Sabaj D5 - Owners' Thread

[Xexets]

Hi! I just pulled the trigger on one of these to drive my T1.2. Very much looking forward to receiving them. Two questions:
1) is this the correct page to get latest driver and firmware? http://www.sabaj.com.cn/en/services.asp?id=79
2) I read in the review that to get the best from the d5 you have to warm it up 30 minutes. Does it mean in standby, fully on Or on and playing music?
thank you!

 

[Chuckv]

I think you can get even more from the Sabaj D5 pairing it with a high quality Headphone amp. If you're not on a budget you shoud give it a try.
D5 is an amazing DAC, but I don't think it's headphone amp session is that great.
Now I'm gonna say something that I don't really know how it works or if it's even audible, but with the volume set at 60 you are probably at the point where ESS IMD Hump happens, wich may be the cause of the distortion you're hearing.
Try using the D5 with an amp with the volume fixed at 90 and you're done.
I use it with the THX 789 and the improvement is audible.

Thanks man but we good in the hood with XLR out. Its all in the measurements. 56 milliwatts 1/4 headphone out vs 1.3 watts XLR headphones out for 50 ohms is all she wrote for the 60 ohm Clears. They did a bang up engineering job; fantastic dac, very decent 1/4 out for iems, and very good balanced outs for high impedance all for $400. Unreal. Big lesson learned for anyone trying to run high impedance cans from the wrong side of this amp. Know thy DAC/AMP measurements! @amirm tested all of this, yet somehow I missed it when I was shopping this DAC. Apparently I'm not alone. Ain't nobody got time for humps! You'll go freakin deaf trying. I'd rather use a different cable than to add another device to the stack, budget or not, if for nothing else, I have less junk on my desk. Besides, to get completely balanced L/R outputs levels you go with the built in amp right? How else can you get that?

Speaking of elegant solutions, yesterday's IG Live Erykah Badu vs Jill Scott battle playlist is on Tidal. Ha! Go get your groove on. Them sistas did not play yesterday! Very rare to see 2 geniuses cherry pick their work. This pandemic is gifting us some wonderful music. Sabaj is gifting us an incredible value.

 

[Mr. Olinad]

Besides, to get completely balanced L/R outputs levels you go with the built in amp right? How else can you get that?

If this was right then why would amirm measure THD+N separately and with different results (119 vs 108)?
You can use it only as a DAC or as a DAC+Amp.
D5 is amazing and I don't see myself replacing it.
I just said that based on my listening tests it can be even better when combined with a high quality (not over priced) amp.
The difference is mainly in the bass, that becomes tighter and impactful.

 

[Mr. Olinad]

Hi! I just pulled the trigger on one of these to drive my T1.2. Very much looking forward to receiving them. Two questions:
1) is this the correct page to get latest driver and firmware? http://www.sabaj.com.cn/en/services.asp?id=79
2) I read in the review that to get the best from the d5 you have to warm it up 30 minutes. Does it mean in standby, fully on Or on and playing music?
thank you!

1- Yes for driver and USB fimware. For IC firmware you can download as shared on this post https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sabaj-d5-owners-thread.9561/post-369927 but you'll need the update external tool.
2- Just turn it on. Once you feel the aluminum is getting hotter you're good to go.

@TC!! do you mind update the first post with the latest 1.6 firmware? tks

 

[Xexets]

Thanks, that's great. So, just to be clear to upgrade the firmware I need a special cable? Could you please give me a link to the cable? I cannot find it in this thread. Thanks!

EDIT: that's the one isn't it? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

EDIT 2: I am a bit confused:
- The driver I download from the Sabaj website is 4.47 debug, on this thread and in the Sabaj USB firmware update there is the 4.67, which one should I use?
- The firmware from the Sabaj website is 'USB firmware' and it does not need any special tool to update?

Thanks

 

[Mr. Olinad]

EDIT: that's the one isn't it? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

Yes, this is the tool you need to update your D5 to v1.6.
The instructions on how to do it are in the ZIP file you can download from the post #110
But if your product is new, there's a chance that it's already done.

EDIT 2: I am a bit confused:

For the USB firmware you don't need the external tool. All you need is the D5 connected to your PC via USB.
About the Xmos USB Driver, you must install the 4.67.

As you can see, my only complain about Sabaj is how deorganized they are.
But at least they didn't forget the product the way it was launched.

 

[Xexets]

Perfect, that explains a lot. I will see if it is already updated to 1.6 otherwise I’ll get that tool. Driver 4.67 and USB firmware I’ll install immediately from the Sabaj website.
Yes I agree they don’t seem very organised and the website is sooooo slow - it reminds me of browsing with the 56k modem. 2.2mb driver downloaded in 1 hour and a half with 5 disconnections...

 

[Xexets]

Fantastic. Set up is a breeze, firmware comes already updated to 1.6. Awesome - and great remote too!
Still one question: FILTERS. I would like them off but it does not seem possible. Am I missing something? factory default is fast linear. Could someone please explain me what they do and if I can just turn them off?
Thanks!

 

[renaudrenaud]

One filter is mandatory, you need a brick wall after 20kHz. This is just code with different brick wall properties.

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/filters/

 

[Xexets]

Thanks. Ok. So basically each filter is a different frequency response curve?

 

[renaudrenaud]

Thanks. Ok. So basically each filter is a different frequency response curve?

I never tested but it seems only "audiophile top grade ears" can discern a change.

You have a simplified approach here https://eclipseaudio.com/fir-filter-guide/

 

[Xexets]

Thanks. Yes I tried different filters but could not hear any difference.

Did anyone have issues with the remote?
I tried mine, and it did not work. Then it started working all of a sudden and now it no longer works (1 cm in front of the sensor). Checking with a camera when I press a button on the remote the IR light flashes... is there anything I need to set up on the Sabaj to make it work?

 

[Xexets]

My bad I am an idiot if you press C it turns the remote control on an off...

 

[Veri]

Thanks. Yes I tried different filters but could not hear any difference.

It's a very subtle thing so I wouldn't worry about it. Linear fast, or apodising are two very good choices.

 

[Xexets]

Hello! I have another question: is there a way to set the D5 so that it goes into standby automatically, for instance when the computer goes to sleep or after some time that there is no USB input?
Thanks!

 

[renaudrenaud]

I've never seen the Sabaj D5 in standby, but if the question is relative to consumption, even when not in standby, consumption is really low. I can measure it if you want.

 

[Xexets]

Thanks! By standby I mean when you turn it off via remote or front button as opposed to switching the mains off at the back of the unit. No it’s not for power consumption just thought it might be tidier if everything is in standby at the same time, computer and audio source, etc

 

[renaudrenaud]

Err... I never use the remote, but right now I just pushed the red button and the unit is in standby. It is not automatic, it's a manual action. But with some python code and a Raspberry, I think it's possible to automate that.

Consumption is 7/8W when on and not measurable by my equipment when standby.

 

[Xexets]

Hello! Me again with a strange issue. I play music with Jriver. When I use the ASIO driver as output everything plays fine. Except that if I play FIRST a PCM 96khz+ THEN a DSD64 file and THEN I press STOP. In this case I get a loud digital noise that lasts for about 15 seconds. After this if I try to play any DSD I get the same noise. If I play PCM no problem. If I close the program the noise continues for its 15 seconds. Then if I reopen the program no problem.
With Foobar2000 no issue. Play, stop, PCM - DSD64 no problem whatsoever.
With Audirvana I get the same noise but not when I STOP DSD64, when I close Audirvana after playing PCM -> DSD64.

No problem in neither Audirvana nor Jrivier with WASAPI (thus DOP rather than DSD native).

On the Jriver forum they say it's a DAC issue, but I think if anything I think it's an ASIO driver issue with specific software.
I this that in switching back from DSD native to PCM the ASIO driver in some circumstance for some reason continues to send bitstream data while having already commanded to the DAC to switch to PCM - which would explain why it never happens when DOP is in use.

Does anyone have the same or similar problem?

PS: before the SABAJ I had two other xmos usb dacs (Fiio k3 and ifi Zen). In both cases I had a problem similar to the above but instead of getting 15 seconds of digital noise when playing PCM and then DSD64 over ASIO the dac simply stopped working until I turned it off and back on, that's why I suspect an ASIO driver incompatibility of sorts.

 

[marcocastro]

Ho lo stesso problema come te, ho anche inviato un'e-mail alla casa madre, ma non mi hanno risposto
per ora uso dop.