Has anyone used or know about this DAC?

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Yami56

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Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« on: 10 Sep 2024, 10:53 am »
Hello there, I found a cheap DAC, no brand name. I want to know if it's any good. Finding any audio equipment's is rare in my country as not many people are aware about this stuff or interested. I wanted to know if anyone has used this particular DAC or have any knowledge about it and whether it will be worth it to spend money on it. My desktop has a very old motherboard with extremely bad built-in DAC. The sound it produces is, bland to say the least. No base at all, little to no mids, highs sound a little distorted. I bought a cheap USB dongle thingy but that is also not that great. When I plug my KZ ZSN Pro X (I know, not a great IEM either, but good audio equipment costs a lot in my country or very hard to find) in my phone, the sound is much gentler, much wider. When I listen to the same songs on my desktop with the dongle, it sounds narrower, and has a bit of elevated higher mids or lower highs, I think. It is also a bit harsh hurts my ear after a while somehow. So, I was thinking of getting this, which costs probably 20 to 25 USD, DAC I found in this one website. We don't have Amazon in my country so buying from a name brand is not possible. This is probably the best I am going to get.



« Last Edit: 10 Sep 2024, 01:26 pm by Yami56 »

charmerci

Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #1 on: 10 Sep 2024, 02:11 pm »
If you can afford a little more, I'd recommend the SMSL M3 DAC amp. I have their SA-50 amp and it sounds incredible for the price. It sounds better than the standard Sony/Denon full size receivers.

I.Greyhound Fan

Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #2 on: 10 Sep 2024, 05:33 pm »
I would go the used route and get something better.  Consider a Schiit Modi 3 or Modi Plus.  It will blow away a $25 DAC.  It sells new for $129 but you can find them used for $75.  It has a slightly warmer sound and it is non fatiguing.  And it is built in the USA.

https://www.schiit.com/products/modi-plus

It looks like they have a Modi 3 that is B-stock for $89.  It is well worth the money. 

https://www.schiit.com/b-stocks?srsltid=AfmBOoq8L-iV-bN40OOllyTk4WnaG73RMaGZSwtdUfTAJIGJIb6L1spU

newzooreview

Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #3 on: 10 Sep 2024, 06:08 pm »
What country are you in? Would AliExpress deliver to where you are?

There are some reasonable options on AliExpress if that is viable.

newzooreview

Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #4 on: 10 Sep 2024, 06:16 pm »
Also, a desktop computer typically has a lot of electrical noise leaking into the USB output, so it's not surprising that a phone might sound better.

Does the desktop computer have an optical output? It might be better than a noisy USB output.

[There are two issues with noise on the USB output: 1) the USB 2.0 Audio standard has no error correction, in contrast to data over USB. So the USB receiver chip that reconstructs 0s and 1s from the analog square wave can't fix any errors in timing or data and 2) the USB cable has 5v power component that can carry noise into the DAC.]

FullRangeMan

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Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #5 on: 10 Sep 2024, 06:27 pm »
Schiit equips are only compatible with 115 or 230V countries.

newzooreview

Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #6 on: 10 Sep 2024, 07:05 pm »
Schiit equips are only compatible with 115 or 230V countries.

The Modi is powered via the USB cable. External 5v is also an option.
The Modius is powered via the USB cable. External 5v is also an option.

The Modi Multibit runs on 14-16V AC externally supplied. Schiit only provides 115 or 230V wall warts, but the user can provide his own as well.

The Bifrost and Yggdrasil are configured for 110 or 230, so they provide less flexibility than the lower cost models.

Yami56

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Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #7 on: 10 Sep 2024, 07:36 pm »
What country are you in? Would AliExpress deliver to where you are?

There are some reasonable options on AliExpress if that is viable.

I live in Nepal. I have no idea if AliExpress can deliver in my country. This is one of the few DAC I found in a website that is, I guess you can call it a local E-commerce website. Also, the shipping cost of quiet high from what I've heard.

Yami56

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Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #8 on: 10 Sep 2024, 07:40 pm »
I would go the used route and get something better.  Consider a Schiit Modi 3 or Modi Plus.  It will blow away a $25 DAC.  It sells new for $129 but you can find them used for $75.  It has a slightly warmer sound and it is non fatiguing.  And it is built in the USA.

https://www.schiit.com/products/modi-plus

It looks like they have a Modi 3 that is B-stock for $89.  It is well worth the money. 

https://www.schiit.com/b-stocks?srsltid=AfmBOoq8L-iV-bN40OOllyTk4WnaG73RMaGZSwtdUfTAJIGJIb6L1spU

I would love to go used route, but no one uses any of the equipment you guys are mentioning cuz no one really knows about this stuff. And even if they did, they would be extremely expensive for us.  Even a $50 gadget would be considered premium here, that's how bad it is here. We don't have sites like Ebay where we can find used items and importing it from other country is very expensive. That's why I was wondering if the DAC I showed is any good. At least better than what I have built in my PC.

ArthurDent

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Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #9 on: 11 Sep 2024, 12:09 am »
Greetings & Welcome to AC  :thumb:  Here's wishing you much luck in your search for better music.  8)

FullRangeMan

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Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #10 on: 12 Sep 2024, 04:34 am »
Hi Yami,
I have just checked now that Ebay can ship to your country.
There is the SMSL SU-1 DAC for just $80usd and free shipping.
https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/889.html

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


They have other DACs also:
https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/lists/id/3.html

Doublej

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Re: Has anyone used or know about this DAC?
« Reply #11 on: 12 Sep 2024, 11:48 am »
Welcome to AC. These folks might be worth chatting with.

https://audioshopnepal.com/audio-brands/