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Review and Measurements of Speaka USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier

I heard some kind of strange emi noise that is sometimes a problem I encounter during chipset and wifi activity with some budget android phones, and causes this weird faint background squealing/hissing/interference sound at times, it was almost like the device was randomly picking up sounds from my motherboard or some external noise out of nowhere, and it never happened before, so I am afraid this thing is dying already. lol
 
Yep, I was right, the Monoprice X1 appeared to be using a fake ES9023, look at that slanted E and overall horrible markings:

fakees9023.PNG


The newer Speaka and XtremPro X1s (assumingly) on the other hand appear to be using authentic chips:

real9023.PNG



Here's an article with an explanation: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/how-to-spot-counterfeit-electronic-components/
 
I didn't see it anywhere but can this be used as fixed line level out to an amp?
 
you can try. but with 15 bits resolution it is not very good DAC. 18bit should be bare minimum. Topping D30 seems to have that.
 
amirm said:
That's a good deal!
Click to expand...
Been 8 months since last post. Is it still a good deal at $30 compared to Apple dongle and now:
Samsung USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter for Note10 and Note10+ (US Version with Warranty) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VF6NSZZ/

Amirm - any chance we could see a quick Dashboard with the new analyzer for a comparison? Maybe a IMD frequency sweep for ESS hump?

Really curious if this thing breaks 100 - or is in the 80s, given earlier 15-bit comments. Thinking of buying for use with SHP9500 and, hopefully, HE400i

Thanks!
 
Cahudson42 said:
Been 8 months since last post. Is it still a good deal at $30 compared to Apple dongle and now:
Samsung USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter for Note10 and Note10+ (US Version with Warranty) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VF6NSZZ/

Amirm - any chance we could see a quick Dashboard with the new analyzer for a comparison? Maybe a IMD frequency sweep for ESS hump?

Really curious if this thing breaks 100 - or is in the 80s, given earlier 15-bit comments. Thinking of buying for use with SHP9500 and, hopefully, HE400i

Thanks!
Click to expand...

No. It is not a good deal and not a particularly good DAC either. I bought it on a whim. It doesn't sound good to me. Harsh and boomy.
 
Cahudson42 said:
Been 8 months since last post. Is it still a good deal at $30 compared to Apple dongle and now:
Samsung USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter for Note10 and Note10+ (US Version with Warranty) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VF6NSZZ/

Amirm - any chance we could see a quick Dashboard with the new analyzer for a comparison? Maybe a IMD frequency sweep for ESS hump?

Really curious if this thing breaks 100 - or is in the 80s, given earlier 15-bit comments. Thinking of buying for use with SHP9500 and, hopefully, HE400i

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I agree, it would be very interesting to see how it compares to the Apple dongle on the new analyzer, considering it outputs more power so would be of greater use for driving a wider range of full-sized headphones.
 
Last edited:
dpuopolo said:
Newegg has the XtreamPro for $32.99 shipped free.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...617&cm_re=xtrempro-_-9SIAGP07AA3617-_-Product
Click to expand...

Bought this but mine seems to have issues (from Amazon UK).
I plug it into my motherboard rear IO and all is fine, but the moment I play music and pause, there is loud background static noise that won't go away until I unplug and replug it.
Further I get significant distortion when playing at 80%+ volume on my Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80Ohm.
Also "digital beeping" like sound when moving slider up and down for master volume in Windows.
Tried with the included USB cable but same.
None of this happens when connecting my headphones directly into motherboard.
Will have to return as faulty.

EDIT: 20-January-2020: Bought a replacement and this time it works without any issues! :)
 
Last edited:
Sound_Kid said:
Bought this but mine seems to have issues (from Amazon UK).
I plug it into my motherboard rear IO and all is fine, but the moment I play music and pause, there is loud background static noise that won't go away until I unplug and replug it.
Further I get significant distortion when playing at 80%+ volume on my Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80Ohm.
Also "digital beeping" like sound when moving slider up and down for master volume in Windows.
Tried with the included USB cable but same.
None of this happens when connecting my headphones directly into motherboard.
Will have to return as faulty.
Click to expand...
You might have received a bad sample. I got the XtremePro in the US and found it to work really nicely with my variety of Sennheisers and Beyerdynamics (and even a Kannon, which is a ATH-M50 clone with a "haptic" actuator, loaned to me from the company). I also tried it with an OTG USB cable with the phones, and it also worked really well there.
 
FYI... I just received my XtremPro X1 and when trying it with my iPhone 8, got the error message that "This accessory requires too much power".

The good news is that I'm using it with an iPhone "camera adapter" that allows a USB device and a power cable to be plugged in at the same time. With power plugged in at the same time, the XtremPro works fine.

If there is some clever way to allow the XtremPro to work without the phone being plugged into power, I'd love to hear about it.
 
I have purchased a DF Black and Xtremepro X1-1 (identical to Speaka) in the last week, and I FAR prefer the Xtremepro X1 in A/B audio testing with the identical rig -- a PC with Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX satellites and sub, 320 kbps MP3 streaming through Google Play Music. Better tonal control, better separation, far less shrill in the highs, less muddy bass, far better volume control. I was pretty damn disappointed in the DF Black, to be honest.

The Xtremepro X1-1 is better in everything, basically, and it's $65 cheaper. A true find and a real steal.

Still deciding whether I want to stick with the Xtremepro X1-1 or go with the Apple headphone dongle DAC since the above poster mentioned the Xtremepro X1-1 won't work with iOS because it requires too much power, much like the original Dragonfly. Would be nice to have an all-in-one solution for my iPhone and my office laptop audio, and I haven't purchased an Apple Camera Connector USB 3 yet to test on my iPhone.
 
DACMagick said:
I heard some kind of strange emi noise that is sometimes a problem I encounter during chipset and wifi activity with some budget android phones, and causes this weird faint background squealing/hissing/interference sound at times, it was almost like the device was randomly picking up sounds from my motherboard or some external noise out of nowhere, and it never happened before, so I am afraid this thing is dying already. lol
Click to expand...

Mine's only been out of the box for a couple weeks, I've noticed the same, but only after it's gotten warm to the touch. If I unplug it and let it cool, it goes back to being silent.
 
pk500 said:
I have purchased a DF Black and Xtremepro X1-1 (identical to Speaka) in the last week, and I FAR prefer the Xtremepro X1 in A/B audio testing with the identical rig -- a PC with Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX satellites and sub, 320 kbps MP3 streaming through Google Play Music. Better tonal control, better separation, far less shrill in the highs, less muddy bass, far better volume control. I was pretty damn disappointed in the DF Black, to be honest.

The Xtremepro X1-1 is better in everything, basically, and it's $65 cheaper. A true find and a real steal.

Still deciding whether I want to stick with the Xtremepro X1-1 or go with the Apple headphone dongle DAC since the above poster mentioned the Xtremepro X1-1 won't work with iOS because it requires too much power, much like the original Dragonfly. Would be nice to have an all-in-one solution for my iPhone and my office laptop audio, and I haven't purchased an Apple Camera Connector USB 3 yet to test on my iPhone.
Click to expand...
This is the updated review thread btw https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...sb-dac-and-headphone-amp-dongle-review.10287/ .
Pretty inline with my experience as well against SMSL iDEA. iDEA was more expensive (at time of purchase was $90 but now it seems like it is selling at $30!) but was pretty underwhelming sonically.
 
bunkbail said:
This is the updated review thread btw https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...sb-dac-and-headphone-amp-dongle-review.10287/ .
Pretty inline with my experience as well against SMSL iDEA. iDEA was more expensive (at time of purchase was $90 but now it seems like it is selling at $30!) but was pretty underwhelming sonically.
Click to expand...

Excellent. Thanks for the link to the updated review! I'm really impressed by the XtremePro. Definitely the best dongle I've tried, and it's 30 bucks.

Now I want to do an A/B ear test with the XtremePro and the Apple headphone jack dongle. Both appear to be the leaders in effective, portable DAC/Amp combos on a tight budget.
 
Just received my XtremPro X1 and really looking forward to trying it. Do I need to install any drivers, before using it with my laptop?
 
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