D&A Alpha PRO DAC & Headphone Amp Review

[Bogda]

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the DIGI & AESTH (D&A) balanced DAC, headphone amplifier and pre-amp. It was sent to me by shenzhenaudio.com. I don't see a product listing for it so don't know the cost.
View attachment 450526
It is refreshing to see unique design and looks. The labels are a bit hard to read but they are easy to memorize. The white LEDs can be programmed to "breath," or stay solid on or off. Both balanced and unbalanced outputs are provided for headphone. Core decoder IC is ESS9039MSPRO. Headphone amplifier is discrete. Volume control is implemented using NJU72315 IC. This is done so it can handle analog input which is a rather unique feature of this product:

It is refreshing to see front panel with a knob and real buttons which makes unit much more pleasurable and ergonomic to use. My biggest gripe about these kind of units is that they often try to reinvent the wheel with user interface by moving controls to a single knob or to touch surfaces which is even worse.

 

[Gadgety]

Performance looks great. The ESS9039MSPRO, also listed for the SMSL D400ES, is a chip I can't find on ESS own website. They list the two channel ES9039Q2M launched in 2024, and the 8-channel ES9039PRO, launched in 2022. Is this a previous model, or a China only DAC chip?

 

[Palladium]

The design is a little more decorative than functional but you can't argue with these performance numbers. And you can get almost 5 watts out of this thing. I shudder to think of the headphones that would need that!

Are we at the TPA3255 stage of HPAs yet?

 

[JSmith]

ESS9039MSPRO

Basically it's the ESS9039PRO, ESS9039MPRO is the MQA renderer version, ESS9039MSPRO is mentioned in the datasheet here (there also is a reference to ESS9039SPRO);

https://www.esstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ES9039MPRO_ES9039PRO_v0.3.2.pdf

I wonder if the S and MS variants are software control only.


JSmith

 

[TNT]

:

Ooops, you missed the -68 dB component in the bass... Bass is also important!

I think this aspect has been ignored for a long time. Is that digital "wow & flutter", mains artefacts or what?

I would not like to listen to all my music with a 65 dB below constant LF rumbling...

Please explain and change the standard set evaluation criteria?

20bits -> 11bits in reality?

//

 

[Psycher1]

Yep, we've figured out DACs. I definitely don't have the ear to appreciate this product, and my hearing isn't even all that bad. I'm impressed that the industry has started pumping out high performing products like this, now we just need to get them all to add DSP as standard...

 

[Robbo99999]

That's a bit of chintzy looking DAC/amp! I think the headphone amp doesn't perform that well given the higher distortion at lower output levels. I'm doubtful if many people need the full power that this thing can offer, so I think for most people they'd prefer a better measuring headphone amp in terms of distortion. Price will have to be a factor, I'm gonna see if anyone has listed price in the comments.

EDIT: ok, so it's a product that hasn't even launched yet & we don't know the price. In that case then I'll hold off on giving it a score in the poll until we find out the price.

 

[EERecordist]

Here are the specs:
View attachment 450553

Thanks for reviewing and the industrial design is a step up.

In the HTML of the Apos front page one may find:

(I just did a search for the product name and price, Google indexed the HTML and showed $699 in the results snippet, it did not show on the page, so I turned on developer view and searched for $699)

 

[TNT]

So, 700 USD.

//

 

[Billy Budapest]

Thanks for reviewing and the industrial design is a step up.

In the HTML of the Apos front page one may find:

View attachment 450629

(I just did a search for the product name and price, Google indexed the HTML and showed $699 in the results snippet, It did not show on the page, so I turned on developer view and searched for $699)

If the MSRP is $699, then that isn’t too bad—what other headphone amp puts out 5 watts? Then again, what headphones actually need that amount of power? Could be a limited use case.

If the sale price is $699, then the regular price will probably be $749 or $799, and the value proposition doesn’t look as good. “Look” being the operative word.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Hits most of the marks for performance including high output power to drive just about any headphone, and it has an interesting look. Seems to be trying to do what Chord does with its faceplates, only it does it with more restraint. As for value, without a remote or PEQ, and with some of the problems with distortion at lower outputs, it's really not quite there. But it's very close.

If you want a high performance DAC/AMP that's not a Topping or SMSL, and not a pile of Schiit, and want Art Deco styling without paying for an over the top, multi-kilobuck unit that lights up like a penny arcade gumball machine, then this could be what you want.

As always, great review, Amir.

 

[unpluggged]

1. It's ugly as hell.
2. Mains-powered with no certification markings.

I don't like it when DIY projects are marketed under pretense of being finished retail products.

want Art Deco styling

Looks like we have different conception of art deco styling. Looks more like cheap Far Eastern toys from the nineties.

 

[GD Fan]

Great measurements (mostly, anyway) and cool industrial design. The company name seems to be a little derivative of German brand T+A (Theory+Application).

Here in the States T&A stands for something considerably more interesting.

 

[Steven Holt]

Here in the States T&A stands for something considerably more interesting.

One more reason I love ASR!

 

[xanalog]

Thank you and an excellent review, @amirm,

So, now there is proof-positive that it can be achieved (audio nirvana) with RCA/analog inputs built into a competent DAC.
But at what cost?
In the mean time, would you please divert this D&A Alpha Pro unobtanium my way to 'test' in my set-up, until available for purchase?

 

[Robbo99999]

$700, too much for distortion of the headphone amp. Only useful in edge cases where lots of power needed but other headphone amps measure better at the levels normally used. BAH, not worth it.

 

[Billy Budapest]

Here in the States T&A stands for something considerably more interesting.

Well, that’s “T and A,” not “T plus A.” Sort of like when people call NAD “nad.” I tell them that no, it’s not like “I got kicked in the nads,” but rather it’s “N-A-D.”

 

[xanalog]

I tell them that no, it’s not like “I got kicked in the nads,” but rather it’s “N-A-D.”

So, is T&A and/or NAD to blame for the S-C-H-I-T-T namesake?

 

[VientoB]

1. It's ugly as hell.
2. Mains-powered with no certification markings.

I don't like it when DIY projects are marketed under pretense of being finished retail products.


Looks like we have different conception of art deco styling. Looks more like cheap Far Eastern toys from the nineties.

I've seen people make these complaints before and it turned out the certification markings were on the bottom of the case, which we haven't seen here. So don't jump to conclusions.

 

[unpluggged]

I've seen people make these complaints before and it turned out the certification markings were on the bottom of the case, which we haven't seen here. So don't jump to conclusions.

I have yet to see a proper certification mark from a reputable laboratory on a device like this from that part of the world. The most they do is slapping self-declared conformity marks (like the infamous CE mark and/or its equivalents for other countries); the laws in corresponding jurisdictions sadly allow them to pull this trick.

As I have said here numerous times (and will not mind to say it again and again), I'm not touching anything that plugs into mains and does not have a VDE, GS, or an equivalent safety certification, especially from brands with unproven safety record, and discourage everyone else from dealing with such products and their vendors.