Help me choose a DAC on ESS from three options, 🙏

[RuslanK35]

Hello. I ask you to help me decide which of these three dacs is better to buy? As a priority, I would like to focus on the cheaper first option Rod Rain Audio DA68 ES9068AS, but I am confused by how the output circuit is oranized. Why are there only three operational amplifiers?

1. Rod Rain Audio DA68 ES9068AS

https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=4PjSwv0

2. Es9038pro DAC

https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=hCjSwRr

3. ES9038 ES9038PRO DAC 32bit DSD256 DAC Dual R-Core Power transformer

https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=n6jSw9P

 

[planet10]

Audio decoder ROD Rain Audio DA68 ES9068AS, Bluetooth 5.1 Qcc5125 LDAC DAC, USB map, headphones with support for DSD512 PCM384 for 15,253.97 ₽ - already with a 20% discount

https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=4pjswv0

Remote control ES9038PRO DAC VAC IIS Entrance QCC5125 Bluetooth 5.1 Italian digital interface 0.1PPM Crystal generator for 23 774.83 ₽ - already at a discount -8%

https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=hcjswrr

ES9038 ES9038PRO DAC 32BIT DSD256 DAC Dual R -Core Power Transformer, XMOS XU208 Amanero asynchronous USB Entrance, Remote control for 26 272.71 ₽ -already at a discount of -4%

English please

dave
diyAudio moderation team

 

[Markw4]

Hello. I ask you to help me decide which of these three dacs is better to buy? \

Can't read the language so can't help much. If you can find the same dacs on an English language aliexpress link then probably better, at least for this forum.

Regarding a three opamp output stage it is pretty common. For example, please see Figure 3-58 at: https://www.eetimes.com/using-op-amps-with-data-converters-part-5/
The circuit shown is for one channel. For two channels it can be done with three dual opamps.

Regarding low cost dacs on aliexpress and ebay, mostly they are junk with rather poor sound, even though the dac chips are usually real (not fakes). The problem is that most of what makes a dac sound good is the circuitry surrounding the dac chip, rather than the dac chip itself. The dac chip more or less sets some limit on the best performance possible id the rest of circuity is really good, but it never is in very low cost dacs. The reason the cost is so low is because they use cheapest possible parts and only a 2-layer PCB (a dac needs at least 4-layers). Because the PCB is not very good, even replacing all the components on the board can't fully fix the problems.