When I put it in my USB port it automatically installed the drivers called
"SABRE 24/94 DAC"
In the advanced settings I can see that it is basically the same as the "ODAC" driver:
Microsoft
USBAudio
(Generic USB Audio)
wdma_usb.inf
6.1.7601.17514
Both devices lists these drivers:
- drmk.sys
- ksthunk.sys
- portcls.sys
- USBAUDIO.sys
- SysFxUI.dll
- WMALFXGFXDSP.dll
Sabre 24/96 has these panes in the PROPERTIES section:
General - Supported Formats - Levels - Advanced
ODAC has these panes in the PROPERTIES section:
General - Enhancements - Levels - Advanced
Under "supported formats" one can chose which formats the DAC supports:
- DTS Audio
- Dolby Digital
- Microsoft WMA Pro Audio
and samplerates:
- 32.0 kHz
- 44.1 kHz
- 48.0 kHz
- 96.0 kHz
These are check-boxes, and multiple boxes may be checked.
This differs from the "Enhancements" pane that is shown under the ODAC device which lets you adjust bass level, room correction etc.
I'm running Win7 Corp, 64-bit.
"SABRE 24/94 DAC"
In the advanced settings I can see that it is basically the same as the "ODAC" driver:
Microsoft
USBAudio
(Generic USB Audio)
wdma_usb.inf
6.1.7601.17514
Both devices lists these drivers:
- drmk.sys
- ksthunk.sys
- portcls.sys
- USBAUDIO.sys
- SysFxUI.dll
- WMALFXGFXDSP.dll
Sabre 24/96 has these panes in the PROPERTIES section:
General - Supported Formats - Levels - Advanced
ODAC has these panes in the PROPERTIES section:
General - Enhancements - Levels - Advanced
Under "supported formats" one can chose which formats the DAC supports:
- DTS Audio
- Dolby Digital
- Microsoft WMA Pro Audio
and samplerates:
- 32.0 kHz
- 44.1 kHz
- 48.0 kHz
- 96.0 kHz
These are check-boxes, and multiple boxes may be checked.
This differs from the "Enhancements" pane that is shown under the ODAC device which lets you adjust bass level, room correction etc.
I'm running Win7 Corp, 64-bit.
Yep, that is what I think. The windows driver is the same but it runs in different modes if you like..
What worries me is that it can't be good to run two instances of the same driver at once. I believe that I had both ODAC and HifiMeDiy connected at the same time.. This could have affected the review.
Listened to them today, but one at a time and no switching back-and-forth all the time. They both sound good but there is still some issues at the top. The very short usb cable of the HifiMeDiy DAC could be an issue.
A: no ferrite bead
B: very close to the laptop which is putting out a lot of RF noise (HDD, WiFi, CPU, etc)
The HifiMeDiy is also housed in a plastic box which offers no protection from RF... Placed 5 cm from the noise machine that is my laptop.. Not ideal.
What worries me is that it can't be good to run two instances of the same driver at once. I believe that I had both ODAC and HifiMeDiy connected at the same time.. This could have affected the review.
Listened to them today, but one at a time and no switching back-and-forth all the time. They both sound good but there is still some issues at the top. The very short usb cable of the HifiMeDiy DAC could be an issue.
A: no ferrite bead
B: very close to the laptop which is putting out a lot of RF noise (HDD, WiFi, CPU, etc)
The HifiMeDiy is also housed in a plastic box which offers no protection from RF... Placed 5 cm from the noise machine that is my laptop.. Not ideal.
Thanks for comparing and sharing the results!. The comparison with ODAC is most interesting...
Ah ok, got it. I was confused when you mentioned different drivers.
TE7022E has a built in ROM for USB descriptor. Vendors can set a manufacturer's name, specific device name and declare the device supported features for windows. Hence some tabs are visible or not, depending on descriptor.
The "enhancements" tab is not from Sabre, but from microsoft. You don't want to use that crap anyway. Better rely on a player like foobar and use high quality DSP plugins if you need to enhance the sound
you can try adding a ferite beam to the hifimediy ?
1P TDK 5mm Clip-on RFI EMI RF Radio Audio Video Cable Noise Filter Ferrite Core | eBay
$1.31, incl shipping !
TE7022E has a built in ROM for USB descriptor. Vendors can set a manufacturer's name, specific device name and declare the device supported features for windows. Hence some tabs are visible or not, depending on descriptor.
The "enhancements" tab is not from Sabre, but from microsoft. You don't want to use that crap anyway. Better rely on a player like foobar and use high quality DSP plugins if you need to enhance the sound
you can try adding a ferite beam to the hifimediy ?
1P TDK 5mm Clip-on RFI EMI RF Radio Audio Video Cable Noise Filter Ferrite Core | eBay
$1.31, incl shipping !
I have used this sometime now and i must say the sound in my opinion is pretty neutral, and it digs the details what is in the record..
Do i like it?
For the price it is good but i like the sound of Wolfson (8741) more (my earlier dac) with my headphones.
Wolfson fatter sound suits better for me
I now have ATH M-50 headphones and problem is (if hp are driven directly) that it is too loud even if i try custom settings with my Macbook + VLC player..
So i think it can drive many headphones directly.
For the price its thumbs up!
Do i like it?
For the price it is good but i like the sound of Wolfson (8741) more (my earlier dac) with my headphones.
Wolfson fatter sound suits better for me
I now have ATH M-50 headphones and problem is (if hp are driven directly) that it is too loud even if i try custom settings with my Macbook + VLC player..
So i think it can drive many headphones directly.
For the price its thumbs up!
Replaced the cable with a 1m shielded USB cable from a printer. Ferrite beads at both ends.
Not sure if this improved the top. I will get a aluminium case for the DAC and maybe put a propper filter on the shield (RC). Could also be an idea to put some small film cap (100nF) on the power...
Still a little harsher on S'es and hihats than the ODAC, but all in all a very good DAC considering the money. I'll probably not use this with my headphone rig, as it is a bit fatiguing in the long run. However, for my office setup or with a nice, warm full range which rolls off the top a bit: This would be a great bang for buck DAC.
Not sure if this improved the top. I will get a aluminium case for the DAC and maybe put a propper filter on the shield (RC). Could also be an idea to put some small film cap (100nF) on the power...
Still a little harsher on S'es and hihats than the ODAC, but all in all a very good DAC considering the money. I'll probably not use this with my headphone rig, as it is a bit fatiguing in the long run. However, for my office setup or with a nice, warm full range which rolls off the top a bit: This would be a great bang for buck DAC.
It looks like new batch use a different reg (LT 1763).
What reg they use before?
Price wise is excellent!
It would be interesting to see some measurements...devils is in details. NwAvGuy said that despite following the reference design, the first version of the ODAC only had about 98 dB DNR, getting much better than 16 bit (96 dB) performance can be challenging (ODAC after different release has 111 db DNR)
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I get a HiFimeDIY DAC in the mail yesterday.
I am using Ubuntu 12.04.
Sound is clear and natural. I prefer it straight into my headphones. It plays above concert hall sound levels. Sound quality is excellent into my 300 ohm Sennheiser HD580 Precision. Into into 60 ohm Sony MDR750, I expected reduced detail and naturalness, but to my surprise the Sony's sang better than I have ever heard them.
Last year I got a Behringer UCA202 on the basis the NwAvGuy's good review of the RCA output. I built a JRC4556AD buffer, as used in the final stage of the O2 headphone amp.
The HiFimeDIY DAC is substantially better than UCA202 in my previous setup. The JRC4556AD buffer mushes up the detail and natural sound.
I am a bit puzzled at the moment why the buffer improves the sound of the UCA202, and not the sound of the HiFimeDIY. My suspicion is that when a clear sound is messed up, it is more obvious than when a unclear sound is messed up by the same amount.
There is not a trace of background hiss at normal listening levels.
The small package, the excellent sound directly into the headphone, makes this DAC an absolute convenience. One on the best £35 ($50) I have spent. An awsome product.
I am using Ubuntu 12.04.
Sound is clear and natural. I prefer it straight into my headphones. It plays above concert hall sound levels. Sound quality is excellent into my 300 ohm Sennheiser HD580 Precision. Into into 60 ohm Sony MDR750, I expected reduced detail and naturalness, but to my surprise the Sony's sang better than I have ever heard them.
Last year I got a Behringer UCA202 on the basis the NwAvGuy's good review of the RCA output. I built a JRC4556AD buffer, as used in the final stage of the O2 headphone amp.
The HiFimeDIY DAC is substantially better than UCA202 in my previous setup. The JRC4556AD buffer mushes up the detail and natural sound.
I am a bit puzzled at the moment why the buffer improves the sound of the UCA202, and not the sound of the HiFimeDIY. My suspicion is that when a clear sound is messed up, it is more obvious than when a unclear sound is messed up by the same amount.
There is not a trace of background hiss at normal listening levels.
The small package, the excellent sound directly into the headphone, makes this DAC an absolute convenience. One on the best £35 ($50) I have spent. An awsome product.
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Did you have a Stoner Acoustics UD100 to compare it with HiFimeDIY DAC?
It had a great review here: Tiny DAC, Big Sound ? Impression of Stoner Acoustics UD100 vs. ODAC
It had a great review here: Tiny DAC, Big Sound ? Impression of Stoner Acoustics UD100 vs. ODAC
Update:
After cleaning the PCB thoroughly with electronics cleaner (alcohol based) the HifiMeDiy has lost some of the top-end harshness. It certainly had a bigger effect than switching USB cable. I saw some white residue on the solders of the ES9023 and the small Atmel chip next to it.
Rubbed it all down with copious amounts of cleansing agent, rubbed with a Q-tip and finished off with more cleanser. I then dried it off with a dry Q-tip and let it sit for 2 hours to dry.
Mods I'd recommend:
1) Clean the PCB! (maybe yours is OK as-is, but it doesn't hurt and it helped mine)
2) Longer USB cable + ferrites (convenience)
I tried putting it into an all-aluminium housing, but i discovered no effects (negative or positive).
After cleaning the PCB thoroughly with electronics cleaner (alcohol based) the HifiMeDiy has lost some of the top-end harshness. It certainly had a bigger effect than switching USB cable. I saw some white residue on the solders of the ES9023 and the small Atmel chip next to it.
Rubbed it all down with copious amounts of cleansing agent, rubbed with a Q-tip and finished off with more cleanser. I then dried it off with a dry Q-tip and let it sit for 2 hours to dry.
Mods I'd recommend:
1) Clean the PCB! (maybe yours is OK as-is, but it doesn't hurt and it helped mine)
2) Longer USB cable + ferrites (convenience)
I tried putting it into an all-aluminium housing, but i discovered no effects (negative or positive).
some measurements.
I use Rightmark Audio RMAA 6. My input device is a EMU 0204 USB soundcard. All measurements done in 24/96 mode.
Here is the comparative summary :
-first is EMU 0204 in loopback for reference,
-second HifimediY Sabre dac (first version with AM1117 5V regulator),
-the third is Weiliang's DAC6 with TE7022 + WM8741.
Hifimediy's implementation measures very close to ODAC's high-end implementation
the full measures are available here
- EMU 0204 USB
- HifimeDIY SABRE 24/96 DAC v1
notice the small difference on left and right channel, probably due to the EMU 0204 input High impedance on the right channel.
I use Rightmark Audio RMAA 6. My input device is a EMU 0204 USB soundcard. All measurements done in 24/96 mode.
Here is the comparative summary :
-first is EMU 0204 in loopback for reference,
-second HifimediY Sabre dac (first version with AM1117 5V regulator),
-the third is Weiliang's DAC6 with TE7022 + WM8741.
Hifimediy's implementation measures very close to ODAC's high-end implementation
the full measures are available here
- EMU 0204 USB
- HifimeDIY SABRE 24/96 DAC v1
notice the small difference on left and right channel, probably due to the EMU 0204 input High impedance on the right channel.
EMU0204 has an AKM4396 dac, which has excellent reputation as well. Some call it "the Miracle dac".
They sound slightly different. I must confess a slight preference for ES9023 because of the perceived clarity and dynamics. Sabre must be doing something with the bass which I find very pleasant EMU0204 is smoother. Combination of both would be perfect
I have various dacs collected over the last years. Among others : TDA1543, CS4398, AD1955, WM8741, AKM4396 and ES9023. Until now, EMU0204 (AKM4396) was my preferred. It's headphone amp is really good as well. For 100Euros, its the best USB soundcard bargain for the moment.
They sound slightly different. I must confess a slight preference for ES9023 because of the perceived clarity and dynamics. Sabre must be doing something with the bass which I find very pleasant
EMU0204 is smoother. Combination of both would be perfect I have various dacs collected over the last years. Among others : TDA1543, CS4398, AD1955, WM8741, AKM4396 and ES9023. Until now, EMU0204 (AKM4396) was my preferred. It's headphone amp is really good as well. For 100Euros, its the best USB soundcard bargain for the moment.
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