Sabaj D5 ES9038Pro DAC

wushuliu · « **on:** 23 Jul 2019, 09:59 pm »

Thanks to member Dadbeh I discovered that Sabaj had a new dac on the market, the D5. The Sabaj D5 is the second most affordable dac I am aware of that uses the flagship 9038Pro from ESS. The cheapest being from Hifimediy, which I've wrote about last year and was very impressed with given the budget constraints. Unlike the Hifime however, the D5 does not look or feel or sound like a budget DAC.

First though I think it's important to differentiate between the 9038Pro and the mobile device-oriented 9018/28/38Q2m options out there. The Q2M is all the rage now due to its low cost. You can find it in the recent offerings from Pro-Ject, Matrix, Burson, etc. There have also been suggestions that the mobile 9038 is nothing more than a slimmed down version of the Pro. I have yet to see any indication from ESS that this is the case and given the company's notoriously secretive design and NDA protocol, it's not likely we ever will. If anyone knows otherwise please let me know. What I do know is that the D5 makes the second Pro-based DAC in my possession and while it does have similar qualities to the Hifime, *neither* of them sound like the mobile-based I've heard (and I've heard too many at this point). The 9038Pro just sounds better, period.

Now for the D5:
Setup: PC-->USB/USB-SPDIF-->DAC-->JLH-based Class A Headamp-->Senn. 599 & 58X.

First thing you notice is the weight. This thing is heavy. Specs say about 6lbs. It is made from machined aluminum and when you hold it any concerns about it being a 'budget' purchase dissipates (too gloomy to take pics so here's the stock):

Features include: XMOS U208 USB, 32/768khz, DSD512, Coax/Optical Inputs, NDK Clocks, Discrete headamp, OPA1612 based Balanced output and the ES9311 which is ESS' own ultra low noise power supply chip for regulating their DACs. Inside is a linear power supply I believe, which is another plus. That's a lot for the money but not unusual for the so called 'Chi-fi' brands like SMSL/Topping etc. What is unusual is the performance:

This DAC is the best ESS dac I've heard to date <$600. Not only that but it is the best *USB* dac I have heard, period. I don't know how they did it. Maybe it's the Alterra processor or the new ESS power supply chip. I don't know. But it is the first time I have ever used the USB straight, no gizmos, from my PC and not heard any digititis. Straight Windows OS, no Jplay or special software. The sound is clean, clear, zero fatigue or hardness or any of those niggling aspects of USB that has us chasing after tweak after tweak, accessory after accessory. So factor that into the cost and the $418/$469 (AliExpress/Amazon) price tag is well worth it. This is the first time I have ever used the USB input and felt I could live with this, no mods, no changes. And some of you know how I love to break my sh*t with a soldering iron at the first opportunity.

'Okay buddy before you get a room with the thing, how does it sound?': The D5 comes with a twist. It doesn't sound like a typical ESS Sabre dac. In fact if I were to have judged between it and the Modi Multibit blind, I would have guessed the Modi was an ESS and the D5 the R2R. The D5 is in a word, neutral. None of the typical top end emphasis associated with ESS, or the lean/bright/hard etc. qualities. The D5 is smooth, balanced. Excellent detail retrieval as is typical of ESS, with natural, realistic tonal quality. It does not have the organic, sumptuous qualities of the Modi Multibit but it also doesn't have the fatiguing emphasis in the presence region and slightly splashy top end (for me, YMMV). Compared to all the Q2M and mobile-based ESS chips, I find the D5/Pro more full-bodied and atmospheric. Much better sense of the recording space. Not too forward, not too recessed. Balanced.

The D5 IMO makes a great DAC that you can build off of by using your downstream choices to create a soundscape that works for you. You don't need to worry about getting it up to a certain level. I love this DAC. Getting something like this for under 500 five years ago would have been unthought of.

This is the second Sabaj unit I've had, the first being the excellent DA3, and despite them clearly using a lot of the same design templates as companies like SMSL and Topping etc. they have managed to impress me both times with what I consider to be superior sound quality compared to their rivals/partners. Whoever is in charge there has good ears.

Next up: Soekris DIY (gotta break somethin' with that iron!). Then maybe one more retail DAC and I'll take another long break.

Brad · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Jul 2019, 10:35 pm »

Thanks for sharing!

S Clark · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Jul 2019, 10:37 pm »

I appreciate the information that you've taken the time to share with us. You are my go to source for dacs.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Jul 2019, 10:57 pm »

Wushu,

Thanks for sharing. I am completely smitten with my Matrix dac which uses the 9038Pro as well. It dethroned my previous PS Audio DS dac (Snowmass) with extreme prejudice!

The typical ESS “glare” heard with the ESS 9018 series is gone!

The Sabaj price is really awesome,thanks for sharing.

Best,
Anand.

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Jul 2019, 11:00 pm »

Does the volume knob control output as well as headphones? Any idea what the volume control is, chip based?

wushuliu · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Jul 2019, 11:35 pm »

Quote from: Letitroll98 on 23 Jul 2019, 11:00 pm

Does the volume knob control output as well as headphones? Any idea what the volume control is, chip based?

Yes, the volume knob controls output as well as menu selection, including 7 or 8 filters. I am pretty sure it's chip-based since ESS has made a big deal about that with their dacs. The volume knob is smooth, almost too smooth, and has great tactility. It's an electronic volume control if that's what you're asking

Oh, and it comes with a remote...

wushuliu · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Jul 2019, 11:36 pm »

Quote from: poseidonsvoice on 23 Jul 2019, 10:57 pm

Wushu,

Thanks for sharing. I am completely smitten with my Matrix dac which uses the 9038Pro as well. It dethroned my previous PS Audio DS dac (Snowmass) with extreme prejudice!

The typical ESS “glare” heard with the ESS 9018 series is gone!

The Sabaj price is really awesome,thanks for sharing.

Best,
Anand.

Thanks Anand. All the buzz around the Matrix is what made me curious about trying the D5...

@ S Clark and Brad: You're welcome! Thanks for reading.

wushuliu · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Jul 2019, 11:42 pm »

Here a pic of the internals from the website:

fredgarvin · « **Reply #8 on:** 24 Jul 2019, 03:11 pm »

Nice write-up.

gab · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Jul 2019, 03:52 pm »

Wushu - I read this on Amazon and was wondering if your unit is experiencing any issues that the poster mentioned? Here is the Amazon review:

Now the down side is that after about three days with the D5 in the middle of a listening session the music just quit playing and the DAC became unresponsive. While trying to diagnose the issue I noticed that the Sabaj was very warm to the touch on the left side of the unit around the built-in linear power supply. Then the smell of burning electronics. The unit just shutdown never to wake again. Ultimately I decided to return the unit for a refund as my RME sounds just as good and it has a significantly more powerful amp and tons of EQ and sound customization features anyway. The Sabaj was no better in any significant way. Hopefully my unit was just a rare lemon. I'd not want to dissuade anyone from purchasing the D5 especially if there is a no hassle return policy as with Amazon. It sounds great and costs much less than a DAC like the RME. Just make sure you put a significant number of operational hours on the unit before the return period ends.

Thanks and a very nice review BTW!

gab

wushuliu · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Jul 2019, 04:22 pm »

Quote from: gab on 24 Jul 2019, 03:52 pm

Wushu - I read this on Amazon and was wondering if your unit is experiencing any issues that the poster mentioned? Here is the Amazon review:

Now the down side is that after about three days with the D5 in the middle of a listening session the music just quit playing and the DAC became unresponsive. While trying to diagnose the issue I noticed that the Sabaj was very warm to the touch on the left side of the unit around the built-in linear power supply. Then the smell of burning electronics. The unit just shutdown never to wake again. Ultimately I decided to return the unit for a refund as my RME sounds just as good and it has a significantly more powerful amp and tons of EQ and sound customization features anyway. The Sabaj was no better in any significant way. Hopefully my unit was just a rare lemon. I'd not want to dissuade anyone from purchasing the D5 especially if there is a no hassle return policy as with Amazon. It sounds great and costs much less than a DAC like the RME. Just make sure you put a significant number of operational hours on the unit before the return period ends.

Thanks and a very nice review BTW!

gab

No operational issues. The DAC runs warm yes, but it's supposed to (the Modi, FYI, is almost burning to the touch). If something goes wrong of course I'll mention it.
Buried lede from that review: it sounds just as good as the 2x more and hugely popular RME...

lacro · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Jul 2019, 06:52 pm »

Quote from: wushuliu on 24 Jul 2019, 04:22 pm

No operational issues. The DAC runs warm yes, but it's supposed to (the Modi, FYI, is almost burning to the touch). If something goes wrong of course I'll mention it.
Buried lede from that review: it sounds just as good as the 2x more and hugely popular RME...

It's interesting your Modi is so hot to the touch. My 1st generation version of the Modi not only was really hot, it literally smoked and burned. I am not sure what component(s) actually burned as one end of the PCB was all black and melted. No more of that Schiit for me!

JLM · « **Reply #12 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 11:48 am »

Wushulla, do you know if the D5 is a fully balanced (stem to stern) design? And do you know if it will accept a SSD/HD USB input?

horchai · « **Reply #13 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 12:41 pm »

Thanks for sharing

mresseguie · « **Reply #14 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 04:52 pm »

Wushuliu (or anyone else),

There is a Topping D70 out now with dual AKM4497 chips listing for approximately $430. Have you looked into it, or have you researched it? How do you think it compares to the Sabaj D5?

Michael

wushuliu · « **Reply #15 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 05:39 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 30 Jul 2019, 11:48 am

Wushulla, do you know if the D5 is a fully balanced (stem to stern) design? And do you know if it will accept a SSD/HD USB input?

I've never used balanced outputs so I'm less familiar with what qualifies as true and proper balanced. IIRC the 9038Pro naturally outputs differential signals and the D5 uses 4 OPA1612s, two for each channel - as opposed to just 3 in most cheap ESS dacs (2 for the differential output, one to sum and convert to single ended). So yes I believe it is a proper balanced output, but again I'm not as well versed on balanced setups.

No, there are no inputs for an external drive.

@mresseguie: The Topping looks intriguing but it's not on my radar at the moment. So far I've found Topping and SMSL DACs to have a more 'traditional' Delta Sigma sound so I've been less inclined to try out their newest offerings. But we'll see, I am curious about it...

mresseguie · « **Reply #16 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 07:46 pm »

"The Topping looks intriguing but it's not on my radar at the moment. So far I've found Topping and SMSL DACs to have a more 'traditional' Delta Sigma sound so I've been less inclined to try out their newest offerings. But we'll see, I am curious about it..."

Thank you.

Michael

iFi David · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 Aug 2019, 07:50 pm »

Yup, thanks for sharing! It's always good to read about something not widely known.

Mike-48 · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 Aug 2019, 02:54 am »

Thanks for the information! This is astounding performance, and for less than US$500, even more astounding.

gadfly · « **Reply #19 on:** 19 Aug 2019, 12:27 am »

Oh man, you got me reachin for my wallet. " It doesn't sound like a typical ESS sabre dac", sought of R2Rish. Just got through reading the Amir, audio
sciencereview S'D5 thread. My only reluctance is whether it's compatible with my edo enabled squeezebox touch. The stats say linux compatible, so
probably maybe, but I need more assurance. Amazon has it at $469 from a second party vendor. If the e-z Amazon return policy applies it's a no brainer.
A bit more research is in order.

Thanks for the comprehensive well written review-

pb-