Measurements of "USB Mini Portable DAC Decoder amp HIFI Fever Sound Card SA9023A + ES9018K2M"

[Arnold Krueger]

Measurements of "USB Mini Portable DAC Decoder amp HIFI Fever Sound Card SA9023A + ES9018K2M" The measurement device was a M-Audio Microtrack. There is an attached ZIP file containing the full test results in PDF format.

Note There is a test of what appears to be a superior audio device based on the same digital recorder elsewhere on the Forum. The UUT for that test was a FIIO X1 ii.

 

[amirm]

Arny, thanks for posting these but what is the reason for the 24 kHz test?

 

[Arnold Krueger]

Arny, thanks for posting these but what is the reason for the 24 kHz test?

J-test which is defined as a sequence of samples, so if you want that particular pattern of samples at a higher sample rate, the resulting carrier is naturally higher.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Looks like it may have a slightly elevated noise floor if all your graphs are 64K FFTs. Maybe -85 dbFS for the 20 khz band?

 

[Arnold Krueger]

Looks like it may have a slightly elevated noise floor if all your graphs are 64K FFTs. Maybe -85 dbFS for the 20 khz band?

Some clues in the doc suggest that maybe the default RMA 6.4.1 FFT size is 16K. The FFT was recently upgraded to do more if you run it stand-alone and ask for more. Potentially helpful trick: You can run the RMAA FFT in real time if you run it in setup mode. Nothing says that you have to route the RMAA test signal to the UUT. I run it this say often with some digital player playing a test signal of my choosing and routed to the UUT input.

In most real world testing I use RMAA in file mode, not real time mode.

Cool Edit statistics put the USB audio device unweighted noise floor @ about FS -95 dB in a 20-20 KHz band, second order roll-offs at each end. That is reasonably close to the Rightmark numbers. The observed performance is OK, but not world-shaking. For $30 - no complaints. I do wonder if the chips inside are genuine.

 

[f3rmion]

Hi, thanks a lot for your review. I'm currently using KZ-ES4 earphones. Would you recommend this as a first DAC/Amp for a beginner over something like FiiO K1 or a modern desktop or smartphone onboard audio solution ? Thanks.

 

[amirm]

Hi, thanks a lot for your review. I'm currently using KZ-ES4 earphones. Would you recommend this as a first DAC/Amp for a beginner over something like FiiO K1 or a modern desktop or smartphone onboard audio solution ? Thanks.

Unfortunately Arny sadly passed away a few months ago. So he won't be able to answer you.

 

[f3rmion]

Unfortunately Arny sadly passed away a few months ago. So he won't be able to answer you.

I'm sorry.

 

[amirm]

No worries. It is good thing that people are interested in what he did even after his passing.

Member @Jimster480 has a K1 so perhaps he can comment on your question.

I have reviewed the Fiio Q1 here: https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...-mark-ii-portable-dac-and-headphone-amp.4074/

 

[Jimster480]

What is your budget @f3rmion?
I still use my K1 on every trip I go on... I don't find that it has a problem driving my 1More Triple driver over ear, any of my IEM's or even my Oppo PM-2/mrspeakers Aeon (volume can be a problem on these Planars if you really like it to be super loud with bass).

For its price, I personally love it and I have no experience with this little mini amp measured here.

But if your budget is higher and you want something with an analog volume control, there are other options such as the Q1 that @amirm mentioned.

 

[f3rmion]

What is your budget @f3rmion?
I still use my K1 on every trip I go on... I don't find that it has a problem driving my 1More Triple driver over ear, any of my IEM's or even my Oppo PM-2/mrspeakers Aeon (volume can be a problem on these Planars if you really like it to be super loud with bass).

For its price, I personally love it and I have no experience with this little mini amp measured here.

But if your budget is higher and you want something with an analog volume control, there are other options such as the Q1 that @amirm mentioned.

Thanks for replying, My budget is 40ish and for that the FiiO K1 indeed looks like a perfect choice but I was thinking maybe I could get something better for the same price on Aliexpress. Analog volume control is not required, I will be using it on my PC.