• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Bought my first DAC

C Hart

C Hart

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
On the theory that the on-board chip does the processing and the computer supplies the power/controls, I got the cheapest USB DAC I could find. It sounds pretty flawless and the only installation was plugging in the cable. Volume at the output is variable up to about 2x what the Mac Mini Bluetooth allows. It claims to use an ESS Sabre stereo chip that is 24 bit/96K. If I want to give it a workout, what sort of testing can I do to see how it performs?

Screen Shot 2022-11-16 at 3.42.41 PM.png
 
Register to hide this ad
Play what you are most familiar with, your favorite music. You'll know pretty quickly how well your DAC performs.
 
Thanks - that’s the ultimate test certainly. It seems as good to me as CD in a comparison and noticeably better than the Logi bluetooth dongle it replaced.

Is there no edge case performance test that will show flaws/virtues?

If not, does that mean this very affordable unit is good enough at a tiny fraction of even low end brand name DACs?
 
C Hart said:
Thanks - that’s the ultimate test certainly. It seems as good to me as CD in a comparison and noticeably better than the Logi bluetooth dongle it replaced.

Is there no edge case performance test that will show flaws/virtues?

If not, does that mean this very affordable unit is good enough at a tiny fraction of even low end brand name DACs?
Click to expand...

There's a lot more to a DAC than the D/A chip--power supplies, opamps, passive components, digital filters, etc. That said, there are plenty of well-made DACs at affordable prices, and most of them sound pretty decent and are a big step up from your computer output. My experience is that below $500 there isn't a huge difference, but others may disagree. Once you get over $1000 you start to hear some real differences. The differences come into play with long term listening and musical nuance, plus the level of the rest of your system. That's the only real test that matters, IMO. Enjoy your new DAC, but borrow a Hugo 2 or a Denafrips Pontus sometime and you'll hear a difference. ;-)
 
Last edited:
C Hart said:
On the theory that the on-board chip does the processing and the computer supplies the power/controls, I got the cheapest USB DAC I could find. It sounds pretty flawless and the only installation was plugging in the cable. Volume at the output is variable up to about 2x what the Mac Mini Bluetooth allows. It claims to use an ESS Sabre stereo chip that is 24 bit/96K. If I want to give it a workout, what sort of testing can I do to see how it performs?

View attachment 2715668
Click to expand...
Doesn't the Mac Mini already have this built in?
 
C Hart said:
Is there no edge case performance test that will show flaws/virtues?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, yes. Look for one of the online DAC performance reviews done by John Atkinson of Stereophile. He uses a suite of objective tests that give a very good view of DAC performance.
 
Curious to hear why the OP purchased this. The new Mac Minis have surprisingly good built in DACs already.

Why was this cheap $30 dongle necessary?
 
Thanks all for the info. I will check out John Atkinson.

The Mac Mini has a DAC definitely but this one is from 2014, so I wanted to try something current. Plus I wanted to get away from the 3.5 mm jack as it does triple duty on Macs.

On the equipment, I have premium speakers (JBL L166), and a 120 watt .05% THD receiver, which should reveal most audible defects, I think.

i listened to bursty transients, crescendos, very soft parts, vocals, piano, and many instruments playing at once. It sounded very good through all.

If there is something that a pricier DAC will do differently, I am now thinking maybe my ears may be the weak component.
 
How would you know until you compared it to a higher-end DAC?

If you are happy with it, that's all that matters. But that doesn't mean that better implementations, especially in the power suplly and analog sections of the device, won't yield better sound quality.

DACs most definitely do not all sound the same.
 
@spark1 I compared it to my arbitrary benchmark, a CD, and a stretch benchmark, DVD audio. They all sounded very similar and none were actually audibly better. Which is why I would like to run a test of the edge cases where the difference is actually discernible.

I keep reading that there is a difference in those subsystems you mentioned but what is it? This thing has at best a simple output circuit and no power supply - its just too small.

Trying to learn in a very new area for me, so thanks for the patient replies…
 
C Hart said:
I wanted to get away from the 3.5 mm jack...
Click to expand...

So....you bought a DAC with a 3.5mm output jack?

Does it sound any better than the Mac's built-in DAC on the same source material? Even the 2014 Minis (like yours) had good-sounding DACs inside.

Just curious...
 
benricci said:
So....you bought a DAC with a 3.5mm output jack?

Does it sound any better than the Mac's built-in DAC on the same source material? Even the 2014 Minis (like yours) had good-sounding DACs inside.

Just curious...
Click to expand...
My own experience was somewhat different with the output on my Macbook Air. The SQ with a $100 Dragonfly USB DAC was significantly improved. As always, YMMV...
 
To make sure I understand, you were previously connecting the Mac Mini to the receiver via Bluetooth?
In that case it makes sense that the DAC is better or has higher/different volume output.
I assume the 3.5mm jack on Mac Mini is being used for headphones/microphone for games and/or Zoom calls?

If you wanted to do a 1:1 DAC comparison, you could swap the cable to the receiver from the USB DAC to the 3.5mm jack on the back of the computer (but that wouldn't help with a headphone vs receiver situation).
 
My alerts didn't flag the activity late last week so apologies for not keeping up. Many thanks to everyone for responding!

Yes, I used Bluetooth from the Mini to the receiver before this as the regular setup. (Now relegated to pairing with my phone)

Yes, the DAC has a 3.5mm jack (and is a USB dongle).

Yes, I tried the 3.5mm jack on the Mini. It was pretty good overall but...

Yes, I use the 3.5mm jack on the mini for any/all other audio stuff (yes Zoom included!).

My receiver is about 18' from the Mini so shielding and resistive signal loss were a consideration. I didn't notice anything special, I do feel the digital signal for that 18' cable is theoretically better then either unshielded (noise) or shielded (resistance issues) 3.5mm analog cable. I don't think that Mini has an especially good audio setup especially over BT. But I could live with any of them.

Plus: I wanted to get some firsthand DAC experience. My Bluetooth dongle is constantly trying to reconnect with my phone, my laptop, etc. and it's a pain. But even that works surprisingly well for another budget unit.
 
If you hear improvement via the DAC you bought that's all the matters. I've had great success for years with inexpensive DACs from Schiit and JDS Labs. Objective testing tends to show little difference between DACs once they reach a particular performance floor, but hobbyists are always chasing that little something special, so will search for something different, usually more expensive, until they reach what they're looking for or run out of money!

I've been playing that game on the phono side for years. With DACs, I have no doubt that R2R and multi-bit models sound different, better to some, but I've never been willing to shell out the $$$ it takes to try them. For whatever reason, I can never stop tinkering on the phono side but I'm happy to swap out a Modi for the newest Modi every couple of years, and I really love the Atom DAC+ as well. Cheap as chips, stunning sound in my (pretty decent) system.

All that said, there is wisdom and goodness in finding great sound and just being happy with it. The chase can be frustrating and expensive!
 
C Hart said:
On the theory that the on-board chip does the processing and the computer supplies the power/controls, I got the cheapest USB DAC I could find. It sounds pretty flawless and the only installation was plugging in the cable. Volume at the output is variable up to about 2x what the Mac Mini Bluetooth allows. It claims to use an ESS Sabre stereo chip that is 24 bit/96K. If I want to give it a workout, what sort of testing can I do to see how it performs?

View attachment 2715668
Click to expand...

Lots of can reach to 32bit/768kHz, and also supports DSD512, such as the Fosi Audio DS1, FiiO KA3 etc.
 
Carl Xu said:
Lots of can reach to 32bit/768kHz, and also supports DSD512, such as the Fosi Audio DS1, FiiO KA3 etc.
Click to expand...

cpt_paranoia said:
They might support a 32-bit word on the interface, but there's no way that the DAC can achieve much more than 24 bits. 22 is more realistic SFDR or SINAD/SNR.
Click to expand...

By the time it gets to 16bit/44k it is ahead of my ears. I continue to not hear anything amiss. Pretty happy with this good-enough solution.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom