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As we end off Part II with a detailed look at PCM fidelity, I can say that from an objective fidelity perspective, basically what I'm seeing is an ESS ES9038PRO-based DAC that's performing on par with the best devices available today as published here and on other audiophile objective measurement sources. The XLR 4.77Vrms output is clean with dynamic range of 130dB and 0dBFS THD+N better than -123dB. In a similar way, the RCA 2.35Vrms unbalanced output gives us an excellent THD+N of -120dB. On my more complex Triple-Tone signal, I'm seeing a TD+N of -118dB through the XLR and -111dB through the RCA which are again excellent. I just got one of these and after a couple hours of use I found it to be a more polished/complete product than the Topping D90SE. So much so it has permanently replaced my D90SE. Why?
With that, ladies and gents, I hope you're having a great Northern Hemisphere summer! And as always, enjoying the music... Within the menu controls, you can change the brightness (5 levels). Also, you can set the "Dimmer" time which is how many seconds the display is shown (choice of always turned on, or auto-off up to 60 seconds). I like this auto-off feature but I wish it automatically turned on each time something changes like say the samplerate or switching between DSD/PCM. Also, I would have liked an intermediate setting where the screen stays on all the time but actually dimming to lowest brightness instead of turning off completely. Notice that there is no dedicated power LED so with the screen off, the DAC could still be on or it could actually be in off/sleep mode and we would not know the difference. Not a big issue IMO. Okay, we're in the final stretch of my measurements/review series on the Sabaj A20d 2022 DAC. This time, let's finish with some measurements around DSD performance, the headphone amp output quality, and let's talk about subjective listening impressions before the final summary on my impressions of the device. (See Part I and Part II for earlier instalments in this review.) Using the Kill-A-Watt meter, I see that when turned on and playing through RCA/XLR, it's only sipping 5W through Bluetooth or USB inputs. When in sleep mode (turned off with remote controller or hold control knob down a few seconds), it drops down to <1W. Always good to see low-power utilization. The box barely gets warm after an hour of use.As for controls, the A10d can be controlled with the front volume knob/button without the need for a remote, however, the included remote makes it much easier to control the device and navigate between the available menus. By pressing on the volume knob, you can navigate between available options and turn the knob to set the desired value, and press once more to apply. It is easy and straightforward. Joachim Herbert, did you try changing sound colors with HE1000 Stealth? I guess by default A20d uses Sound Color 1? The Bluetooth 5.0 input is capable of standard SBC, AAC (for Apple products in particular), aptX, aptX-HD, and LDAC (best quality, highest bitrate on Android phones). I connected to this with my smartphone and found the signal strength excellent within much of my house (one of these days I'll have to measure quality of these Bluetooth CODECs beyond SBCand what signal degradation with distance looks like!).
The new Toppings of the 7 Pro Sabre series and the two brand new SMSL DO300EX DAC and DO400 DAC are much more to my taste as for styling, at approximately the same price level for the two last ones (the Topping 7 new series are separate DAC/Head amps combos and about 2 times more expensive, though reasonably priced considering their quality level). IMO, comparisons based on pure objective measured performances with the ultra (too much) expensive DSC Rossini are irrelevant : they're not intended for the same market nor the same use, they're not based on the same technology as for the DCS. Yes, top range pro and high end brands like DCS, Merging, Prism Sound, etc, are making VERY expensive products, but they're also making VERY good ones. Reliability on the long term and brand services matter too, not only the price tag nor the pure SInad ! I never heard of a major recording, broadcasting or mastering studio using Sabaj or Topping Dacs (maybe it will change soon, but now, that's it). I have a Topping DX7s since 4 or 5 years now, it sounds very good on headphone, good at a lesser degree on line ouput (so measurment don't show everything, otherwise line output should also be top notch, which isn't the case on this model), Topping is a good brand with good VFM, but their products have some minor flaws (ergonomy's not top -it's an euphemsism-, there is a very audible "ploc" at extinction - I hope this have been improved on recent models, but not sure). Over the last few years, we have seen an impressive proliferation of high resolution DACs at very reasonable price points coming from audio companies in China. In the world of consumer electronics, this should surprise nobody given that much of our technological products hail from that part of the world. Everything from Apple phones, to computer motherboards, to high-tech multinationals like AMD and Intel having manufacturing and assembly lines there.If you look at the front panel in the topmost picture, note both 4.4mm and 1/4" headphone outputs to the right. The 4.4mm headphone output is not balanced, rather, it's provided as a convenience for the user. Specs for the headphone stage look quite good - almost0Ω impedance, with output power up to 1W into 32Ω and 2W into 16Ω, and a claimed THD+N down to -120dB (output level and load unspecified). So was the problem with my Mac? Or as for you the problem was only present on certain frequencies ? Discover the ultimate audio experience with the 2023 Sabaj A20d High Res USB Audio DAC & Headphone AMP. This groundbreaking product combines state-of-the-art technology, unrivaled performance, and versatile features to redefine your audio journey.
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