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Help me decide between Aune x8 magic vs Soncoz la-qxd1
- Thread starter wassim01
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Why? What's wrong with the gear you have? If you want a better/different sound get another headphone.
Hemi-Demon
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It comes down to drivers, QC, firmware support, and analog output voltage to your amp. The M300MkII should be in the same league. Pick the one that does not click/pop, has the most updated driver support and has the least subjective noise from your computer. Are you looking for a ESS dac to just switch it up? The Sonoz looks better off measurements, and its cheaper.
I'd recommend that you save up and get better headphones, or say try a different sound signature, just to switch it up, depending on the music you listen to. Then work back starting with the amp you are using. There are better amps than the SP200 now, under $400. The dac is fine, unless you don't fancy SMSL for whatever reason.
I'd recommend that you save up and get better headphones, or say try a different sound signature, just to switch it up, depending on the music you listen to. Then work back starting with the amp you are using. There are better amps than the SP200 now, under $400. The dac is fine, unless you don't fancy SMSL for whatever reason.
- Thread Starter
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I made comparison tests between my smsl m300 mk2 and my Huawei nova 7i phone, all connect with my smsl sp200 amp. I concluded that the nova 7i has a honeyed instrument separation, more detail of the treble and a very good resolution especially in midrange. on the other hand m300 sounds as good but I do not like its presentation in 2.5 d, the treble are a little shy, and above all his midrange gives priority to the voice which is well defined but overshadow the instruments that are with it, the bass is not slamming and is not deteiled. that's why I want something different especially ESS Saber for a budget of $ 300. the best i can find are Aune X8 Magic and Soncoz LA-QXD1. if someone can help me choose between these dac? other suggestions are welcome
Not to make a statement obvious, but did you do the tests volume matched? (Down to 0.1 dB) and blind?
Hemi-Demon
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Tough comparison, since you are comparing a phone which is probably playing through the android stack (unless you are using UAPP and a OTG cable) vs a dedicated dac. Either way, the Soncoz would be the better imo, of those two, since at least you can pm the manufacturer here on the board. Aune support is pretty barren for most of their products.
I would also throw in a option for the Allo Revolution Dac, in this price range ($265 with remote). The only bad thing is that it that the Allo uses a uses a micro usb input. Good luck.
Can you give me some example of amps under 400 better in terms of quality/power than the sp200? ( maybe capable for dt880 600ohms)
Im still deciding and need suggestion, thanks
I'm wondering the same. Was the test you did blind and level matched? I have a feeling you may be perfectly happy with your current setup if you ensure those proper controls.
Your current DAC and HPA both measure well. No problems there.
Headphones are a personal choice matter. Buy something different if you fancy a change.
Hemi-Demon
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Geshelli Erish, Ifi Zen Can may work well at 600 ohm.
Ifi zen can single ended is less power than sp200 and less neutral sounding, unless i mod 880s i won't benifit the balanced output...gashelli erish i dont really know
PenguinMusic
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Hi,
Did you get the Aune X8 i ht end ?
I'd be interested in it.
Form other posts, I have learned that as soon as a DAC is well engineered and designed, difference will be barely audible, if audible at all.
Other Aune devices have got rather good results, if not stellar, but I assume to a point where the difference won't matter.
And as I have the X5s, x7s already, the x8 would be a nice aethetic addition...
Would just love ot hear if it is flawed or not, especially since it uses no conventional DAC but uses FGPA (whatever that is).
Thanks a lot for your answer.
Regards.
FRED
Did you get the Aune X8 i ht end ?
I'd be interested in it.
Form other posts, I have learned that as soon as a DAC is well engineered and designed, difference will be barely audible, if audible at all.
Other Aune devices have got rather good results, if not stellar, but I assume to a point where the difference won't matter.
And as I have the X5s, x7s already, the x8 would be a nice aethetic addition...
Would just love ot hear if it is flawed or not, especially since it uses no conventional DAC but uses FGPA (whatever that is).
Thanks a lot for your answer.
Regards.
FRED
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I had a Aune X8 here for testing against a Topping D50s. Musical Fidelity V90 was here for reference (long term DAC). The X8 has a lovely volume knob but the sound was somewhat thin vs the Topping D50s, when using both of them as DAC/pre-amp. Vocals on the Musical Fidelity V90 beat had less grain than either of these, albeit the MF V90 must be used with a pre-amp in front of it. The V90 doesn't go higher than 96 kHz and doesn't do DSP. Neither of those really matter to me, although I've had some pleasant experiences with a Topping E30 at 384 kHz PCM. The E30 doesn't suffer from the same grain in vocals (yes I listen to a lot of vocal music). Have considerable difficulty picking a favourite between the E30 and V90. Both have a wider soundstage than either the D50s or the X8.
Returning to the Aune X8, it's a wonderful looking unit, with a great tactile and well-geared volume knob and a handy simultaneous line out. Sound quality is fine and would be fine in many systems. In Amir's testing the X8 would do well – there's no particular technical flaw and it approaches the D50s, with just a little less thwack in the bass. If the X8 sounded richer with less grain on the vocals it would be the most wonderful DAC/pre-amp on the market. It should be noted that the X8, unlike many pre-amplifiers, maximum output is the same as a DAC used as pre-amp: 2v, i.e. normal line-out signal. There's no additional amplification in the pre-amp or head room at the top, which can be an issue when powering amps expecting a stronger line in signal. I often had the volume knob at up to 3 o'clock while with most of my pre-amps I listen at 9 o'clock. The slower calibration on the volume knob is great but strangely there's no headroom on top for peaks, which at louder volumes becomes audible as a thinner sound in comparison to most dedicated pre-amps.
While the form factor with volume knob were exactly what I needed, I very reluctantly decided I couldn't accept less appealing sound in an "upgrade" and parted with my Aune X8.
Returning to the Aune X8, it's a wonderful looking unit, with a great tactile and well-geared volume knob and a handy simultaneous line out. Sound quality is fine and would be fine in many systems. In Amir's testing the X8 would do well – there's no particular technical flaw and it approaches the D50s, with just a little less thwack in the bass. If the X8 sounded richer with less grain on the vocals it would be the most wonderful DAC/pre-amp on the market. It should be noted that the X8, unlike many pre-amplifiers, maximum output is the same as a DAC used as pre-amp: 2v, i.e. normal line-out signal. There's no additional amplification in the pre-amp or head room at the top, which can be an issue when powering amps expecting a stronger line in signal. I often had the volume knob at up to 3 o'clock while with most of my pre-amps I listen at 9 o'clock. The slower calibration on the volume knob is great but strangely there's no headroom on top for peaks, which at louder volumes becomes audible as a thinner sound in comparison to most dedicated pre-amps.
While the form factor with volume knob were exactly what I needed, I very reluctantly decided I couldn't accept less appealing sound in an "upgrade" and parted with my Aune X8.
velasfloyd
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PenguinMusic
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Hi,
Thanks a lot for all that info.
Well, I got the complete package from AUNE : x5s, x8 and x7s.
I'm really pleased with it.
All I can say is I like the sound coming out of this set and played over my Oppo PM-1 headphones with no EQ.
So i think I'll keep it and I can't do comparisons and I am unsure about this "grainy voice" you're talking about.
Regards.
Thanks a lot for all that info.
Well, I got the complete package from AUNE : x5s, x8 and x7s.
I'm really pleased with it.
All I can say is I like the sound coming out of this set and played over my Oppo PM-1 headphones with no EQ.
So i think I'll keep it and I can't do comparisons and I am unsure about this "grainy voice" you're talking about.
Regards.
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Hi PenguinMusic,
That's a really nice package. It's what I had in mind for myself when I ordered the X8. Many people like the grain in voices and very detailed treble. It's perceived as bite. Others are sensitive to grain in a negative way and I'm in that group. The distinctions in this case are relatively subtle. There's not a bad DAC in the entire group I auditioned above. Aune could definitely give the pre-amp section more kick if it would output more than 2V peak (which is just line out level), with lots of headroom without clipping. That would mean using non-standard parts though (line out peak output at 2V with some clipping seems to be par for the course for Topping, Aune, SMSL and the other Chinese manufacturers). Even when using Topping or SMSL DACs as DACs with line out (not pre-amps), one is safer to run them in preamp mode with a -2dB or -4dB correction from max. The one disadvantage here is that one sees the dB level and not the sample rate (which one doesn't see on the X8 in any case or on my V90, neither of which have a screen, but which is very useful for experimenting with HD and DSD files).
These advanced and capable units cost low hundreds and not thousands so small idiosyncrasies are usually forgivable. I'm still looking for a pre-amp to replace my fading NAD C372 for the long haul. It looks like I might have to buy a dedicated NAD C165 to get the kind of sound I'm looking for. Outside of the much higher cost, a C165 with E30 would take up a lot more space on my desk than an Aune X8. Maybe I should have kept the X8!
That's a really nice package. It's what I had in mind for myself when I ordered the X8. Many people like the grain in voices and very detailed treble. It's perceived as bite. Others are sensitive to grain in a negative way and I'm in that group. The distinctions in this case are relatively subtle. There's not a bad DAC in the entire group I auditioned above. Aune could definitely give the pre-amp section more kick if it would output more than 2V peak (which is just line out level), with lots of headroom without clipping. That would mean using non-standard parts though (line out peak output at 2V with some clipping seems to be par for the course for Topping, Aune, SMSL and the other Chinese manufacturers). Even when using Topping or SMSL DACs as DACs with line out (not pre-amps), one is safer to run them in preamp mode with a -2dB or -4dB correction from max. The one disadvantage here is that one sees the dB level and not the sample rate (which one doesn't see on the X8 in any case or on my V90, neither of which have a screen, but which is very useful for experimenting with HD and DSD files).
These advanced and capable units cost low hundreds and not thousands so small idiosyncrasies are usually forgivable. I'm still looking for a pre-amp to replace my fading NAD C372 for the long haul. It looks like I might have to buy a dedicated NAD C165 to get the kind of sound I'm looking for. Outside of the much higher cost, a C165 with E30 would take up a lot more space on my desk than an Aune X8. Maybe I should have kept the X8!
velasfloyd
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Guys, you should do some blind tests and realize that all competent dacs sound the same... transparent... there are multiple threads with this kind of information. I guess if you are writing here is because you want to learn and scape from all the BS of headfi and other forums alike. Peace 
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Guys, you should do some blind tests and realize that all competent dacs sound the same... transparent... there are multiple threads with this kind of information. I guess if you are writing here is because you want to learn and scape from all the BS of headfi and other forums alike. Peace
If your ears are too poor to hear a difference between a Musical Fidelity V90 and a Topping D50s (they have very distinct sonic signatures), go ahead and buy any DAC. You can save a lot of money that way.
I'll help you out on the distinction: vocals recede on the D50s while bass lines and guitar are stronger. Probably if someone here wanted to really do some deep measurements that distinction could be captured. But the sonic measurements here are extremely limited – it's basically binary, is there noise or not. With no sonic characterisation of said noise, or heavens forbid, actual music. These primitive measurements have their use in flushing out audio frauds – any decent piece of equipment should be able to reach adequate performance against these measurements – but it does little to reveal the real winners.
I will grant you that it's challenging to distinguish between the D50s and Aune X8 or between the V90 and an E30. People who like measurements would prefer the D50s or the X8. People who like vocal music would prefer the V90/E30. The E30 in my opinion is the hidden gem among the plethora of inexpensive, but well-measuring DACs now flooding the market. On Mac OS drop an E30 at 192 kHz on USB and it almost always sounds good, without the need to change sample rate even on lower sample rate material (i.e. Spotify).
Indeed, there's no point in the Benchmark DAC either at $3000 as there's no difference between it and my E30. So why are you here chasing your tail?
I really don't understand crude people who cannot grasp the elementary concept that measurements matter and tonal quality matter. Do safety standards and fuel efficiency matter in automobiles? Yes. Does comfort, finish, performance matter in automobiles? Yes. The two are not mutually exclusive.
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velasfloyd
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With a properly controlled setup in a normal listening environment, with normal music, I'd bet a lot that it's more than challenging.
Claiming differences exist doesn't make them exist for anyone else. Claiming we are crude, bumbling morons who don't get it won't help.
Controlled tests would help. Absent that, it just becomes more of the same.,
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