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Sabaj D5 - Owners' Thread

Thomas savage

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Thank you very much for very speedy responses. This is very valuable...
Let me explain my predicament: I am just a regular user. Main reason I purchased Sabaj D5 is to have a remote to switch between sources, my kids are rather young and have difficulty using JDS Labs switch. I conducted thorough analysis online and used some of the materials from this site to help with purchasing decision. Idea was to keep Sabaj D5 and sell JDS Labs Element ii.

In terms of some statements in response to my original post
To DeepSpace57 / Arvind

1. buying from Ali express is even worse than amazon.
a. no support
b. sellers frequently cant communicate coherently
c. shipping using DHL - Buyer will pay custom duties and tax!
d. If you lucky, seller will accept your return, Buyer will pay for shipping. Imagine my situation: unit is defective and I need to send it back to China and pay for it!

To RickSanchez
1. AE-5 has been measured on this site. but it's irrelevant for our conversation
2. Sabaj D5 is poorly engineered device - any device that has been engineered to a standard will not have display go bad after few hours of use. This is unacceptable from engineering point of view. It tells me that whole chain of engineering workflow is not followed here.
3. Packaging act - yes they are in violations. Please read information you provided - I did (it has nothing to do with specialty products and Sabaj D5 is not a specialty product btw). (but this is irrelevant for me as a consumer. I pointed out just to help out manufacturer/potential distributors and other organized sellers not to be dinged by someone for this).
4. "To each their own I guess. How a DAC or amp is advertised means nothing to me; I care about measurements, features, price, build quality, etc. Personally I'd prefer to spend my money with a company that invests more on engineering than they do on marketing. "
It means to me - since it provides an insight on manufacturer and poor documentation= equals poor engineering.
5. Sabaj D5 manufacturer states that this device is JAS-Hi-Res certified. However there is no record of SHENZHEN DAHAO and Sabaj D5 being certified. You can conduct search yourself.

I would really like to have a different opinion on this but it is what it is. Only reason i published by opinion is because we as consumers heavily rely on internet reviews and so called specialty forums. Long gone those days when these places were trustworthy source of information. Now they are filled by salesman and bots.

Before buying it, I read forums, sites and audio measuring sites where they measure audio equipment, etc.
I watched all youtubes related to sabaj d5 - my impression is that there are small number of people who create a bubble of information that is either not accurate(semi-scientific) of highly exaggerated and biased.

and please suggesting an idea of aliexpress as an option to buy audio equipment in north america... unless you are a masochist.

p.s. I would love the idea to be able to buy rock solid things from China and use them for many years, but unfortunately this doesn't work. Its disheartening to see that staff that is engineered and assembled in China without proper foreign outside supervision is bad as it was 20 years ago. Nothing has changed.
p.s. Please feel free to delete my posts.
Your talking nonsense, prejudiced nonsense.

It's not welcomed here I'm afraid. One has to wonder why you bought something from China when you hold such views.
 

maxxevv

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Actually under the JAS list of brands and companies, SABAJ is registered under its parent company Shuangmusanlin. Or otherwise better known as SMSL.

https://www.jas-audio.or.jp/english/hi-res-logo-en/use-situation-en

The odd thing is that the list seems a bit backdated as I cannot find anything updated beyond 2018 even for other known brands such as Beyerdynamic. Maybe its why the D5 is not found inside the list ?
 
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yes, maybe. My neighbour Peter is also an Olympic gold medalist, dont know why he doesnt have medal, but thats ok. Canada has it. :)
 

Saxkun

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You seriously changed acounts to advertirse the product?

I also had a very bad experienced with my Sabaj D5, 6 months and Then it died, same problem as one posted on Amazon. So yes, very por QC. Loved it while it lasted but it was way too little. I replaced my unit with a thx 789 and a smsl 300 and never looked back.
 

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gvl

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Picked one used on a deal I just couldn't pass. The unit's heft is surprising, there must be a metal plate inside, it shouldn't be this heavy even with the transformer. One complaint is transition between tracks with different sampling rates is not smooth, not too bad but some choppiness and noises can be heard. Have there been any improvements for this issue past 1.4 firmware, which is what mine came with? I'm content with 40 volume steps, so for me there is no reason to upgrade the f/w just to get better volume control resolution. Other than that I'm very pleased, it is replacing a Topping D10s/Atom amp combo on my desk for simplicity and XLR outputs into active monitors, only for those reasons as it sounds pretty much the same as the D10s, being able to keep the cans plugged in and switch where the signal goes to without unplugging them is very convenient too.
 

Chuckv

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You seriously changed acounts to advertirse the product?

I also had a very bad experienced with my Sabaj D5, 6 months and Then it died, same problem as one posted on Amazon. So yes, very por QC. Loved it while it lasted but it was way too little. I replaced my unit with a thx 789 and a smsl 300 and never looked back.
I bought mine in February and although it runs a tad bit warm has been rock solid day in day out. It’s on 8-10 Hours a day while I work. I had a $2500 Schitt Yggdrasil Rev 2 (before the USB upgrade that infuriated me) that I sold and bought the Sabaj for and never looked back. Got a fire sale off some chinese website the lead sales guy promotes on this thread for 20% under retail. Arrived in 3 days wrapped up like an amazon package during the beginning of the pandemic. Not one complaint so far 7 months in. Not one. Using it XLR only with Focal Clears and could not be happier. Not a fan boy by any means but very happy I can enjoy beautifully reproduced music undistracted by tech issues. The unit and the cans together cost less and perform better than my previous hyped device I was hogwashed into overpaying for. Quality so far is not an issue, and I worried about that considering the low purchase price. It does take 15-20 min to warm up and sound it’s best I will freely admit.
 

Veri

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Other than that I'm very pleased, it is replacing a Topping D10s/Atom amp combo on my desk for simplicity and XLR outputs into active monitors, only for those reasons as it sounds pretty much the same as the D10s, being able to keep the cans plugged in and switch where the signal goes to without unplugging them is very convenient too.
Congrats on the upgrade :D
 
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Saxkun

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I bought mine in February and although it runs a tad bit warm has been rock solid day in day out. It’s on 8-10 Hours a day while I work. I had a $2500 Schitt Yggdrasil Rev 2 (before the USB upgrade that infuriated me) that I sold and bought the Sabaj for and never looked back. Got a fire sale off some chinese website the lead sales guy promotes on this thread for 20% under retail. Arrived in 3 days wrapped up like an amazon package during the beginning of the pandemic. Not one complaint so far 7 months in. Not one. Using it XLR only with Focal Clears and could not be happier. Not a fan boy by any means but very happy I can enjoy beautifully reproduced music undistracted by tech issues. The unit and the cans together cost less and perform better than my previous hyped device I was hogwashed into overpaying for. Quality so far is not an issue, and I worried about that considering the low purchase price. It does take 15-20 min to warm up and sound it’s best I will freely admit.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I got a dud, got it repaired but I wasn't comfortable thinking it would die on me at any time so I replaced it with my current combo (now powering the HD 800 S beautifully) and I'm quite happy with my setup right now.
Sabaj D5 IS a good product but in my -quite limited- experience the QC and after sale service is subpar.
And yes, I'm aware that SMSL is the same company that makes the sabaj so I didn't lose faith, just switched dacs.
 

renaudrenaud

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Don't understand why you switch it off ;)

Bought 3. First in January. No problem at all. Switch off is something I forgot every day.
 

calr

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Oh I meant 12 hours of active listening! I turn it off to save electric.

Think it's a terrific DAC/Preamp :)
 

gvl

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One reason to switch it off is to hopefully prolong the display life, although with LED backlit screens it is less of an issue.
 

calr

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That’s a good point, pity that’s not an option to auto display off..not expecting anymore feature updates though.

Any thoughts on the filters? I tend to leave it on Fast Linear.

I notice a subtle difference in the imaging more than anything else when switching. I’d say my system is fairly resolving.

Have the D5 connected straight into Nord Acoustics Monoblocks to a pair of Tannoy XT8F speakers.

Removed the Nord Preamplifier as experienced significant hiss/noise with it and have neither the funds or inclination to buy an expensive power conditioner!

The D5 fixed that issue for me :)
 

gvl

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I can't tell much of a difference between filters, the differences are in higher frequencies and I can't hear above 15khz or so, I just leave it at fast linear too.

Anyone finds the headphone amp a bit in your face? I'm using HD6XX and find the amp a bit too bright for my tastes, once used to it actually sounds very clean and dynamic but still somewhat fatiguing, the sound is a bit more laid back if I listen through the Atom amp or so it seems. Of course it can be all in my head as both measure pretty clean for all practical purposes.
 

calr

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I’ve used the HifiMan Sundara via unbalanced output, no complaints particularly. To my ears It doesn’t sound fatiguing but I’m not that sensitive to the higher frequencies as some of my friends are.
 
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