E1DA 9038D Review (portable DAC & Amp)

[Tks]

Every device has noise and every device will audibly hiss, if your transducer is sensitive enough.

Sure, but you said you didnt know what my point was. Dont see why you needed to tell me this again after I explained myself.

Form factor is no longer a reliable indicator of what kind of transducer is a good match for your Amp.
What is a good indicator is the output power, which is clearly stated on the mfr website and on every reseller.

Not really, you can have a massively powerful amp, yet have enough gain settings to where (as I explained with thr RME) would eliminate the hiss on even the most extreme IEMs currently.

These output settings along with baseline noise per gain isnt always available (otherwise people wouldnt have unknowns as to whether a certain device like a phone or laptop is a bad match for something like the ultra sensitive KZ IEMs). It does not make sense to assume portable devices dont usually pair well with ultra sensitive IEMs for example, because it would mean the opposite assumption would be more plausible (that portable devices are better suited to powet hungry insensitive devices). Which is odd, and would largely invalidate the idea of desktop products if portable ones mostly function with the same power output.

So I dont really see the notion that power output is a better indicator, its only a better indicator once youve decided on a form factor. But before you do that, if power output was a better indicator, you would have very little indicator of which desktop amp would be audibly free from hiss seeing as how most of their power output specs provided are massive numbers compared to almost all portable ones. Which would leave you with little realible information at that point.

 

[chi2]

Here's a spreadsheet I've created with the help of our Discord community, detailing which MFI cable will work with which iPhone model and which E1DA DAC: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_Yqd7lpt3N2B0kVwzqzHoRmCTO7ZTe32p_xhjuGluh8/edit?usp=sharing

@staticV3 Thanks for your continuous great support on the E1DA dacs!
Just wanted to add some information to your spreadsheet about MFO cable compatibility with iPhones:
For E1DA 9038SG3, 9038SG3 Susumu, and 9038D (C firmware) the following MFI cables are fully compatible with the iPhone 6s and 11 Pro Max:
- Penon Audio
- Meenova
- ddhifi MFi06
- ddhifi TC28i (adapter)

 

[staticV3]

@staticV3 Thanks for your continuous great support on the E1DA dacs!
Just wanted to add some information to your spreadsheet about MFO cable compatibility with iPhones:
For E1DA 9038SG3, 9038SG3 Susumu, and 9038D (C firmware) the following MFI cables are fully compatible with the iPhone 6s and 11 Pro Max:
- Penon Audio
- Meenova
- ddhifi MFi06
- ddhifi TC28i (adapter)

Fantastic! Thank you so much for your help. I've updated the spreadsheet.
Just one question: was it the Meenova cable that you tested or the Meenova adapter?

 

[chi2]

It was the cable. Didn't know they have an adapter, too.

 

[notabenem]

@IVX Does this device support in-line controls of classic wired headsets? Perhaps also the mic input on the TRRS jack?

 

[Jimbob54]

@IVX Does this device support in-line controls of classic wired headsets? Perhaps also the mic input on the TRRS jack?

Im not Ivan obviously, but I dont believe so, no.

 

[staticV3]

@IVX Does this device support in-line controls of classic wired headsets? Perhaps also the mic input on the TRRS jack?

The 9038D uses a regular old stereo TRS jack.

Inline controls or microphones are not supported because the 9038Q2M DAC chip inside the 9038D is a desktop-grade component designed purely for D->A performance.
It simply doesn't support creature comforts like that.

Lastly, please be aware that 3.5mm TRRS headsets come in two flavors regarding their pinout:
CTIA and OMTP

The latter can be plugged into the 9038D directly with the audio output working as expected.

CTIA headsets on the other hand have their Mic/remote pin where the 9038D expects the GND.
The results of that is very low volume and almost no bass reaching the drivers.
To use CTIA headsets with the 9038D, you need to put either an OMTP/CTIA converter between DAC and headset:

or a CTIA splitter:

 

[notabenem]

@staticV3 thanks, very informative.

 

[bYOndo]

just received from Aliexpress yesterday, already tested with my HD650, truly great piece of miniaturized hardware! Really it's like having a desktop dac&amplifier in the palm of your hand. Certainly it drains the phone's battery, maybe is there an optimization margin on the DAC side? (the headphones amplifier part is just power juice so I think there's no room for saving there )
I bought the tweak 9038D app too, just for testing the different Nyquist filters. I fear I cannot understand the THD calibration part with the 2nd and 3rd octave harmonic; is it just an instrumentation related feature? I could not do anything "by ear" there.
A consequent info, those tiny numbers written on the back: ""DR 125.4/125.5" stands for dynamic range, right? And the next "TCC 2/-63" line? is it related to 2nd&3rd harmonics values? So I have to copy them in the THD app section, maybe not?

thanks once more. And I'm sincere, one of the selling points of this dongle over the others was this thread and the @staticV3 presence

Massimo

 

[staticV3]

I fear I cannot understand the THD calibration part with the 2nd and 3rd octave harmonic; is it just an instrumentation related feature?

The THD menu isn't all that difficult actually.
The first screen () allows you to set up three different THD settings, which will be applied depending on the 9038D's current hardware volume.
The three zones are nice if you have the right equipment and you want to optimize distortion across the entire volume range, but if you want to tune by ear, then it's best to set up one zone to be active across the entire volume range and to configure only that range. Like this:

With that setup, the zone in the middle will be used across the entire hardware volume range and you can just ignore the other two.

Next click on the THD edit button in the middle to experiment with different amounts of 2nd and 3rd harmonic distortion.
All changes you make there happen in real time, as you can see here:

The "Invert" option is again more for professional calibration so it's fine to leave it disabled.

A consequent info, those tiny numbers written on the back: ""DR 125.4/125.5" stands for dynamic range, right?

Yes. IVX has always QCed each unit he sells, but after getting a laser engraver he used that chance to engrave the QC results onto each unit.

And the next "TCC 2/-63" line? is it related to 2nd&3rd harmonics values? So I have to copy them in the THD app section, maybe not?

These values are also unique to each unit and they represent the THD settings that result in least distortion under no load, with full volume, so when you use the 9038D as a DAC feeding an external Amp.
In your case that'd be: 2nd harmonic slider set to 2 without invert, 3rd harmonic slider set to 63 with invert enabled.

And I'm sincere, one of the selling points of this dongle over the others was this thread and the @staticV3 presence

That my support is enough to be called a selling point makes me really happy. Thank you so much!

 

[Atanasi]

I recently got a 9038D of my own. I tested with AKG K371 headphones, which are quite sensitive but not as sensitive as IEMs. There were considerable EMI noise when connected to a mobile phone, both with WLAN and LTE connections. However, changing the USB cable had a significant impact on the EMI noise. The bundled C-C cable was not very good in this regard, whereas the cable bundled with a Baseus type-C car charger or a Uni USB hub provided much better EMI resistance. I suppose a longer cable is more resistant, especially if the DAC is kept further away from the phone, but I think these cables caused less EMI noise even when the DAC was relatively close. I also suspect that a full-featured cable is more resistant compared to a USB 2 cable, because a full-featured cable is shielded better.

When testing, I used Youtube to play sound and the Speedtest app to generate traffic.

I also tested 9038D briefly with IEMs, namely Westone UM2. During a quick test, I didn't hear a noise floor, so I suppose the noise level is not very bad. I wonder what those reviewers did who complained about the noise floor.

 

[sm00thy]

Hi all, I'm interested in purchasing the E1DA 9038D but I have an older laptop with only USB-2. I guess I would need a USB-2 to USB-C cable? Would that affect performance?

Cheers

Edit: I should add that I'm wanting to plug a pair of HD6XX's into it.

 

[staticV3]

Hi all, I'm interested in purchasing the E1DA 9038D but I have an older laptop with only USB-2. I guess I would need a USB-2 to USB-C cable? Would that affect performance?

Cheers

Edit: I should add that I'm wanting to plug a pair of HD6XX's into it.

The 9038D uses a USB 2.0 Type-C jack.
A 2.0 A to C cable would not affect performance.

 

[sm00thy]

The 9038D uses a USB 2.0 Type-C jack.
A 2.0 A to C cable would not affect performance.

Another question please...

I have a Samsung Galaxy S10e phone, which I want to use with the 9038D.

Which 9038D bundle should I buy from Aliexpress? The one with the Y splitter cable?

It would be good to be able to use the Y splitter to connect a power bank/charger (to avoid battery drain), but I don't know if my phone will alllow this.

Can you also use the Y splitter to connect the 9038D to a phone without also attaching a powerbank/charger? Put another way, does the Y splitter allow you the flexibility to choose whether to (a) use a powerbank/charger or (b) use the phone's battery?

Many thanks

 

[staticV3]

Another question please...

I have a Samsung Galaxy S10e phone, which I want to use with the 9038D.

Which 9038D bundle should I buy from Aliexpress? The one with the Y splitter cable?

It would be good to be able to use the Y splitter to connect a power bank/charger (to avoid battery drain), but I don't know if my phone will alllow this.

Can you also use the Y splitter to connect the 9038D to a phone without also attaching a powerbank/charger? Put another way, does the Y splitter allow you the flexibility to choose whether to (a) use a powerbank/charger or (b) use the phone's battery?

Many thanks

The Y-splitter needs no special phone to function. It'll work with all type-C phones, tablets, and PCs.

It is configured so that you must have an external power supply plugged in. Otherwise it wouldn't work properly.

If you're looking for a short C-C cable to go along with a Y-splitter, then please have a look at this list:
https://www.one-tab.com/page/87WqFTfZTOSv5uqat7P_nw

 

[sm00thy]

You're a champion @staticV3. Thank you

I don't suppose you could recommend a good power bank?

Cheers

 

[staticV3]

You're a champion @staticV3. Thank you

I don't suppose you could recommend a good power bank?

Cheers

Anker and Ravpower are both nice imo

 

[alter4]

I checked my LG G7, My samsung tab S7 and my wife's Huawei P20. All they work good, going to check galaxy S8 and mi9 lite soon.

BTW I checked galaxy S8. it works with playing and charging same time with my device you can find in thread earlier. So I very confident it works with galaxy S9, S10 and so on...

 

[alter4]

Tested 9038D vs Cayin N5 mk2 SS (high gain) with AKG 712 Pro in DAC mode connected to my Windows desktop. I must say deepest bass is really better on Cayin. The player bass heavy, tight and punchy. This might be due to non flat frequency response of the player, but very likely 9038D simply lacks current power because AKG 712 Pro is known as very power hungry headphones.

 

[staticV3]

Tested 9038D vs Cayin N5 mk2 SS (high gain) with AKG 712 Pro in DAC mode connected to my Windows desktop. I must say deepest bass is really better on Cayin. The player bass heavy, tight and punchy. This might be due to non flat frequency response of the player, but very likely 9038D simply lacks current power because AKG 712 Pro is known as very power hungry headphones.

The K712 Pro does not need all that much current.
It needs ample voltage though.