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NEOHIPO DC10 Stereo DAC Review

Rate this budget DAC:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 9 5.4%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 94 56.3%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 64 38.3%

  • Total voters
    167

amirm

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This is a review and detailed measurements of the NEOHIPO DC10 budget stereo DAC. It was sent to me by the company and is on sale for US $48. Suggested retail price is $80.
DC10 NEOHIPO Stereo USB DAC SPDIF Digital review.jpg

The two switches feel solid and frankly all that is needed in a simple DAC. Back panel follows the same rule:
DC10 NEOHIPO Stereo USB DAC SPDIF Digital back panel coax toslink review.jpg


Let's measure it to see how it performs.

If you are not familiar with my tests, please watch this tutorial on DAC Measurements:

NEOHIPO DC10 DAC Measurements
The DAC seems to advertise itself as a "dongle" class USB audio which means that my analyzer can't correctly drive it. But standard media players can and that is how I tested it with Roon. Testing is limited to static signals but I think they are good enough to get a good sense of DC10 performance starting with our dashboard:

DC10 NEOHIPO Stereo USB DAC SPDIF Digital measurements.png

Distortion is below threshold of hearing. Noise combines with it to deliver a competent SINAD:

Best cheap budget stereo dac review.png


If you look a few lines above it, you will find DACs costing thousands of dollars!

As noted, noise contributes to SINAD but taken in context, it easily clears the 16 bit barrier:
DC10 NEOHIPO Stereo USB DAC SPDIF Digital DNR measurements.png


There are some interference patterns in jitter test but their amplitude is below threshold of hearing once again:
DC10 NEOHIPO Stereo USB DAC SPDIF Digital Jitter measurements.png


Conclusions
The DC10 seems to be built around what we normally find in a competent dongle but comes in a proper enclosure with richer connectivity. Yet it costs lower than high-end dongles. In my book, that is pretty good. We are talking the price of two fast food meals for two!

I am going to recommend the NEOHIPO DC10 stereo DAC.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
 
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This is where DACs should have gone all along:

- Price reduction while maintaining transparency
or
- More features for the same price if it's an expensive gear (multichannel, proprietary decoding like dolby/DTS, EQ, advanced channel settings like delay/levels/phase)

Glad that the first one is achieved here, and honestly, there is barely any reason to get a more expensive DAC, let's be honest.
 
This is where DACs should have gone all along:

- Price reduction while maintaining transparency
or
- More features for the same price if it's an expensive gear (multichannel, proprietary decoding like dolby/DTS, EQ, advanced channel settings like delay/levels/phase)

Glad that the first one is achieved here, and honestly, there is barely any reason to get a more expensive DAC, let's be honest.
Amazing,

Looks like we're really living in the "golden years" of (digital) audio at the moment, and then to think that some 10-11 years ago I was seriously considering (for a shortwhile) to buy a then top notch DAC from Luxman which was in Japan (Yen >converted to Euro) around 4500 Euro, but here in Holland close to 6000 Euro,
suffice to say that i'm happy that I was a poor bastard and just couldn't afford it:D
 
This is a review and detailed measurements of the NEOHIPO DC10 budget stereo DAC. It was sent to me by the company and is on sale for US $48.
View attachment 395055
The two switches feel solid and frankly all that is needed in a simple DAC. Back panel follows the same rule:
View attachment 395056

Let's measure it to see how it performs.

If you are not familiar with my tests, please watch this tutorial on DAC Measurements:

NEOHIPO DC10 DAC Measurements
The DAC seems to advertise itself as a "dongle" class USB audio which means that my analyzer can't correctly drive it. But standard media players can and that is how I tested it with Roon. Testing is limited to static signals but I think they are good enough to get a good sense of DC10 performance starting with our dashboard:

View attachment 395057
Distortion is below threshold of hearing. Noise combines with it to deliver a competent SINAD:

View attachment 395058

If you look a few lines above it, you will find DACs costing thousands of dollars!

As noted, noise contributes to SINAD but taken in context, it easily clears the 16 bit barrier:
View attachment 395059

There are some interference patterns in jitter test but their amplitude is below threshold of hearing once again:
View attachment 395060

Conclusions
The DC10 seems to be built around what we normally find in a competent dongle but comes in a proper enclosure with richer connectivity. Yet it costs lower than high-end dongles. In my book, that is pretty good. We are talking the price of two fast food meals for two!

I am going to recommend the NEOHIPO DC10 stereo DAC.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
What a nice, honest little box! Any chance you could show us the internals? It would be fun to see if there really is a dongle in there. :)
 
Amazing.
 
Damn I would so love to see this little DAC included in a blind test of DACs using Darko and a dozen or so of the other clowns that pollute YouTube as evaluators.
 
Built around a ES9028Q2M… Not even the “latest/greatest” DAC chip around…
Not their latest, but on paper specs still one of ESS' best SINAD-capable. The 'Q'-chips are designed for 2-channel applications where low power consumption is a consideration, like dongles. Used in several excellent measuring desktop DACs as well. Not a slouch in any way, IMO.
 
Amir, usually you measure more, like linearity, multitone, IMM etc. Not here?
"The DAC seems to advertise itself as a "dongle" class USB audio which means that my analyzer can't correctly drive it. But standard media players can and that is how I tested it with Roon. Testing is limited to static signals but I think they are good enough to get a good sense of DC10 performance starting with our dashboard:" ;-)
 
For $50, hard to beat, just get a chip amp with a volume control like the Fosi V3 for $110 and you're in business with a two channel 90 watt DAC/Amp for $160 with very acceptable sound, particularly on a budget.

It's getting so that we're really getting to pick a wide variety of electronics fully capable of competently sourcing and powering high end systems for $100-500. So it's not only possible to power those second hand Revels, Kefs, Philharmonics, for cheap, but to take your pick on how you want to do it with a wide variety of gear from Topping, Fosi, Aiyima, et al.

As always, great review, Amir.
 
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