Sabaj A20d 2023 DAC & HP Amp Review

[Sal1950]

Oh look, something I just noticed.
It' uses a 3 prong grounded AC cord.
Something I rarely see on the Chinese gear.
I wonder if it's really a chassis ground?
Of if it's just floating?

 

[vulejov]

Oh look, something I just noticed.
It' uses a 3 prong grounded AC cord.
Something I rarely see on the Chinese gear.
I wonder if it's really a chassis ground?
Of if it's just floating?

Mine 2023 version isn’t home, as I remembered it is really chassis ground, not just floating..
I can check later 2022..
edit. Everything is connected in one spot, analog ground, digital ground, chassis and psu ground..

 

[Jimster480]

Great performance but overall boring product. There is no actual sonic upgrade vs last year; it is just recycling the same things.
Honestly it doesn't even matter now; every well done DAC just hits top SINAD performance so basically everything decent is completely transparent...

 

[vulejov]

Great performance but overall boring product. There is no actual sonic upgrade vs last year; it is just recycling the same things.
Honestly it doesn't even matter now; every well done DAC just hits top SINAD performance so basically everything decent is completely transparent...

Today it’s easier to make decent sounding dac..
But obvously it’s not so easy to make device without bugs and with decent support

 

[DearSX]

I want to make what I am buying measures well at this point and is not just marketing! I paid $500 for my HP amp and I could have gotten away with paying less, but man it is a nice feeling good looking product.

 

[IXOYE]

Great performance, but what is the function of the handles? looks odd, like something from the 70's.

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Aren't they nice.

 

[AudioSceptic]

How much worse would the dSC have to be before you would consider it overpriced?

dCS, duh!

 

[Berwhale]

Great performance, but what is the function of the handles? looks odd, like something from the 70's.

Something to hold on to whilst you plug your headphones in

The handles might save you from having to do this sort of thing...

(the doorstop is completely hidden by the monitor when it's back down in it's working position)

 

[ModDIY]

Great performance, but what is the function of the handles? looks odd, like something from the 70's.

Believe me, when the music plays, we forget them...

 

[kokono]

Nice dac.
It works ok with my LG tv, there are no audio drops or lip sync problems, on optical in.
Unfortunately I just can’t install the xmos driver on my windows 7 pc. It says installation ended prematurely. I’m using the driver posted on Sabaj web, xmox v5.50.
Windows doesn’t recognized the dac. Can I use another driver for windows 7x64?
I haven’t try it yet, on windows 10.

 

[vulejov]

I tried same driver on win7 with 2022 version..
Not working..

 

[TK750]

Nice dac.
It works ok with my LG tv, there are no audio drops or lip sync problems, on optical in.
Unfortunately I just can’t install the xmos driver on my windows 7 pc. It says installation ended prematurely. I’m using the driver posted on Sabaj web, xmox v5.50.
Windows doesn’t recognized the dac. Can I use another driver for windows 7x64?
I haven’t try it yet, on windows 10.

I tried same driver on win7 with 2022 version..
Not working..

I don't want to restart the debate that has occurred a few times on here but it's an ancient, unsupported and unsecured OS. It's unreasonable to expect support for it anymore for anything in my opinion, but especially products that have been released after it became EOL.

 

[vulejov]

I don't want to restart the debate that has occurred a few times on here but it's an ancient, unsupported and unsecured OS. It's unreasonable to expect support for it anymore for anything in my opinion, but especially products that have been released after it became EOL.

Only chinese crapy products have issues with drivers..
That was problem few decades ago as today, there is not single difference..
Only today have ‘excellent measurements’ which tells nothing..

 

[vulejov]

..or maybe they lied about Win7..

 

[Joachim Herbert]

..or maybe they lied about Win7..

Is this something personal?

 

[vulejov]

Is this something personal?

Maybe yes, maybe not, but important thing is that sabaj’s one and only xmos driver not working on win7.. that is correct information, not drivel in their website..

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Current version of Windows is 11, Windows 10 ist still supported by Microsoft, Windows 7 is not. Get over it.

 

[kokono]

I agree with vulejov on this one. At least they could test the drivers and remove windows 7 from compatibility list.
I use my windows 7 as a media server, and honestly is way better than 10 or 11,
Is there any old driver that can work with this chipset?

 

[vulejov]

I agree with vulejov on this one. At least they could test the drivers and remove windows 7 from compatibility list.
I use my windows 7 as a media server, and honestly is way better than 10 or 11,
Is there any old driver that can work with this chipset?

There is only one xmos driver on sabaj site..
Try to send email to support, and good luck..