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

[vonkenregen]

D means unbalanced.

Good! Is there a waiting list I can sign up to?

 

[IVX]

we already ordered opamps for a good price but not sure when will get that on the hands and how real that spot I'm not sure yet.

 

[vonkenregen]

Looking forward to it!

 

[alter4]

Are there any plans to release updated version of 9038S?

 

[staticV3]

Are there any plans to release updated version of 9038S?

at the moment, no.
this is still the most up to date version.
is there a particular new feature or improvement that you're hoping for?

 

[alter4]

I am thinking to buy but I don't want to be in a position when I buy today the goods and next day you see a new version is available.

What could be better? I don't know More power, usage as DAC for external amplifier, better capacitor for power filter.

 

[m8o]

I am thinking to buy but I don't want to be in a position when I buy today the goods and next day you see a new version is available.

What could be better? I don't know More power, usage as DAC for external amplifier, better capacitor for power filter.

Only to put your mind at ease, I think enhancements to this little beauty is at the point of diminishing returns. I certainly will agree, noone wants to buy something then find an updated version is released soon after. As for myself as an owner of the G3 I won't feel any remorse if a G4 is released, ever.

 

[pickyAudiophile]

is there a particular new feature or improvement that you're hoping for?

From my side it would be 4.4mm Pentaconn jack instead. How about that? It would be appreciated, at least by me.
- Well, there is that grounding issue once you make plans to hook it up to amplifiers instead of headphones from time to time. What I dislike is when designers leave that inner most ring of Pentaconn plug-jack unconnected to ground for no reason and you don't really know what you have there in front of you.

 

[staticV3]

@pickyAudiophile Thanks for your feedback! Afaik a 4.4mm Pentaconn version of the 9038S is not planned currently, though it has been requested a few times now.

@IVX what do you think? Too little demand to make it worthwhile?

 

[PeterM23]

I have a question about the 9038s Gen 3. I am a bit confused whether there is now only one model, two models, or 3 different models.

I ask, because I have seen "susumu" editions of the 9038s Gen 3 with 0.1% resistors:
- One is the "2000 edition"
- And the other the "3000 edition". I think the 3000 edition may have an added capacitor?


Is the 9038 Gen3 the same as the Susumu 2000 Edition? (Or is the Susumu 2000 Edition an upgrade from the 9038s Gen3?)

What difference is there in sound quality of the 3000 Edition?vrs the 2000 Edition ?

I'm sorry but I don't have access to discord to look up or ask there.

Thanks

​

 

[staticV3]

@PeterM23 there are two versions of the SG3 currently in production: Susumu 2000 and Susumu 3000. The difference is the amount of capacitance for 5V power filtering. See here.

The original SG3 without Susumu resistors we stopped selling about two years ago.

 

[sindri1980]

Hi everyone,

Will any of the upcoming E1DA products include a 10 band parametric EQ through the app maybe?
That would be such a killer feature, in my opinion

 

[Veri]

Hi everyone,

Will any of the upcoming E1DA products include a 10 band parametric EQ through the app maybe?
That would be such a killer feature, in my opinion

Did you check out powerDAC 2.1? It has 7-band controllable PEQ, IIRC.

 

[sindri1980]

Did you check out powerDAC 2.1? It has 7-band controllable PEQ, IIRC.

Right! The thing is that my usage would be mostly with headphones and for that I'd love to be able to input the 10 bands PEQ presets from Oratory and call it a day.
AFAIK, only the Qudelix 5k has that option but having a high performance desktop like device with that functionality would be great!

 

[PeterM23]

@PeterM23 there are two versions of the SG3 currently in production: Susumu 2000 and Susumu 3000. The difference is the amount of capacitance for 5V power filtering. See here.

The original SG3 without Susumu resistors we stopped selling about two years ago.

Thank you for the super fast reply!!!

 

[PeterNL]

Hi everyone,

Will any of the upcoming E1DA products include a 10 band parametric EQ through the app maybe?
That would be such a killer feature, in my opinion

I would like to see a 10 band PEQ too.

 

[nishan99]

Has anyone compared the noise resistance between the SG3 and the D model?
I know SE designs usually have better noise floor performance so I'm thinking about buying the new D6k model for sensitive IEMs like multi BAs and the Dunu Zen pro. My SG3 is too noisy for those application.

 

[theglobalelite]

Heads up that E1DA devices do not work on most Apple devices updated to iOS 17. I have a few iPhones and iPads that worked with the 9038 series on iOS 15 and 16, and all ceased to work on iOS 17. Keep your iDevices on iOS 16 if it's important for E1DA devices to work for you with them.

 

[d1m0n]

I can confirm this too. My 9038D dont work anymore after update to iOS 17 (iPhone 11 Pro). THX Onyx and Meizu Hifi Pro works fine.

 

[Veri]

Well that sucks..