[ajzepp]

I've been in the audio hobby for well over a decade now, even though I've only been dabbling in headphones for the past year or so. In both instances, I tend to fall right in the middle between the subjectivist and objectivist camps. The only differences that I've ever agreed could be classified as "night and day" pertain to changes in room treatments and speakers. Beyond that, my experience has always proved (to my ears) that most differences and upgrades are subtle. I've read all sorts of feedback on things like cables, power conditioners, etc...and my general rule of thumb has been that if there is all sorts of disagreement whether there is any difference at ALL, let alone the degree, then chances are I'm not really interested in spending lots of money in that specific area. Gray areas for me have been amps and DACs, and it's the latter of the two that I'm writing about today.

I've been using a little budget DAC - the AudioEngine D1 - for the past year and been very happy with it. I never had much interest in spending any more than the $149 that I spend on this little guy, although from time to time I would read about the latest and greatest and find myself tempted. Well, recently I came across a glowing review of the Micromega MyDac. When I saw that it was priced relatively reasonably, my interest was piqued. I saw that Amazon carried it, so since they have a liberal return policy I pulled the trigger on it.

It arrived yesterday, and so far I have to admit that the improvement over the D1 has been more significant than I anticipated. I'm not real good at using all the audiophile terms that are thrown around, but basically I'm hearing a more robust low end, much more "thwack" and crispness with the instrumentals, particularly with percussive instruments, and the overall separation among the individual aspects of the track is significantly better. The D1 does a fine job, but in direct comparison the D1 presents the music in a way that is a bit more blended, if that makes any sense. With the MyDac everything is very distinct and delineated, and the music is a bit more three dimensional to my ears, particularly in terms of width, not quite as much in terms of depth.

Anyway, if anyone is looking for a DAC, I'd give this one an audition. I don't have a ton of experience with DACs for the reasons mentioned above, so for all I know there are lots of others at this price point that perform just as well....but based on my limited experience, this one is very satisfying.

http://www.micromega-hifi.com/index.php/en/products/my-range/mydac

[django11]

Nice review.  Very tempting.  One of the few products that is the same price in Canada.

[ajzepp]

I surmise that the D1 doesn't have the impact because it draws all of its very limited power through the USB, while the Mydac gets all the juice it needs from the mains.

Edit: I wonder if the D1 would do better if it ran from a powered USB hub?

Hi Dale:

I don't know if it makes any difference, but I have always run my D1 connected to a 5v USB outlet on my Belkin power strip. Until recently, I've always had it as my dedicated DAC with my main headphone rig, so I needed the power outlet thing to accommodate that. I've always wondered if having the volume pot on the D1 detracted from the sound at all. Seems to me I've heard over the years that the signal can be degraded when two volume pots were in the pathway? I dunno...I'll let you guys handle the technical explanations. All I know is that as much as I've enjoyed the D1, it's been relegated to laptop duty....whatever is going on here, the Mydac is a significant improvement...still surprised by this.



Django: Very cool....I know it's designed and built in France, so I was happy about that. A buddy of mine also sent me a link to the new Micromega amp that is designed to mate with the MyDac...apparently this company has been around for a while, but they're going through a bit of a resurgence under new ownership. I may pick up the amp to play around with, as well, since it's really not pricey at all. Pretty neat company!

[ajzepp]

I guess I should be sure to qualify by saying that I'm not unhappy with the D1 at all. The MyDac is almost 250% more expensive, so it's not really a fair comparison...I'm just surprised to have experienced an improvement, cause it's not really something I figured would happen. Now that I have the D1 in the use it was primarily designed for, it actually does a great job improving the sound over the regular headphone jack on my Dell laptop. I think the D1 is a great little piece and have no plans to get rid of it. 

[ramsubr]

Try replacing the stock Mydac power cord with something better and you will be blow away with the results. Cheers!

[brooklyn]

I bought the AudioEngine D1 Dac a few months ago but I returned it. I didn't hear much
improvement at that time with my cheap little Koss headphones or my AKG K240 headphones.
I had to almost strain to heard a difference between the D1 or direct into the Mac Mini.

[lcrim]

I also have the AudioEngine D1 and have combined it w/ the iFi iUSB Power module and remain very impressed w/ sound quality both as a headphone amp and as a DAC connected to my Pogoplug linux device running Squeezelite.   I just added a refurb Sennheiser HD 598 to this system which is a good match from an impedance standpoint.  The iFi iUSB Power makes a massive improvement to the sound quality, night and day really.  If you are using a USB DAC, this device is a very reasonably priced addition that I can't recommend highly enough.  I use one in each of my systems now.
Larry

[brooklyn]

hum, glowing reviews, I wonder if I could have gotten a bad unit.
I didn't hear anything remotely sounding like it was a nice real improvement.

[Folsom]

My problems with DACs isn't how good they are in definable terms, it is that they never solve the edge in the music that stops myself from listening for too long. Battery powered ones have faired the best as stand alone, otherwise I find without power conditioning DAC's just won't give me a level of ease, low fatigue, for long listening. (battery powered is nice, but a touch boring; I'd love to hear RWA's with the updated batteries of lower impedance though)

[ajzepp]

My problems with DACs isn't how good they are in definable terms, it is that they never solve the edge in the music that stops myself from listening for too long. Battery powered ones have faired the best as stand alone, otherwise I find without power conditioning DAC's just won't give me a level of ease, low fatigue, for long listening. (battery powered is nice, but a touch boring; I'd love to hear RWA's with the updated batteries of lower impedance though)

I actually know exactly what you mean. In fact, during my back and forth listening sessions over the last 36 hrs, I intentionally left my Yaqin tube buffer out of the loop so that I could minimize variables. YMMV, but the buffer is what really helped me in taming the edge you mentioned. It's funny cause after the first hour or two of listening w/out it, I contacted my tube guy for suggestions on some 6SN7 tubes since I realized I never upgraded from the stock Chinese tubes that came with it. For headphone listening, I much prefer having the buffer in the signal path.


Larry: Thanks for that suggestion...that reinforces Dale's point, so I will definitely consider that since I plan to keep the D1.


Ramsubr: any suggestions?


Brooklyn: I remember your post about that...maybe the mac mini is just so good that it's not as big of an upgrade as it was for me when I used the D1 over the headphone jacks on my Dell? I know that not everyone really hears much difference when they swap out DACs, though, which is partly why I have felt as I have up to this point.

[ramsubr]

I noticed considerable difference when I replaced the stock with SHUNYATA - VENOM 3 PC. I did not want to spend an arm and a leg for the PC but I am wondering (after having replaced the stock with SHUNYATA) what a slightly more expensive PC would do to the setup. Cheers!

[djtw]

Interesting that you heard an improvement with the upgraded PC as many in the AC community have reported that PC's are worthy upgrades for their equipment.

I'm just curious whether this is more a reflection on the design of the power supply inside the Mydac or that an aftermarket PC has some additional filtering or electrical characteristics that would improve the sound?

I believe the improvements are real, I just don't understand why.

Thanks, Tony

[ramsubr]

Personally, the PC did improve the lower end bass a bit. I also used an USB isolator, which got rid of hum/and other "dirty" noises coming out of the laptop/desktop.

IMHO an USB isolator is a must have if you are using computer audio. This isolator separates the signal, ground, and power lines of a USB host device and for around $40~$50, you really cant go wrong!

I have a similar setup for my headphone amp connected to my desktop (Dared MP5 tube amp) and it also has similar results.

Cheers!

[Stu Pitt]

Whenever I change anything, I use my headphones as a critical part of the evaluation process.  IMO headphones give a very up-close perspective on what's going on.  My Etymotic ER4s IEMs tell it like it is in most areas.  They eliminate the room, which is easily the most important component in the system.  The areas my Etys don't give the most accurate sense of change is bass depth/weight and soundstaging and imaging.  My Bryston B60 is extremely neutral, and it's headphone section is run off the preamp (Class A).

I've evaluated everything with them - previous amplification, sources, power conditioning and cables.  The only things I haven't evaluated are speakers and speaker cables, for obvious reasons.

DACs definitely make a difference.  I've used 3 different "DACs" - my current Rega DAC, my Theta Cobalt DAC, and my HRT iStreamer.  If you're looking for increases proportional to increased price, DACs aren't going to give it to you.  My iStreamer was about $200 vs my Rega DAC at $1k.  No way does the Rega sound 5x better, although can that really be quantified.  The two have a similar tone and tonal balance.  If I were told the HRT was a bottom of the line Rega product, I'd believe it if I didn't know better.  But that's where the similarities end.

The Rega sounds fuller; not in a smoothed over or warmed up way, but there's just more sound/weight to every note.  The leading edges of notes are blurred and the trailing edges fade out unnaturally on the HRT, compared to the Rega; I'm pretty sure this is what's meant by attack and decay, and PRaT.  The highest and lowest frequencies are better controlled by the Rega.  Resolution is better with the Rega, but not enough to really compliment it; it's more of a footnote.

Through my speakers, which are also very revealing (Audio Physic Yara Evolution monitors), those differences aren't as dramatic, but they're there.  The differences in imaging and soundstaging easily show up, with the Rega bettering the HRT in every way; not embarrassing the HRT by any means though.

All files were the same - Apple Lossless through either my Apple TV or my iPod Classic.

Power cords were mentioned.  I have a Shunyata Venom (previous version, not the Venom 3) on my Rega DAC and a Shunyata Diamondback Platinum on my Bryston B60.  Both cables made an appreciable difference.  Biggest difference was that whatever they were hooked up to, the music seemed less forced/more relaxed.  It wasn't more laid back or distant sounding, the components just seem to breathe better (best way I can describe it).  At first I didn't like it (Venom was my first pc, on my B60).  I took it out after 3 weeks and put the stock cable back in.  About 3 songs in, I switched back and haven't regretted it at all.  Don't know why they're better than the stock cables from a technical aspect, and I don't care. They sound better and didn't break the bank.  The Venom was $100, and the Diamondback was $125, easily worth the cost. 

I like the Diamondback better than the Venom, but not enough to buy another one and throw out the Venom on the DAC.

To make a long story short, you're not crazy for hearing what you're hearing.  If you didn't hear a difference, that wouldn't make you crazy either.  Everyone hears what they hear; it's stupid to tell them otherwise.

I'd definitely try out a power cable.  Places like Music Direct will give you 30 days to return them.  If they're not worth it, you're only out shipping cost.  Same can be said for interconnects.  I think cables make a difference, but the difference is more of a finishing touch than anything else; I haven't heard a jaw-dropping difference by any means.  Components will make a bigger difference. 

In hearing subtle differences, I think the most important thing is knowing your components.  I've owned my B60 for about 7 years, speakers for about 5, and DAC for 2.  Any change will sound far more obvious to me than someone who's heard my system once or twice.

Just my opinions and experiences.  Everyone's are different. 

[lcrim]

FYI   http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/ifi-iusb-power-supply-neat-tweak-and-upgrade-usb-dac-13832/index4.html
try reading this link, this device coupled to your USB DAC which draws its power from the USB interface, will resolve most issues.
Larry

[jsinger986]

All files were the same - Apple Lossless through either my Apple TV or my iPod Classic.

I'm with the OP when it comes to noticeable changes to a system.  Things like speakers, amps, and the room… yes, you're going to see a big difference.  Power cords and cables.. not really.  In my opinion and ears of course.

But hey, if you hear it and like it then more power to you and the people that are raking in the money of $200 power cords.  But here is where you loose me:
"All files were the same - Apple Lossless through either my Apple TV or my iPod Classic."

You're telling me that you're going to spend hundred(s) of dollars on a power cords and thousands on all the other gear only to play your music off an iPod Classic or Apple TV… Sub $100 products?  And that you don't notice ANY difference in sound quality between that and a high end source?  Come on… you supposedly hear a difference in SQ on a POWER CORD but have no problem sourcing your music from a old iPod?

Your quality is only going to be as good as your weakest link and I'm pretty sure an iPod Classic with a crappy USB cable is going to be just that.

[cujobob]

iPod classic refers to player format, not generation of product. He's bypassing the DACs in those products and using them as merely transports. This is quite commonly done.

[wisnon]

My problems with DACs isn't how good they are in definable terms, it is that they never solve the edge in the music that stops myself from listening for too long. Battery powered ones have faired the best as stand alone, otherwise I find without power conditioning DAC's just won't give me a level of ease, low fatigue, for long listening. (battery powered is nice, but a touch boring; I'd love to hear RWA's with the updated batteries of lower impedance though)

Try a quality tube Dac.