Paul_B
Member
The SMSL M8A with ES9038qm2 was delivered about 5 hours ago (as of posting), so about as many hours use so far...
Installation was straight forward. Downloaded & installed the new v4.47 XMOS drivers, plugged in the M8A DAC. Selected it in Foobar2K and started listening to music... easy! The new software says its the M8A v3...
Audio chain: Windows 10 Home 64bit (1803) > Foobar2K > SMSL M8A (USB) > "The Wire" SE-SE headphone amp > Sennheiser HD650
Filters: Minimum phase slow roll off & Standard
First impressions:
I'll start by saying that I've got well over 4000hrs use out of the ODAC > The Wire > HD650 combo, so am quite familiar with that sound. The thought of replacing the ODAC with the SMSL M8A v3 (or any other DAC) had me a little worried initially. The Objective DAC is supposed to perform at the threshold of what we can realistically perceive audibly, so would I be able to hear any difference with the M8A ... Yes and No.
No, but in a good way ... with the selected filters, the overall tone is the same as the ODAC. For me, all I'm hearing is the tonal signature of the HD650 headphones.
Yes ... No night and day difference, however, the M8A is definitely presenting more detail from my 'ripped from CD' collection of 16/44.1 WAV files. The sound stage and imaging have improved, it's easier to follow instruments and hear their individual voicing. Overall, just cleaner and clearer all the way through, from the low lows to sparkly highs...
Quantifying it as a percentage - 15%, maybe 20% improvement from the ODAC.
My initial worried thoughts of getting another, more expensive DAC, have been firmly laid to rest in a very short time. The M8A is about double the price the ODAC, but I think it's worth it...
Next will be a new set of Headphones ... some MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Closed
Installation was straight forward. Downloaded & installed the new v4.47 XMOS drivers, plugged in the M8A DAC. Selected it in Foobar2K and started listening to music... easy! The new software says its the M8A v3...
Audio chain: Windows 10 Home 64bit (1803) > Foobar2K > SMSL M8A (USB) > "The Wire" SE-SE headphone amp > Sennheiser HD650
Filters: Minimum phase slow roll off & Standard
First impressions:
I'll start by saying that I've got well over 4000hrs use out of the ODAC > The Wire > HD650 combo, so am quite familiar with that sound. The thought of replacing the ODAC with the SMSL M8A v3 (or any other DAC) had me a little worried initially. The Objective DAC is supposed to perform at the threshold of what we can realistically perceive audibly, so would I be able to hear any difference with the M8A ... Yes and No.
No, but in a good way ... with the selected filters, the overall tone is the same as the ODAC. For me, all I'm hearing is the tonal signature of the HD650 headphones.
Yes ... No night and day difference, however, the M8A is definitely presenting more detail from my 'ripped from CD' collection of 16/44.1 WAV files. The sound stage and imaging have improved, it's easier to follow instruments and hear their individual voicing. Overall, just cleaner and clearer all the way through, from the low lows to sparkly highs...
Quantifying it as a percentage - 15%, maybe 20% improvement from the ODAC.
My initial worried thoughts of getting another, more expensive DAC, have been firmly laid to rest in a very short time. The M8A is about double the price the ODAC, but I think it's worth it...
Next will be a new set of Headphones ... some MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Closed