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EVERSOLO DAC-Z8 Digital to Analog Converter MQA Full Decoder ES9038Pro DAC XMOS DSD512 PCM768kHz/32Bit Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD, Black

£9.9£99Clearance
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Company had told me that the headphone amplifier was a "bonus" feature and that it is as far as power, but not clarity/distortion: As with its streaming brother, the Cambridge Audio CXA61 is an updated version of a product that we weren’t particularly aware needed updating; and, as with the CXN, we are extremely glad that the boffins at Cambridge went to the trouble. It was well worth it, both times.

At the heart of its digital processing are staying two flagship ES9038 PRO 8-channel DAC chips of ESS Technologies. While newer ES9039 PRO chips are already on their way to audio designers around the globe, spec wise…these aren’t any better. The only difference is an included MQA decoder and a lower power consumption, meaning that both chipsets will coexist as flagship ESS-Sabre DAC chips. SMSL has a ton of experience with this exact silicon that’s already powering plenty of their devices. However, an absolute first in SMSL’s portfolio is using two DAC chips, from which all 16-channels have been used, paralleling 4 channels into a single one for a much lower harmonic distortion & channel crosstalk and for a marginally better dynamic range. SMSL never did this before…and that somehow excites me to the core. The analog audio circuit is fully balanced design. XLR, RCA and headphone output are all processed by a bal- anced differential amplifier circuit. The noise has been eliminated by resolving the crosstalk of the shared loop and improving channel separation. The high-fidelity preamp circuit supports refined volume adjustment, without needing to connect with an additional preamp. Overall, this is a job well done indicating company has significant engineering and design experience.While the basic analogue circuit hasn’t been revamped, the engineers aimed to improve sound quality by changing most of the op-amps in the signal path and upgrading the capacitors in both the pre and power sections of the amplifier. I’ve had the Z8 maxed out (there does not appear to be a fixed output option like the DMP-A6) for the preamplifier I’m using but, happily, when I plug in a pair of headphones, the volume level is automatically reduced. This could be settling in the App, however, I’m now struggling to find it. In any case, the headphone level reverts to that last used, on a bit of noodling and this is a nice touch. The only slight issue with the headphone output is that if you brace the box against your finger as you extract the headphones you have a tendency to turn off the Z8 accidentally, another third-world problem. In the end, you can make it smoother or tubey sounding, or you can go with the cleanest and most detailed sound possible. It’s up to you to decide which tuning works best for you. Measurement setup and device under test are running on regulated 230V power from a Furman SPR-16-Ei The Cambridge streamer is wonderfully even across the range as well, delivering hard-hitting bass with a light-stepping, twinkling treble – all of which helps convey a tune with tight timing and provide a sound that is dynamically entertaining.

And, while we loved the predecessors, this pair of updated speakers proves significantly more capable.The Eversolo DAC-Z8 has optical, coaxial and USB B and C input support with MQA full decoding and rendering. Inputs also include a Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth 5.0 module that supports aptX HD and LDAC protocols.

The Eversolo App I used for the DMP-A6 is the same App for the Z8, you can control the filters on the output side. VU meters are selectable from the App, very important. You can use the volume knob as a settings selector alternatively and there is the remote control available. Sound Quality V čem se oba přístroje liší, to je mírně jinak pojatý vnitřek, zejména sekce D/A převodníku. Nižší model staví na ES9068, pro každý kanál je tu použitý jeden čip. Signál je zpracováván ve dvojitém diferenciálním čtyřnásobném zapojení. Vstupní data zpracovává třetí generace XMOS 316. Díky tomuto řešení DAC-Z6 také podporuje PCM signály až do 32 bit / 768 kHz, DSD512 a umí také plně dekódovat MQA, nic tedy nechybí. Sekce hodin je osazena dvěma oscilátory se základní frekvencí 45,1584 a 49,152 MHz. Bluetooth rozhraní obstarává moderní čipset Qualcomm QCC5125 a podporuje standard 5.0 se všemi nutnými zkratkami – SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD či LDAC.I'm not wanting to spend much money acheiving what I want to and if the Zidoo flatly refuses to output two simultaneous streams, then I shall give up and move on. DACs ideally should have a few dB of digital headroom to accommodate this and reconstruct properly, and many such as Chord, RME, Benchmark etc do, and will output signals with intersample overs without any issue/distortion. The only wishes are larger volume level indicator and more headphone output. OK, one more wish: a spectrum analyzer in addition to VU meters!

There is a DAC-Z6 by Eversolo, it is also cheaper and features the ES9068 DAC chip, but it is not the Pro version in the Z8. The professional headphone driver circuit in DAC-Z8 has excellent audio quality and strong driving force, which means DAC-Z8 can be used as a high-performance headphone amplifier and drive 16-300ohm hi-fi headphones, with both high and low gain output options. Exclusive Controller AppThe DAC-Z8’s headphone amplifieralso performs very well and is capable of providing comfortable powerto accompany headphones with impedance from 16 to 300Ω without difficulty. This one also has a two-step gain controlto accommodate both demanding headphones and more sensitive earphones. Control app Veri - thanks for the information but here, I'm trying to feed two USB outputs from my Zidoo streamer into two separate DACs. These are "data" streams not analogue. The techniques you refer to are, yes quite complex but do not seem relevant to my scenario The I/V circuitof the DAC-Z8 consists of 8 OPA1612 OPAs. It uses multi-channel signal shunting compensation technology, with the 8 OPAs corresponding to the 8 output channels of the I/V conversion stage, ultimately providing a two-channel parallel output. In addition to the high-precision resistors, this circuitry assists in the lossless amplification of the XLR, RCA and headphone outputs, improving channel separation, dynamic range and sonic integrity. Amplifier circuit & Balanced preamp output Sound(overall)​These impressions were done with the DAC-Z8 connected to the SMSL SP400 headphone amp via XLR. While I’m treating this a DAC first over DAC/amp combo, I will mention the amp section later on.This is what the DAC-Z8 sounds like with the current headphone/IEM inventory I have on hand. Things like headphone pairings or different headphone amps will produce different results and impressions versus what my ears hear on my specific gear.

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