Audiophonics EVO-SABRE Balanced RPI DAC Review

[navin]

Have you checked out amirm's review?

Yes, I did check it out but I did not read through every detail. Every third post was about the mid hump. Ben Du seems to have fixed it but I don't think the Audiophonics kit has a fix for this hump (its another matter if it is indeed audible or not).

Is there something I should be aware of? Other than post #841 here
SONCOZ SGD1 Audio DAC Review | Page 43 | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

For those who do not need all the other inputs (USB/TosLink/SPDIF/BT/AES) this Allo HAT does a fine job to convert an RPI into a music player (only music, no video). The RasaPlayer is one such implementation of an RPi with a BOSS DAC
BOSS I2S DAC v 1.2 (allo.com)
Rasa Player (rasaaudio.com)

Meanwhile what are your thoughts of Plex or Jellyfin vs Moode?
Moode Audio / Volumio. [September 2018 Update]: I switched to… | by Rphl_Mstl | Tech notes and Geek stuff | Medium

 

[somebodyelse]

Plenty of detail on Ben's fix here. For confirmation that it works see the later LA-QXD1 measurements.

The Boss (and other hats) don't stop you using the Pi's HDMI output for video - see LibreELEC among others.

Regarding Plex, Moode, Volumio, PiCorePlayer etc. my advice is to look at their features to rule out any that don't do something you need, then try the others to see which one suits you best. They're all pretty capable, but do things slightly differently, and which is 'best' is more a matter of taste than anything.

 

[abdo123]

Here is the whole DIY-kit from Audiophonics:

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/netw...nced-streamer-for-raspberry-pi-4-p-14639.html

It is EUR 479,00 inc.tax for europeans

This might be made with the RPi in mind but definitely does not have RPi price lmao.

 

[navin]

The Boss (and other hats) don't stop you using the Pi's HDMI output for video - see LibreELEC among others.

Regarding Plex, Moode, Volumio, PiCorePlayer etc. my advice is to look at their features to rule out any that don't do something you need, then try the others to see which one suits you best. They're all pretty capable, but do things slightly differently, and which is 'best' is more a matter of taste than anything.

Gee, thanks a lot.

hmm.. so the Allo DAC offers analogue out for the audio and I can use HDMI for video but I can't connect any other device (such as a CD player or portable player) to it. But if one does not need to connect a CD player or any other device then the Allo DAC makes a lot of sense.

I assumed that Moode and Volumio are only for audio. To play audio and video, you need something like Plex, Emby or Jellyfin.

 

[abdo123]

Gee, thanks a lot.

hmm.. so the Allo DAC offers analogue out for the audio and I can use HDMI for video but I can't connect any other device (such as a CD player or portable player) to it. But if one does not need to connect a CD player or any other device then the Allo DAC makes a lot of sense.

I assumed that Moode and Volumio are only for audio. To play audio and video, you need something like Plex, Emby or Jellyfin.

Aren’t you better off with an external DAC if you want to plug in other input? I don’t see a market for this.

 

[somebodyelse]

Gee, thanks a lot.

hmm.. so the Allo DAC offers analogue out for the audio and I can use HDMI for video but I can't connect any other device (such as a CD player or portable player) to it. But if one does not need to connect a CD player or any other device then the Allo DAC makes a lot of sense.

I assumed that Moode and Volumio are only for audio. To play audio and video, you need something like Plex, Emby or Jellyfin.

Moode and Volumio are audio only. LibreELEC can do video too (Kodi plus enough linux to get it going). I've never got into the details of Plex, Emby or Jellyfin. The tricky part is probably whether they will let you configure the audio output differently for video content and audio-only content, or at least let you switch easily between output configurations. One way it can certainly be done is by running separate applications for each, say Kodi for video using HDMI audio, while squeezelite or mpd play audio only to the hat or usb dac.

 

[navin]

Aren’t you better off with an external DAC if you want to plug in other input? I don’t see a market for this.

Yes. I agree. However, the DAC being reviewed on this thread has inputs for TosLink, SPDIF, etc.

I was just comparing it to the Allo Boss which does not have.

I found another kit that uses the 9038Pro chipset for the DAC. No idea what it sounds like or how much support they can offer. Besides, I don't know why they are charging $250 for an RPI3B+. Something must be lost in translation.
STAR Pure DSD DAC (audiodesignguide.com)
ES9038PRO DAC Kit ⋆ HQ Audio (hq-audio.net)
Control-Remote for ES9038Pro DAC Kit ⋆ HQ Audio (hq-audio.net)
Music Server Pi3 B+ ⋆ HQ Audio (hq-audio.net)

 

[navin]

One way it can certainly be done is by running separate applications for each, say Kodi for video using HDMI audio, while squeezelite or mpd play audio only to the hat or usb dac.

Kodi isn't the easiest to use. Jellyfin's GUI looks a lot simpler especially for someone coming from the Apple TV world. I'd like to have a single interface for both audio and video but if that is possible remains to be seen

 

[mcmidi]

Are there any instructions for assembling the AUDIOPHONICS EVO-SABRE DAC Kit DIY DAC 2xES9038Q2M? There was nothing with my delivery.

 

[Atanasi]

The unit requires 9 volt input and is not self-powered with USB.

Self-powered is the opposite of the intended meaning. In USB terminology, bus-powered means working from USB power, while self-powered devices have another power supply.

 

[PatriciaP]

Are there any instructions for assembling the AUDIOPHONICS EVO-SABRE DAC Kit DIY DAC 2xES9038Q2M? There was nothing with my delivery.

Audiophonics have a download section with the instructions on the website, same page as the kit https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/

 

[HDavidson]

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-...8q2m-streamer-for-raspberry-pi-4-p-15139.html

 

[godmax]

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-...8q2m-streamer-for-raspberry-pi-4-p-15139.html

It seems to be „just“ an fully assembled version without any hardware changes.

 

[BR52]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Audiophonics EVO-Sabre Balanced DAC. It was requested by a member and the company was kind enough to send me one. It costs 239,00€ including tax and 199,17 € without (US $235).

The EVO is an unusual DAC in that it both works stand-alone due to use of an on-board microcomputer and display, and also as a slave to Raspberry Pi single board computer:

View attachment 82886

I tested it in stand-alone mode but you can plug in the RPI on the right and it will feed it power and I think its USB port becomes a peripheral to RPI.

The unit requires 9 volt input and is not self-powered with USB. I used my bench power supply to provide that as no power supply comes with it.

I was impressed with the quality of the OLED display with sharp, clear graphics. A remote control is also provided which is nice.

DAC Audio Measurements
As usual we start with our dashboard driven by the USB input:

View attachment 82887

Not bad! Distortion is below audible threshold at -115 dB. A bit of noise reduces SINAD which takes into account both factors and results in 110 dB:

View attachment 82888

Dynamic range is excellent, providing a noise-free 20 bit data path:

View attachment 82889

Multitone matches the same:
View attachment 82890

Jitter performance was very good as well:

View attachment 82891

Linearity was text-book perfect:

View attachment 82892

THD+N tracked my reference Khadas tone Board which was fascinating:

View attachment 82893

IMD distortion relative to level unfortunately brought back our old friend the "ESS IMD Hump:"

View attachment 82894

The low noise floor accentuates the hump.

Finally, I was so happy to see one of the few technically correct default DAC filters in the market:

View attachment 82895

Conclusions
Other than the IMD ESS Hump which can be fixed with a few minor circuit changes, the performance of Audiophonics EVO is solid. And the form factor and functionality is great to build your own streamer in a much more integrated way than using desktop DACs, or shoehorning elaborate DAC board on top of RPi.

I am happy to recommend the Audiophonics EVO Sabre given the unique functionality, form factor, and performance.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Second article/review of the day... I DEMAND OVERTIME!!! So reach in your pocket and donate what you can using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Please give me an idea about "the IMD ESS Hump which can be fixed with a few minor circuit changes" what I have to do. I am reading the ESS Hump thread and I can only see a little light at the end of the tunnel. I have not the measurement equippment to veryfiy a possible fix. It would be really helpful to see how this interresting product performs afterwards ( also a test with installed Raspi (noise perfomance) would be great.
thanks for your great work.

 

[Mulder]

Please give me an idea about "the IMD ESS Hump which can be fixed with a few minor circuit changes" what I have to do.

I think Amirm meant that the designer of the circuit board could fix this relatively easy. At the design stage that is. There is to my understanding nothing you can do as a user.

 

[BR52]

Thank you for the translation. I like that. Following the long Ess Hump thread it looks not really easy because they have found here some issues. But no one showed the root cause. Only it has to do with i/v stage HF behavior in interaction with the dac output stage. Sometimes a user with its limited knowledge try to learn. Because this forum has the word science in the name.

 

[Mulder]

Following the long Ess Hump thread it looks not really easy because they have found here some issues.

I think this so-called ESS-hump probably mostly is a detail that an engineer sees as a beauty-flaw. When you listen to the DAC, it is hardly something you hear. I would not refrain from buying this DAC if it was only for this ESS detail.

 

[BR52]

You are absolutely right with the two points! I'm interested in point one because I saw only a trial and error solution and a design flaw regarding current offset. To analyze the real root cause of the ESS-Dac behavior would help all designers.
So please allow me to ask amirm the question because of his skills and the remark "the IMD ESS Hump which can be fixed with a few minor circuit changes" he probably knows more about.
My interest is generally in a better understanding the ESS- humb problem not in this special product.
May be I placed the post in the wrong thread.....

 

[Vavilen]

Hey guys!
Do you know if there are any projects, which include this DAC + Rpi + D class amplifier in the same case?

 

[patrick80800]

Hello !
I'm a french newbie here ; Sorry for my english

Has someone compare the Audiophonics EVO-SABRE PACK DAC with the Onkyo NS 6170 ? What about the 2x AK 4490 vs the 2 x ESS 9038Q2m ?
Sound differences ?

Thank you