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EverSolo Z8 DAC & Amp Review

Rate this DAC & HP Amp

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 3 0.9%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 3 0.9%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 67 20.2%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 258 77.9%

  • Total voters
    331

Moxalain

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Dec 7, 2021
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@amirm et/ou d'autres membres, puis-je demander si ce DAC pourrait être amélioré ou non en utilisant une alimentation linéaire de qualité ?

Si oui de quelle manière svp. ? Merci
:) Bonne question :).

Pas de transformateur toroïdal comme dans le DAC SMSL SU-10.
un petit bidouillage avec une alim externe (ou interne si possible) avec un tore, de bons condensateurs et des composants ultra faible bruit devrait embellir le son. Je suis d'accord pour l'expérience si quelqu'un m'aide.
 

BostonJack

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English please
Google translate says:

[ it doesn't have a torroidal xformer like the SMSL SU-10]

a little tweaking with an external power supply (or internal if possible) with a toroid, good capacitors and ultra low noise components should make the sound better. I'm ok with the experience if someone help me.

[un petit bidouillage for 'a little tweaking' completely threw me, my schoolboy French was not up to it]
 

Ismapics

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Subjective review
Yeah, this guy has no measurements so he goes to words like warm, dynamic , full, juicy, punch, weight, solid, boldness, clarity, edged, focus, diffusion, extension. soundstage and that a SMSL has less bass. Again, it's just words that he is selling. All meaning less.
 

TNT

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Could the legends in the filter measurements charts be improved please?

filt.jpg



- The first is valid for a product Z8 - how about the rest?
- The first is for "Filter 1" - was does the second figure in the rest mean? "Filter 2 2" - the second 2, what does it mean?
- Left 6 - are all the other for the Right channel?
- Why was Filter 7 left out? Or is the second digit the filter #? If so, which filter does the red trace show?

In first part of the filter measurements section, other names and numbers are used - this makes things a bit confusing...

ote.png


Where did 8 go? Or was it 7?

Room for improvement?

//
 

Doodski

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Could the legends in the filter measurements charts be improved please?

View attachment 261382


- The first is valid for a product Z8 - how about the rest?
- The first is for "Filter 1" - was does the second figure in the rest mean? "Filter 2 2" - the second 2, what does it mean?
- Left 6 - are all the other for the Right channel?
- Why was Filter 7 left out? Or is the second digit the filter #? If so, which filter does the red trace show?

In first part of the filter measurements section, other names and numbers are used - this makes things a bit confusing...

View attachment 261386

Where did 8 go? Or was it 7?

Room for improvement?

//
Sometimes the organization in menus is done according to color...?
 

enricoclaudio

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Honestly, who cares about filters at 20KHz? Batman?
 

Tks

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Someone finally waking up in the DAC space and said "hmm, maybe we can add something interesting like RME did how many years ago?"

Also, double USB inputs, with both connector types. Meanwhile 99% of DAC makers: Zzzzz

Look how a little more can feel like a TON more in this space...

The only problem (which I've seen in countless devices over the years which I cannot find a logical answer to) is the hatch-less TOSLINK port. Why this is ever a thing, I'll never understand. Please, someone chime in, this is one of those things that make zero sense to me. Usually answers to questions like this are answered simply with saying "money". But there's no argument on this planet that will convince me there is a monetary gain to be had with this level of cost-cutting. Since TOSLINK relies on a an optically clean transmission, I'd feel OCD to take a shot of compressed air to that port anytime I'd want to change inputs. Don't know why this is bothering so much >_<
 

enricoclaudio

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Someone finally waking up in the DAC space and said "hmm, maybe we can add something interesting like RME did how many years ago?"

Also, double USB inputs, with both connector types. Meanwhile 99% of DAC makers: Zzzzz

Look how a little more can feel like a TON more in this space...

The only problem (which I've seen in countless devices over the years which I cannot find a logical answer to) is the hatch-less TOSLINK port. Why this is ever a thing, I'll never understand. Please, someone chime in, this is one of those things that make zero sense to me. Usually answers to questions like this are answered simply with saying "money". But there's no argument on this planet that will convince me there is a monetary gain to be had with this level of cost-cutting. Since TOSLINK relies on a an optically clean transmission, I'd feel OCD to take a shot of compressed air to that port anytime I'd want to change inputs. Don't know why this is bothering so much >_<
If you check Amazon photos and EverSolo website photos, you will see that the Toslink port has a hatch. Most likely this particular unit lost it or it felt during review.
 

minus3dB

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Oct 27, 2019
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Super nice DAC for what it does - straight up 2 channel audio. Would love to see someone other than MiniDSP add functionality like basic bass management. Yes you can get subs that have LPFs fed via speaker level but that is so old school.

Are the DAC sections in their streamers this good?
 

PeteL

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If you check Amazon photos and EverSolo website photos, you will see that the Toslink port has a hatch. Most likely this particular unit lost it or it felt during review.
Amir said somewhere in the thread that he broke it... Which is not completely uninteresting... One day... Does show that some Toslink plug systems are quite fragile, not a deal breaker, but not irrelevant to a product review.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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Could the legends in the filter measurements charts be improved please?
They are the same as the filter measurement graph right above it.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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Amir said somewhere in the thread that he broke it... Which is not completely uninteresting... One day... Does show that some Toslink plug systems are quite fragile, not a deal breaker, but not irrelevant to a product review.
I was lazy and didn't turn around the unit before attempting to force the Toslink into it. It was 90 degree out from what it should have been and pushed the cover off. So not a fault of the unit. The cover is as good or as bad as any other like it.
 

Labjr

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Nice this has an LED display instead of OLED.

Seems there's a number of talented designers who leave companies like SMSL and Topping to create new brand names. Or maybe the brand is associated with an existing manufacturer.
 

jasonhanjk

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Good for high impedance HP, there are better choice DAC Amp for IEM 32ohm and below.
 

Bleib

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Yeah, this guy has no measurements so he goes to words like warm, dynamic , full, juicy, punch, weight, solid, boldness, clarity, edged, focus, diffusion, extension. soundstage and that a SMSL has less bass. Again, it's just words that he is selling. All meaning less.
Well yes, but another voice too on build quality, the settings etc..
 

Lambda

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The 1/2k$ DACs are getting Closes to the limit of what (the currents set of tests) can resolve with the the current version of the analyzer.

I don’t like the look of it at all but this is highly subjective the performance is nice.
The modular Construction also looks nice

It’s also nice to see USB-C but i would like to see PD to charge(power) a device connected to the dac or power the DAC from USB

This also looks like GND from PE Analog and digital is directly connected?
In this price range it wold be niche to see functionally isolated digital inputs as well as functional PE ground lift as seen in many Professioanl PA devices
 

Cars-N-Cans

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Maybe its been pointed out already in an earlier post but the power into the 33 Ohm load looks to be labelled incorrectly for the high gain. From the plot, it looks to be around 225 mW instead (edit: Actually 227.7 mW from the side-bar), which while not a lot, is useable.

zidoo EverSolo DAC-Z8 Balanced DAC Stereo Power 32 ohm Measurements.png
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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Maybe its been pointed out already in an earlier post but the power into the 33 Ohm load looks to be labelled incorrectly for the high gain. From the plot, it looks to be around 225 mW instead (edit: Actually 227.7 mW from the side-bar), which while not a lot, is useable.

View attachment 261426
Good catch! Review fixed.
 

heraldo_jones

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Dec 28, 2020
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Amp is just an add-on. It will just bottom out before clipping or distorting though so for sensitive headphones it will work, for greedy ones it will just not sound loud. No "bad" behaviour to be seen. Maybe you would expect more for the price though...
There are complete hp amps around 99$ (Topping have some models) which have incredible performance, I understand that having introduced that would not have been an effort either by design or for monetary reasons.
 
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