HiFiMeDIY Sabre USB DAC Digital to Analog Audio Converter 96khz/24bit ES9023, USB to Optical Converter

I generally use this DAC as analog input to a NAD preamp for headphone or amp+speaker use. It can also drive the headphones directly (Denon AH-D2000 & Sennheiser HD595) but I don't use it that way. Sounds better using an amp for the headphones. I have not tried the optical output.The Good: Compared to various Denon, Marantz, and NAD players, as well as ASUS XONAR internal DAC cards, I think this sounds quite good for the price. Maybe slightly light on the bass end, but detail and soundstage seem good.The Less-Good: I had trouble getting this to connect via Dell laptop winXP through a USB extension or hub. However, plugged directly into the laptop USB port, it connects at least 90% of the time. Sometimes I have to disconnect/reconnect. Once connected it continues to work until disconnected.The Bad: I use the 3.5mm analog output, and it is difficult to get both channels working (making contact). This is with every 3.5 mm plug I've tried so this one IS the DAC socket. With enough twisting and pushing and pulling and carefully setting it down on the desk I can eventually get the connection for both channels. This problem was out-of-the-box, not something that developed over time.If I didn't have these problems I would give it 5 stars based on value. There are better DACs out there but maybe not at this price.Also, if it didn't sound as good as it does, I would have given only 3 stars due to the annoyances trying to get it to work.

I purchased the HiFiMeDIY DAC more out of curiosity rather than an actual need. Simply put I wanted to compare the performance of a DAC using one of the famed ESS Sabre D/A chips with the other audio gear at my disposal without having to spend hundreds or even thousands on higher end gear from Peachtree Audio, Oppo, JDS-Labs, McIntosh, etc. The HiFiMeDIY DAC fit the bill and this review details my (subjective) conclusions.The HiFiMeDIY Sabre DAC is an external USB D/A audio converter designed by the DIY community and based on the entry level ESS Sabre ES9023 D/A chip and the ubiquitous USB 2.0, full-speed compliant Tenor TE-7022L audio streaming controller from the Galaxy Far East Corp. (GFEC). The HiFiMeDIY DAC is a device of remarkable simplicity but in the same time a model of efficient circuit design. Power is supplied by the USB to a Linear Technology LT1763 low-noise, low drop-out (LDO) micro-power regulator while all other functions: USB control, data retrieval, pin-addressing, clocking, oversampling, D/A conversion, low-pass filtering, etc., are split between the Tenor and the Sabre chips. This arrangement eliminates the necessity for any other processor (dedicated to some of these functions) on the circuit board. The data transfer in the HiFiMeDIY DAC is synchronous (the USB data link is controlled by the computer rather than the DAC). This is, arguably, not the best arrangement for audio purposes due to jitter issues (this jitter issue depends greatly on the other duties of the computer's processor.) Nevertheless, the Tenor chip features integrated phase-locked loop (PLL) to support single crystal operation (12MHz) and has some buffering capability, which helps mitigate jitter to some degree. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, the Sabre chip has its own jitter elimination capability - the famed (if still somewhat cloaked in mystery) ESS Hyperstream with Time Domain Jitter Elimination technology. Performance-wise the HiFiMeDIY DAC is capable of 8 - 96kHz at 16/24bit decoding (except 88.2kHz, which is not supported by the Tenor chip) and has a listed dynamic range (S/N) of 112dB. The technology packed in this little (2in x 1.5in x 0.5in) device is basically the same (with minor differences) as that in the Peachtree DAC-iT (the Dac-iT uses the ES9022 chip, which is essentially the same as the ES9023), the NwAvGuy's Objective DAC (ODAC), the Audio-Quest DragonFly, the NuForce uDAC-2, and others like these that are selling for five to ten times more than the HiFiMeDIY. Since the Sabre ES9023 chip features integrated low-pass filtering and a direct coupled 2Vrms line driver, all these DACs produce "sound" of a similar quality - the differences in implementation, for instance different power supplies (e.g. Peachtree DAC-iT features a separate switching power supply), different USB transceivers (such as the now phased-out Texas-Instruments TAS1020 found on the DragonFly), different clocking schemes, etc., could provide subtle differences in the sound signature - but are, as far as the line output is concerned, little more than window dressings.On to the computer/audio gear used during my initial listening tests:MacBook w/ Mac OS X 10.4.11MacBook-Pro w/ Mac OS X 10.6.8Dell Optiplex GX620-MT w/ Windows XP/SP3 and Linux Ubuntu 12.0.4/LTS (dual boot)XMOS USB 2.0 Audio Reference Design Asynchronous DAC,Matrix M-Stage Headphone Amp,Audio-Technica ATH-A900 closed-back headphones (40ohm),Superlux HD-681 semi-open headphones (32 ohm), andSennheiser HD598 open headphones (50ohm).Playback software: Audacity, iTunes, VLC, Windows Media PlayerAudio interconnects: RCA-to-RCA and 3.5mm to RCA adapter, both Auvio brand sourced from Radio-Shack (these Auvio cables are not cheap, as far as RS stuff goes, but they are actually pretty decent). Also used were two generic USB-hubs/multi-card reader combo devices (from Sabrent and Inland) and generic USB cables sourced locally from Micro-Center. Also to note, the 3.5mm analog jack of the HiFiMeDIY DAC doubles as optical S/PDIF out. I have not tested the S/PDIF output due to a lack of a 3.5mm optical adapter, however, the red LED light is clearly visible through the output jack when the DAC is plugged into a USB port. A brief setup note: The HiFiMeDIY DAC is plug-and-play on all three computers used and did not require downloading of any kind of drivers in Mac OS, Windows or Ubuntu. However, using the default drivers, I haven't been able to select the sampling frequency or the bit depth on Windows and Ubuntu. I suspect that the generic drivers on those systems default to either 44.1kHz or 48kHz and 16bit. The DAC seemed to work equally well when connected directly to a computer USB port or to a port on one of the USB-hubs. For most of the listening session I have used the MacBook-Pro as the source, the other two computers being used mainly to check the compatibility of the DAC with those older operating systems.Before moving on to sound quality, I must mention that although the HiFiMeDIY DAC is marketed as a DAC with some direct headphones driving capability, personally I would not recommend it being used in such a fashion. While the device can indeed drive low impedance headphones directly, the sound quality obtained that way is rather poor (simply because the Sabre chip output line-driver is just that - a line driver, IT IS NOT a headphone amp! Moreover, the whole thing is powered by the USB - and because of the way things were implemented here - direct drive of some low impedance loads, e.g. 30-60ohm headphones puts a very large strain on the LT1763 voltage regulator and the pump-charge circuits inside the Sabre chip.) Personally I use it with a dedicated headphone amp (the Matrix M-Stage mentioned above). Since all my headphones are low impedance (32-50ohm) and the open-circuit output of the Sabre chip is actually just above 2Vrms, I set the Matrix M-Stage gain to 0dB (no voltage gain - thus, in effect, using the headphone amp as a current buffer). For the purpose of my initial listening tests I also connected the XMOS DAC to the second line input of the M-Stage. (The M-Stage has two line inputs, 47kohm, and a face-plate mounted switch which allows one to toggle between the two inputs and thus compare two input sources.) Note: the HiFiMeDIY Sabre DAC does require 2-3hr of break-in time.I will spend little to no time here comparing this DAC with the sound-cards in the computers. Of the three computers I have here the MacBook-Pro has the "best" sound, but by comparison with either the HiFiMeDIY DAC or the XMOS Reference DAC, listening to it is, more or less, a waste of time. So, the comparisons will be drawn here solely between the HiFiMeDIY DAC and the XMOS. (Note: The XMOS USB 2.0 Audio Reference ADC/DAC is actually an evaluation board from XMOS - available at Digi-Key at about three times the price of the HiFiMEDIY DAC - featuring the 24bit/192kHz Cirrus Logic CS4270 audio codec (differential multi-bit sigma-delta conversion, switched capacitor) and the 32bit, 500MIPS/8threads, XMOS XS1-L1 event driven processor. It supports all sample rates from 44.1kHz to 192kHz and uses two dedicated on-board clocks (for 44.1kHz and 48kHz and their multiples). In addition, the XMOS DAC uses the SMSC USB-3318 high-speed USB 2.0 transceiver, clocked separately by a 13MHz reference crystal and the NCP699SN18T1G low quiescent current LDO voltage regulator from ON Semiconductor. The XMOS solution is largely considered one of the best implementations of the "asynchronous" USB Audio currently available although a pricey one, see for instance the 6moons review of the April Music Stello-U3.)The Sound (overall conclusion): Dynamic, detailed, well staged and layered, airy, clean, clear, well balanced and noise-free.More specifically, the HiFiMeDIY Sabre DAC is performing, essentially, at the same level as the XMOS with a few differences owed mainly to the particular implementations of the low-pass filters in the two devices and their inherent noise levels. Thus, while I would rate the level of detail retrieval in the Sabre to be similar to that of the Cirrus Logic in the XMOS, the higher gain digital filter in the Sabre (versus the digital (-50dB)/analog (-40dB) combo low-pass filtering in the XMOS) rends a better, more airy stereo image, albeit at a price: slightly increased graininess (especially in the upper registers) and more pronounced sibilance (at times). By comparison the XMOS sounds a bit more laid back with a slightly veiled, smoother presentation but very musical and somewhat more forgiving, particularly with some of the more compressed (i.e. loud) material (which is, unfortunately, found on most of the new music CD nowadays). The only other notable difference is a slightly emphasized low-end with the Sabre: the bass has a tad more impact than with the XMOS - though not enough to require EQ changes with any of the headphones. The Sabre also has the upper hand in the S/N arena, presenting a truly black background (better than -95dB/the M-Stage level) when compared to the -87dB THD+N of the Cirrus Logic codec used in the XMOS DAC. However, the XMOS has the advantage of a full sample frequency range (including 88.2kHz, 176.4kHz, and 192kHz) and has better soft mute and pause controls (and is also an A/D converter). On the timing/jitter front, the HiFiMeDIY DAC seems (at least to my ears) capable to match the asynchronous solution in the XMOS, since I couldn't detect any rhythm/pace issues even when the DAC was connected to an USB-hub and the hub was simultaneously used to transfer some large files to a USB memory stick. Jitter performance may, however, vary depending on the computer used, the quality of its usb connections and any other devices used (USB hubs, cables, etc.) As a rule of thumb I'd recommend plugging the DAC directly into the computer rather than a USB hub (whenever possible).To conclude, the HiFiMeDIY Sabre DAC is a remarkable piece of audio gear with outstanding sound quality (especially when used with a headphone amplifier) and which features the same ESS Sabre DAC technology found in higher end/higher priced audio gear. The closest (in terms of sound signature) would be the Objective DAC (sold by JDS-Labs for roughly 2.5x the price), the uDAC-2 (at 2x the price - note that this DAC also features an integrated headphone drive stage. The uDAC-2 may be a good buy for someone who doesn't have a separated headphone amp, though some reviewers have pointed to the fact that its headphone amp, which is based on a Maxim op-amp, it's rather lackluster,) the AudioQuest Dragonfly (at 4x the price - the Dragonfly features asynchronous USB transfer and it also includes a headphone driver stage) and perhaps the Peachtree DAC-iT (at about 8x the price). For me the evaluation of the HiFiMeDIY Sabre DAC started as a low-expectations, guilt free indulgence of curiosity for the price of a tank of gas. Nevertheless this little USB DAC is now a permanent staple in my desktop setup. Without reservations - 5 star.UPDATE 03/19/2013: Did a bit of digging on the net and found the drivers for Windows 32/64bit on the HiFiMeDIY website (just type HiFiMeDIY in Google search and it is the first thing it pops up). Search for the HiFiMeDIY Sabre USB DaC and on that page you will find links for the driver download. The driver is called TeraDAK TeraLink-X2 (something like that). The 32bit driver works on my XP machine but either version of this driver should be good for Vista and Windows 7 as well. In fact there is an express recommendation there to use this driver for Windows 7 due to some noise issues with the default windows driver. The Windows installer will complain about the authenticity of the software when you try to install (not a Microsoft approved program, all that... but I did it anyway and it seems to work quite well). In the new USB Audio Control Center that pops up you can select the sampling rate, bit depth, etc. It also seems to have ASIO support. Also, there is a controller for the similar HiFiMeDIY Sabre DAC with optical to USB recording capability (this device looks identical to the USB DAC reviewed here, except that the S/PDIF is an input not an output). Note that you'll need the device connected to the computer when installing the driver. As an added bonus (aside from being able to play high resolution files) with the new driver, selecting 24bit processing allows for use of computer/digital volume control without loss of signal resolution. I've tested it with Audacity, VLC and Windows Media Player and they all work just fine.UPDATE 01/29/2014: Note that the newest version of this DAC replaces the Tenor USB receiver with a Savitech SA9023 USB receiver which supports 88.2kHz. The data transfer mode was also changed to adaptive from synchronous (so a bit of an improvement there as well). This new USB receiver also allows asynchronous data transfer and a similar DAC, marketed as HiFiMeDIY U2 (featuring the same SABRE D/A converter, and asynchronous transfer) is now available on Amazon and elsewhere for a few $ more.

Bottom Line Up Front: This is an astounding DAC! Buy it.UPDATE: May 2016I can't believe I've had this for two years, but it's safe to say I will never buy a big box DAC again. I have it back on my main system now, as it still performs better than any other DAC I've worked with. I got a mini one, and made a custom headphone cable for my AT Q702's, which now plug directly into a usb jack, which is lovely. Still highly recommended!UPDATE: April 2014After having the device for a couple months, I decided to buy another one to tinker with. I was able to separate the power from the USB host, and use a rectifier I made that was connected to a molex output from the PSU on my computer, and the sound became even more transparent. I'm going to be re-wiring the device to have RCA connectors on it, so I can use is like the Halide DAC. This little device is very DIY friendly, and I would recommend to anyone who has some knowledge in personal digital audio to test it out!Original Review:The Problem:My computer soundcard is so noisy, when a song got quiet or a track was changing, you could hear the sound-card in the computer generating noise as it took resources from the CPU. It was very distracting, especially when playing games. I heard it both on my PC, as well as my Mac Mini, so I decided to do something about it.I've been looking for an external-from-the-computer DAC for a while now, and I have used the Peachtree DAC-iT, Emotiva XDA-1, Halide DAC HD, among others, however I was annoyed at how large and expensive they were.Then I found this little guy. It reminded me of the Halide DAC in size, however this DAC is 90% cheaper! It also does what I want it to do, and more importantly doesn't do what I don't need, such as the big box DAC's.Pros:- The obvious: the sound quality. Clean, balanced and detailed. It's not that I can now hear subtle cymbal clicks, but I can tell the drummer is hitting it with a mallet, not a stick. Sound stage opens way up and engulfs you through your headphones. Just good.- The Price.- NO DRIVERS!!!- Cost. Boom.- This can output 2Vrms. Most line signals need to be above around 1V to be properly handled. 2V is particularly useful when I take this from the Mac (which is where most of my listening is at) and plug it into a USB hub port on my monitor for my PC. I use a tube amp at the Mac, but I don't need it with this thing. It provides plenty of push for my AT Q-702's.- The Price.- Compact and non-intrusive. With box DAC's you need an external power supply, which commonly infers either a wall wart or a thick IEC cable. Since this is powered by the bus, one cable does it all!- Reliable. See below.- Solid construction. I'm known to pull by the cable from time to time, and when I do I notice how solid the build is. Strain relief and build is very well executed.- SPDIF out. This was an afterthought for me, however I turned out using it a few times when I had to do a long run to my stereo via optical.Cons:-Yeah I'll say it; It's ugly. It a cheap plastic box with a little LED on it. I wish it were more streamlined like the Halide or the Meridian Explorer, but the cost justifies the look.Other Thoughts:I've had mine for a few months now, and It's running all the time. Sound hasn't degraded, and I don't have to spend time wondering why it's not working, because it just does. I may order another one so I don't have to transfer it between my PC and Mac.Also, some people may be turned off about the lack of 192kHz sample rate ability, however since humans can't hear anything above 20kHz and music is sampled well above the Nyquist Frequency anyway, anything over 48kHz isn't worth spending more money on, unless your dog wants to hear the high sonic artifacts of your music.I am extremely happy with this little DAC, and I would recommend this to anyone who wants a massive sound improvement from their computer without spending a lot.

安くなっていたので、試しに買ってみました。現在、iphone XSにはdragonfly Black家のサブシステムに数年前hifimeで購入したDACサブサブシステムにNFJのFX01Jを使用しています。iphoneとスピーカーシステム(JBL NOVAとサンスイ‪α‬607xr)で試してみましたが…音質が違い過ぎて、最早比較ができない！dragonflyは非常に分かりやすい「Audioquestワールド」を展開してくれます。歪ませたギターは更に歪み、バスドラは信じられない勢いでぶっ込んできます。バラードですら無理やり明るく乾いたアメリカンサウンドに仕上げます。初めて聴いたときは「何これ？！」とびっくりします。一方、こちらは目立つ味付けはありません。低域がやや弱いような気がしますが、dragonflyとの比較なので、多分普通です。所謂「フラット」路線なのでしょうか、dragonflyのように度肝を抜かれる個性はありません。ごく自然です。ハーモニカやアコギの響きも繊細で聴きやすい。ただ、元の音源が良くないとモロに分かります。音の分離もよく、それなりに音場もあります。高音域がやや刺さるかな？というところ。どちらを買うのが正解か？正直、好みです。私はうるさいロックを割とよく聴くので、dragonflyのゴリゴリ攻めてくる音が大好きです。元よりAudioquestファンなので、その世界が好きです。ですが、dragonflyは聴いているとししんどくなる人もいると思います。何故かノリノリになるバラードにイラっとくる人もいるかと思います。なので、お財布と好みで相談して頂きたいです。どちらを買っても別に後悔はしないと思います。後悔する価格でもないと思います。dragonflyが高いなと感じる方に知って頂きたいのは、dragonflyには、その価格をはるかに超えるリターンがあるということ。でもそれはこちらも同じだと思います。うるさい音楽が好きなら、dragonflyだとは思いますよ！

I love the quality of the sound. Works great with Linux. I use it with PulseAudio, I configured PulseAudio for 192Kbits sample rate, with 24 bits. It doesn't need special drivers, the usb audio driver works well with the device.

ES9023 チップで本体連動ボリュームで、セール価格3,000円で買えるというハイコスパDACアンプ。DragonFly Black があの値段で、コレがこの値段なら…こっちを買いますよねえ…。Shanling M1 に繋いで使ってみましたが、音のクリアさが向上した、ような…？ 小型の M1 に組み合わせるには少々大きいので、飽きたらノートPC用にしようと思います。少なくとも Thinkpad X240s のオーディオデバイスよりは音が良いので。Shanling M1 と Windows10 では本体側ボリュームで音量操作できましたが、Android 7 の Nexus6 では音量0で固定されました（USB Audio Player ならボリューム操作できましたが）。

Works but makes a couple popping sounds sometimes.

アマゾン自分史上、最高の買い物です。DECの存在をしらなかった。この値段で劇的に音が変わった。星５の評価しかないのがくやしい。兄貴に教えたいです。