Review and Measurements of E1DA 9038S BAL Portable DAC & Amp

[IVX]

Now, I think, you can guess why Meizu 50mm tail makes crosstalk -50db, try to imagine what happens after 3m of your cables
BTW, if 9038D has -82db@32ohm, hence, at 600ohm it will be -108db, because it is R/R phenomenon up to -135db.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Really glad to see the 9038D in production!
I finally got my 9038S G3 today after about 40 days, due to shipping delays. But it was worth the wait.
It can drive my Hifiman Sundara extremely well with power to spare, much better than the FiiO Q1 mkii. The Q1 mkii often jumps to 100% volume after not playing anything for a while. The 9038S G3 doesn't have that problem, it lowers the volume right away at the start. I really like that feature!

 

[Veri]

Congrats, @IVX!!

 

[Jimbob54]

E1DA 9038D is available on sale now. I saw that it is available on online stores.

https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/e1da-9038d-latest-portable-usb-dac-amp-announced
https://hifigo.com/products/e1da-9038d-usb-headphone-amp-3-5mm-jack-unbalanced-output-dac-hpa

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001559736630.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.2.6499175eVG5OUa

https://www.tokopedia.com/kupingkalengid/e1da-9038d-dac-3-5mm-se

It's funny how I am rushing to announce this, while just being a buyer .

Lol, Ivan can breathe easy on the Discord channel . When I was active on that, I had read many, many times people asking him when 9038D will be released.
Static - congrats to you too, since you were involved in testing.

Put my order in an hour ago.

Hopefully the next questions to him will be"when is it back in stock? "

 

[wiz2596]

E1DA 9038D is available on sale now. I saw that it is available on online stores.

https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/e1da-9038d-latest-portable-usb-dac-amp-announced
https://hifigo.com/products/e1da-9038d-usb-headphone-amp-3-5mm-jack-unbalanced-output-dac-hpa

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001559736630.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.2.6499175eVG5OUa

https://www.tokopedia.com/kupingkalengid/e1da-9038d-dac-3-5mm-se

It's funny how I am rushing to announce this, while just being a buyer .

Lol, Ivan can breathe easy on the Discord channel . When I was active on that, I had read many, many times people asking him when 9038D will be released.
Static - congrats to you too, since you were involved in testing.

Send one to @amirm to test out

 

[IVX]

Guys, I'll send, don't worry, just too busy these days. OEM doesn't want to assemble 500pcs again, so I have to assemble 50pcs/day. And test too.
Actually, I hope Tweak app will be ready soon, and I wish Amir may try that too. That app offers unique ES9038Q2M control.

 

[tifune]

Guys, I'll send, don't worry, just too busy these days. OEM doesn't want to assemble 500pcs again, so I have to assemble 50pcs/day. And test too.
Actually, I hope Tweak app will be ready soon, and I wish Amir may try that too. That app offers unique ES9038Q2M control.

On the 9038D web page, you state the following:

Warning: 9038D contains a high-sensitive I/V stage that may cause audible noise when your phone uses LTE 4G, 5g. Some newest hardware may have issues like "stuttering" with USB3(Macbook pro 2020, MS Sufrrase 2020, Lenovo Carbone 2020, Acer SF313-52-71Y7 2020). USB audio-bridge manufacturer was informed about that and we expecting the FW solution.

Is the firmware update expected to fix both the LTE/5G noise and the stuttering, or just the stuttering? I have the 9038S Gen2 and I've since left it in my home office because the LTE noise was so painful to my ears, but I understand that was fixed in the Gen3 so I'm surprised it shows up in the 9038D

Otherwise an awesome achievement! I actually sold my BEnchmark DAC2 and simply use the 9038S now, I can't tell any difference at all.

 

[IVX]

Stuttering is another issue, I hope Comtrue will fix it because not only my products suffering with that as I know. And actually, not only Comtrue USB audio-bridge has a problem with the newest USB3 hosts.

 

[tifune]

Stuttering is another issue, I hope Comtrue will fix it because not only my products suffering with that as I know. And actually, not only Comtrue USB audio-bridge has a problem with the newest USB3 hosts.

Then the new firmware is meant to fix only the stuttering? Sorry I can't quite make it out from your reply

 

[IVX]

FW can fix only stuttering, LTE buzzing impossible to fix with FW.

 

[XeCutor]

Regarding the bundles the 9038D comes with, what is meant for what? Would the USB C-C cable be meant for either a computer or a phone with USB-C connection or would a phone require a host-cable? What connectors are on the host cable?

Do you have any plans for a 9038D special (susumu) edition too?

 

[IVX]

9038D uses Susumu resistors already, and 4000uF power rail filter, so, it is the top already. Regarding bundles, pleas ask Sunny in our Aliexpress, I have no idea.

 

[somy]

Why everything is more expensive here in eu?

 

[staticV3]

Static, kindly advise us here. 9038D has OTG cable as one option also (Bundle 3). Whats the purpose? Is this for phones without type C ports?

The Y-splitter has two functions:
OTG: if you want to use a DAC that needs OTG (like the PDv2), then you can use this cable to connect it to your Android phone. The 9038S G3 and 9038D have no need for OTG, but the Y-splitter will still work with them of course.
Splitting Power and Data:
If you want to preserve your phone's battery life by providing power to the DAC externally, then you can use this cable to do so.
However, the splitter must be modified slightly to ensure that it is working correctly. Out of the box, the data part of the cable (Type C male to Type A female) still has power lines going through it. That means that even if you plug the power end (Type A male to Type A female) into a powerbank, there's a good chance that your phone will still supply power to the DAC and not the powerbank. In the worst case, your phone can even start charging the powerbank.
To avoid this, you must sever the power wire inside the data cable.

 

[somy]

Anybody who uses 9038s with Hifiman Sundara/Ananda? Is it good match? Thanks

 

[DivineCurrent]

Anybody who uses 9038s with Hifiman Sundara/Ananda? Is it good match? Thanks

Yeah, I'm using the 9038S G3 with the Sundara, I'm really surprised by the amount of power it puts out. Sure it doesn't outperform my RME ADI-2 DAC, but it's still really powerful especially for it's size.

 

[somy]

Yeah, I'm using the 9038S G3 with the Sundara, I'm really surprised by the amount of power it puts out. Sure it doesn't outperform my RME ADI-2 DAC, but it's still really powerful especially for it's size.

Ok, as I understand Sundara needs high current. It sounds like you like the sound so the combination is a go I guess?

 

[staticV3]

Ok, as I understand Sundara needs high current. It sounds like you like the sound so the combination is a go I guess?

The Sundara needs 43.2mA to reach 110dB, 76.7 for 115. That is not a lot.

 

[JustAnandaDourEyedDude]

Yeah, I'm using the 9038S G3 with the Sundara, I'm really surprised by the amount of power it puts out. Sure it doesn't outperform my RME ADI-2 DAC, but it's still really powerful especially for it's size.

Ok, as I understand Sundara needs high current. It sounds like you like the sound so the combination is a go I guess?

Would not a balanced cable be needed for the Sundara to use is with the #9038S G3?

 

[IVX]

JustAnandaDourEyedDude #9038S G3 has balanced output ONLY, no any adapters please, you can kill the DAC.