― Insight & Reviews About Sound ―
― Insight & Reviews About Sound ―
DAC/AMP devices are those that have both a DAC or a digital to analogue converter inside, but also an AMP, either for headphones and portables for a stereo AMP made for speakers. They are usually great for versatility, and have better price / performance ratio compared to getting standalone AMPs, DACs and other in between devices.
You can find my reviews on DAC/AMPs below, and also the best DAC/AMPs here: https://amzn.to/3JQcUM6
iBasso DC04PRO is a $ 119 USD Type-C USB DAC AMP made for smartphones, with a super high driving power, balanced power output, Hi-Res support, and Dual DAC architecture. Although the price is not high, the performance is incredibly good, it will be compared to other similarly priced DAC AMPs, …
ddHIFI TC35C is a $ 48.99 USD Entry-Level Dongle DAC with a Realtek ALC5686 DAC chip inside, Hi-Res support. In today’s review we will compare it with other high-quality DACs such as HIDIZS XO (99 USD), iFi Go Link (59 USD), and Periodic Audio Rhodium (49 USD) . Introduction …
HIDIZS XO is a DAC / AMP priced at $99 USD, made for smartphones, with a type-c input connector, MQA 16X support, and dual ESS Sabre ES9219C DAC implementation. It will be compared to other entry-level DAC/AMPs, including HIDIZS S9 PRO (119 USD), Shanling UA3 (110 USD), and Hiby FC4 …
iFi Go Link is a $59 USD DAC AMP for mobile devices, or laptops with a type-C USB port, with a super light and portable design, and with a single ended 3.5mm headphone output. Given the price point, today’s review will focus on it and the comparisons with other devices …
EverSolo DAC-Z6 is a $459 USD / 2299 RON DAC, Headphone AMP with a large display, designed for music enjoyment by the parent company Zidoo, under the sub brand EverSolo. It is part of a new line of DACs, and it comes with ESS ES9068AS DACs in Dual configuration, it …
IKKO ITB03 Heimdallr is $149 USD / EURO a Bluetooth DAC AMP and Receiver with a dual DAC inside, with Dual Asahi Kasei AK4377 DACs, Bluetooth LDAC connection, and 4 audio modes. It will be compared to other popular Bluetooth Receivers, including Shanling UP5 (179 USD), FiiO BTR5 (110 USD), …
iBasso DC03PRO is a $69 USD Dongle DAC AMP made to drive portable headphones and IEMs, and which has a 3.5mm Single Ended Headphone Output, and which can decode PCM files and DSD files up to DSD256X. It will be compared to other entry-level DAC-AMPs, including IKKO Zerda ITM02 (59 …
Khadas Tea is a $209.9 USD DAC / AMP / MQA decoder with LDAC and Bluetooth connection, an ESS ES9281AC PRO DAC, and MagSafe locking mechanism, with a battery that powers it, designed mainly for apple devices, but compatible with everything else as well. It will be compared with other …
Fosi Audio K5 PRO is a $79 USD DAC/AMP with EQ, mic input, headphone output, Coax / Optical and USB input. It will be compared to other entry-level DAC/AMPs, including SMSL C200 (219 USD), HIDIZS S9 PRO (119 USD), and Hiby FC5 (159 USD). Introduction Fosi Audio is a …
Moondrop DAWN is an entry-level DAC / AMP priced at $65 USD, with Dual Cirrus Logic DACs and one 3.5mm Single Ended output. It will be compared with HIDIZS S9 PRO Balanced (119 USD), IKKO ITM02 (59 USD), and Shanling UA3 (110 USD). Introduction Moondrop is a known entry-level …
Shanling Ua5 is a 211 USD DAC / AMP with a Dual DAC chipset, Balanced Headphone Output, a tiny OLED Display, and will be compared to other high-quality DAC/AMPs, including Lotoo PAW S2 (279 USD), Questyle M15 (250 USD), Khadas Tone2 PRO (250 USD), and iFi Audio hip-dac2 (190 USD). …
HIDIZS S9 PRO is a $119 USD DAC / AMP made for smartphones and portables, but which works with Windows computers, designed around the ESS 9038Q2M DAC chip, with both a Single Ended and a Balanced Output, and will be the star of today’s review. It will be extensively compared …
IKKo Zerda ITM02 is a $59 USD DAC/AMP with the smallest design I’ve seen so far, up to December 2022. It will be compared to other super affordable DAC/AMPs, including TempoTec Sonata Hd V (70 USD), FiiO KA1 (49 USD), Periodic Audio Rhodium (49 USD), and IKKO’s own Zerda ITM01 …
Shanling UP5 is a 179 USD, flagship Portable Bluetooth Amplifier / DAC, with Dual DACs, MQA decoding, and up to 240mW / 32 OHMs of power. It will be compared to other DAC/AMPs and Bluetooth Receivers, including FiiO BTR5 (110 USD), Earstudio ES100 MKII (90 USD), Questyle M15 (250 USD), …
Tempotec Sonata HD V is a 70 USD DAC/AMP with a microUSB connector, DSD256 decoding, 2 X ESS ES9219 DAC Chips, and MQA support too. It will be compared to other entry-level DAC/AMPs, including Hiby FC4 (99 USD), IKKO Zerda ITM01 (59 USD), and Jade Audio FiiO KA1 (49 USD). …
Dethonray SG1 Pegasus is a 400 USD Bluetooth DAC/AMPlifier, with DPPU (Desktop Plus Power Unit), support for LDAC, aptX HD, aptX LL, aptX, and a large 3000mAh battery. It will be compared to other DAC/AMPs, including iFi xDSD (400 USD), iBasso DX160 (400 USD), Palab M1 Mini (500 USD), and …
Shanling UA3 is a 110 USD portable USB DAC / AMP with an AKM AK4493SEQ DAC chip and Dual Ricore RT6963 AMP Chips. With two headphone outputs, one that’s a 3.5mm Single Ended Output and one that’s a 4.4mm Balanced Output, Shanling UA3 will be compared to other high-end dongles, …
The Lotoo PAW S2 is a 279 USD portable DAC AMP with an AKM4377 DAC inside, and up to 150mW at 32 OHMs of power over the 4.4mm Balanced Output. Given the price which is higher than most dongle DAC AMPs, Lotoo PAW S2 will be compared to Qurstyle M15 …
SMSL C200 is 219 USD a DAC / Headphone AMP / Bluetooth Receiver with Hi-Res and DSD Playback abilities, sold and supported by Aoshida Audio, with both a 6.35mm and a 4.4mm output, Hi-Res Wireless Audio support, and with 4 x OPA 1612A OP-AMPs to support the headphone output. It …
Hiby FC4 USB DAC / AMP is priced at 99 USD, and it is a dongle with MQA support, as well as two headphone outputs, one that’s 4.4mm and balanced, and one that’s 3.5mm in size and single ended. It will be compared to other high-quality dongle DAC/AMPs including ddHIFI …
iBasso DC06 is a 119 USD Dongle DAC / AMP, with Dual ES9219C DACs, 320mW in 32 OHMs, Balanced output and support for decoding MQA as well as DSD up to 256x. It will be compared to other popular Dongle DAC/AMPs in the price range including ddHIFI TC44C (119 USD), …
Aune X1s GT is a 349 USD DAC/AMP with LDAC Bluetooth, Balanced 4.4mm Headphone Output, and Hi-Res decoding. Given the price and design, it will be compared to the Soundaware A1X (700 USD), iFi xDSD DAC/AMP (400 USD), and Palab M1 Mini (500 USD). Introduction Aune Audio is a …
Questyle M15 is a Dongle DAC / AMP priced at 250 USD, sporting an ES9281AC Sabre DAC Chip, with two headphone outputs, one 3.5mm SE and one 4.4mm Balanced, and with two gain levels. It will be compared with the best DAC AMPs around the price point, including iFi hip-dac2 …
ddHiFi TC44C is a dongle or DAC / AMP priced at 119 USD at the moment of writing today’s review, and it is made for smartphones designed for IEMs and portable earphones, but with enough power for larger, harder to drive headphones too. Given the price point and design, it …
Jade Audio / FiiO KA1 is a dongle DAC / AMP priced at 49 USD, with a type-C connector, Type-A adapter included in the package, RGB status indicator, and with an ES9281AC PRO DAC Chip. It will be compared to other entry-level Dongle DAC / AMPs in the price range, …
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