E1DA 9038D Review (portable DAC & Amp)

[staticV3]

@TK750 Unfortunately I don't know anyone who was successful in using Tweak9038 via an emulator or VM.

 

[TK750]

@TK750 Unfortunately I don't know anyone who was successful in using Tweak9038 via an emulator or VM.

No problem, thanks for the reply.

 

[ShiZo]

So if using this with a laptop, will there be any issues as long as I don't max out the volume control in windows?

Can it also be used as a preamp?

 

[staticV3]

So if using this with a laptop, will there be any issues as long as I don't max out the volume control in windows?

Can it also be used as a preamp?

No and yes.

 

[digititus]

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.

Could be that I'm only testing the likes of Xiaomi, Chuwi, Aldocube and older Sony devices. Some with LineageOS. Never found one that worked. Maybe the more expensive stuff from Samsung is supported, therefore I stand corrected.

 

[respice finem]

Noob question as far as DAC dongles go: In Germany, this one is also offered with two USB cable versions: one "normal" and one "OTG".
I assume I need the latter to connect to a phone?

 

[jannek]

Yep. I only know the short (a few centimeters) black USB-C to USB-C cable that comes with it - that is OTG capable.

 

[Atanasi]

I understood that the OTG cable is a Y-splitter that allows connecting an additional power supply like a power bank. If your phone is capable of providing enough current, an ordinary USB-C cable suffices.

 

[jannek]

No, OTG and Y-cable are completely different things. And it's not possible to take any USB-C cable with Android devices.

 

[staticV3]

Noob question as far as DAC dongles go: In Germany, this one is also offered with two USB cable versions: one "normal" and one "OTG".
I assume I need the latter to connect to a phone?

You can use any C to C cable to connect the 9038D to your Type-C Android phone. OTG is not required.

The OTG adapter isn't actually about OTG, it's about splitting power and data so that you can supply data to the DAC from your phone and power from an external power bank for example.

 

[staticV3]

Yep. I only know the short (a few centimeters) black USB-C to USB-C cable that comes with it - that is OTG capable.

The short C-C cable doesn't have OTG from what I know.

 

[staticV3]

No, OTG and Y-cable are completely different things. And it's not possible to take any USB-C cable with Android devices.

Yes it is. OTG is not a requirement for Type-C accessories.

 

[staticV3]

I understood that the OTG cable is a Y-splitter that allows connecting an additional power supply like a power bank. If your phone is capable of providing enough current, an ordinary USB-C cable suffices.

Yup, that's correct

 

[jannek]

Yes it is. OTG is not a requirement for Type-C accessories.

OK... You live and learn.

 

[Rottmannash]

Yup, that's correct

It is my understanding OTG cables can allow for charging and data via splitter but that many do not. The OTG type C cable I ordered for my 9938D doesn't have a Y splitter. The included cable is the same.

 

[respice finem]

So maybe some of those are just wired to accept a splitter? Confusing, this "OTG" stuff...

 

[DavidMcRoy]

I just got one of these to try as a DAC in my home system, and feeding the 47k Ohm unbalanced inputs on my Pioneer AV processor over a 25 ft RCA stereo cable it works like charm! It sounds very nice indeed, huge bang for the buck. Because of its huge power demands, I knew I wouldn’t put up with the hijinks that would be required to use it as a portable device with my iOS phone or pads, but I stream HiRes online audio (Qobuz) through it from an iPad Mini Air 2 at home, both powered by a Ravpower USB power hub through an Apple Camera adapter and this unsightly kluge sounds amazing. A real giant-slayer. It also feeds my HiFiMan HE400i 2020 Planar Headphones and my Etymōtic ER3XR IEMs (earbuds) with aplomb.

This configuration powers the DAC and the iOS device from the power hub simultaneously:

Apple Camera Adapter’s captive Lightning cable > iOS Device
RavPower USB Power Hub > Apple Camera Adapter Lightning Port
E1DA 9038D > Apple Camera Adapter USB-A Port

In case this hasn’t been mentioned: the E1DA 9038D’s LED power indicator only remains illuminated for the first few seconds after turn on, but the unit continues to work fine after the light goes out, on mine at least.

 

[TK750]

I just got one of these to try as a DAC in my home system, and feeding the 47k Ohm unbalanced inputs on my Pioneer AV processor over a 25 ft RCA stereo cable it works like charm! It sounds very nice indeed, huge bang for the buck. Because of its huge power demands, I knew I wouldn’t put up with the hijinks that would be required to use it as a portable device with my iOS phone or pads, but I stream HiRes online audio (Qobuz) through it from an iPad Mini Air 2 at home, both powered by a Ravpower USB power hub through an Apple Camera adapter and this unsightly kluge sounds amazing. A real giant-slayer. It also feeds my HiFiMan HE400i 2020 Planar Headphones and my Etymōtic ER3XR IEMs (earbuds) with aplomb.

This configuration powers the DAC and the iOS device from the power hub simultaneously:

Apple Camera Adapter’s captive Lightning cable > iOS Device
RavPower USB Power Hub > Apple Camera Adapter Lightning Port
E1DA 9038D > Apple Camera Adapter USB-A Port

In case this hasn’t been mentioned: the E1DA 9038D’s LED power indicator only remains illuminated for the first few seconds after turn on, but the unit continues to work fine after the light goes out, on mine at least.

I believe the light flashes at different speeds depending on the sample rate of the file you are playing. The higher the sample rate, the faster it flashes. There is a doc somewhere that has the intervals in seconds for each specific rate, but I can't remember where I saw it.

 

[saniko]

I am about to receive a 9038D. I've read about a DAC mode and presets. How do I use this as just a DAC so that I can use something else for amplification to a headphone or a speaker?

 

[Jimbob54]

I am about to receive a 9038D. I've read about a DAC mode and presets. How do I use this as just a DAC so that I can use something else for amplification to a headphone or a speaker?

Set it to just under full output and connect 3.5mm to rca into amp