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Review and Measurements of Speaka USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
OP
- Thread Starter
- #82
You guys with funny English accent are terrible!!!
Newegg has the XtreamPro for $32.99 shipped free.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...617&cm_re=xtrempro-_-9SIAGP07AA3617-_-Product
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...617&cm_re=xtrempro-_-9SIAGP07AA3617-_-Product
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Looks like the Prairie Dogs and other assorted rodents we have here in the States.
They make great targets for long range shooting practice.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #87
That's a good deal!
The xtrempro x1 is on amazon uk for £29.99.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/XtremPro-X1-USB-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B01FQHBDI4/
Sold by GCE XtremPro and Fulfilled by Amazon. Seems to be the cheapest on all the amazon european stores at the moment.
Would the step ups from this be the Fiio E10k and then the Topping D30 but the topping would need an additional headphone amp?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/XtremPro-X1-USB-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B01FQHBDI4/
Sold by GCE XtremPro and Fulfilled by Amazon. Seems to be the cheapest on all the amazon european stores at the moment.
Would the step ups from this be the Fiio E10k and then the Topping D30 but the topping would need an additional headphone amp?
OP
- Thread Starter
- #90
Thanks for the feedback. It is a great value in audio products.
Hi everyone, this is my first post, although I have been reading the forum for about a week now. I've decided to create an account because after lots of searches both here and elsewhere, I couldn't find a definitive answer to my doubt. I have a Superlux HD668B (the best I can afford here in Brazil) which I intend to use with my PS4 trough a dac/amp.
Though I did read that using the digital optical output is the most "reliable" option (due to cheap USB DAC's being somewhat unreliable), I could not find any good quality budget DAC's that had the port - at least none that compared to the quality offered by the XtremPro/Speaka. And so despite my initial budget being between 10~15 US$ (was going to pick something like this), after finding the "bargain of the century" I ended up almost going for this one. Now I say almost because I've read some concerning things about the Dragonfly Black not working properly with the PS4, and so I wonder if the XtremPro will also have the same issues reported, such as crackling sounds and low volume. Therefore, my question would be for any of you who knows a bit more than I do (I'm not even capable of understanding the measurements done in the review), do you have any insights on this matter?
Though I did read that using the digital optical output is the most "reliable" option (due to cheap USB DAC's being somewhat unreliable), I could not find any good quality budget DAC's that had the port - at least none that compared to the quality offered by the XtremPro/Speaka. And so despite my initial budget being between 10~15 US$ (was going to pick something like this), after finding the "bargain of the century" I ended up almost going for this one. Now I say almost because I've read some concerning things about the Dragonfly Black not working properly with the PS4, and so I wonder if the XtremPro will also have the same issues reported, such as crackling sounds and low volume. Therefore, my question would be for any of you who knows a bit more than I do (I'm not even capable of understanding the measurements done in the review), do you have any insights on this matter?
for $15 u don't have many options for optical. There are cheap SPDIF DACs on Aliexpress.
Try SMSL M3 - but it costs quite a bit more.
I have the same Superlux HD668B, they r decent but u will soon find that there are better ones (khe, AKG K7xx. khe).
I'd say - be patient, collect some money, buy better things.
Try SMSL M3 - but it costs quite a bit more.
I have the same Superlux HD668B, they r decent but u will soon find that there are better ones (khe, AKG K7xx. khe).
I'd say - be patient, collect some money, buy better things.
Jimster480
Major Contributor
There is a FiiO Taishan that uses SPDIF in your pricerange.
In 2016 Audioquest issued a press release warning of "counterfeit" Dragonfly 1.2 DACs. The 1.2 had already been discontinued by AQ, and the warning is no longer on their site but Stereophile reported on it with photos of the 1.2 and the Monoprice X1 (the supposed counterfeit).
As responders to the above article pointed out, the Monoprice might be a copy of the technology, but it is not counterfeit because there was no claim made that it was a Dragonfly.
What's more, while AQ claims the 1.2 was manufactured in Ohio, their photo of the genuine 1.2 shows the board imprinted with "Qinji", a major Chinese board manufacturer. Monoprice no longer sells the X1, and the press release is no longer on the AQ site. So who knows what happened.
The Xtrempro X1 variant is available on Newegg for $30.
As responders to the above article pointed out, the Monoprice might be a copy of the technology, but it is not counterfeit because there was no claim made that it was a Dragonfly.
What's more, while AQ claims the 1.2 was manufactured in Ohio, their photo of the genuine 1.2 shows the board imprinted with "Qinji", a major Chinese board manufacturer. Monoprice no longer sells the X1, and the press release is no longer on the AQ site. So who knows what happened.
The Xtrempro X1 variant is available on Newegg for $30.
I was just reading about that, how can I tell if my XtremPro X1 uses genuine/authentic ESS and TI chips?
Don't worry. They are almost certainly authentic. Audioquest charged that the Speaka/XtremPro/Monoprice/ was stealing their intellectual property from the Dragonfly 1.2...not that they were using fake chips.
No one has charged that their were fake Speaka/Xtrempro DACs, and the Speaka & Xtrempro's tested by Amir tested great.
So, authentic chips. Enjoy it!. I just ordered 1 from NewEgg.
If you look at the writing on the side by side chips, it looks kind of different on the X1 compared to the Dragonfly, almost like the job on the print is not as good: https://darko.audio/2016/11/monorice-1x-usb-dac-grand-theft-audio/
My point was that Amir tested the copy...the Speaka/Xtrempro, not the Dragonfly. If the copy tests GREAT, then most would not obsess about the printing on a chip. The $30 DAC you got performs great.
The Darko article you link to is way out of line. The Dragonfly 1.2 main board was clearly made in China by Qinji, not the USA. It is probably the case that some of the R/D and some or all of their software was made in the good ole USA...but their claim the Dragonfly DAC is USA made seems to be false. Perhaps the board was screwed into the plastic chassis in the USA. Personally, I do not care.
As far as I am concerned, if it was or was not someone else's intellectual property is for a court to decide. I am (and Darko is) nowhere sophisticated enough in copyright law to determine that.
However, if your goal is to get a genuine Dragonfly DAC....then the Speaka/Monoprice/Xtrempro is not that. Never claimed to be. My guess is you can the long discontinued Dragonfly 1.2 on eBay pretty cheap.
The Darko article you link to is way out of line. The Dragonfly 1.2 main board was clearly made in China by Qinji, not the USA. It is probably the case that some of the R/D and some or all of their software was made in the good ole USA...but their claim the Dragonfly DAC is USA made seems to be false. Perhaps the board was screwed into the plastic chassis in the USA. Personally, I do not care.
As far as I am concerned, if it was or was not someone else's intellectual property is for a court to decide. I am (and Darko is) nowhere sophisticated enough in copyright law to determine that.
However, if your goal is to get a genuine Dragonfly DAC....then the Speaka/Monoprice/Xtrempro is not that. Never claimed to be. My guess is you can the long discontinued Dragonfly 1.2 on eBay pretty cheap.
Oh no, my concern is if the chips were really made by ESS and TI and not fakes, since the article pointed out the board copying Dragonfly in some way, I figured that the DACs/amps would be too to reduce costs. I was asking around, since I didn't know how to determine if the chips were authentic manufacturer supplied ones.
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