Peavey USB-P Review (Balanced DAC)

[amirm]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Peavey USB-P balanced DAC. It was kindly purchased by a member and drop shipped to me for testing. The retail cost us US $79 but it is on Amazon for US $49.75. And for sale currently with a couple for $4.95 bringing the cost to around $45.

The enclosure and connectivity seems surprisingly nice for this price point:

It even has nice stereo/mono which can come in handy at times. Back panel shows the balanced XLR connections which are transformer coupled and hence provide full "galvanic" isolation:

Unit is self-powered with the USB connection and works plug and play with Windows.

There are some 227 reviews on Amazon with average of 4.5 stars. Just about everyone had a ground loop/buzz/hum that they could not get rid of and were ecstatic when the USB-P did the job.

Peavey USB-P Measurements
I was quite surprised by the results of our dashboard measurement:

My expectation is 4 volts output. Even when companies miss this, they don't usually sink so low to just 0.5 volts output. I looked up the spec and the unit is only rated to -9 dBu which translates to even less (0.28 volts). Maybe that is measuring one leg of the balanced output. Regardless, what we have is correct then. You better crank up the gain on your preamplifier to get enough volume out of this DAC.

Regular readers know that this type of distortion & noise as combined in SINAD score ranks poorly in our book:

I measured the signal to noise ratio and despite the low output, the result wasn't half bad:

I don't think we need to keep going.

Conclusions
The very low output level of the USB-P and high distortion (likely due to the transformer output) objectively puts it at the bottom of the barrel for high fidelity use. However, if you have a practical application in the field for example and are plagued by ground loops, this cheap device will do the job for you. After all, the best specs in the world won't save you if there is audible hum and buzz. Then again, balanced output should be very immune to such and spending another $100 will get you an excellent one.

I can't recommend the Peavey USB-P as an objective matter. But per above, for practice uses, it may get you out of a bad situation.

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

Even though it was just two of us this year, we decided to go ahead and make Thanksgiving Turkey with all the trimmings. As prepared as my wife is for such things, she forgot to buy bread to make stuffing. So she decided to make a quick, 1-hour rolls to then cut up to use for that. I was shocked how nice the rolls came out:

They would melt in your mouth and ware great as is! Hard to imagine it went from flour to this in one hour!!!

Any donations are appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

 

[LTig]

I agree with the conclusion. Using this as a tool to get rid of hum makes a lot of sense. Hum is certainly audibly worse than 0.02% THD.

 

[daftcombo]

Nice review Amir.
For around 100$ one can get a Focusrite Solo with balanced output, volume knob and great performance.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Amir, could you please open this one? Does it actually have transformers?

 

[Veri]

Amir, could you please open this one? Does it actually have transformers?

It definitely seems to be using some transformer coupled output.. shame about the low output voltage. Thanks for the test, @amirm

 

[restorer-john]

What is with the 38Hz spike?

 

[Doodski]

I was excited to see what @amirm drove 700 miles for and this is definitely not that.

 

[Francis Vaughan]

Not surprised. Transformers of any useful quality would blow the BOM of this totally out of the water. Transformers are something there is no Moore's Law for, and they just get more expensive over time. I think that if you need galvanic isolation you are going to have to bite the bullet. Either take the hit on distortion, or accept that there is a serious whack going onto the BOM, and a commensurate impost onto the retail.
In reality this level of distortion isn't historically all that bad. It is just that we now reasonably expect much better.

 

[DuxServit]

The Pink Panther looks Peaveyd

 

[Helicopter]

...
I don't think we need to keep going...

Thanks for the review Amir. I am glad you didn't skimp on dinner. I just used converted rice in my stuffing. It was a hit.

 

[Ajax]

Hey Amir,

I just made a donation and you reward me with a review of a product worth less than what I donated!

This is my second contribution in 2 years and I would encourage others to do the same, as after 40 years pursuing hi-fidelity excellence I find this site invaluable. Irrespective of whether you have $1k or $10k to spend on a system you will quickly learn what to purchase if your goal is to find products that provide good sound AND value.

To continue to improve and achieve excellence in any form of human endeavour you must measure, whether it be the time for an athlete to complete 100 metres, a golf pro, the lap time of a Formula 1 car or the profit of a business - you have to know "the score" to determine the level of performance. You can then admire the stride of the athlete, the swing of the golf pro or the style of the car, but if it does not perform in the first place then it is irrelevant.

The no BS approach of ASR is exactly what has been missing from an industry swamped by subjective opinions, that at the end of the day tell you very little about the performance of a piece of gear.

Keep up the good work Amir.

 

[anmpr1]

In the context of what it is supposed to do, and at its price point, it could be exactly what is required. A laptop connected to a portable PA. Given this product's intended use, SOA D/A conversion is not what anyone expects, or likely cares about. Instead, they are looking for a fast, cheap, solid, lo to no noise solution.

Unlike 'subjective' comments in reviews (soundstage, pace and timing, air around the notes etc.), user comments mostly concentrate on ease of use and its ability to offer a low noise 'solution' for next to nothing dollars.

Could Peavey (or whomever actually makes this) have put together something with 'better' specs for the same price? That is probably be the only question that is relevant, from an absolute point of view.

 

[GDK]

Even though it was just two of us this year, we decided to go ahead and make Thanksgiving Turkey with all the trimmings. As prepared as my wife is for such things, she forgot to buy bread to make stuffing. So she decided to make a quick, 1-hour rolls to then cut up to use for that. I was shocked how nice the rolls came out:

Can I get the recipe for those rolls?

 

[Francis Vaughan]

Could Peavey (or whomever actually makes this) have put together something with 'better' specs for the same price? That is probably be the only question that is relevant, from an absolute point of view.

This is a very good point. It does exactly what it says in the tin, and for the money there is zero chance you could find anything that does it better. Sure, it isn't something for the audiophile looking for the last drop of performance via balanced output. It never set out to be that product nor does it claim to be. Used for the purpose it is designed for this hits nearly every target. Except for output voltage swing there is little to complain about. A bigger swing was probably going to uncover the limitations in the transformer used and require an upgrade that would have blown the BOM and target market. Done right you would be looking at a few hundred dollars in transformers alone. Talk to the nice people at Lundhal or Jensen.

 

[anmpr1]

Done right you would be looking at a few hundred dollars in transformers alone. Talk to the nice people at Lundhal or Jensen.

Yes indeed. If I may make a journalistic analogy between reviews. It sort of reminds of Car and Driver when they'd test mini vans. You'd read something like: "Well, it does hold an awful lot of people, suitcases and other stuff, but 0 to 60 is not there, on the skid pad it's pathetic, and you just can't drift it in the snow." LOL

 

[thefsb]

I got rid of mine on CL a while ago. In terms of simplicity it's in a class of its own and the build is solid. Suitable for a PA or installation application where there's no chance of or need for high audio quality.

 

[Xyrium]

It definitely seems to be using some transformer coupled output.. shame about the low output voltage. Thanks for the test, @amirm

Shame it's not a step up xformer on each side...

 

[GimeDsp]

Thanks for this Review Amir, I always wondered how these stacked up against the cheaper usb intefaces.
The main use for the Peavey USB P is for backround music in a pro audio set up. It's the type of device a sound company has 10 of and they go to each event. In the pro-sound field simplicity is important. A usb interface has gain controls and more things to change. This is simple and you don't need to worry about a gain knob being bumped, borken, or changed, also mono output on the box itself is a good feature where channel use is important in a mixer(say for a small show that has a 16 channel or less mixer).
A good Transformer isolated DI starts at around $100 so a USB DAC and a transformer for $50 means it will probably be at the bottom of performance.

I know in larger transformer splitters that the isolated outputs are usually around 6-10db lower than the passthrough, I just don't the reason for the loss.

 

[abdo123]

Thanks for this Review Amir, I always wondered how these stacked up against the cheaper usb intefaces.
The main use for the Peavey USB P is for backround music in a pro audio set up. It's the type of device a sound company has 10 of and they go to each event. In the pro-sound field simplicity is important. A usb interface has gain controls and more things to change. This is simple and you don't need to worry about a gain knob being bumped, borken, or changed, also mono output on the box itself is a good feature where channel use is important in a mixer(say for a small show that has a 16 channel or less mixer).
A good Transformer isolated DI starts at around $100 so a USB DAC and a transformer for $50 means it will probably be at the bottom of performance.

I know in larger transformer splitters that the isolated outputs are usually around 6-10db lower than the passthrough, I just don't the reason for the loss.

Can’t you just use a dongle for this sort of thing? Even the Apple dongle has 96 SINAD

 

[amirm]

Can I get the recipe for those rolls?

It is from the book, "Bread in half the time," page 153 with the title of, "rich dinner rolls in an hour." It is by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts.