For me personally, my number issue consideration is the replaceable cable. I generally keep my gear in pretty good condition. But I use it on the go quite a bit. So things like strain relief and cable quality are my primary concern. I wish that manufacturers would either make the cable/strain relief bomb proof or have the option for a replacement cable. Excellent content.
I appreciate that you did not talk about the apple usb dongle. Every time someone asks about portable dac, the automatic answer was always the apple usb dongle, and I am sick of it. Yes it does its job well... until it breaks, and you get a new one, and then it breaks. Again.
@@UNSCPILOT I never knew the music I liked so much could have so much Air, and in a good way. I’m not a trained audiophile but I could feel how soft and rich the treble feels on these IEMs and it’s amazing. The subbass is also present just in the right amount for me. I wish it could have a little bit more impact on the mid bass but it may be just me being too used to mass consumer type headphones for too long. Overall it’s an amazing pair of IEMs and I could feel it instantly.
I've been wanting to dive deeper into the world of DACs/Amps for a while now and this video served as a great introduction on what I should look out for when getting a DAC for myself. Thanks for the great video Dave 😊
I really think with all the extra wiring, stress on your phone usb port (always first thing to break) and battery usage, that a dedicated dap is the better way to go. You end up spending this and that chasing dongles, replacing wires, killing the life of your (£1000) phones battery. Additionally they are just a pain in the pocket. Balanced outputs give another boost to sound quality…something impossible from your phone, without heavy battery drain. Spending the extra on a dedicated dap solves all the problems associated with independent dacs or amps.
Hey Dave, thanks for the video. Just wanted to let you know I appreciate your opinion and expertise as much as I do Timmy's. The b-rolls on your videos are always gorgeous, and I like your confident, calm tone as opposed to Timmy's excitement. Looking forward to your next appearance!
Yeah, wow. Technology just refuses to stand still. I just started to get into IEMs and coming from passive speakers I must say IEMs are the biggest secret in hi fi. If you can't afford to spend tens of thousands on the latest and greatest speaker or amp, IEMs are the greatest value in hi fi. Thank you for the video!
I'm considering getting the KA1, I just got the Kato's. I'm currently just using them on my Galaxy A13 headphone jack. Would it sound better than just my headphone jack?
@@doodlebug4947 Yes, it sounds better than my Galaxy Fold,s stock type c to 3.5 converter. For the price now I think there are better options than the KA1, like the ibasso dc03 pro and truthear shio which has better chip and also gives you more control to the dac like the volume buttons and ability to change gains. But if you want a plug and play, small size, low power consumption, then KA1 is still a great choice
just received my KA3 last week, is thinking of repurposing my old Huawei P10 into a full time player instead of buying shitty players for almost the same cost. After using it for a few days, it's a significant increase in experience comparing to my ROG phone 5, which already has a decent 9281 pro DAC.
It sounds better then your phone? I just ordered the new Fiio Ka5 for my phone, and my desktop, so I'm hopeful it adds, I use flac only and Blessing 3's
@@nerdynumen the built-in dac have a hard time driving my hd600 so it's definitely better. Ka5 is too new and I'm not into it right now coz I just bought a second hand zx507, which I think is better. Regarding iem, I won't go too far on dac, ka3 is good enough imo.
You forgot the Tanchjim Space which comes in at $90 and has both a 3.5mm and 4.4mm output. Highly encourage everyone looking for a Dac/amp under $100 to look into it!
I have the Fiio KA3, bought it for 74 and am very sadisfy with the performance. Since the majority will use only the 3.5" , I would not take the performance of the 4.4" that serious. Even though, I heard it is better, both in quality and power and 3.5" does have more than enough to power my 250 Ohm Bayerdynamics 770Pro or planar Hifiman Sundara. More important, I do have also a Sharkoon dongle that is very powerfull but it has a lot of noice with KZ IEMs that I got as well but are absolutly quite with KA3 from Fiio. Superb quality! no noice at all even with super sensitive devices.
My personal small DAC under $100 is the Helm Bolt. Very clean with plenty enough power. My #2 is periodic audio rhodium... Tiny clean and enough for all my IEM's... I have a tiny DAP and even use the Helm with it as I think it sounds better than the built in DAC.
Those specs on the FC4 are not what they seem to be though. L7 Audiolab found that those "340 mW" of power are only achieved at a staggering 11% THD+N, it's a ridiculously inflated spec. If you want reasonably clean BAL output (0.003%-ish THD+N) you have to keep it below about ~190 mW or 2.5 Vrms for 32 ohms.
Thanks for the help here dude, this is such a minefield for a DAC novice like me. Quick question do you think the Hibi FC4 be a good choice to go with a pair of Oppo PM'S, specs for those > Frequency Response: 10 - 50kHz Driver Type: Planar Magnetic Impedance: 26 Ohm. Sensitivity: 102dB/mW cheers
im stuck between thinking about getting one of these higher end dongles but at the same time im curious about DAPs and the BTR5/Qudelix so there are a ton of options but no idea how to get the best (if only phones had the headphone jack again and actually sounded good.. make more jean pocket suitable hifi)
I'm using Audirect Atom 2.. 100% better than my Btr3k.. no dangling wire, compact and sounds so good.. the only problem is it gets a little hot after long usage..
Curious, have you tried tempotec dongles? I have a Tempotec Sonata e44 and it's a really capable dac/amp from my experience. I haven't seen much talk about it but everyone that did review it seems to rate it really highly.
im a noob too but i dont think it could, i remember from somewhere that dac are just dac, digital to analog converter, and dont have analog to digital function. if they really couldn't use mic, the workaround on laptop/computer would be using audio splitter, plug the mic to microphone input on your device, then set the input device in sound setting inside windows.
I purchased the Dawn and within a matter of weeks it failed (apparently this is common) and I cannot get any sound from it. I purchased the 7hz to replace it and it sounds great and it is still working after months.
I bought the Space Lite, very NICE for sure, I am thinking of going to the SPACE ,...with a node to the SHANLING UA2 Plus ES9038Q2M Dual RT6863 Balanced Portable USB DAC & AMP which is now 68.32 I'd like comments on these 2 Please...Thanks
I really really REALLY need to know, how does the apple type c DAC compare to these if only paired with a easy to run headphone like shp9500 or the sr850 or any low budget IEMs?????
At the moment, I am using my Shuoer S12's with a set of KZ AZ09 Pro BT5.2 earhooks (AptX) in power mode (3 successive clicks to left earhook). About 5+ hours playtime. Earhooks cost me $26 on deep discount from early 2022. Love them. The BTR5 and cables have been collecting a bit of dust since the arrival of these earhooks. Use them daily at both home and at the office. There is a simple mod to be done with the earhooks; to convert the C-Pin (QDC type) to B-pin by carefully shaving 2-3 mm of the QDC shroud's leading silicone rubber edge, to reveal sufficient pin length for a clean B-Pin coupling.
Why should we opt for single-ended 3.5mm jack if balanced output available at the same price and give us much better audio sound? Just replace the cable of our IEM and it will give better resolution, right? Or does the balanced output have some cons? Maybe it will drain the phone/source battery faster or it will give us poor quality than single ended when playing audio format below lossless (lossy)? Please i need your explanation and opinion, thanks.
Output on 4.4mm have more power than 3.5mm (as far as i know 3.5mm output have half of the 4.4mm) 4.4mm output have better performance tho but drain battery fast, really fast 3.5mm less power and less perfomance but it's make your phone's battery last longer, IDK why we opt for single-ended 3.5mm Colorfly CDA M1 have 4.4mm output (not yet tried the 4.4mm because i didn't have the cable) But the Colorfly 3.5mm output & Moondrop Dawn 3.5mm output perfom the same, i can't even tell the difference I've been asking on local group, someone said the 4.4mm did perfom better than 3.5mm
@@rizki4883 thanks Riski. Knowing that you are using some good DAC.. in your opinion, is it worth it to buy $50+ DAC if my music files is still lossy and mostly just streaming through some app like spotify/Joox? I just want to know how big the improvement if we use it with lossy files. Many people saying that Spotify have lame music quality, and yes i kinda feels it too, somehow. but apps like Tidal and Amazon HD is still out of my reach rn since they are very pricey, and it also require big internet data.
@@lrvan i've been do quick test on Spotify (Free) with Dawn, Yes it does make it sounds better (idk if there's a difference between Free & Premium on Audio Quality) but the difference you get is not really big, but noticeable tho, If you don't mind about more battery consumption you can buy it, it's good Investment tho, if you planning to buy another IEM that have high Impedance or you wanna play Flac format Compared to music player that capable to bypass DAC like UAPP & HiByMusic music, Spotify (free Version) it's less noticeable TBH even with UAPP the difference we get is about 30%± i think, because yeah it's not big but barely noticeable Better but just slightly On dawn 3.5mm it does make it sounds more clear, better separation also Soundstage Can't really said about 4.4mm output because i don't have it
@@lrvan Try turn off the sound normalisation setting on your spotify. They kinda make the songs sound weird in my ear. Idk if anybody else has the same experience with me
can i ask? i've been thinking to buy 7hz 71 and i want to use it on pc, if i am using usb converter type c to type A will the mic from earphone work? and will it affecting the sound quality?
So I currently have ve abigail and xduoo link2bal. I am looking to upgrade the Abigail in the same format factor as it gives a bit of feedback static. I was thinking about the periodic audio rhodium. Have you tried it before?
Came across this video while looking for a rather specific use-case. I just want something to plug into a USB switch to easily switch audio between 2 systems with a 3.5mm out. While these mini-DACs sounds great and would really fit the bill for just plugging into the switch, how much premium would I be paying for the smaller size? Could I get away with something bigger like a Fosi K5 for desktop use and get same/better quality? Don't need any volume/tone control as speakers already have it, but if Fosi (or something similar for desktop use) has good bang for the buck on components and processing, might as well go that direction. Suggestions from your viewpoint welcome. Thanks!
Does the 7hz salnotes zero require a Dac, like I have a headphone jack on my Xiaomi phone with Qualcomm hifi sound thingy, so will I get better output with a cheap dac?
I have POCO X3 Pro (it has a 3.5mm jack built in) and bought Moondrop Click (their cheapest dongle DAC/AMP at $20). Testing both the jack and dongle repeatedly using my Moondrop Spaceship ($20) and Tin HiFi T3 Plus ($70). I get a better separation and cleaner sound. Worth the money I spent but I wouldn't recommend you to buy it. Instead, I think it's better to upgrade your IEM first rather than buying a cheap (not to mention expensive) dongle
@@aryanjohnsharma buy a cheap dac anyway for your phone. your phone is not made to play music, just audio. A dac is made te play music. 20 dollar will upgrade the sounds quality by miles
I just bought the 6xx, and I'm wondering if any of these would power the 300 ohm headphones properly, whilst still having a pleasant sound. Any advice anyone?
I have the same question and am in the same situation. According to my calculations (idk if they are correct lol) you‘d need around 90mw/32ohm to drive the 6xx comfortably. I‘ve read online that the Ka3 is not very power efficient (as it runs a dual chip) and therefore the iPhone sometimes fails to deliver enough power. What I‘ve found is the TempoTec Sonata HD V which only has a 3.5 single ended output but it can deliver 95mw at 32 ohms so it should be fine. It also has a detachable cable and costs around 60 bucks on hifigo. I also found the iBasso DC05 which can deliver 93mw/32 ohms and it looks better but it has a fixed cable and according to reviews, it boosts the bass slightly and is not completely neutral
I also have some jvc over ears with a claimed range of 8hz-20,000 with awesome bass and am wondering does the frequency range on these dacs effect there potential? The hiby is 20-20,000 while the moondrop is 7-20,000 so does the moondrop help the headphones better as they have the same range? Im a rookie if you cant tell and thanks again for the videos.
I understand my question is regarding a product outside this price point. I am just curious about THX The Onyx. It is double the price. I'd appreciate any advice, feedback, or general comments regarding it's performance in comparison to the contenders in this video. Thanks in advance.
I have owned the Onyx for a year it worked and sounded great but then randomly stopped working. I recommend a cost effective amp like the ka3. This is just a random viewers two cents though.
@@matthewherrera9858 Thank you. I appreciate the input. Hard to land on the "best" w/o testing a few. Wondering if the price difference is justified in quality. There is a review by "Z Reviews" I believe where he mentions everyone raving about The Onyx. That's the reason I want to hear about it.
Judging by the reviews on the Ka3, some of them were written by previous owners of the Onyx. They also had similar problems with the unit like myself. Overall, I may have never used a dongle aside from the Onyx, but I don't feel alone in saying you're just paying for the THX logo. In the end I hope you find what you're looking for.
@@matthewherrera9858 Thank you for following up. Based on all of this and the good reviews the portable R2R DACs are getting, I am leaning towards something like that. To your point, The Onyx might have been over hyped due to the THX logo
i was using conexant cx31993 on my phone, and around 2 weeks ago i got moondrop click for my laptop, and while the price is higher, i don't really notice any changes in sound. I'm planning to get moondrop Dawn or KA1/KA2, but is there gonna be any changes in the sound? and does it work with MQA songs? For the IEM, I'm currently using Blessing 2
Hi anyone who has knowledge about dac,amps I want to buy dac amp cam anyone help me choosing between Moon Drop dawn pro and Fiio KA3 ? Which one is better
FC4 is more powerful but the Helm Bolt is much cleaner. However you could get the Hiby FC3 which is cheaper than both, same power as the Bolt but way cleaner at 0.00025% THD+N vs. the 0.0008% of the Bolt.
@@davidponce6132 FC4 can put out ~190 mW into 32 ohms at its BAL-out for THD+N=0.003%, the Bolt I think only does about 70 mW. And cleaner as in lower noise and distortion (THD+N).
@@T1Man11 oh so it doesnt work if i plug in directly to my pc? it has usb c port. ive tried it with my cheap usb c to 3.5mm converter for my phone to my pc. it doesnt detect anything
@@cult2 It should work. Maybe you have to install audio drivers for that device. Depends on the OS, though. Maybe it's the adapter itself. Most of these "dongle" DAC/Amps work with PCs without any issues.
@@cult2 with windows ypu need to install drivers ... And cheap DACs dosent offer those things ... You need to buy either moondrop or Fiio device... My FIIO KA3 works great with pc , With MAC its just plug and play no matter its cheap dac or what .
Is 7hz 71 best option for my Shp 9500 headphone? Its sound bit bright and lack on sub bass. I dont have power issue because its just have 32ohm. And i can drive easily with only my phone with 60% volume. For some reason i just want to try use dac. Because previously i only just use usb converter no dac. Is it worth or not for the price?
I kinda thought so too since I already have a Fiio M9 DAP, but just decided to get the Moondrop Moonriver 2 for my Steamdeck cause I want to use my balanced IEMs and Planar Headphones with it because in Bluetooth mode and directly connected my Fiio M9 has a rather heavy delay (0.5 seconds to a whole second) that's really annoying even though the audio is otherwise amazing. Sure that's a lot of money to spend on something that will be used with only one device, but I've been enjoying the Steamdeck too much and an upgrade like this just makes sense to me
@@UNSCPILOT makes sense. I hate Bluetooth. I only listen to music when I go gym. And for that I use the nw55 sony attached to a lace vip neck. And I have an hidizs 80 Pro and a hiby. All small for the same reason. Hard to find good good small daps this days
@@bojankozz9211 That's true. At least I'm sure that it is. I had a Shanling UP2 before BTR5 and while the latter was also amazing to hold and look at, UP2 was even better thanks to it's volume weel which was such a pleasure to use. I have a Shanling M3X now and it's volume weel feels as a downgrade, though.
THIS GUY IS A SCAM ARTIST. Although artist is going a bit far considering how blatant the scam was. ("Win" items, but oh you have to pprepay $67 for stuff probably worth less than that.)
No point really, no matter how you slice it it gets butched against even tge cheapest item here, you can take it as implied that any of these will be a flat improvement across the board. You can always buy the cheapest one and do the comparison yourself if you want though, no one is stopping you!
cable is for people with good hearing. bluetooth is for degenertes who dont like music or soundquality. People who say cable is ancient are clueless as fk
You say they are Windows compatible but I dont see a single Windows compatible dongle here Show me one of them working with Windows XP (without a driver) in USB audio class 1 mode The Fiio BTR3K is Windows compatible and driverless These are not!
Even as someone building a Windows XP desktop right now as a fun retro project, I'm not going to judge any of these for not having XP drivers, I wouldn't judge them too much even if they lacked Windows 7 drivers, given I only know maybe 1 person still running 7, the install base for most older OS like that are tiny and mostly stuck in the business space on things where audio is irrelevant or said company just doesn't care. Even then I doubt most XP games or software could really take advantage of a powerful DAC just given the limitations of the era, though I might attempt testing my Moonriver 2 on my XP build just to see if it works, and as a test of the USB 3.0 card I will install, but that DAC is largely intended to live with my Steamdeck I would be concerned if it lacked good Linux support however, but that's probably because the Steamdeck has converted me into a Linux user
@@UNSCPILOT You do not need drivers for Windows XP or Windows 7 USB Audio Class 1 hardware does not require drivers! See, here's the thing..... If you do not have any music files over 96Khz and 24bit, you do not need a DAC that runs @ 352Khz Most modern DAC's perform optimally @ 88.2Khz and 96Khz anyway, meaning.........they sound their best at those sampling rates If you want a DAC for Windows XP with XP drivers, then get the Micca Origen G2 It will give you an optical SPDIF output so you can add an even better sounding DAC to your ancient XP machine
Windows since 2017 has had native driverless support for USB audio class 2, and Linux and Mac have had that since 2010. So I guess, Windows compatible for up to date versions of Windows 10 or better. As for USB audio class 1, it generally won't support better than 24/96k resolution (BTR3K is 16/48k), but there's really no point to more than that for playback anyway. BTW, 7hz 71 here seems to have same DAC chip as that BTR3K.
For me personally, my number issue consideration is the replaceable cable.
I generally keep my gear in pretty good condition. But I use it on the go quite a bit.
So things like strain relief and cable quality are my primary concern.
I wish that manufacturers would either make the cable/strain relief bomb proof or have the option for a replacement cable.
Excellent content.
I agree with you, my qwestyle m12 cable broke in two walks by the sea...
Nice videography man
Thank you!
I appreciate that you did not talk about the apple usb dongle. Every time someone asks about portable dac, the automatic answer was always the apple usb dongle, and I am sick of it. Yes it does its job well... until it breaks, and you get a new one, and then it breaks. Again.
Tbh other dongles I’ve used have issues other than durability, there’s nothing better for the price than an apple dongle in a custom case.
doesnt apple have a lightning to usb type c cable? would that not work on the type c dacs?
Of course, these reviews aren’t lifetime testing these devices so might break as well
Broke three of those and decided to upgrade
I think the output power of a DAC is very important, but not many reviewer compare it, so this video was very helpful. thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
agree, my number one concern buying a DAC, power output!
and also zero noise floor, I don't really care about sound quality
@@Audio-In-Reviews fac you. you ain't gizaudio
Thanks! The timing is just perfect. I just received 2 hours ago my first IEM, the Midnights, and was thinking about DACs
Lots of good choices here, hard to go wrong really, hope you find one you like!
How are the Midnights for you, enjoying them?
@@UNSCPILOT I never knew the music I liked so much could have so much Air, and in a good way. I’m not a trained audiophile but I could feel how soft and rich the treble feels on these IEMs and it’s amazing. The subbass is also present just in the right amount for me. I wish it could have a little bit more impact on the mid bass but it may be just me being too used to mass consumer type headphones for too long.
Overall it’s an amazing pair of IEMs and I could feel it instantly.
I've been wanting to dive deeper into the world of DACs/Amps for a while now and this video served as a great introduction on what I should look out for when getting a DAC for myself. Thanks for the great video Dave 😊
I really think with all the extra wiring, stress on your phone usb port (always first thing to break) and battery usage, that a dedicated dap is the better way to go.
You end up spending this and that chasing dongles, replacing wires, killing the life of your (£1000) phones battery.
Additionally they are just a pain in the pocket.
Balanced outputs give another boost to sound quality…something impossible from your phone, without heavy battery drain.
Spending the extra on a dedicated dap solves all the problems associated with independent dacs or amps.
Hey Dave, thanks for the video. Just wanted to let you know I appreciate your opinion and expertise as much as I do Timmy's. The b-rolls on your videos are always gorgeous, and I like your confident, calm tone as opposed to Timmy's excitement. Looking forward to your next appearance!
Oh man, thank you so much! Appreciate the kind words. Thanks for watching!
@@Gizaudio yeah you’re way better than timmy pls come more
Yeah, wow. Technology just refuses to stand still. I just started to get into IEMs and coming from passive speakers I must say IEMs are the biggest secret in hi fi. If you can't afford to spend tens of thousands on the latest and greatest speaker or amp, IEMs are the greatest value in hi fi. Thank you for the video!
KA1 is also quite good, its my first portable DAC and it drive my KATO and Talos just fine!
I'm considering getting the KA1, I just got the Kato's. I'm currently just using them on my Galaxy A13 headphone jack. Would it sound better than just my headphone jack?
@@doodlebug4947 Yes, it sounds better than my Galaxy Fold,s stock type c to 3.5 converter. For the price now I think there are better options than the KA1, like the ibasso dc03 pro and truthear shio which has better chip and also gives you more control to the dac like the volume buttons and ability to change gains. But if you want a plug and play, small size, low power consumption, then KA1 is still a great choice
Woah perfect timing!! Been wanting to get my friends into the hobby and they've been wanting to get some budget DACs.
Same here
Good to hear! Thanks for checking out the video!
just received my KA3 last week, is thinking of repurposing my old Huawei P10 into a full time player instead of buying shitty players for almost the same cost. After using it for a few days, it's a significant increase in experience comparing to my ROG phone 5, which already has a decent 9281 pro DAC.
It sounds better then your phone? I just ordered the new Fiio Ka5 for my phone, and my desktop, so I'm hopeful it adds, I use flac only and Blessing 3's
@@nerdynumen the built-in dac have a hard time driving my hd600 so it's definitely better. Ka5 is too new and I'm not into it right now coz I just bought a second hand zx507, which I think is better. Regarding iem, I won't go too far on dac, ka3 is good enough imo.
Hiby fc4 made the kph40 sound like liquid gold, it was warm and filling
You forgot the Tanchjim Space which comes in at $90 and has both a 3.5mm and 4.4mm output.
Highly encourage everyone looking for a Dac/amp under $100 to look into it!
I haven’t watched the whole video and maybe won’t m. Is it better than fiio ka3 or the best one from this video?
The problem with the Moondrop Dawn is with iPhone. Using an adapter will cut the power to 32mW. So I keep my FC1 and FC4. Much better for iPhones.
Is this issue on both balanced and unbalanced ports. Is this stated anywhere on their site ?
Well explained and this videography was really cool... Keep it up!
Thank you!
I have the Fiio KA3, bought it for 74 and am very sadisfy with the performance.
Since the majority will use only the 3.5" , I would not take the performance of the 4.4" that serious. Even though, I heard it is better, both in quality and power and 3.5" does have more than enough to power my 250 Ohm Bayerdynamics 770Pro or planar Hifiman Sundara.
More important, I do have also a Sharkoon dongle that is very powerfull but it has a lot of noice with KZ IEMs that I got as well but are absolutly quite with KA3 from Fiio. Superb quality! no noice at all even with super sensitive devices.
I actually thought that I came to a wrong channel "where's Timmy?" no wonder lol 😂
My personal small DAC under $100 is the Helm Bolt. Very clean with plenty enough power. My #2 is periodic audio rhodium... Tiny clean and enough for all my IEM's... I have a tiny DAP and even use the Helm with it as I think it sounds better than the built in DAC.
This is exactly the video I was looking for, thanks 👍👍👍
Those specs on the FC4 are not what they seem to be though. L7 Audiolab found that those "340 mW" of power are only achieved at a staggering 11% THD+N, it's a ridiculously inflated spec. If you want reasonably clean BAL output (0.003%-ish THD+N) you have to keep it below about ~190 mW or 2.5 Vrms for 32 ohms.
7hz Dongle is pretty great for the price :)
No doubt a good rec for the price. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the help here dude, this is such a minefield for a DAC novice like me. Quick question do you think the Hibi FC4 be a good choice to go with a pair of Oppo PM'S, specs for those > Frequency Response: 10 - 50kHz
Driver Type: Planar Magnetic
Impedance: 26 Ohm.
Sensitivity: 102dB/mW cheers
I like the channel to consider, to stream the video in 4k stream if possible, Any way good review 👍
im stuck between thinking about getting one of these higher end dongles but at the same time im curious about DAPs and the BTR5/Qudelix so there are a ton of options but no idea how to get the best (if only phones had the headphone jack again and actually sounded good.. make more jean pocket suitable hifi)
My best suggestion
Go for
Luxury and Precision W2 131
You'll love it 👍🎧
IEMs are the best kept secret in hi fi. They sound so much better than similarly priced speakers these days.
Why is jcally jm10 not included here ? Its way better than the 7hz 71 imo.
Forget the DACs, I wanna know more about those snazzy stained glass windows.
Hiby FC3 in the future?
I'm using Audirect Atom 2.. 100% better than my Btr3k.. no dangling wire, compact and sounds so good.. the only problem is it gets a little hot after long usage..
Very well done, thanks!
Thank you!
Curious, have you tried tempotec dongles? I have a Tempotec Sonata e44 and it's a really capable dac/amp from my experience. I haven't seen much talk about it but everyone that did review it seems to rate it really highly.
Unfortunately, I haven't. There are so many dongles out there I haven't tried. Thanks for watching!
Absolute noob question, but would you be able to use an IEM’s mic when it’s connected to those DACs?
need answers to this
im a noob too but i dont think it could, i remember from somewhere that dac are just dac, digital to analog converter, and dont have analog to digital function.
if they really couldn't use mic, the workaround on laptop/computer would be using audio splitter, plug the mic to microphone input on your device, then set the input device in sound setting inside windows.
Fiio KA3 vs Fiio BTR5 which is better if considering 3.5mm wired audio quality?
I purchased the Dawn and within a matter of weeks it failed (apparently this is common) and I cannot get any sound from it. I purchased the 7hz to replace it and it sounds great and it is still working after months.
really want timmy to touch the DAC segment too 😢
I bought the Space Lite, very NICE for sure, I am thinking of going to the SPACE ,...with a node to the SHANLING UA2 Plus ES9038Q2M Dual RT6863 Balanced Portable USB DAC & AMP which is now 68.32 I'd like comments on these 2 Please...Thanks
Muse M1 😁 so i Will try and Pair with Kz pr1 Pro 😁 nice Review 😁
Why is there no Venture Electronics DAC? There's the Odyssey ($10) and the Megatron ($50)
How does stand an LG G7 ThinQ with quad dac stand up to other portable DAC setups?
Hi. This must be the bang for bucks device in its category. Topping DX1
I really really REALLY need to know, how does the apple type c DAC compare to these if only paired with a easy to run headphone like shp9500 or the sr850 or any low budget IEMs?????
Which one is best for planar IEMs ?
At the moment, I am using my Shuoer S12's with a set of KZ AZ09 Pro BT5.2 earhooks (AptX) in power mode (3 successive clicks to left earhook). About 5+ hours playtime. Earhooks cost me $26 on deep discount from early 2022. Love them. The BTR5 and cables have been collecting a bit of dust since the arrival of these earhooks. Use them daily at both home and at the office.
There is a simple mod to be done with the earhooks; to convert the C-Pin (QDC type) to B-pin by carefully shaving 2-3 mm of the QDC shroud's leading silicone rubber edge, to reveal sufficient pin length for a clean B-Pin coupling.
Why should we opt for single-ended 3.5mm jack if balanced output available at the same price and give us much better audio sound? Just replace the cable of our IEM and it will give better resolution, right?
Or does the balanced output have some cons? Maybe it will drain the phone/source battery faster or it will give us poor quality than single ended when playing audio format below lossless (lossy)?
Please i need your explanation and opinion, thanks.
Output on 4.4mm have more power than 3.5mm (as far as i know 3.5mm output have half of the 4.4mm)
4.4mm output have better performance tho but drain battery fast, really fast
3.5mm less power and less perfomance but it's make your phone's battery last longer,
IDK why we opt for single-ended 3.5mm
Colorfly CDA M1 have 4.4mm output (not yet tried the 4.4mm because i didn't have the cable)
But the Colorfly 3.5mm output & Moondrop Dawn 3.5mm output perfom the same, i can't even tell the difference
I've been asking on local group, someone said the 4.4mm did perfom better than 3.5mm
@@rizki4883 thanks Riski. Knowing that you are using some good DAC.. in your opinion, is it worth it to buy $50+ DAC if my music files is still lossy and mostly just streaming through some app like spotify/Joox? I just want to know how big the improvement if we use it with lossy files. Many people saying that Spotify have lame music quality, and yes i kinda feels it too, somehow.
but apps like Tidal and Amazon HD is still out of my reach rn since they are very pricey, and it also require big internet data.
@@lrvan i've been do quick test on Spotify (Free) with Dawn,
Yes it does make it sounds better (idk if there's a difference between Free & Premium on Audio Quality) but the difference you get is not really big, but noticeable tho,
If you don't mind about more battery consumption you can buy it, it's good Investment tho,
if you planning to buy another IEM that have high Impedance or you wanna play Flac format
Compared to music player that capable to bypass DAC like UAPP & HiByMusic music,
Spotify (free Version) it's less noticeable
TBH even with UAPP the difference we get is about 30%± i think, because yeah it's not big but barely noticeable
Better but just slightly
On dawn 3.5mm it does make it sounds more clear, better separation also Soundstage
Can't really said about 4.4mm output because i don't have it
@@rizki4883 there's no difference in sound quality between free and premium version (I tried both)
@@lrvan Try turn off the sound normalisation setting on your spotify. They kinda make the songs sound weird in my ear. Idk if anybody else has the same experience with me
How do FC4 compare to Fiio BTR5
which is best for instrumental separation,open balanced sound (xduos basic,fiio k3, fiio q11,fiio k5,zen air dac) reply me bro🤔🤔🤔🤔
can i ask? i've been thinking to buy 7hz 71 and i want to use it on pc, if i am using usb converter type c to type A will the mic from earphone work? and will it affecting the sound quality?
The Ifi go link has been released, reviews on that soon ?
@@roleasahuman tbh im kind of fine with that
So I currently have ve abigail and xduoo link2bal. I am looking to upgrade the Abigail in the same format factor as it gives a bit of feedback static. I was thinking about the periodic audio rhodium. Have you tried it before?
You can go for rhodium
please make part 2 with under 50$ list
Came across this video while looking for a rather specific use-case. I just want something to plug into a USB switch to easily switch audio between 2 systems with a 3.5mm out. While these mini-DACs sounds great and would really fit the bill for just plugging into the switch, how much premium would I be paying for the smaller size? Could I get away with something bigger like a Fosi K5 for desktop use and get same/better quality? Don't need any volume/tone control as speakers already have it, but if Fosi (or something similar for desktop use) has good bang for the buck on components and processing, might as well go that direction. Suggestions from your viewpoint welcome. Thanks!
Thanks!! Dave
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
you forgot the TempoTec Sonata HD V
Which one would power my beyerdynamic DT 990 the best through both 3.5 & 4.4? Thanks for the videos
Thank you.
Best mini dac for Xcover 5 and 7hz timeless? i like my bass, thanks!
Why did the Moondrop Click not make this list?
which one sounds the warmest with the most bass from all of these?
I need the cheapest and bestest dac, can you recommend the cheapest one
Does the 7hz salnotes zero require a Dac, like I have a headphone jack on my Xiaomi phone with Qualcomm hifi sound thingy, so will I get better output with a cheap dac?
I have POCO X3 Pro (it has a 3.5mm jack built in) and bought Moondrop Click (their cheapest dongle DAC/AMP at $20). Testing both the jack and dongle repeatedly using my Moondrop Spaceship ($20) and Tin HiFi T3 Plus ($70). I get a better separation and cleaner sound. Worth the money I spent but I wouldn't recommend you to buy it. Instead, I think it's better to upgrade your IEM first rather than buying a cheap (not to mention expensive) dongle
It’s easy to drive and doesn’t need an external amp. Your phone is fine.
@@human9458 understood
@@aryanjohnsharma
buy a cheap dac anyway for your phone. your phone is not made to play music, just audio. A dac is made te play music.
20 dollar will upgrade the sounds quality by miles
@@zengerz gotchu, any good recommendations?
I just bought the 6xx, and I'm wondering if any of these would power the 300 ohm headphones properly, whilst still having a pleasant sound. Any advice anyone?
I have the same question and am in the same situation. According to my calculations (idk if they are correct lol) you‘d need around 90mw/32ohm to drive the 6xx comfortably. I‘ve read online that the Ka3 is not very power efficient (as it runs a dual chip) and therefore the iPhone sometimes fails to deliver enough power. What I‘ve found is the TempoTec Sonata HD V which only has a 3.5 single ended output but it can deliver 95mw at 32 ohms so it should be fine. It also has a detachable cable and costs around 60 bucks on hifigo. I also found the iBasso DC05 which can deliver 93mw/32 ohms and it looks better but it has a fixed cable and according to reviews, it boosts the bass slightly and is not completely neutral
moondrop dawn vs truthear shio?
What do you think about the 7hz 71?
I also have some jvc over ears with a claimed range of 8hz-20,000 with awesome bass and am wondering does the frequency range on these dacs effect there potential? The hiby is 20-20,000 while the moondrop is 7-20,000 so does the moondrop help the headphones better as they have the same range? Im a rookie if you cant tell and thanks again for the videos.
It doesn't matter, because you can't hear below 20Hz anyway. All these subsonic signals do is eating power and stressing speakers unnecessarily.
Fiio KA13 under $100, most powerful?
If I have a p2 conector in my mobile, will I feel any improvement in the audio quality if I use a Dac such as the moondrops?
what is most powerfull from them? i need for audeze lcd-2c closed back. 70ohm-98db
I understand my question is regarding a product outside this price point. I am just curious about THX The Onyx. It is double the price. I'd appreciate any advice, feedback, or general comments regarding it's performance in comparison to the contenders in this video. Thanks in advance.
I have owned the Onyx for a year it worked and sounded great but then randomly stopped working. I recommend a cost effective amp like the ka3. This is just a random viewers two cents though.
@@matthewherrera9858 Thank you. I appreciate the input. Hard to land on the "best" w/o testing a few. Wondering if the price difference is justified in quality. There is a review by "Z Reviews" I believe where he mentions everyone raving about The Onyx. That's the reason I want to hear about it.
Judging by the reviews on the Ka3, some of them were written by previous owners of the Onyx. They also had similar problems with the unit like myself. Overall, I may have never used a dongle aside from the Onyx, but I don't feel alone in saying you're just paying for the THX logo. In the end I hope you find what you're looking for.
@@matthewherrera9858 Thank you for following up. Based on all of this and the good reviews the portable R2R DACs are getting, I am leaning towards something like that. To your point, The Onyx might have been over hyped due to the THX logo
What about LG quad DAC? I know they discontinued their phones, but they're still around and I even own one (LG v60).
you need a high impedance adapter to unlock the high impedance feature
i was using conexant cx31993 on my phone, and around 2 weeks ago i got moondrop click for my laptop, and while the price is higher, i don't really notice any changes in sound. I'm planning to get moondrop Dawn or KA1/KA2, but is there gonna be any changes in the sound? and does it work with MQA songs? For the IEM, I'm currently using Blessing 2
Hi anyone who has knowledge about dac,amps
I want to buy dac amp cam anyone help me choosing between Moon Drop dawn pro and Fiio KA3 ?
Which one is better
Moonriver2? Questyle M15?
Do read the video title
why isn't Fiio KA1 on the table?
What about the apple dongle?
crap
@@zengerz I know, he must be saying the same thing because he forgot to include it
Just an FYI, you said Hiby FC5 at the end of the video.
dc06?
Do you think Sevenhertz 71 able to let 64 audio u12t run at its best?
If you've those expensive iem why would you seek to buy that cheap low power amp DAC. Dude use your brain 🧠
@@sleazymiguel6882 because u12t got something call LID. Use your brain dude
Does the hibby fc4 beat the helm bolt dongle which costs about 100 bucks?
FC4 is more powerful but the Helm Bolt is much cleaner. However you could get the Hiby FC3 which is cheaper than both, same power as the Bolt but way cleaner at 0.00025% THD+N vs. the 0.0008% of the Bolt.
@@d0nj03 in which way do you say the FC4 is more powerful? And I’m guessing by saying the helm bolt is cleaner you mean sound wise
@@davidponce6132 FC4 can put out ~190 mW into 32 ohms at its BAL-out for THD+N=0.003%, the Bolt I think only does about 70 mW. And cleaner as in lower noise and distortion (THD+N).
does portable dac works with PC?
Yes, you might need a usb c to a adapter, though.
@@T1Man11 oh so it doesnt work if i plug in directly to my pc? it has usb c port. ive tried it with my cheap usb c to 3.5mm converter for my phone to my pc. it doesnt detect anything
@@cult2 It should work. Maybe you have to install audio drivers for that device. Depends on the OS, though. Maybe it's the adapter itself. Most of these "dongle" DAC/Amps work with PCs without any issues.
@@cult2 with windows ypu need to install drivers ... And cheap DACs dosent offer those things ... You need to buy either moondrop or Fiio device... My FIIO KA3 works great with pc ,
With MAC its just plug and play no matter its cheap dac or what .
@@mdk12172633sg thank you. it was a cheap dongle. maybe thats why. i dont think it audio driver. brand is Vention
Is 7hz 71 best option for my Shp 9500 headphone? Its sound bit bright and lack on sub bass. I dont have power issue because its just have 32ohm. And i can drive easily with only my phone with 60% volume. For some reason i just want to try use dac. Because previously i only just use usb converter no dac. Is it worth or not for the price?
Get a warm dac.
@@samza9622 thanks bro, i already buyed 7hz 71 its nice for price. I got it with only 26$ at my country
Where’s Tim?
In Japan.
Wow, nice move Giz. Diversify and differentiate the channel.
Ikko ITM02 or Moondrop Dawn?
Prefer daps. Waste of space to have days dongles.
I kinda thought so too since I already have a Fiio M9 DAP, but just decided to get the Moondrop Moonriver 2 for my Steamdeck cause I want to use my balanced IEMs and Planar Headphones with it because in Bluetooth mode and directly connected my Fiio M9 has a rather heavy delay (0.5 seconds to a whole second) that's really annoying even though the audio is otherwise amazing.
Sure that's a lot of money to spend on something that will be used with only one device, but I've been enjoying the Steamdeck too much and an upgrade like this just makes sense to me
@@UNSCPILOT makes sense. I hate Bluetooth. I only listen to music when I go gym. And for that I use the nw55 sony attached to a lace vip neck. And I have an hidizs 80 Pro and a hiby. All small for the same reason. Hard to find good good small daps this days
me just using apple usb c to 3.5mm >.>
Btr 5 2021 or shanling up4 22.
For me Btr5 because of the display and the neutral sound.
Depends on whether you want a more neutral or "warmish" sound signature.
Up4 is such a joy to held in your hand. I am using older version and I am very satisfied with it.
@@bojankozz9211 That's true. At least I'm sure that it is. I had a Shanling UP2 before BTR5 and while the latter was also amazing to hold and look at, UP2 was even better thanks to it's volume weel which was such a pleasure to use. I have a Shanling M3X now and it's volume weel feels as a downgrade, though.
hello..can this two handle planar iems?
Which one has the most soundstage?
they usually say its the FC4
💙💙
Which ones have mqa?
Nice video but add chapters please!
Qudelix 5k....?
Dongle dacs and Bluetooth dacamps are a different thing, some people don't want another device to cary
These are dongle DACs under $100...not DACs
lol its still a dac 🤡😆
THIS GUY IS A SCAM ARTIST. Although artist is going a bit far considering how blatant the scam was. ("Win" items, but oh you have to pprepay $67 for stuff probably worth less than that.)
Yeah... i'm glad you are happy with your $2 earphone and not buying this overpriced stuff.
would have liked to see it with the tried and true apple dong in there
No point really, no matter how you slice it it gets butched against even tge cheapest item here, you can take it as implied that any of these will be a flat improvement across the board.
You can always buy the cheapest one and do the comparison yourself if you want though, no one is stopping you!
now, do Bluetooth adapters. cable is ancient nowadays
cable is for people with good hearing. bluetooth is for degenertes who dont like music or soundquality.
People who say cable is ancient are clueless as fk
@@zengerz please don't buy any bluetooth adapters when they actually made good bluetooth adapters in the future. stay ancient and don't move forward.
@@markevinlagsac3252 what is Bluetooth adapter
You say they are Windows compatible but I dont see a single Windows compatible dongle here
Show me one of them working with Windows XP (without a driver) in USB audio class 1 mode
The Fiio BTR3K is Windows compatible and driverless
These are not!
Even as someone building a Windows XP desktop right now as a fun retro project, I'm not going to judge any of these for not having XP drivers, I wouldn't judge them too much even if they lacked Windows 7 drivers, given I only know maybe 1 person still running 7, the install base for most older OS like that are tiny and mostly stuck in the business space on things where audio is irrelevant or said company just doesn't care.
Even then I doubt most XP games or software could really take advantage of a powerful DAC just given the limitations of the era, though I might attempt testing my Moonriver 2 on my XP build just to see if it works, and as a test of the USB 3.0 card I will install, but that DAC is largely intended to live with my Steamdeck
I would be concerned if it lacked good Linux support however, but that's probably because the Steamdeck has converted me into a Linux user
@@UNSCPILOT
You do not need drivers for Windows XP or Windows 7
USB Audio Class 1 hardware does not require drivers!
See, here's the thing.....
If you do not have any music files over 96Khz and 24bit, you do not need a DAC that runs @ 352Khz
Most modern DAC's perform optimally @ 88.2Khz and 96Khz anyway, meaning.........they sound their best at those sampling rates
If you want a DAC for Windows XP with XP drivers, then get the Micca Origen G2
It will give you an optical SPDIF output so you can add an even better sounding DAC to your ancient XP machine
Windows since 2017 has had native driverless support for USB audio class 2, and Linux and Mac have had that since 2010. So I guess, Windows compatible for up to date versions of Windows 10 or better.
As for USB audio class 1, it generally won't support better than 24/96k resolution (BTR3K is 16/48k), but there's really no point to more than that for playback anyway. BTW, 7hz 71 here seems to have same DAC chip as that BTR3K.
colorfly cda m1/musehifi m3/dunu dtc500? :///