i am now getting a DAC but I am looking for basic, budget and decent music. (even unknown brand also on).

my budget is RM 400 max. i know this is way too little but I want to explore and see what I can get first.

This post has been edited by bananajoe: Oct 11 2021, 10:00 AM

are you interested in ODAC ?
i have one that meets your budget

I'm bit new in this area. what's the diff ?

topup abit get fiio k3.

thats all schiit

its a dac
odac is just the model name

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/jds-labs-odac.14011/reviews

https://blog.jdslabs.com/2012/04/on-the-oda...recent-reviews/

That's beautiful Schiit.

Parking

I was looking at it yesterday, will check it out

schiiit - will check it out


is it available in lazada ?

no but i am selling mine

ODAC is just a name given by a blooger who created a DAC which he called Objective DAC.

A DAC can be as simple as just a simple filtering circuit consists of ladder circuit and capacitors perhaps or can be a complicated design.

If you are an DIY electronics guys, you can make one your own. Click Link below

Audiophile-sounding DAC for almost no money

This post has been edited by Zot: Oct 11 2021, 10:37 AM

To dip your toe into the waters, the ODAC is probably your best option cost-wise. It is very cost efficient.

astell & kern pee51

I just tried fiio K5pro
Pretty good, but it's 600+

I've compare with my iFi iDAC 2, Fiio sounds more dynamic and clearer.

Another one is Topping nx4. Best portable Dac

u want use for headphone is it, not speaker right?
Fiio dac also not bad kinda common brand around, but cost average around rm400 - 600 more/less, the latest Fiio K5 pro very gooding price around rm660

This post has been edited by djandrew: Oct 11 2021, 10:53 AM

Yup

Thanks! 🙏

Lol, planning to buy new one to save headache

https://www.lazada.com.my/products/fiio-e10...e-i1301423.html

RM299.00

I'm selling my used iDac2 wanna buy?
Just changed to Topping D90se

thanks for the offer, bro but right now I am on scouting mode and building a budget. haven't decided yet

park i also want to know about DAC

Parking too

Just to let you know, now is the world of China DAC.
China DAC has surpass any western world DAC.
What worse, western audio item is so over price.
A similar performance DAC might cost 2x more if compare to China brand.

Some very good China brand...
Topping
SMSL
Fiio

Some good western brand..
iFi
Schiit
Chord

This post has been edited by munak991: Oct 11 2021, 11:36 AM

topping d10s je la, or if budget allow get topping e30.
but honestly you dont need to spend tons of crap for dac because even mobile class ess sabre/akm chip already very good, expensive dac just provide you extra feature like bluetooth receiver or XLR/balanced output.

personally i rather spend on amp that colors the sound (not something with negative feedback of course), distortion-fest audio-gd is still my favorite on this

This post has been edited by zerorating: Oct 11 2021, 11:58 AM

actually, i think also depend on the rest of the setup. i got a friend who bought the smsl dac i think runing the 9038 chip, then ma, he cannot tell the different between this dac and running off his cd player built in dac....actually, a few of us also cannot hear any diff.

but it was visible running with some onkagu amp and jbl 4344 but not on his budget tube amp and bookshelf. maybe can see your friend have or not then try out see can tell any different before buying.

Fiio K3

im using it

bro can i ask what's the function of dac?
if lets say i got a home theather connecting to my creative recon 3d via optical out. how will dac help?

dac= IC converting audio digital signal to analog signal. every digital device that produce device have this IC, it just whether it is good on its job or not.

The difference between cheap and expensive headphone is its impedance (ohm). High impedance (expensive) means if you're straight connect it to a device, the sound will be too low that you need to crank up the volume or use amp which is more expensive.

Using DAC solves this by straight convert the digital signal that it receive from USB into analog (coaxial, audiojack, optical, etc), making your headphone produce the low-mid-high better.
Basically, DAC is the cheap solution for Amp.

This post has been edited by ray148: Oct 11 2021, 12:15 PM

I tried compare with my iFi iDac 2 experience with Topping D90se
iDac is Texas Intrument DAC, and topping use ESS sabre

Both produce good sound and soundtage.
But iDac got one problem, slightly noisier background.
Maybe just my 2cent, topping has lower SNR, because noise being eliminated that recovery gives topping better soundstage and can hear a lot clearer compare to iDac 2.

I thought the upgrade is decent, but comparing more songs it's a good upgrade

Well, DAC just like a dedicated unit that make " Digital signal to Analog"
Almost all device got DAC, ur smartphone, ur TV, ur PC, ur laptop.

But to have a good dedicated just to make sure it does it sole job without interference , giving good source of power, or having multiple unit of DAC chip that process different frequency of digital signal to minimize noise introduce into the process and why many prefer dedicated DAC? Or even external DAC, cause many external factors introduce Noise, like Bluetooth, high power cable, PC fans. So external DAC shield off these noise from interfering the signal

That's the price u r paying for all these audiophile

This post has been edited by munak991: Oct 11 2021, 01:31 PM

you get to hear little things that you cannot hear before

the difference is like 1080p vs 4k in video, but in sound. Some people dont even notice

TS please buy atleast .flac quality songs

i think it is good as long you like it

I tried his SU 9 from SMSL on my pc before, output to Edifier 1800 only. so it is su9 vs my pc build in sound chip which i dont know what model. immediately can tell the different in sound

but the same SU9 when compared with his Raysonic CD 128 ( i think at least 10+ years old) which is of burr brown chip, cannot tell any diff until it was hook up to the onkagu and jbl combo which is totally another price range equipment.

but of course, maybe because of our age also, cannot hear so well, so i was suggesting if can, TS borrow and try with his equipment first.

if I'm not mistaken, is DAC + Amplifier is what makes the whole of soundcard.

Usually, those built in soundcard on motherboard produce white noises or electrical interference, causing buzz or noise when u connect high powered speaker/headset.


so for cleaner output, using external dac is much recommended due to isolation of the hardware and good chipset.

munak991 betul tak ?

This post has been edited by bananajoe: Oct 11 2021, 12:41 PM

yeah, and looking into DSD as well

dsd1793? that was like very ancient already, i think my ibasso d4 (dual wm8740) do a better job.

Best would be Schiit Modi 3+, retails for 99USD.

For a bigger budget, there's currently hype with Topping D70s and the Gustard x16, some says the holy grail (?) of DACs

by the way, one more opinion, buy second hand if you can find.

audio equipment depreciate very fast. buy second hand to save some money unless this is not your concern.

This post has been edited by gongmakai: Oct 11 2021, 12:51 PM

thanks guys, now I got a rough idea on how to proceed.

ok, thanks!

Banyak betul

what budget phone has good dac..?

most phone have decent dac tbh, it just the amp section were bad (obvious clipping, dont have much driving power).
to overcome this, just buy them usb-c dac
one good option that i can think of were thx onyx.

many people here said amp is not important, that is not true. if your dac already good, the most sensible upgrade will be headphone and the amp. but ironically nowadays many of this so called objective oriented amp (thx, topping, smsl to name a few) were just amplifying the signal produced by the dac and dont add much characteristic to the output, so its forced the user to upgrade the dac instead.

This post has been edited by zerorating: Oct 11 2021, 02:12 PM

Should be those LG V series, probably V60?

But take note LG no more making smartphone.

whats the common amp?

whatever that is exist on your audio devices or wireless headphones
any separate speaker/headphone amp is considered niche nowadays.

buy my stoner acoustic ud130

whats the best bang for buck for dac/amp for earphone and headphone

What is your source that you want to convert?

With a RM400 budget, you can consider getting yourself a new or used FiiO DAC/AMP.

https://www.fiio.com/e10k

jds atom/schiit magni + topping d10s/Atom DAC+/topping e30
only apply if you are living in the USA though

for us probably topping e30+topping l30 combo

do note all mentioned above were amp/dac that requires external power

This post has been edited by zerorating: Oct 12 2021, 09:17 PM

Actually, just buy a fiio mid range music player first to try out. See if you are ok with it, finding Flac music etc.

handphone/mobile devices

If handphone I don't recommend anything other than an el cheapo DIY amp to play with. No point to waste money on trash source.

Trash in, louder trash out. Been there, done that
Lucky I got friend that play this stuff for me to try out.

Wanna play DAC, get proper source first. It's like night and day difference.

Using direct connection from pc to my integrated amp. Will Topping E30 do decent job?

sorry ts tumpang tered

is it ok to use dac and plug them between pc and speaker?

im using default pc realtek output konek directly to bookshelf speaker (edifier r1700bt)

not really sure for AKM ak4493 solution, but for my sabre es9018k2m dac (built-in on my speaker amp or my old phone via headphone out), there is tangible sound quality difference when compared to the flagship solution like es9028pro or es9038pro.
im talking about 44.1khz source btw.

but were it still listenable despite weaker performance, yes, it still okay. if you are concern about distortion, es9018k2m is very much clean. i can only hear distortion when pairing with headphone amp at very extremely unsafe loud volume.

This post has been edited by zerorating: Oct 12 2021, 10:08 PM

i just bought hillsound cs-pro small DAC for my iphone. cheap rm139 only hopefully is good as entry level la. my earphones only ath-im70 old one. since apple got loseless so wanna come back to wired audio. bluetooth really diff alot.

This post has been edited by ben3003: Oct 12 2021, 10:10 PM

using one, agreed

amp output to headphones and raw dac output to active speakers

This post has been edited by XyzionzX: Oct 12 2021, 10:11 PM

yes it is recommended that way,
your speaker internal amp work the best when feeding with RCA line-level voltage/impedance (2v/100-600ohm)

This post has been edited by zerorating: Oct 12 2021, 10:12 PM

just 80 ohm

yup

Did you mention what are you using it for? Sorry if I missed it. Desktop listening or mobile listening? Or maybe both. There are some mobile dacs aka dongles that work fine both ways, connect to pc back at home, disconnect and bring with you to connect to phone while on the go. so you can have one device for both use cases.

Anyway, i suggest try lookup #donglemadness. I believe he is a Malaysian? Support local site too, not just all those big international review site/forum and lowyat.

https://andyaudiovault.com/donglemadness/

Topping d10s or Smsl Sanskrit

If you don’t mind buy a used dac. Is plain circuit looking one but is sworn by many.

Khadas tone board. My friend selling in Carousell

just want to get better experience instead of using onboard soundcard and also get tp amp my headset.

thanks for the offer, bro but I rather get a new one. peace of mind

Maybe look it up and try source your own thn.

Look for topping and smsl. China audio goods now very stronk.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/in...c-review.12119/

also saw a good review of fiio as well.

yup, looking at shopee

this is the one that you need, the only one that you want.

https://e1dashz.wixsite.com/index/9038d

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/in...-dac-amp.21556/

I bought mine thru Jaben.

This post has been edited by djlake: Oct 13 2021, 11:04 AM

schiit stack

I tested the k5 pro. Would not recommend. Its an all in one but every feature performing very mediocre. Then the line out is not really line out also. And worse of all, it's not cheap.

If want something very cheap and very neutral, get smsl m3. Imo it sounded much better than k5 pro and the dac line out is a proper one. Only the headphone out part not as good but no problem driving low ohms headphones. High sensitivity ones will have some noise leak in because it is USB powered.

oh ok, what about Fiio e10K ? is it good ?

can try here if wanna look look see see also ts

https://www.techx.com.my/

not mine and i do not know them btw

With the existence of topping and smsl, I generally brush fiio aside already. Pretty much a non bother unless they come out with interesting features like k5 pro but that one is also a disappointment.

topping dx3 pro is your best bet if you want cheap all-in-one setup.

if you can drag your budget alot more, then probably topping ex5 or topping l30/e30 stack or my all time favorite audio-gd nfb11.28 (this might not have accurate sound, but my god it sounds hella good)

This post has been edited by zerorating: Oct 13 2021, 11:40 AM

okay, I saw this topping d10s. but I can't see any headphone jack?



This post has been edited by bananajoe: Oct 13 2021, 01:04 PM

Cuz that's a pure dac. Need to get a headphone amp for headphones.

because its a pure dac.
you should mendtioned dac/amp on your thread title in first place

Yes TS better confirm exactly what he wants. DAC or AMP, or music player.
If source is from handphones, I don't think need so high end.

Depending on the headphone impedance, can technically plug to the rca out. Or as you mentioned, just get dx3 pro.

ah ok. thanks!

oh, yeah, i was looking for a combined version. my bad

yeah, just basic will do. at least better than onboard soundcard.

This post has been edited by bananajoe: Oct 13 2021, 01:28 PM

Burr brown DAC Ada keras sikit ..

okay, will check it out

hi all, tumpang thread. im looking for "entry level" and "best bang for buck (bbfb)" for dac/amp and headphone/earphone for:

-mobile devices (handphone) - handheld form factor, small and compact. I read got people recommend dongle? but what brand?
-desktop/laptop - compact form factor, easy to carry, sturdy and easy to put in bag
-headphone/earphone - how to choose?

As i know "entry level" may not equal to bbfb. My requirement is low. I just need it be plug and play and to outperform onboard sound of desktop/laptop/hp (mobile devices) noticeably. Meaning to say if i unplug from dac/amp and plug back to ori source, i immediately know the difference.

I read all info here, i m just confused what should I be checking? specific dac chip? interface? internal circuit build? brand? how to judge and choose? I know ohms on amp->headphone but how about ohms on dac/amp->headphone? Thanks for info here, i m checking on brand topping/smsl and fiio if anyone willing to share their recommendation or preference.

tldr; looking for "entry level" and "best bang for buck (bbfb)" for dac/amp for headphone/earphone based on brand.

any help Bonchi azbro zerorating munak991

for very low cost solution, usb-c dac dongle is your best bet. but dont forget this will come with serious limitation like limiting power output or unavailability of true line-level line out. if you are seeking something in the middle, then have a look on portable usb/dac combo, the likes of fiio or xduoo offer this the most.

for desktop setup you need to spend at the very least 200 dollar, doesnt matter it was schiit modi+magni stack (you will pay much more for shipping too), topping e30/l30 stack, topping dx3pro (if you are looking for amp/dac combo), jds labs atom dac+ with atom amp+ (costly shipping too) or fiio k5 pro

best bang for the buck will be topping e30/l30 stack, but do note that you will need to spend at least rm1150 for this setup

dac is pretty much straight forward, just seek for anything with akm ak449x solution or sabre es90xx solution (probably you might need to ignore cheap es9018k2m solution, but it is fine for me though) from reputable brand.

amp is where it gets tricky as there are tons of amp type like linear solid-state op-amp/IC based, linear solid-state full discrete, solid-state non-feedback full discrete and tube amp (that can either be full or hybrid tubes),some might be full class A, some is class AB which only class A bias at certain power output, some is purely class D. personally i don't favor solid-state op-amp based amp, but that might be the only path to go if you are seeking for small form factor amp that can give tons of power output at decent price.

This post has been edited by zerorating: Oct 14 2021, 01:02 PM

Interesting. Any can point to any reading material for more indepth understanding ?

go lurking head-fi, audiosciencereview, super best audio friend and some marketing meterial