DAC under $100 in aliexpress

[Slk07]

I want DAC to connect my computer and ipad. I don’t care size. Please, recommend me. Thank a lot.

 

[renaudrenaud]

My recommendation is... Be patient and wait the end of the Corona story. You are welcome.

 

[Slk07]

My recommendation is... Be patient and wait the end of the Corona story. You are welcome.

Ok, thanks.

Between waiting for the virus outbreak, I will not order items in aliexpress. please recommend me worth DAC as some DACs may be sell in my country.

 

[ZolaIII]

Ok, thanks.

Between waiting for the virus outbreak, I will not order items in aliexpress. please recommend me worth DAC as some DACs may be sell in my country.

So what? You think it makes any difference when you buy same merchandise made & shipped from China anywhere else?
Sit back and relax.

 

[vitalii427]

Thumb: E1DA 9038S
Dongle: Tempotec Sonata HD Pro (same as Hidizs S8)
Desktop: Topping D10

Tempotec/Hidizs will be most convenient.

 

[vitalii427]

My recommendation is... Be patient and wait the end of the Corona story. You are welcome.

I don’t bother this Corona nonsense and waiting for my Ali stuff as always

 

[ZolaIII]

The TempoTec Serenade iDSD is very compelling at desktop space especially if it again gets under 100$ (possibly for spring festival) as it whose for Chinese new year.
I recommend TempoTec Sonata iDSD in the portable space as usual.

 

[Slk07]

The TempoTec Serenade iDSD is very compelling at desktop space especially if it again gets under 100$ (possibly for spring festival) as it whose for Chinese new year.
I recommend TempoTec Sonata iDSD in the portable space as usual.

Is tempotec sonata better than topping nx4dsd? What is The difference?

 

[Slk07]

Thumb: E1DA 9038S
Dongle: Tempotec Sonata HD Pro (same as Hidizs S8)
Desktop: Topping D10

Tempotec/Hidizs will be most convenient.

My father use d30. He is very happy. But i think buy d30 or d50s for my desktop. I never listen d10. What sound difference form d30? For portable dac, i looking nx4dsd. Is sonata hd pro better than nx4dsd?

 

[ZolaIII]

Is tempotec sonata better than topping nx4dsd? What is The difference?

Topping NXRDSD is portable DAC/AMP s
With ESS9038Q2 (probably M) & costs 160$ which doesn't actually qualify in under 100$ category. I don't know what OP amp it uses or if it's switchable (on NX3S it whose but that's AMP only) usb chip is XMOS.
TempoTec Serenade is desktop part with RCA line out, DAC is good old AK4490, OP amp should be JRC45580dd (but they also tend to use LM4972 both are good) and they are exchangeable. It deaps from time to time to under 100$ mark.

 

[ZolaIII]

My father use d30. He is very happy. But i think buy d30 or d50s for my desktop. I never listen d10. What sound difference form d30? For portable dac, i looking nx4dsd. Is sonata hd pro better than nx4dsd?

Nope Sonata HD Pro is not better in any way from NX4DSD which is rather very respectable for portable (on the AMP side).

 

[ZolaIII]

Sanskrit 10th AK4493 Edition would also be very interesting one if you can find any (I didn't, all I found where bad AK4490 one's), but it's DAC RCA line out only.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...t-of-smsl-sanskrit-10th-ak4493-edition.10830/

 

[Zek]

Sanskrit 10th AK4493 Edition

Sanskrit 10th AK4493 Edition will be on the market later this month (so I was told from SMSL).

 

[Slk07]

Sanskrit 10th AK4493 Edition would also be very interesting one if you can find any (I didn't, all I found where bad AK4490 one's), but it's DAC RCA line out only.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...t-of-smsl-sanskrit-10th-ak4493-edition.10830/

Wow, it is interesting DAC. I think its sound is better than D30 but i don’t know it is better than D50. What is characteristic sound of ak4493?

 

[Berwhale]

What is characteristic sound of ak4493?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...le-thinking-a-dac-has-a-sound-signature.9245/

 

[ZolaIII]

Wow, it is interesting DAC. I think its sound is better than D30 but i don’t know it is better than D50. What is characteristic sound of ak4493?

It's generally made as a replacement for AK4490 (same pin layout), should stay on polite side a tad warm but certainly not on high end as big brothers (AK4497, AK4499) regarding sound. Besides that's something which you tune more with OP amp. Still should be a great choice for portable DAC's and DAC's which won't be used with additional preamp or tubes.

 

[vitalii427]

My father use d30. He is very happy. But i think buy d30 or d50s for my desktop. I never listen d10. What sound difference form d30? For portable dac, i looking nx4dsd. Is sonata hd pro better than nx4dsd?

There’s no sound difference between decently engineered DACs if they volume matched.

NX4 has much more powerful output than Sonata HD Pro when used as a headphone amp.

EDIT: I was a DAC sound believer and proud owner of Schiit Yggdrasil before I knew that matching volume is required for proper blind tests

 

[Slk07]

There’s no sound difference between decently engineered DACs if they volume matched.

NX4 has much more powerful output than Sonata HD Pro when used as a headphone amp.

EDIT: I was a DAC sound believer and proud owner of Schiit Yggdrasil before I knew that matching volume is required for proper blind tests

What're the conditions of volume matching? Please explain to me, amateur. thank a lot.

 

[ZolaIII]

What're the conditions of volume matching? Please explain to me, amateur. thank a lot.

At apsolutly same volume.
Which apsolutly isn't true.
First off all there are six DAC architectures of which we can say three are in use in current commercial designs. Of course they give different results. Future more how lines are attended and grounded in DAC chip design also influence results for instance on ESS DAC's the DSD line is done much better than PCM one's & those are simple DSD designs. AKM's are other way around, PCM line is the main, DSD is (whose converted to it) its older more complex design... Then there's clocking (jitter), noise Isolating (from all sources) & cetera and cetera. Absolute volume matching with different amp's or OP amp's is a fairy tail. Each amp has it's own ideal operating range (usually between 33% power lv to 67% where distortion is rather small & its getting enough power to drive it fully). Even one small design detail can change everything. Given all into consideration theres apsolutly no two DAC's that will sound the same, similar perhaps, even more so for generic ones but not the same.

 

[maxxevv]

At apsolutly same volume.
Which apsolutly isn't true.
First off all there are six DAC architectures of which we can say three are in use in current commercial designs. Of course they give different results. Future more how lines are attended and grounded in DAC chip design also influence results for instance on ESS DAC's the DSD line is done much better than PCM one's & those are simple DSD designs. AKM's are other way around, PCM line is the main, DSD is (whose converted to it) its older more complex design... Then there's clocking (jitter), noise Isolating (from all sources) & cetera and cetera. Absolute volume matching with different amp's or OP amp's is a fairy tail. Each amp has it's own ideal operating range (usually between 33% power lv to 67% where distortion is rather small & its getting enough power to drive it fully). Even one small design detail can change everything. Given all into consideration theres apsolutly no two DAC's that will sound the same, similar perhaps, even more so for generic ones but not the same.

You tried volume matched, double blind testing on them yet ?