[karnana]

Looks like new peanut bluetooth dac is coming: Qudelix-5K
https://www.qudelix.com/specification

It has Dual ES9218P SABRE... A wireless sabaj da3 and costs maybe $100? This going to be my next buy. I will compare it later here.

[FreddyJ]

What about this one?
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/  £129 I believe?
Likely to be any good?

[wushuliu]

What about this one?
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/  £129 I believe?
Likely to be any good?

Finally, someone is using USB 3.0. I'm betting it's going to help give that dac a leg up in performance.

[mhconley]

What about this one?
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/  £129 I believe?
Likely to be any good?

"Net, net, it works and is adequately good. Won't hold a candle to higher end devices or separates. For $200 you can get a DAC and Amp combo that would run circles around it."

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ifi-zen-dac-and-headphone-amp-review.9885/

Martin

[wushuliu]

"Net, net, it works and is adequately good. Won't hold a candle to higher end devices or separates. For $200 you can get a DAC and Amp combo that would run circles around it."

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ifi-zen-dac-and-headphone-amp-review.9885/

Martin

Hahahaha. You forget to mention that by their own standards literally any $80 DAC/headamp with no obvious faults should be good enough. And yet they continue to give subjective ratings and subjective 'recommendations'. By their own metric you don't need anything more than a Behringer UMC202HD - which sucked BTW.

[zek]

Also reviews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzU-W2QqQg
https://majorhifi.com/ifi-zen-dac-review-economical-ecstasy/

[mhconley]

Hahahaha. You forget to mention that by their own standards literally any $80 DAC/headamp with no obvious faults should be good enough. And yet they continue to give subjective ratings and subjective 'recommendations'. By their own metric you don't need anything more than a Behringer UMC202HD - which sucked BTW.

I've only seen subjectivity come into play when the measurements don't match (or come close to) published specs. I agree, if a manufacturer cannot deliver what they say they will then I'll pass. That said the issues with that DAC/HP amp are well below the threshold of hearing. The main problem that I see is it is way under powered. To each his own. I take his subjective comments with a grain of salt (as I do all subjective comments) - the measurements speak for themselves.

Martin

[Mudjock]

SMSL M8A might be worth consideration $195 on amazon...recommended component on musicservertips.com- they have a review...I am using it with a linear power supply that I bought off ebay for about $50

Uses ES9038Q2M from ESS chipset

Anyway sounds absolutely horrible for first 40 hours, then really pretty good

I'm currently running an m8a into an Aragon Soundstage in stereo direct mode as my digital front end and am quite happy.  I voice my speaker designs on this system, so I value neutrality and detail resolution above other Sonic considerations.  I would think about the Sabaj D5 as a replacement for both with its volume control capability, but am not convinced it would be an overall win (dac upgrade but maybe preamp downgrade?)

[wushuliu]

I'm currently running an m8a into an Aragon Soundstage in stereo direct mode as my digital front end and am quite happy.  I voice my speaker designs on this system, so I value neutrality and detail resolution above other Sonic considerations.  I would think about the Sabaj D5 as a replacement for both with its volume control capability, but am not convinced it would be an overall win (dac upgrade but maybe preamp downgrade?)

Unless there was a recent redesign, the D5 would absolutely be an upgrade to the now old m8a. The D5 uses the Pro chip, for starters, while the m8a uses the cheap mobile chip (or maybe the even older ES9018, they've had several redesigns of the M8).

[charmerci]

I've had the Signtek's (no longer available), the Khadas Toneboard recommended here but recently, I got the Modi3. I like this one very much. Smooth from top to bottom. It doesn't do depth or soundstage as well as my AVA DAC but for the price, I'm very pleased with it. Highly recommended, even on expensive systems.

[Mudjock]

Unless there was a recent redesign, the D5 would absolutely be an upgrade to the now old m8a. The D5 uses the Pro chip, for starters, while the m8a uses the cheap mobile chip (or maybe the even older ES9018, they've had several redesigns of the M8).

I bought mine in 2017.  It has the mobile ES9028 DAC.  I have little doubt that the D5 would be an upgrade as a DAC but I am thinking about this more from a system building perspective.  The Aragon Soundstage is a mostly obsolete HT processor, but very impressive as a remote analog preamp.  The m8a-Aragon combo wound up at a similar price point for me as a new Sabaj D5 would run now.  If one ran the Sabaj unit as a DAC/preamp with remote source selection and volume control, the value comparison comes down to sound quality.  The real question is how well the D5 can do as a preamp directly driving a power amp.

[FreddyJ]

Also reviews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzU-W2QqQg
https://majorhifi.com/ifi-zen-dac-review-economical-ecstasy/

Going back to this one, the iFi ZEN DAC, I'm quite tempted. It's getting some enthusiaistic vids on YT. I do really need to get my act together to sort out what I want to do with my desktop set-up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIOsA3US9M8&t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMWOB553TCg

[wushuliu]

I have zero interest in any opinion offered by 'Z Reviews'.

[mix4fix]

I have zero interest in any opinion offered by 'Z Reviews'.

What's up with them?

[charmerci]

What's up with them?

Well, I think for one, he rambles on too much and second, he's not very consistent.

[TrungT]

Audiosciencereview
Let the numbers do the talking.


 

[Letitroll98]

Audiosciencereview
Let the numbers do the talking.

I like reading his measurement articles.  There are questions about his methodology and that numbers don't tell the whole story on sound quality.  I don't think there's a thing wrong with low noise and wide dynamic range, so his ratings are not a bad starting point.  That said there's a lot of low ranking components on his list that people I trust say sound wonderful.   

[wushuliu]

Audiosciencereview
Let the numbers do the talking.

That's his problem. He doesn't actually let the numbers do the talking. He inserts biased commentary the whole way through. Oh, and then the question of why the numbers he cares about matter. There are less biased people who do better reviews with the same equipment.

He and Z Reviews are the new tribalism in audio.

[who?me?]

I guess it depends what you mean by "peanuts"
Oh, okay, we all know what peanuts mean.

But here is a H/U for small, gold, peanuts.

Bel Canto DAC 3.7: with external power supply (EPS) AND upgraded reference umbilical cord from KEF.

I can attest to the DAC 3.7, it is my reference DAC. This DAC retailed for $6k alone, plus the KEF umbilical cord = $400.

The seller on Audiogon has it listed for a paltry $1850, and he would probably accept your lower offer.
Silly price for a DAC this good

Full Disclosure: Im moving overseas and have my own DAC 3.7 for sale for a higher price than the $1800.
(Jeez, now it sounds like I'm trying to promote my own shit. oh hell, I give up, I was just trying to give a HU)

[timind]

That's his problem. He doesn't actually let the numbers do the talking. He inserts biased commentary the whole way through. Oh, and then the question of why the numbers he cares about matter. There are less biased people who do better reviews with the same equipment.

He and Z Reviews are the new tribalism in audio.

Can you point me to some of these reviewers who do similar reviews without the bias?