solo , 12 Classics V2 etc.
All get loud enough for the given portable use without clipping.
For some of them there is of course more volume to be reached with higher powered amps but we are talking deafening levels.

 

[Ichos]

You are indeed talking about power at 32Ω

I wrote "...is pretty much the same..."

As you can understand I haven't tested all the dongles not I know everything that exists.

 

[Canabuc]

I am taking max voltage output and not power at a given impedance.

The tempotec features the same CS43131 as the other dongles.
So max power is the same wether you like it or not.

Maybe it is calibrated to put more power at a given load or if we measure for example the SoundMAGIC A30 we are going to find that it's power output is somewhat better than the paper performance.

That is my question. There are dacs that are rated at 30 in 32ohms but the testing shows they are driving more power than that.
My issue is I ordered the sound magic as for me my phone is my main audio device but it has no headphone jack. Wanted something not too expensive but if better quality and with some amplification compared to a simple dongle.

the A30 was only 30$ US so figured was worth a buy rather than say the IBasso DC03 which is more than double and has no volume control. But I am new to all this and now see the DC03 has 2of these dacs and the Meizu has some other processors to help with noise reduction etc.

Also in the various iem forums here some have said that my Blon and Moondrop items will sound much better I.e. scale up if amplified. They seemed to suggest I need more than what the Soundmagic offers. So I am tempted to return the soundmagic unopened and go for something more powerful like the Shanling UA1 or the iBasso or Meizu as they are still not overly expensive. However if I won’t derive a difference then I won’t waste my time and money.

The Audiosciencereview forums they have done testing on many of these dongles for quality of sound noise and output. They unfortunately don’t have measurements yet for the soundmagic and even here outside of you I know of no one else who can provide feedback on their performance.

 

[Canabuc]

I have tested it with various normal iems like FD1 , FH3 , Tripowin TC-01 , Starfield , Dunu EST 112 , Rai Solo , 12 Classics V2 etc.
All get loud enough for the given portable use without clipping.
For some of them there is of course more volume to be reached with higher powered amps but we are talking deafening levels.

Am curious how these performed with starfields as my Aria are quite similar. Not just clipping and volume but does the amplification make them sound better more dynamic than without it. Do they sound as good with the A30 as they do with a more powerful amp or not?

 

[Ichos]

@Canabuc

I have tested the DC03 and the A30 together.
They output the same power and they sound almost identical.
The DC03 is maybe a little more clean and spacious.

Since this is going to be your only dac/amp I would suggest to search for a more powerful solution or convert your iems to balanced in order to get a balanced version with double the power output.

 

[Ichos]

@Canabuc
@staticV3

Now it seems that my published specs for A30 might be wrong.
SoundMAGIC doesn't provide exact power rating for various loads and I used information that I found at the CS website.

I can see that Tempotec is 60mW at 32Ω and iBasso DC03 states 80mW for 32Ω.

So I guess it might be the same for the SoundMAGIC A30.

I am going to mail them to get things shortened out.

Till then I am going to edit my review not to include power rating.

 

[Canabuc]

@Canabuc

I have tested the DC03 and the A30 together.
They output the same power and they sound almost identical.
The DC03 is maybe a little more clean and spacious.

Since this is going to be your only dac/amp I would suggest to search for a more powerful solution or convert your iems to balanced in order to get a balanced version with double the power output.

Thanks for info pardon the newb question but can you explain more about balanced vs unbalanced?

My preference is to stay small dongle as I don't want to be locked to something big or that requires a table to put it on.

I know the shanling ua2 and so e other dongles have more power and might consider those if the Soundmagic doesn't provide enough power.

 

[Canabuc]

@Canabuc
@staticV3

Now it seems that my published specs for A30 might be wrong.
SoundMAGIC doesn't provide exact power rating for various loads and I used information that I found at the CS website.

I can see that Tempotec is 60mW at 32Ω and iBasso DC03 states 80mW for 32Ω.

So I guess it might be the same for the SoundMAGIC A30.

I am going to mail them to get things shortened out.

Till then I am going to edit my review not to include power rating.

Does the ibasso having two chips give it the extra power?

 

[Canabuc]

@Canabuc

I have tested the DC03 and the A30 together.
They output the same power and they sound almost identical.
The DC03 is maybe a little more clean and spacious.

Since this is going to be your only dac/amp I would suggest to search for a more powerful solution or convert your iems to balanced in order to get a balanced version with double the power output.

Also how do the A30 drive the Starfield? In your opinion do you find they sound as good as with a more powerful DAC amp?

 

[staticV3]

Does the ibasso having two chips give it the extra power?

A dongle's output power is determined by the headphone amp inside, not the amount of DAC chips.
However, since many dongles use SoCs that combine DAC and Amp into a single chip. Having two DACs can also mean having two Amps, resulting in more power.

 

[Ichos]

Does the ibasso having two chips give it the extra power?

This dongle like the most of that kind use dac with embedded amplifier.

In the case of the iBasso DC03 there are indeed two pieces of the CS 43131 but in parallel configuration only to increase dynamic range and offer better SNR.
The output power is like using one of them.

In the iBasso DC04 there are again two CS 43131 but in differential balanced configuration so the output power is doubled.

In order to use balanced dacs your iems need to be configured with balanced cable ending in 2.5mm or 4.4mm plug.

Balanced dongles are for example the iBasso DC04 and the ddHiFi TC44B.

The iBasso DC03 and the SoundMAGIC A30 drive the Moondrop Starfield just fine.

 

[Canabuc]

This dongle like the most of that kind use dac with embedded amplifier.

In the case of the iBasso DC03 there are indeed two pieces of the CS 43131 but in parallel configuration only to increase dynamic range and offer better SNR.
The output power is like using one of them.

In the iBasso DC04 there are again two CS 43131 but in differential balanced configuration so the output power is doubled.

In order to use balanced dacs your iems need to be configured with balanced cable ending in 2.5mm or 4.4mm plug.

Balanced dongles are for example the iBasso DC04 and the ddHiFi TC44B.

The iBasso DC03 and the SoundMAGIC A30 drive the Moondrop Starfield just fine.

What is benefit of balanced vs unbalanced is it just power delivery?

 

[Canabuc]

This dongle like the most of that kind use dac with embedded amplifier.

In the case of the iBasso DC03 there are indeed two pieces of the CS 43131 but in parallel configuration only to increase dynamic range and offer better SNR.
The output power is like using one of them.

In the iBasso DC04 there are again two CS 43131 but in differential balanced configuration so the output power is doubled.

In order to use balanced dacs your iems need to be configured with balanced cable ending in 2.5mm or 4.4mm plug.

Balanced dongles are for example the iBasso DC04 and the ddHiFi TC44B.

The iBasso DC03 and the SoundMAGIC A30 drive the Moondrop Starfield just fine.

Just fine as in good enough or no need for better amping?

 

[Ichos]

What is benefit of balanced vs unbalanced is it just power delivery?

A well implemented balanced circuit can usually offer lower noise floor , better separation , wider soundstage and greater dynamics compared to the single ended variant with the same parts.
Single ended can still sound very good.
In your case only a balanced dongle can offer the power you seek.

 

[Ichos]

Just fine as in good enough or no need for better amping?

I don't remember and I don't have the time to check.
This are rated at 32ohm 122dB/Vrms they are going to explode.
Let's assume that the A30 outputs 1V at 32ohm (it should be even higher though at about 1.4 Volt) then you get an ear bleeding 122dB.