Sabaj D5 - Owners' Thread

[renaudrenaud]

Hi Henrik,
I answered your question on youtube.
Looks like you didn't download the firmware file, only the Software to flash the firmware.

Besides Malis video there's also a step by step made by renaudrenaud, but it's in French.
https://sites.google.com/view/audiofolies/chi-fi/dac/sabaj-d5/sabaj-firwmare?authuser=0
Just use the Google Chrome tool to translate his page and you may find the way.

Do you think I have to translate the page in english on my website?

 

[Mr. Olinad]

Do you think I have to translate the page in english on my website?

I don't think so as the google page translator was very useful when I checked your guide, even if using it to translate right to portuguese.
But if you can, it would be good if you edit that message where you shared the link as it's not valid anymore.
Tks

 

[renaudrenaud]

I don't think so as the google page translator was very useful when I checked your guide, even if using it to translate right to portuguese.
But if you can, it would be good if you edit that message where you shared the link as it's not valid anymore.
Tks

This one ?
https://sites.google.com/view/audiofolies/chi-fi/dac/sabaj-d5/sabaj-firwmare


You're from Portugal ? Maybe a cliche but I am a great fan of CR7!

 

[Mr. Olinad]

The previous one was this:
https://sites.google.com/view/audiofolies/chi-fi/dac/sabaj-firwmare
Looks like you changed your page structure by adding the sabaj-d5 folder.

About the portuguese language, that's because I'm from Brazil and you know we had better Ronaldos than Portugal.

 

[Mr. Olinad]

Hello @Henrik Christensen ,
Did you figured it out about how to flash the firmware?
In the firmware ZIP file, there's also a PDF with instructions on how to do it.
Some buttons are in Chinese, but there are arrows pointing exactly what should be clicked.

 

[BertWemmenhove]

Hello Everyone, Bert from Holland
Just bought a new D5
Sounds great
Have it hooked up to a Pink Faun I2S bridge, and having some trouble......although is a PCM card the machine says DSD........
Anyone has experience with I2S?????

 

[Mr. Olinad]

Hello Everyone, Bert from Holland
Just bought a new D5
Sounds great
Have it hooked up to a Pink Faun I2S bridge, and having some trouble......although is a PCM card the machine says DSD........
Anyone has experience with I2S?????

I know nothing about I2S but I remember reading something about it on D5's Manual.
http://www.sabaj.com.cn/Upload/download/20190812175140274.pdf

Did you check if yours is set right?

 

[BertWemmenhove]

I know nothing about I2S but I remember reading something about it on D5's Manual.
http://www.sabaj.com.cn/Upload/download/20190812175140274.pdf

View attachment 100390

Did you check if yours is set right?

Yes I did, it also was checked by Pink Faun, seems ok, only display still says DSD

 

[BertWemmenhove]

I have it now connected with USB and the d5 sounds awsome!!! (after 30 minutes)
When I leave it on, will it be always "heated up"' right away ??

 

[Mr. Olinad]

I hardly have the patience to wait for the warm up but I don't think it's necessary for you to be playing something to warm up the DAC. Just turn it on.
Sometimes I kinda notice there's a difference, sometimes I don't.
Maybe if I had never read about it I would never notice.

 

[RickSanchez]

When I leave it on, will it be always "heated up"' right away ??

I agree with @Mr. Olinad : don't worry about it. There is a measurable difference between cold and warm for this DAC but at this level of performance I doubt you'd be able to hear it. As Amir states: "As I noted, the cold SINAD (signal over noise and distortion) was around 107 dB or 12 dB worse."

Dropping from a SINAD of 96 to 84 would likely be a problem, but from 119 to 107? Certainly nothing that I can detect when I power mine up vs 30 minutes later.

 

[BertWemmenhove]

When I turn it on and listen direct, after a while the D5 comes alive, more detailing, more ''analog' sounding more balanced......high and certainly low frequencies sound much refinder. A. big difference, Probably due to the short period I own it, It is said these dacs sound far better after 200 hours
of playtime. It still improves..........Should become even better once I have managed to connect it to I2s.

 

[RickSanchez]

It is said these dacs sound far better after 200 hours of playtime

That's a myth. There is no such thing as "burn in" for solid state DACs / amps.

 

[BertWemmenhove]

Probably the same myth as that trump won the election by far.....
What I am telling you is the audiable result after 50 hours of playing. And I am not the only one. The clocks are temperature controlled, so they have to reach their finest at the highest and stable temp. This is not myth, just facts, and absolute audiable. Also for less trained ears.

 

[Malis]

I would call it an excellent example for ''snake oil''

 

[Veri]

Probably the same myth as that trump won the election by far.....

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Gosh, hate to break it to you but...

 

[BertWemmenhove]

Ha Ha Ha, What is it with you Americans, you have a lot of problems facing the facts of science and truth in general...........
More than 300.000 covid-deaths, and still persist Trump did a perfect job........ Already vaccin troubles.......and paying a lot more per dose than the so called socialists in Europe. 59 lawsuits dropped, and still following the grifters and financing them. Donald Trump got the more votes than any American President before him, exept he forgets Biden got 6 million more........ Probably a lack of Historical sense.

 

[RickSanchez]

Probably the same myth as that trump won the election by far.....
What I am telling you is the audiable result after 50 hours of playing. And I am not the only one. The clocks are temperature controlled, so they have to reach their finest at the highest and stable temp. This is not myth, just facts, and absolute audiable. Also for less trained ears.

No politics please. That's kind of an important rule here at ASR.

The Sabaj D5 is a really high-performing DAC/amp combo. And at its current price point it's also a tremendous value: it would be difficult to find another DAC/combo (or stack) with the same level of performance + features for the same amount of money, even when acknowledging the amp section is a bit under-powered and the output impedance is a little higher than ideal. It's a fantastic piece of kit so I'm glad you are enjoying yours.

That said:

• The clocks are not "temperature controlled".
  • The Sabaj D5 has heatsinks. In his review Amir referenced these as impacting SINAD performance between initial startup and +30 minutes.
  • The clocks have an operating temp range of -40°C to +100°C. There is no need for the clocks to reach anywhere near the upper temp limit in order for them to perform "their finest" : https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/programmable/cpld/max-ii/features.html
• Since you're new to ASR I encourage you to read more on the site. Some articles that may be of interest:
  • https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-thresholds-of-amp-and-dac-measurements.5734/
  • https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...derstanding-digital-audio-measurements.10523/
  • https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/do-audio-speakers-break-in.11898/
  • https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/equipment-burn-in-am-i-deluded.5339/

 

[BertWemmenhove]

Like Gustaf Mahler (a famous composer) once said "Das wichtigste in der Musik steht nicht in den Noten. " ( the most important in music you can not read in the notes ). Give ten pianists the same piece of music, and you get ten different interpretations.

The most important in music you can not find in spec-sheats and only measurements.

Audioquest can make and sell USB and HDMI cables worth a small fortune, and not only on specs, you might call it suggestion, but there
are a lot of audiophiles who actualy "hear the difference". Look at the cable-industy, making large, extremely isolated power cables, for just
the last meter.....still the difference is audiable........ You decicde wether you will afford the small differences.

It is too easy to say all is in measurements, I only refer on my own ears Thank you for your advice.

 

[BertWemmenhove]

I started with the question if anybody had expierience with the use of I2s.........