Sabaj A10d 2022 Version Review (DAC & Amp)

[pseudoid]

So, there are 4 INputs to this Sabaj: BT/USB/Opto/Coax.

Wouldn't the safer turn-on procedure, THEN, be to FIRST reduce the INput Levels TO (..or OUTput Levels FROM) units feeding the A10d' rear-panel?
If all 4 inputs are not fully populated; user can buy additional 'insurance' by setting its source to the input port that is NOT populated?
I'd leave the dang-thing switched on 24/7.

 

[Deleted member 58421]

Hey,

So does this mean that I should not buy this device if I plan to use it with a USB?
Has anyone got the same issue? Or perhaps there is a way around it?

Cheers

Doesn’t happen on a Mac.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

So far, since September, it was set to 100% the very first time I powered it up out of the box. It's the shipping default. It has since been:

• left on for days
• switched into standby for days
• moved (due to building work)
• mains powered-down multiple times
• had brownouts due to lightning storms
• listened to for hours on end

In all cases it remembers perfectly the last volume I set it to.

All on a windows 11 machine which has been patched monthly. Used with standard Windows drivers and dedicated XMOS driver (modded to disable the click-y mute effect).

It has behaved flawlessly. It's the best desktop DAC/Headphone Amp I've used.

 

[Shayzer]

So far, since September, it was set to 100% the very first time I powered it up out of the box. It's the shipping default. It has since been:

• left on for days
• switched into standby for days
• moved (due to building work)
• mains powered-down multiple times
• had brownouts due to lightning storms
• listened to for hours on end

In all cases it remembers perfectly the last volume I set it to.

All on a windows 11 machine which has been patched monthly. Used with standard Windows drivers and dedicated XMOS driver (modded to disable the click-y mute effect).

It has behaved flawlessly. It's the best desktop DAC/Headphone Amp I've used.

Hello, Quick question, I am looking for a new Dac/Amp combo. After searching and reading a lot I’ve found these one :
- Sabaj A10D 2022 (200€)
- SMSL DL200 2023 (185€)
- SMSL AL200 2023 (240€)

What would you choose between these 3 ? The AL200 seems to be the best with an EQ integrated ?

Thanks for the help

 

[Gremlins]

They are all good and you wont perceive any differences while listening music

So go for the one that attracts you most

 

[Transmaniacon]

Are these really $169 on Amazon? I just ordered one, it shows the 2022 version with headphone amp.

 

[Transmaniacon]

Well my A10d is on the way and will be here Tuesday, $169 seems like a stupid good deal. I was leaning towards the Topping DX3Pro+, but this looks nicer, and has an internal power supply, plus balanced outs if I ever hook up some studio monitors. I think this will work well for my HD6XX. I can also keep an eye on prime day sales this week but I think it will be hard to find anything better for the money.

The non balanced headphone out is not a big deal to me, I’ll use the 1/4” plug and enjoy it.

 

[Times]

A question to the A10d v2022 owners:

Has anyone tried the USB connection to PC/Mac with an USB-C to USB-C cable? With the included USB-C to USB-A cable it works like a charm, but with both USB-C/USB-C cables I tried, my MacBook Pro M1 didn't recognize it at all. The cables work fine with mobile phones though, both charging and data transfer.

 

[kchap]

I think this has been discussed before. It should work but the DAC is USB 2, not USB3. Try plugging a cheap USB A female to USB C male adapter into the MAC and use the supplied cable. The slightly more expensive adapters are OTG types, for use with a mobile phone. You should not need an OTG adapter but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[pavlo_y0l0s]

Took it apart to see what’s inside. Pictures are attached.

Are those OPA1612 I/V?
fed right from the ES9038Q2M DAC chip?
Looks like each DAC chip only uses one channel? So it’s not in parallel?

What’s those mini trim pots are for?

 

[pavlo_y0l0s]

By the way, I misplaced my remote cannot time it anymore. I wonder if Sabaj sells their remotes separately? Couldn’t find it on Amazon…

 

[JensH]

Two of the OPA1612 are for I/V. And yes, they are fed directly from the DAC chips.
It does look like they only use one channel of each DAC. This means that they have opted to keep it simple and not try to reduce the noise as much as possible. The dual DAC design gives a good channel separation, but the noise has not been fully optimized. They could probably have reduced the noise by around 2-3 dB, but most likely have decided that it was good enough already. Which, I would say, is true.

One OPA1612 is used to generate the reference voltages for the DAC.
One OPA1612 is used as differential to single ended amplifiers for the RCA single ended outputs.

The trimmers are used to fine-tune the reference voltage, to get a DC output voltage of 0 V.

 

[staticV3]

By the way, I misplaced my remote cannot time it anymore. I wonder if Sabaj sells their remotes separately? Couldn’t find it on Amazon…

You can find the remote on AliExpress and Hifi-express:
https://aliexpress.com/item/32853496304.html
https://hifi-express.com/products/sabaj-remote-control

 

[pavlo_y0l0s]

It lacks clarity, sound is muddied.
Keeping price in mind it's not bad, if you have more money it's better to buy something better.

I had it for a while. I think it’s pretty good with clarity. THD+N measurement confirm that.

Usually you get what you pay for, but with current price of less than $200 and great performance backed by measurements I say it’s amazing deal.

Of course you can always spend more but it’s diminishing returns. You will need to get something $1000 or more to actually hear the difference. But even then, it’s hardly audible if at all.

In my experience biggest difference in sound that I could actually hear was to change my speakers. All those small imperfections in frequency response can be up to 1 or even 2 dB for a typical speaker. Combine that with room acoustics and you get some resonances or some dips and those changes are actually measurable.

By the way, the DAC is really cool looking and built very good. Getting into menu is straightforward and easier to navigate comparing to Topping DACs.

 

[pavlo_y0l0s]

You can find the remote on AliExpress and Hifi-express:
https://aliexpress.com/item/32853496304.html
https://hifi-express.com/products/sabaj-remote-control

Thanks

 

[Berwhale]

You will need to get something $1000 or more to actually hear the difference

There is a slide in Amir's recent Audio Engineering Society presentation showing the lack of price/performance correlation with DACs that may surprise you...

AES Paper Presentation on DAC Measurements (Video)

As some of you know, I presented a paper at this years Audio Engineering Society on measuring over 450 DACs. All the tests were detailed in the paper together with motivations and learnings from the multi-year project. The paper is only available for a fee (link below). AES asked for a short...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Also, research tells us that once a bunch of electronics reach 'transparency', then there is no audible difference between them, no matter how much, or little, one might cost....

Discussion of audibility in relation to measurements published on ASR here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-thresholds-of-amp-and-dac-measurements.5734/

 

[pavlo_y0l0s]

Nice move from Amir with that scientific paper. Hopefully it will help audio industry to improve in the future.