Sabaj A10h Review (Headphone Amplifier)

[_thelaughingman]

Hi guys I was wondering what the best bang for buck DAC would be to pair this with. I know value is subjective but I was thinking something 50 euros or below. An alternative would be to get the Ifi zen dac v2, which I know doesn't measure as well, or the e10k if I want to go super budget. Was thinking of just using an apple dongle with the Sabaj but maybe that's a waste of this amp idk. The DAC/Amp would be used to power the HD560s, TYGR 300R and DT 900 PRO x. Availability is a bit of an issue when it comes to Europe, brands like JDS and Schiit aren't readily available here and if they are they're selling at an inflated price (probably VAT and such). So yeah I want to get the most out of my headphones for around 150 euros, which option would be the best?

I have a Topping E30 paired to my Sabaj10H and it's a good pairing, can't go wrong with it.

 

[Chrise36]

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro for about 60 euro maybe?

 

[Clueless]

I have a Topping E30 paired to my Sabaj10H and it's a good pairing, can't go wrong with it.

That's a little out of my budget but I'll keep this in mind when I do upgrade in the future, thanks!

 

[Clueless]

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro for about 60 euro maybe?

Would you say this is a noticeable difference compared to the apple dongle hooked up to the Sabaj?

 

[Chrise36]

Would you say this is a noticeable difference compared to the apple dongle hooked up to the Sabaj?

Maybe a little if at all if you dont have high sensitivity headphones.With high sensitivity headphones or iems get the best specs possible.

 

[Clueless]

Maybe a little if at all if you dont have high sensitivity headphones.With high sensitivity headphones or iems get the best specs possible.

The highest sensitivity would be the TYGR’s with 97dB, I have noticed they’re a little harder to drive than the HD560s actually. I guess the difference would be negligible at best then. Thanks!

 

[Leiker535]

Would you say this is a noticeable difference compared to the apple dongle hooked up to the Sabaj?

Yes because the apple dongle usually don't deliver 2V AFAIK, but I'd advise you against using the tempotec as a desktop DAC. My experience with it showed me that it is finicky with desktop use, it has a inbuilt mute system that you can't toggle off, and so everytime a sound starts or stops, you might hear a click/pop from the circuit turning on or off. It is very annoying.

I also found that the supplied adapter loves to disconnect at random, and the dongle didn't work with the longer cables that I used. My advice is to leave it for portable use, and use something else like the apple dongle itself. If you can get enough volume from the a10h, the only benefit of further upgrades is greater functionalities.

 

[Clueless]

Yes because the apple dongle usually don't deliver 2V AFAIK, but I'd advise you against using the tempotec as a desktop DAC. My experience with it showed me that it is finicky with desktop use, it has a inbuilt mute system that you can't toggle off, and so everytime a sound starts or stops, you might hear a click/pop from the circuit turning on or off. It is very annoying.

I also found that the supplied adapter loves to disconnect at random, and the dongle didn't work with the longer cables that I used. My advice is to leave it for portable use, and use something else like the apple dongle itself. If you can get enough volume from the a10h, the only benefit of further upgrades is greater functionalities.

Thanks for the heads up! Would you say that, in terms of sound quality, €100 of below DACs are obsolete? I’ve seen a lot of ppl say that DACs provide the least towards the sound of headphones while amps do a better job at it. However I’ve never been able to test this for myself.

 

[Leiker535]

Thanks for the heads up! Would you say that, in terms of sound quality, €100 of below DACs are obsolete? I’ve seen a lot of ppl say that DACs provide the least towards the sound of headphones while amps do a better job at it. However I’ve never been able to test this for myself.

No, in terms of sound reproduction and perfomance, you can get SOTA for around that pricetag. Even below, the differences should be very subtle if the device is not doing anything really bad.

 

[Clueless]

Yes because the apple dongle usually don't deliver 2V AFAIK, but I'd advise you against using the tempotec as a desktop DAC. My experience with it showed me that it is finicky with desktop use, it has a inbuilt mute system that you can't toggle off, and so everytime a sound starts or stops, you might hear a click/pop from the circuit turning on or off. It is very annoying.

I also found that the supplied adapter loves to disconnect at random, and the dongle didn't work with the longer cables that I used. My advice is to leave it for portable use, and use something else like the apple dongle itself. If you can get enough volume from the a10h, the only benefit of further upgrades is greater functionalities.

Oh damn, guess I’ll be looking for a US apple usb-c dongle on Ebay until I upgrade. Thanks!

 

[staticV3]

@Clueless for 26€/$27 there's the Meizu HiFi dongle. 2.0Vrms, 113dB SINAD, 130dB(A) Dynamic Range, no pops.

 

[Clueless]

@Clueless for 26€/$27 there's the Meizu HiFi dongle. 2.0Vrms, 113dB SINAD, 130dB(A) Dynamic Range, no pops.

Perfect just what I was looking for! Would the Meizu + Sabaj be significantly better than just a Zen Air DAC in terms of sound quality? My hardest to drive headphone is the TYGR 300R 32 Ohm 97dB sensitivity. I know they aren’t that hard to drive but would the benefit of the extra power from the Sabaj be significant in your opinion? Appreciate the help

 

[Clueless]

No, in terms of sound reproduction and perfomance, you can get SOTA for around that pricetag. Even below, the differences should be very subtle if the device is not doing anything really bad.

Sorry for being a bit of a novice here but I don’t really know what SOTA is, is it a model name for a DAC?

 

[staticV3]

Perfect just what I was looking for! Would the Meizu + Sabaj be significantly better than just a Zen Air DAC in terms of sound quality? My hardest to drive headphone is the TYGR 300R 32 Ohm 97dB sensitivity. I know they aren’t that hard to drive but would the benefit of the extra power from the Sabaj be significant in your opinion? Appreciate the help

If you're not lacking volume then a new DAC and Amp won't give you anything. Consider using EQ.

Edit:
Let me rephrase: if you don't have a concrete issue with your current DAC+Amp (hissing, max volume not loud enough, channel imbalance, etc), then buying a new DAC or Amp won't improve the sound quality.

 

[Clueless]

If you're not lacking volume then a new DAC and Amp won't give you anything. Consider using EQ.

Damn I thought more power = better sound. Might just grab the Zen Air DAC and upgrade with the Sabaj if needed in the future.

 

[staticV3]

Damn I thought more power = better sound.

That has not been my experience so far, nor have I seen measurements proving that such a phenomenon exists.
I suggest you try EQing your headphone.

 

[Clueless]

That has not been my experience so far, nor have I seen measurements proving that such a phenomenon exists.
I suggest you try EQing your headphone.
View attachment 201966

Yeah I see a lot of reviewers saying something like an HD560s benefits from more power but I don’t know if they say it for affiliate links or if they actually mean it. My on board audio is pretty horrible, so I do need something better to get the best out of my headphones. I get crackling, popping, left ear less loud than right ear. I think I’m going to get the zen air and see if I’m happy with the sound

 

[Leiker535]

Sorry for being a bit of a novice here but I don’t really know what SOTA is, is it a model name for a DAC?

SOTA means State of the Art, that said DAC already perfoms above the human hearing threshold.

Yeah I see a lot of reviewers saying something like an HD560s benefits from more power but I don’t know if they say it for affiliate links or if they actually mean it.

Both, there is a lot of folklore around this hobby, one of them is that having more headroom (power in the tap) in a device equals better perfomance, even when the same volume may be reached with less power. There is some merit to it, in the sense that you can get volume for a demanding headphone in some frequencies with a weak amplifier, but won't get the dynamics and bass you desire, but objectively it ends there, and the necessary requirements for reaching good perfomance are way lower than the hype usually implies.

 

[Clueless]

SOTA means State of the Art, that said DAC already perfoms above the human hearing threshold.



Both, there is a lot of folklore around this hobby, one of them is that having more headroom (power in the tap) in a device equals better perfomance, even when the same volume may be reached with less power. There is some merit to it, in the sense that you can get volume for a demanding headphone in some frequencies with a weak amplifier, but won't get the dynamics and bass you desire, but objectively it ends there, and the necessary requirements for reaching good perfomance are way lower than the hype usually implies.

Got it, based on that I’ll go with the Ifi Zen Air DAC. Do you perhaps know any good alternative power supplies for it in case I do get harder to drive headphones in the future? €70 seems a bit steep for a 5v 2.5a power supply.

I’ve seen @amirm talk about the lack of quality in the Ipower so it makes me a bit hesitant to pull the trigger on any power supply before reviews.

 

[jthc]

So I got the A10h this week to drive my Hifiman HE400SEs, and I ended up returning it for the A20h. The reason is that I‘m feeding my amp through a Qudelix 5K for the PEQ, and if I give myself 6db headroom for EQ the A10h is a bit limited. Now the A20h— good lord this thing has power to spare. The rear panel headphone jacks are fine too since I’m running a extension cable anyway. Really incredible little unit for the price.