DAC to the Future

[TheMarlin]

My office setup is a pair of Adam Audio T5V monitors, and a Topping D70-Vqelvet connected to my gaming PC, and Tidal.
I can air Airplay to the DAC from my phone for other sources.
Sounds great.

[TheMarlin]

I’m all in on Topping DACs at the moment.

I have two D90 DACS, and the E70 Velvet (D70 was a typo).

I would like to compare the D90 to something else. I feel the D90 is very detailed, but somehow light and airy. Other DACS I’ve had in the past have felt meatier in the middle

[TheMarlin]

Still at Death's door - but it hasn't opened yet. So to distract myself here's some thoughts on the SMSL M300se.



In a desktop setting, feeding a headphone amp and speakers in nearfield mode, this DAC is a delight! A lovely refined sound with no glare or nasties. Somehow I am reminded of the elegant character of the MF M1DAC, but now with more definition.

The litttle M300se is a very detailed and revealing unit - and I mean that in a good way - it's one of those that digs further into the mix with a delicacy and airiness that just lets you hear more of what is going on. Currently I have 'Wind & Wuthering' from Genesis running on headphones. I don't know how many times I've heard this but it's a record I grew up with. The diminutive SMSL is revealing detail and spaces in the recording that have never been audible to me before. Those familiar with this hoary old classic will know that the sound can be very dense and impenetrable in places but the M300se cuts through that and does it with grace.

I have tried the M300se's own headphone output and it gives a solid, clear sound - although I had the feeling that it was struggling to drive my 300 Ohm German Maestro GMP450. Plugging them back into the dedicated THX amp got them shining again. The fact that the M300se has fully balanced XLR output and preamp mode means that you can couple it directly with a power amp and I suspect the results could be suprising.

The other line-out 3.5mm jack running tiny Douk mono amps and Mission 760's is also capable of both power and refinement with deep bass, rounded middles and detailed highs. Overall a nice, wide soundstage with pinpoint imaging and a thoroughly rewarding sound.

And all that for the pocket-money price of €100.

Maybe somebody up there likes me.

[slinger]

I still have a lot of love for SMSL. I've had several of their el-cheapo DACs, and they all punched above their weight. I also still run an SMSL Q5 Pro DAC/Amp for my PC sound with an old pair of Celestion DL4 s2 speakers and a cute little 6" Eltax sub to bolster the bottom end, both for gaming and for the odd bit of music. I was lucky, and cottoned on to it before most people had even heard of it, purely by luck, and before the prices started going up and up and up. At the time it was an incredible budget bit of kit. Shenzen Audio still sell them I believe, but they're in the three-figure bracket now, which, to be honest, they're probably still worth, but there's much newer stuff out there commanding people's interest. ...eh, Fret?

[George Hincapie]

Still at Death's door - but it hasn't opened yet. So to distract myself here's some thoughts on the SMSL M300se.



In a desktop setting, feeding a headphone amp and speakers in nearfield mode, this DAC is a delight! A lovely refined sound with no glare or nasties. Somehow I am reminded of the elegant character of the MF M1DAC, but now with more definition.

The litttle M300se is a very detailed and revealing unit - and I mean that in a good way - it's one of those that digs further into the mix with a delicacy and airiness that just lets you hear more of what is going on. Currently I have 'Wind & Wuthering' from Genesis running on headphones. I don't know how many times I've heard this but it's a record I grew up with. The diminutive SMSL is revealing detail and spaces in the recording that have never been audible to me before. Those familiar with this hoary old classic will know that the sound can be very dense and impenetrable in places but the M300se cuts through that and does it with grace.

I have tried the M300se's own headphone output and it gives a solid, clear sound - although I had the feeling that it was struggling to drive my 300 Ohm German Maestro GMP450. Plugging them back into the dedicated THX amp got them shining again. The fact that the M300se has fully balanced XLR output and preamp mode means that you can couple it directly with a power amp and I suspect the results could be suprising.

The other line-out 3.5mm jack running tiny Douk mono amps and Mission 760's is also capable of both power and refinement with deep bass, rounded middles and detailed highs. Overall a nice, wide soundstage with pinpoint imaging and a thoroughly rewarding sound.

And all that for the pocket-money price of €100.

Maybe somebody up there likes me.

Someone down here likes you too mate. Happy New Year.

[George Hincapie]

And to you GH, stay healthy and happy.

[CN211276]

After six years of good service my Qutest had a problem. It has now been fixed by Chord and is as good as new.

When a system suddenly stops working the issue is identifying the component responsible. In this case I got it wrong, adding to they timescale. I suspected the Mscaler and when I removed it, plugging the streamer directly into the Qutest, music played. I phoned Audio T who said they would test it before returning to Chord for repair. I waited in the shop during the testing which went on for a while. The only seating was in front of a Naim system playing Radio Paradise. It was not a pleasant experience so I went for a walk. On my return they said they could not find a fault with the Mscaler but needed further time to carry out more tests. Days later they phoned me back to say the Mscaler was working perfectly and pointed the finger at the Qutest which I brought in when collecting the Mscaler. Days later they phoned to say that the problem was with the dual BNC input of the Qutest. This explains why I was able to play music through the USB input. The Qutest was sent to Chord for repair. It was with them for a few weeks coinciding with my month stay in Kenya. Before departing I was informed that the cost would be at the lower end of the estimate. It came to £75 comprising labour and postage with no new parts. I am speculating as to what caused the problem suspecting that something nasty could have been picked up through the Sky dish. Audio T think this might have been the cause. Earlier in the day the system had played music. It was only when I switched to the optical TV input on the Mscaler that nothing came out of the speakers, whatever the input on the Mscaler. I have now removed the optical cable and the system will play music only.

When J was without the Qutest, before the holiday I substituted it with the Mojo 2 from the second system. I was surprised by how well it compared to the Qutest minus Mscaler. There was hardly any difference, only a slight harshness which could have been rectified had I spent time fiddling with the multiple filter settings. I could not be bothered as I would not be home much longer and it was optimised for the second system. The Mojo 2 is a third of the price of the Qutest and has multiple features including two head phone outputs and battery operation. It shows how much affordable DAC technology has come on in recent years. The huge scoring point with the Qutest is the dual BNC input enabling maximum upsampling with the Mscaler. It totally transforms the Qutest. Am really enjoying the upscaled main system again after a long break. A double win as the rains started in Kenya just after I left.







,

[CN211276]

Something to put on your Xmas list. The all-new Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt. Micro-sized USB DAC and headphone amp. Better chips, improved design (higher price). Plays everything from MP3 to MQA.

https://www.audioquest.com/dacs/dragonf ... fly-cobalt

Have been reading quite a bit about it but I am not convinced that it would be a big enough improvement over my Dragonfly Red to justify the extra cost. All the more so as it would be used out and about in often noisy environments. I use the Chord Mojo at home and in the garden.

When my DF Red went on the blink and my spare DF Black not being in the same league, it was now the time to pull the trigger on the Cobalt after finding a good deal on Amazon.

Partnered with my Samsum Galaxy and Beyerdynamic headphones I find the Cobalt to be a significant upgrade on the DF Red on its own. The situation is not so clear cut with the DF Red connected to the Jitterbug. I have a slight preference for the Cobalt's slightly sharper presentation, but others might not. What was apparent is that the JB degraded the SQ of the Cobalt, introducing a thinness to the sound. It seemed as if a duplication of functions was producing this negative effect.

My conclusion is that the Cobalt justifies the extra cost over the DF Red because it is cancelled out by the lack of need for a JB and also the inclusion of a AQ Carbon Dragontail, with USB C phone connection, in the package. JB aside, it is also smaller than the DF Red. The discarded JB FMJ has now replaced the old standard JB in the second system. I am struggling to hear a difference, the MicroRendu being far better at eliminating nasties than a phone.

AQ portable DACs do not seem to be built to last. The Colbat had a similar lifespan to the DF Red it replaced. Have been looking round for a replacement and came across this.


https://questyleshop.com/products/questyle-m12i

Have read some good reports and Chifi has come along leaps and bounds. That said the Colbat is now £100 cheaper than what I paid before. Decisions.

[CN211276]

Fiio products are generally also good.

I am very pleased with the Hifi Walker H2 I got recently via Amazon. A very versatile DAP with superb SQ.

[Latteman]

Fiio products are generally also good.

Agreed- have several of their dacs and a pre amp- have been looking at the R7 for a while- used prices are dropping to the £300 mark making it a bargain streamer.