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

[MaddogMcCree]

Yes, like this.

 

[staticV3]

That warning has always been present on the product page as well as the official AliExpress store.

If a 3rd party retailer forgot to include it in their product description, then IMO, that's on them.

BTW, this is not unique to the E1DA 9038S.

Every device with balanced headphone output (2.5mm, 3.5Pro, 4.4mm, 4pin XLR) can be killed with an adapter to single-ended.

 

[Roland68]

Dear all,
I am hoping for a quick reply on my thread here:

M

'My experience with Linsoul and the E1DA 9038S'

Aug 29, 2025

Dear all,

I am new to this forum but have been lurking for years. I have >15 headphones, a couple of SMSL-DACs and a couple of headphone amplifiers.
A recent ongoing experience with the E1DA 9038S DAC and in particular with its distributor Linsoul motivated me to write my first post, sorry for the negativity therein.

As a matter of fact, the E1DA 9038S was supposed to replace my Dragonfly for mobile use at laptop and smartphone.
So my wife ordered it as a birthday present. It arrived, but I could quickly tell that something is off.
I noticed an audibly low SNR with music. I tried...

• MaddogMcCree
• dealer defect e1da linsoul returned product
• Replies: 6
• Forum: DACs, Streamers, Servers, Players, Audio Interface

• 

It may well be that I destroyed my E1DA9038S by using an adapter from 2.5mm to 3.5mm...
Would have been helpful to have stated a warning somewhere.

However, the seller seems to have a very fair refund policy, in case that their claim is correct.
I am not an electrical engineer so I appreciate your help on this matter.
Thanks!

This cannot be blamed on the manufacturer of the device.
Cables and adapters that convert 3-pole headphone jacks to 4-pole jacks have been available for some time. These should never be connected to true balanced jacks, as this could cause damage.
These cables are intended exclusively for devices that are SE-only but have a 4-pole jack.

 

[MaddogMcCree]

I stand corrected and genuinely thank you for the explanations!

 

[CedarX]

Every device with balanced headphone output (2.5mm, 3.5Pro, 4.4mm, 4pin XLR) can be killed with an adapter to single-ended.

I have started to notice more recommendations (Head-Fi…) that 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapters are “safe to use”. This is based on the assumption that the adapter wires the common “return” on the 3.5 SE side is wired to the “ground” of the 4.4mm Pentacon connector…

I would still put it in the bad idea bucket, unless you’ve done some preliminary verifications.

 

[Roland68]

I have started to notice more recommendations (Head-Fi…) that 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapters are “safe to use”. This is based on the assumption that the adapter wires the common “return” on the 3.5 SE side is wired to the “ground” of the 4.4mm Pentacon connector…

I would still put it in the bad idea bucket, unless you’ve some preliminary verifications.

Do such people also take responsibility for this?

With a Balanced HPA you have a completely separate amplifier on each side with separate positive and negative potential to ground.
The ground potential is irrelevant, as it's not connected to the headphones, or only to the cable shielding.
With an adapter to SE, both negative potentials are shorted to ground. Who would think that's a good idea?

Something else, and perfectly acceptable, are very rarely used 4-pole 3.5mm adapters, which don't have the unnecessary ground, just like the 4-pole balanced 2.5mm plugs/jacks.

 

[CedarX]

Do such people also take responsibility for this?

With a Balanced HPA you have a completely separate amplifier on each side with separate positive and negative potential to ground.
The ground potential is irrelevant, as it's not connected to the headphones, or only to the cable shielding.
With an adapter to SE, both negative potentials are shorted to ground. Who would think that's a good idea?

Something else, and perfectly acceptable, are very rarely used 4-pole 3.5mm adapters, which don't have the unnecessary ground, just like the 4-pole balanced 2.5mm plugs/jacks.

Some of these 3.5mm SE female to 4.4mm Bal. male are wired “safely”: the common SE return is connected to the extra ground of the 4.4 Pentacon connector. Worse case, they don’t work, but they shouldn’t harm anything. The problem is you have no visual clue on how the adapter is actually wired—as you say, it may short the L-/R- together instead. And I don’t think the Pentacon “ground” is necessarily the same as a common SE “return” (can be a floating return).
There are also those devices where the 4.4mm output is for convenience and are effectively SE: they are safe as well.

But that’s off topic and is not applicable to the 9038S/9039S dongles. I was just mentioning why this question comes back more often!

 

[IVX]

Well, usually a user asks me: Is it ok that the DAC is getting very hot in 2 mins? After that, I ask about the adapter, and if the adapter was connected, I explain the mistake and offer to change the headphone cable for a balanced one. In 99% cases, DACs survive and are ready to correct work. If you let the DAC be overheated, the DAC is probably dead.

 

[rinderkappajoe]

No it's not fine. Your DAC and Amp have to share the same ground. The otherwise resulting ground potential could seriously damage the DAC. the thing is that the 9038S doesn't have a ground contact like a normal, balanced DAC has (3rd pin of a 3pin XLR jack), so to get ground from the 9038S, you need to "tap into" the USB cable connected to it. Then you can take that ground and put it on the XLR pin. Only then is safe operation possible.

"Different than the other modes"
The 9038S G3 and 9038D no longer have any regular modes like IEM mode and SE Tube mode. These have become obsolete with the addition of HW volume and the upcoming Tweak App. The only mode that remains is Home DAC mode on the 9038D. In this mode the DAC is optimized for close to no load, i.e. very high input impedance of normal Amps.

Hey there,

Sorry for digging out this old post but maybe it will help others or at least prevent damage on my side.

A few days ago i got 9038S GEN3 (love it!!!!) and did not know that its not safe amping it....so i did.

I amped it fully balanced with my A50III and it worked like a charm for many hours.....the DAC barely got warm....Not even handwarm i'd say....so i assume this is normal working temperature and nothing indicated a potential problem.

Yesterday i found these old posts and that amp and DAC have to share the same ground.
Let me explain my scenario:

I listen on the couch quite far away from the computer, therefore i run a Long USB cable to the Couch for the DAC. This is a powered USB Cable with an external PSU plugged into the wall.
Both, amp and powered USB cable share the same wall socket (ground) so it is safe?

I am not a tech guy at all an funnily that Idea came to me while dreaming about it last night

Please Tell me i can keep using it in this scenario! *Fingers crossed*

 

[rinderkappajoe]

@IVX Would you be so kind and maybe help me with this question?

 

[IVX]

hm, hard to say but if it's not hot and works with no hum noise, I guess no problem.

 

[rinderkappajoe]

hm, hard to say but if it's not hot and works with no hum noise, I guess no problem.

Wow cool, as long as it's Not a clear "NO!" from your side I think I'm Just gonna keep on trying and report back after a while!
If it breaks I'd buy 9038D within a heartbeat.
Thanks for the reply!

 

[IVX]

The best way to get GND is a crocodile-clamp from the DAC's USB-C shield.