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Audiophonics DA-S250NC and DAW-S250NC : new integrated amps with DAC (streamer) and Ncore !

Pulpitusz

New Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2021
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2
Yes. Buy one and send it to Amir.;)


Same software as WiiM streamers. You could look at many informations about this ecosystem here.
I wish I was on such an amazing budget. But if it turns out to be really good I would at least try to get one at one point. there are zero reviews about it.
 

DTTOM37

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Jul 3, 2020
Messages
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247
Location
French side of Europe
I have no idea what you are talking about.

Can you take a picture?
I have taken two, and In may understand why you have no idea. This button is part of the latest production/generation.
You can see the manual (of the old gen) and the new model in front. The button between speaker connection and antenna is the one in question.Hth. Audiophonics told me that the manual will be updated correspondingly.
20230123_194456.jpg
20230123_194516.jpg
 

delfuego

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2022
Messages
27
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61
DAW-S250NC Follow Up:

Couple thoughts on mine after a few months of daily use as a very early adopter (maybe the 1st in the US?). I like the unit a lot. It does just about everything I wanted. Looks great, sounds great, remote control is good, all the inputs work (haven't tried the sub/pre-amp). Customer Support helped when I had questions/issues thanks! I don't want to sound like I am complaining first, so props to Audiophonics. I am new to "digital hi-fi", so this is just my opinion.

Things I think could be improved.
RJ45 ethernet port (Gb). This would simplify and solve issue and would pay dividends. Support, programing & networking is much easier. "Always use a cable when available" - Said Every Network Engineer Ever

It does not get very loud (at least mine doesn't). I have 6ohm speakers (Revel), don't know if that makes a difference on output.

PCM and bit rate are lower than expected using and input (BT/Wi-Fi/OPT/USB). This could be limited on my side, but I cannot figure out how to adjust. My subscriptions (Spotify Premium /Tidal Hi-Fi/KEXP/BandCamp) are running @ 96khz over Bluetooth. The WiiM app over Wi-Fi (802.11ax / WPA3) is running @ 44khz (was 96?). USB connect via Ubuntu or Fedora are running @ 48khz. I assume some of this might be the devices that are connecting, however the Wi-Fi should be native and request and receive the highest possible.

No EQ function (would be nice to have something)

No real documentation or manuals. This is typical recently, documentation is the lost leader. None were supplied and I was sent some as PDF from support, but they are not great or detailed.

User serviceable. I would love to update/flash mine to stop the switching noise, however I don't feel like trying to do it myself and it's seems like a long trip back to France to update. I really wish this was an option. Most things digital need to user serviceable for upgrading, bug fixes and most importantly security patching.

The WiiM app seemed like a cool thing until I had it. Not impressed. Initially mine was non-functional. I worked with Audiophonics Support to reset and gain access to the module so I could reset and program it. If I wasn't a network engineer with an enterprise network/lab at home, it could have been a mess for a non-tech person. If you don't have any digital streamer, I see the appeal of a inexpensive option like WiiM. I also understand the benefit for Audiophonics to not have to develop and support software in-house. Easier to just use the Native Apps via Bluetooth from my tablet and the sound quality is not much different to my ears.

I hope this helps some people. I am a happy customer. This is the device I have wanted for a while and probably skunks the competition. It is definaetly better than the ones I demoed last year (Cambridge/BlueSound/Naim/Etc) especially in price/performance

PS: I would send my to @amirm for testing if 2-way shipping and insurance is not all on me :)

PSS: @Audiophonics sorry about the world cup :( I felt bad emailing you guys for support during the tournament. -Pedro

8ine5v7y98syp9s8 - Copy.jpg
 
Last edited:

Sangro

Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2022
Messages
6
Likes
9
DAW-S250NC Follow Up:

Couple thoughts on mine after a few months of daily use as a very early adopter (maybe the 1st in the US?). I like the unit a lot. It does just about everything I wanted. Looks great, sounds great, remote control is good, all the inputs work (haven't tried the sub/pre-amp). Customer Support helped when I had questions/issues thanks! I don't want to sound like I am complaining first, so props to Audiophonics. I am new to "digital hi-fi", so this is just my opinion.

Things I think could be improved.
RJ45 ethernet port (Gb). This would simplify and solve issue and would pay dividends. Support, programing & networking is much easier. "Always use a cable when available" - Said Every Network Engineer Ever

It does not get very loud (at least mine doesn't). I have 6ohm speakers (Revel), don't know if that makes a difference on output.

PCM and bit rate are lower than expected using and input (BT/Wi-Fi/OPT/USB). This could be limited on my side, but I cannot figure out how to adjust. My subscriptions (Spotify Premium /Tidal Hi-Fi/KEXP/BandCamp) are running @ 96khz over Bluetooth. The WiiM app over Wi-Fi (802.11ax / WPA3) is running @ 44khz (was 96?). USB connect via Ubuntu or Fedora are running @ 48khz. I assume some of this might be the devices that are connecting, however the Wi-Fi should be native and request and receive the highest possible.

No EQ function (would be nice to have something)

No real documentation or manuals. This is typical recently, documentation is the lost leader. None were supplied and I was sent some as PDF from support, but they are not great or detailed.

User serviceable. I would love to update/flash mine to stop the switching noise, however I don't feel like trying to do it myself and it's seems like a long trip back to France to update. I really wish this was an option. Most things digital need to user serviceable for upgrading, bug fixes and most importantly security patching.
The WiiM app seemed like a cool thing until I had it. Not impressed. Initially mine was non-functional. I worked with Audiophonics Support to reset and gain access to the module so I could reset and program it. If I wasn't a network engineer with an enterprise network/lab at home, it could have been a mess for a non-tech person. If you don't have any digital streamer, I see the appeal of a inexpensive option like WiiM. I also understand the benefit for Audiophonics to not have to develop and support software in-house. Easier to just use the Native Apps via Bluetooth from my tablet and the sound quality is not much different to my ears.

I hope this helps some people. I am a happy customer. This is the device I have wanted for a while and probably skunks the competition. It is definaetly better than the ones I demoed last year (Cambridge/BlueSound/Naim/Etc) especially in price/performance

PS: I would send my to Amir for testing if 2-way shipping and insurance is not all on me :)

PSS: @Audiophonics sorry about the world cup :( I felt bad emailing you guys for support during the tournament. -Pedro

View attachment 260143Thanks a lot for posting your experience with this amp! I’ve considered one a long time but it’s hard to form an opinion without any reviews. I am thinking about getting the one without built in wiim and use a separate streamer, based on what you wrote that seems to be a good choice. No hassle to activate modules and (maybe) avoiding problems with bit rate.
 

delfuego

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2022
Messages
27
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61
@Sangro I think you will be happy. I momentarily regretted the Wi-Fi version, but not anymore. It's not much extra money, and might be useful for some people. If you already have a streaming unit it might not be beneficial, but if not just get it.

Really wish it had both ethernet & wi-fi. I bet next generation model will!
 

DTTOM37

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Messages
177
Likes
247
Location
French side of Europe
DAW-S250NC Follow Up:

Couple thoughts on mine after a few months of daily use as a very early adopter (maybe the 1st in the US?). I like the unit a lot. It does just about everything I wanted. Looks great, sounds great, remote control is good, all the inputs work (haven't tried the sub/pre-amp). Customer Support helped when I had questions/issues thanks! I don't want to sound like I am complaining first, so props to Audiophonics. I am new to "digital hi-fi", so this is just my opinion.

Things I think could be improved.
RJ45 ethernet port (Gb). This would simplify and solve issue and would pay dividends. Support, programing & networking is much easier. "Always use a cable when available" - Said Every Network Engineer Ever

It does not get very loud (at least mine doesn't). I have 6ohm speakers (Revel), don't know if that makes a difference on output.

PCM and bit rate are lower than expected using and input (BT/Wi-Fi/OPT/USB). This could be limited on my side, but I cannot figure out how to adjust. My subscriptions (Spotify Premium /Tidal Hi-Fi/KEXP/BandCamp) are running @ 96khz over Bluetooth. The WiiM app over Wi-Fi (802.11ax / WPA3) is running @ 44khz (was 96?). USB connect via Ubuntu or Fedora are running @ 48khz. I assume some of this might be the devices that are connecting, however the Wi-Fi should be native and request and receive the highest possible.

No EQ function (would be nice to have something)

No real documentation or manuals. This is typical recently, documentation is the lost leader. None were supplied and I was sent some as PDF from support, but they are not great or detailed.

User serviceable. I would love to update/flash mine to stop the switching noise, however I don't feel like trying to do it myself and it's seems like a long trip back to France to update. I really wish this was an option. Most things digital need to user serviceable for upgrading, bug fixes and most importantly security patching.
The WiiM app seemed like a cool thing until I had it. Not impressed. Initially mine was non-functional. I worked with Audiophonics Support to reset and gain access to the module so I could reset and program it. If I wasn't a network engineer with an enterprise network/lab at home, it could have been a mess for a non-tech person. If you don't have any digital streamer, I see the appeal of a inexpensive option like WiiM. I also understand the benefit for Audiophonics to not have to develop and support software in-house. Easier to just use the Native Apps via Bluetooth from my tablet and the sound quality is not much different to my ears.

I hope this helps some people. I am a happy customer. This is the device I have wanted for a while and probably skunks the competition. It is definaetly better than the ones I demoed last year (Cambridge/BlueSound/Naim/Etc) especially in price/performance

PS: I would send my to Amir for testing if 2-way shipping and insurance is not all on me :)

PSS: @Audiophonics sorry about the world cup :( I felt bad emailing you guys for support during the tournament. -Pedro

View attachment 260143
Salut @delfuego,
excellent & reasonable review with almost all important points I have on my own plate about the DAW-S250NC. Well done!!!
I found the amp can go quite loud but I noticed distortion in the area higher than -13 dB on the screen.Tested with Q-Acoustics 3030i, I prefered the range between -30 and -15 db as sonically most gratifying.
I like a lot the display, though I am not happy to lack control over timing and brightness.
With all point correctly criticised - in my view- the important point to excuse missing all the things we loved to have, is the absolutely fair price of the unit for people who don't want to bother with separates and get a decent & well built but basic AIO performance for at an interesting price point.
As you have remarked, you can enhance your experience with the DA-S250NC model and a streamer/digital transport of your choice, perhaps one that allows you to make a good/better use of the USB port ?
I am going to test the unit with a RPI4 / PiCorePlayer over USB next week, in order to test out the DAC real life performance with HiRes PCM, DXD and DSD.
Cheers, Tom
 
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tomaxsas

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Joined
Jan 18, 2023
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5
No no, wording was not correct. Want to connect streamer via I2S to DAC. and its enabled, so i might just buy this beast :)
 

Haslar

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Joined
Jul 24, 2022
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That integrated amp is everything I need, on paper at least, except for one thing: an analog input. I use a turntable, so I guess I'll have to pass.
Still, I'd really like to try it with my pair of (soon-to-be ordered) Dynaudio Emit 50!
 

DTTOM37

Active Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Messages
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247
Location
French side of Europe
That integrated amp is everything I need, on paper at least, except for one thing: an analog input. I use a turntable, so I guess I'll have to pass.
Still, I'd really like to try it with my pair of (soon-to-be ordered) Dynaudio Emit 50!
This is an interesting topic that comes along with many affordable amplifiers.
Your turntable signal could be transmitted via RCA to BT transmitter (i.e Project Phono Box E BT 5)
If the analog signal source is in your opinion so good/valuable that the BT doesn't cut it, you may also not being satified with any integrated phono pre amps of other price sensitive AIO's, because mostly these are rather cheap add-ons.
Consequently, you may need to invest in a proper phono pre amp and even then your aren't far from a rabbit hole ...
I understand from my personal life long love towards turntables and my neglect of anything Bluetooth that people wouldn't like to go that route, however looking at options and pricing alltogether it seems to be intersting?
 

Sangro

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Dec 3, 2022
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That integrated amp is everything I need, on paper at least, except for one thing: an analog input. I use a turntable, so I guess I'll have to pass.
Still, I'd really like to try it with my pair of (soon-to-be ordered) Dynaudio Emit 50!
Haha i'm in exactly the same position. I will pair this with my Emit 30's and wonder if i am going to miss having a turntable option down the road. @DTTOM37 Beat me to it with the Pro-Ject box. Here is a thread on the topic if you hav'nt seen it: Integrating a turntable into a digital system. I have decided to be satisfied with just streaming for the moment, thinking i will be able to fint a way to intergrate a turntable digitally later with good enough quality (to my ears).
 

DTTOM37

Active Member
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Jul 3, 2020
Messages
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247
Location
French side of Europe
Haha i'm in exactly the same position. I will pair this with my Emit 30's and wonder if i am going to miss having a turntable option down the road. @DTTOM37 Beat me to it with the Pro-Ject box. Here is a thread on the topic if you hav'nt seen it: Integrating a turntable into a digital system. I have decided to be satisfied with just streaming for the moment, thinking i will be able to fint a way to intergrate a turntable digitally later with good enough quality (to my ears).
Quick reply, I remember having taken notice of a DAC from Korg that allows RIIA equalization. I saw that at a German forum and it was somehow complicated iirc. Search engine just told me its called Korg DS-DAC-10-R.
 
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