Comparison of USB inputs between a converter Topping D10s and a DAC Eversolo Z8

[Moxalain]

Hello

I had some fun experimenting my Eversol Z8 with my Topping D10s.

I plugged a USB cable betwen PC and D10s.
Then I connected the D10 to the Z8 with a coaxial cable.
I listened music. OK.

Then I plugged the USB cable directly into the Z8 to compare.
I'm amazed!
I much prefer the Topping's USB connection with the coaxial connection to the Z8. The entry USB of Z8 is poor !

But on paper, the D10s - XMOS XU208 ES9038Q2M is less impressive than the Z8 - USB XMOS XU316 ESS ES9038Pro, no ?.
Why is that?

I need to use a DAC's USB input with my PC, which DAC has an excellent USB input ?
Or an excellent USB-to-coaxial converter ?

Thank you very much.
Have a nice day
Alain Bordeaux - France

 

[somebodyelse]

But on paper, the D10s - XMOS XU208 ES9038Q2M is less impressive than the Z8 - USB XMOS XU316 ESS ES9038Pro, no ?

You aren't using the ES9038Q2M in the D10s, just the XU208 to do the conversion from USB to S/PDIF. I don't think we know the details of how S/PDIF gets to the ES9038Pro in the Z8 compared to the USB - it could go direct, via some other receiver, or via the XU316 like the USB does. Comparing the XMOS chips is a bit like comparing a 12th gen i3 to a 13th gen i5 - it makes no difference to the program you're running so long as they're both fast enough.

The D10s coax output is transformer isolated - see the block labelled 'Pulse' next to the yellow connector in this post. Depending on how you did the test this may have broken a path for ground-related noise between the PC and the Z8.

Sometimes we see a difference in measured performance between different digital inputs in DACs, indicating some mistake on the part of the designer/manufacturer. Whether such a difference exists on the Z8 I don't know.

However unless you did your testing with suitable controls (blind, enough repeats to be statistically significant etc.) it's as likely that the difference was in your head not in the electronics.

 

[Moxalain]

Hi

I'm just surprised that the D10s (Amir really likes it and I bought it after reading his article) inserted between the PC and the Z8's USB port is better than its direct USB input.

Since watching the forum and YouTube, I've learned a lot. I wasn't familiar with DDCs that explain the principle of digital-to-digital conversion.

The advantage of my post is that it's opened up avenues I was unaware of; that's the benefit of sharing in a forum.

My aging Z8 must be worth €500 on the used market, so I need to find a DDC in that price range (or less). Any DDCs you'd recommend?

Next step, probably the Eversolo Z10, and a fresh start, better

 

[Janck O'Neill]

Hi

I'm just surprised that the D10s (Amir really likes it and I bought it after reading his article) inserted between the PC and the Z8's USB port is better than its direct USB input.

Since watching the forum and YouTube, I've learned a lot. I wasn't familiar with DDCs that explain the principle of digital-to-digital conversion.

The advantage of my post is that it's opened up avenues I was unaware of; that's the benefit of sharing in a forum.

My aging Z8 must be worth €500 on the used market, so I need to find a DDC in that price range (or less). Any DDCs you'd recommend?

Next step, probably the Eversolo Z10, and a fresh start, better

I’ve had a similar experience - the Z8 sounds worse when connected directly via USB than when using an optical connection through the SMSL PO100. I’ll keep testing it, but that was my first impression.

 

[RandomEar]

Honestly: This is extremely unlikely. It's a digital connection - it either works, or it doesn't. Unless there's some form of DSP / digital EQ involved in the USB to S/PDIF converter or one of the inpus of the Z8 is broken / implemented incorrectly, you're listening to the exact same digital signal and it will sound 100% the same.

It's much more likely that your testing is flawed: Doing sighted testing with a couple minutes of switching time between inputs does not lead to reliable results. If you want to be sure, don't rely on your ears. Use an ADC like your sound card, measure both signal paths and compare the resuls using Delta Wave.

 

[Janck O'Neill]

Honestly: This is extremely unlikely. It's a digital connection - it either works, or it doesn't. Unless there's some form of DSP / digital EQ involved in the USB to S/PDIF converter or one of the inpus of the Z8 is broken / implemented incorrectly, you're listening to the exact same digital signal and it will sound 100% the same.

It's much more likely that your testing is flawed: Doing sighted testing with a couple minutes of switching time between inputs does not lead to reliable results. If you want to be sure, don't rely on your ears. Use an ADC like your sound card, measure both signal paths and compare the resuls using Delta Wave.

Embarrassing as it is to admit, I have no idea how I could even take those measurements - I’ve never done anything like that. I described my experience in this post: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...eversolo-z8-dac-amp-review.41512/post-2453656 And the more I think about it, the more it seems that everything comes down to the PO100 rather than the Z8 or my old Hegel. It almost feels like the PO100 has some kind of 'filter', because the change it introduces is similar with both the Z8 and the Hegel.