Stop Wasting Your Apple Music subscription! Buy an Audiophile DAC! Cheaper Than You Think!

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Stop Wasting Your Apple Music subscription! Buy an Audiophile DAC! Cheaper Than You Think!

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cheapaudioman

Күн бұрын

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@cheapaudioman 10 ай бұрын

SMSL SU1 amzn.to/3Q5UCM8 SMSL M300SE amzn.to/3PLiAeb Enter to Win instagram.com/cheapaudioman. forms.gle/w6qbPKGPFGUKiasX9 check out my other channel www.youtube.com/@cheapwatchman_official Intro graphics by johnvilardi.com Support the Channel! Shop on Amazon amzn.to/3W8vsgK Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt Join the best hifi community out there! patreon.com/cheapaudioman TRY ROON www.rofjdjk3ns.com/33G977/2CTPL/ Tidal Deal bit.ly/3siuqSF Amazon Unlimited Music Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9 Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt Best Buy Deals shop-links.co/cf9yDZeYtUH amzn.to/3GkNaop CAM Store (New Products!) bit.ly/30Lgu4K apos.audio?sca_ref=552340.TY98BPcZ6P

@hoonhog28 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for your review....always informative and well paced. Re your title, Apple Music , I have using my iPhone cabled to the Apple Audio/ video adaptor linked to my Marantz SR 6015 I am using the internal DAC (PCM1502A DAC ). Wondering if you could shed light on significant improvements with one of the DACs recommended here?

@Havanero52 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for fantastic video

@donstoob 2 ай бұрын

useless title. do you have to do that?

@cheapaudioman 2 ай бұрын

@@donstoob one of my most popular videos. Thanks for watching.

@FlyGuy457 10 ай бұрын

I still listen to AM radio. As a side note, I have purchased many DAC's and because I hear so little difference in each, without buying more, I am happy with the Schitt. Sometimes, less is just enough. Enjoy all.

@timharbert7145 10 ай бұрын

AM is magic.

@mikecampbell5856 10 ай бұрын

I have a 1936 Silvertone that belonged to my grandparents and I listen to sports talk radio on it. I have a 1940 RCA Victor, a 1942 Silvertone and a 1947 Silvertone. They all work.

@chungang7037 10 ай бұрын

@@timharbert7145 There is something calming about it, especially through a mono speaker in my Dad's 1977 GMC truck.

@Soknik01 10 ай бұрын

@@chungang7037"Sometimes less is more" seems to ring truer and truer with each passing year.

@timharbert7145 10 ай бұрын

@@chungang7037as a kid growing up in Nebraska, id pickup WLS AM out of Chicago late at night. Also CBC out of somewhere Canada. Just fueled my dreams of seeing the world. Streaming feeds just ain't the same.

@mitchmiller7224 9 ай бұрын

Just finished watching the whole video and I don't even know what a DAC is! 👍👍👍

@johnstuartsmith 4 ай бұрын

A streaming DAC is a box with electronics in it that acts as an audio source. It selects a specific stream of blocks of digital data transmitted as sets of ones and zeroes and coverts that stream into channels of analog signals that consist of continuously varying electrical voltages which, when fed into an amplifier, get linearly increased so that the amplified fluctuating voltages and current are strong enough to cause loudspeakers or headphones to reproduce the music or whatever sounds were encoded into the digital signal that went into the Digital Analog Converter, or "DAC."

@mikecampbell5856 10 ай бұрын

I bought two Schiit Modi 3 DACS and I love them. In my opinion a DAC should be used as a DAC. It doesn't need a volume control or a remote or a headphone output. All of those can be found further down the audio chain.

@mjmonjure 8 ай бұрын

I have an older Burson Audio DAC and it only has 2 sets of L/R outputs. USB/Coax/toslink in. It’s been on for 15 years except for power outages.

@keithreuter4932 10 ай бұрын

I just purchased a Wiim Pro plus, into my Aiyima T9 pro. Speakers are Polk ES 50 tower with a PSW 10 sub. Sounds amazing!! I replaced my metal jumpers on my speakers with SKW jumpers and to my surprise made a BIG difference on my mids and highs. Thanks for the info.

@user-oh6ev7mj5q 3 ай бұрын

Do you connect the Aiyima (amplifier?) to the output of the Wiim Pro? (DAC) or does the DAC go at the output of the amplifier? These strange gadgets are all new to me

@terrylovell_video_editor 9 ай бұрын

Fellow Dallasite here. First time watching your channel. It popped into my recommended feed tonight and the title grabbed me. I have seen a lot of shows at The Factory and the HOB. I prefer The Factory if I can get there early and be very close to the stage. At 5'6", it is a real pain to see over the crowd at Factory. I seem to get better sightlines at Southside Ballroom. Of course, my favorite venue is the Kessler, and have really enjoyed seeing shows at the Texas Theatre as of late. A couple of shows at the Longhorn Ballroom have also been enjoyable. I don't know what a DAC is, so not an audiophile, but I do love listening to music. I'm 53 and used to drum in hair metal cover bands in the 80's/ 90's for reference.

@davediaz5127 10 ай бұрын

Ordered a grey aluminum with blue J2 Socketed, no USB, sparco OP. Took a while to get it, but I was patient. I've had it for about 6 months. Sounds fantastic to me, has the inputs I need. Did I mention how fantastic it sounds. It sounds fantastic. :)

@rosswarren436 10 ай бұрын

I learned the hard way, if you are going to be standing on a concrete floor for any length of time, get some of those shoes nurses wear during their 12-hour shifts. I believe Hoka is one brand they love and saves a lot of wear and tear (and pain) on their feet and legs.

@ianbusby2845 10 ай бұрын

And the scrubs are quite comfy!

@dsonyay 10 ай бұрын

I have a very inexpensive Topping D10 USB powered dac.. when I output my Apple Music subscription into it it has the capability to play Hi-Res audio into my stereo.. for 9.95 a month, that’s pretty damn good and it sounds flipping great- but I rarely stream music. I spend so much time playing vinyl and CDs. I usually only stream to investigate certain albums that I might be interested in buying or I stream when we have a small get together and I don’t wanna spend a lot of time flipping LPs or changing CDs. The D10 sounds frikin awesome. I remember buying it for about 60 bucks. The dac chip can be swapped out with other chips (a hack I haven’t investigated).

@mainetomass99 10 ай бұрын

I’m a fan of quality but not at the cost of diminishing returns. I go with the keep it clean and simple method. JDS Labs Element III Mark 2 & Hifiman Sundara cans + the LosslessSwitcher App for MacOS for bit-perfect. Done and done.

@alastairmackay4589 10 ай бұрын

Love your show, and I think you’re the right guy to make this request to! Would it be possible for you to run through the mysteries of dacs and other components, maybe with cartoons to illustrate? Eg: the path of a source signal through an amp, dac and speaker, and what happens if the amp itself and/or other components have inbuilt dacs already? You might also mention pre-amps, power amps, streamers, bi-wiring, phono inputs, styliiii etc and demystify for the common man? Just a thought. 😊

@AlfieLW 7 ай бұрын

yeah this. i dont know if i need an external DAC if my integrated has one already.

@AG-bp3ll 10 ай бұрын

I don't have a lot of DACs to compare besides stuff inside DVD players but I have been very happy with the Modi+. It is easy to hook up multiple devices and everything just works through USB. Mac, PC, Android, Raspberry Pi. It all just works. Very happy with this DAC.

@madcrabber1113 8 ай бұрын

Love the song by Dope that begins and ends with the word "die" Such a sweet and mellow tune.

@jebo4jc 10 ай бұрын

I just wish Amazon would open up spatial atmos audio to more devices. It seems like they've done the hard part - getting the atmos mixes in their database. Just let me pass the audio to my receiver!

@ginom407 10 ай бұрын

I have a Schiit and a Geshelli DAC (one in my desktop system and one in my main system). I love them both!!! Great Video Randy!!! 👍👍👍

@krihanek117 10 ай бұрын

It was very important to me that my DAC not have any of the MQA BS in it. No royalty for the now defunct MQA.

@hortehighwind8651 4 ай бұрын

I really should’ve checked out this channel before ordering a DAC.

@velvetknight780 4 ай бұрын

DUDE!!!! I just got the SMSL SU-1, 79$, I needed another DAC cuz I have a SchiTT Vali2 with a Modi. It was not acting great with ROON. I have to tell you, you are so right. I hooked my SVS prime Wireless' using RCA output. Oh yea so good. Thank you much. keep up the great work.

@markcompton6750 10 ай бұрын

I have the SMSL…. From my TV to my Musical Fidelity amp. It works brilliantly 👍

@PeterMumford 7 ай бұрын

OK, I finally took the plunge and bought a DAC. I bought an SMSL SU1 for $80 on Amazon. I plugged it in, between my kitchen radio (it has better sound than you would expect) and the little hockey puck WIIM streamer. I was actually skeptical I would even hear the difference. But OMG WOW! The tunes are so clear, so vivid! The music comes alive! Its amazing. A whole new world for me to enjoy. I immediately ordered 2 more SU1s. I'll need a DAC for my living room stereo of course (it has the best audio but gets the least use). And I need a DAC for my smart TV, which has always sounded pretty dead, in spite of me trying various half decent audio systems with it.

@The.SpotlightKid 10 ай бұрын

Odd to see many folk still like going to see bands just to stand & point their high-held mobile cam's at them, rather than "getting into" the musical experience of live music for it's own sake & regaurdless of the numbing arm'aching shake & not being able to see the cam's view screen, so they've successfully confirmed that they at least tried to film it. luckily, we all know how superb & unmissable those mobile movies are of head's rears, many other high held mobiles & blurry stages with some movement going on. I always look in wonder at friends or colleague's results, wondering what the hell I'm supposed to be looking at & why they bothered to pay to capture that mess on their screen

@themlb974 6 ай бұрын

Just bought a audiophonics Sabre-EVO and it's super super nice, love it! Easy integration into every streaming service (AirPlay as well), network sharing and accessing local files.

@phansternthephreake 10 ай бұрын

Rock shows are always worth any cost. Rock on, dude! Still trying to decide on my first DAC, so I'm here to stay. Your my new audio guru.

@marnold624 10 ай бұрын

The gateway drug for me the WiiM Pro and SMSL-SU1

@martinkoskella3943 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comparisons of DACs. Also like the discussion on chip sets. You have guided me for my first standalone DAC.

@cheapaudioman 10 ай бұрын

Glad to help!

@davehood1514 10 ай бұрын

I have a chord Dac, Rob Watts is Digital God, his bespoke programming sets them apart from the croud, wonder what he could do with latest Apple designed RISC ( reduced instruction set chips) low power consumption chips, they are so powerful and have revolutionised the computer and tablet market, could be the same with audio.

@psysword 10 ай бұрын

You're so right. I've bought two mojo 2s. Just so that I'm insured!

@psysword 10 ай бұрын

The Brits are not playing the chip game. Mojo 2 is chipless. Some quantum electron technology.

@rosswarren436 10 ай бұрын

Still rocking two Schiit Modi DACs, the 3+ and 3E. Waiting to figure out what DAC to get in my living room. Leaning towards a Denafrips Ares 12th or maybe Gustard R26. Decisions, decisions. Or heck, the Schiit Bifrost 2/64 (maybe). SMSL has come a long way though. They figured out a little before Topping that people wanted a full-bodied sound, not something thin and analytical sounding.

@riffraff9000 10 ай бұрын

The Bifrost 2/64 rocks. But the Modi Multibit 2 is no slouch.

@ChicagoRob2 10 ай бұрын

@@riffraff9000 100% agree. The MM 2 is sonically very close to the Bifrost.

@rosswarren436 10 ай бұрын

@@ChicagoRob2sounds like the MM 2 is a bargain then in its price category.

@BostonMike68 10 ай бұрын

I was just using the DAC in my avr and I have a Dayton that 200 hybrid and the DAC in that I don't think is very good so I ended up getting smsl su 1 and it sounds really good I don't need a remote control because I control the volume on everything else. I don't think I will ever buy anything else it gets better reviews than smsl more expensive dacs .

@markymo32 8 ай бұрын

I'm trying to understand why this "Stop Wasting Your Apple Music subscription!" was in your description of this video?

@MrProfchaos71 2 ай бұрын

Probably because they have lossless audio and Spatial Audio and a good DAC brings that detail to life ?

@riffdex Ай бұрын

@@MrProfchaos71would be nice if he even made a brief mention of this fact to people who are new to audio stuff and trying to learn 🤔

@TheWolfCub71 Ай бұрын

They also have Hi-Res up to 24-bit/192 kHz.

@jasonrichardwatts 25 күн бұрын

@@markymo32 So you would CLICK! 😈🫵

@darkpill 24 күн бұрын

I think he meant to say “don’t under utilize your Apple Music subscription”

@quiksr20 10 ай бұрын

I did a side by side with the Topping E50 & the Schiit Modi ( latest one ), Couldnt tell a ton different but really dug the Schiit. Kept the Schiit and sent the topping back, I didnt need a remote or the added features. Im really starting to dig the Schiit gear and look fwd to listening to more of their products. As for that Geshali J2 its on my radar, in a wood case it just looks so awesome. Keep up the great videos Randy!

@leodesforges161 10 ай бұрын

The Modi+ is really solid. I love my AK J2 with sparkos opamp and Ifi power supply. If you like the Modi, you'll really like the J2.

@shipsahoy1793 10 ай бұрын

If you could barely tell the difference between the Modi+ and the E50, then stick with the Modi+ and save your money. If you upgrade your system, then you could revisit a DAC upgrade, but right now, your money could be used more appropriately elsewhere.

@quiksr20 10 ай бұрын

Cant wait to try a J2 @@leodesforges161

@quiksr20 10 ай бұрын

Yeah I really couldnt tell much of a diff and I went back and fourth a few times. Now mind you I was only feeding them from the Airport Express which is limited to cd quality... Airport vs External DAC was noticable.. Just Topping vs Schiit was hard to tell a diff and I am using pretty damn good speakers and gear ( Hafler Amp / ADS Speakers / Marantz Preamp ). @@shipsahoy1793

@ChicagoRob2 10 ай бұрын

The Modi + is very good. It has excellent detail and is not harsh in any way. I’ve had all of the Modi iterations and the Modi + is the best, by far.

@ElectricUAM 2 ай бұрын

I'll take a look at the SMSL M300SE. For that price, it looks good. I have a Modi 3 and as much as I like the sound quality, I was let down by Schiit customer care and the quality of the DAC. This $100 DAC cost me an extra $30 having to send it back twice for a faulty motherboard.

@BostonMike68 10 ай бұрын

Honestly I heard some other reviews about the smsl su 1 sounding better than their more expensive ones so I bought one and got a tidal masters subscription for mqa and it's huge upgrade and btw Sevendust is a totally underrated band .

@chrisstella210 10 ай бұрын

Aune S8 magic dac you can swap Op Amps about $350

@jp93309 10 ай бұрын

Wiim Mini x SMSL SU-1 combo for $170. Killing the value streaming game.

@threegirlsandacat5212 8 ай бұрын

I have the wiim mini and was thinking about pairing it with the SMSL SU-1 but wasn’t sure since i can have it all with the wiim pro plus for $40 more.

@Subjective_JoshNelson 3 ай бұрын

I did not pick up how I'm wasting my Apple music sub. in not having a DAC? (this was the clickbait headline, after all) I just saw reviews for, well, DACs. What are the advertised DACs doing that the D/A converter in my Apple Studio computer is not doing? Please advise...

@grahamlake9728 2 ай бұрын

Apple Music stuck at aac without external dac!

@derbagger22 5 ай бұрын

I'm rocking a Drop+Grace SDAC to Drop THXAAA789 headphone amp. If I am on the move, a simple Fiio Aspen 2 is all I need. Learned about the world of good DACs when I got into Clarion car audio gear in the 90s. Ever since, gimme good DACS....

@dtracy03ss 10 ай бұрын

Eversolo = China, Geshelli = USA Both at the 7 to 800 range , so Quality is in exchange for VU meters and electronic display IMO. I Like the old-school look. Cmon 200k!

@monkeybar88 2 ай бұрын

Question? Also open to your viewers...I am running a Cambridge AXR85 thru klipsch rp-600m. My input source is media computer attached via optical port playing primarily video streaming services KZfaq, Netflix ect. Is an external DCA needed? The Cambridge has an onboard DAC and it is the most amazing sounding system I have ever owned.

@3811eric 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for the video. This set-up in my living room is pretty good with sound staging, accurate sound, and powerful enough to bring out all the details even in low, night-quiet listening: My set-up: PC FLAC files USB input(16,24 bit 192 KHz) Topping D90 DAC SMSL AO 200 MkII Int. Amp. Kef R3 Bookshelf speakers Rel 1003 MKII Subwoofer XLR connections (L and R) Direct (No EQ tweaks) input

@breckisaac5378 10 ай бұрын

We were in Dallas over spring visiting my son and daughter in bishop arts district.

@8gazebo 10 ай бұрын

I picked up the Emotiva Big Ego + USB DAC for $80. I plug my HiFi Man Sundara head phones into the head phone out put for a very nice result. I wish you would compare it to all the other low price DACS you review.

@grantrobinson4292 9 ай бұрын

What part of this video was about ditching Apple Music?

@tielur-pu8od 2 ай бұрын

I have 2 setups. one is Mac to denafrips DDC then to denafrips DAC then to Muscians headphone AMP. the other is a Eversolo a6me to a denafrips DAC then to Musicians Headphone AMP. use Apple Music and Tidal on each. Both sound the same... irony is the only time I can perceive a difference is depending on the usb cable from the Mac and Eversolo to the denafrips. all those ess and akm dacs over the years all were either sold or are in a drawer. just buy something that is going to be good. that simple. over the years everyones hearing gets worse naturally.

@automaticraccon 3 ай бұрын

Thx to your video I ended up buying a USB-C to Toslink SPDIF Adapter and run an optical line from my Mac Mini to the SMSL SU1 DAC and into my Rotel RC-850>RB850 preamp/power amp combination, driving Celestion Ditton 3 speakers. For my purposes it sounds great. Thank you for making this easy to decide. I was already fretting over having to buy an Eversolo or somthing along those lines but that would have been stupid. And if one day I decide I need even better sound I can get a higher quality DAC but I think that probably the gains become so marginal that it's hard to tell the difference. Btw: I have been a music producer for 20 yrs and an audio engineer but abandoned the game 10+ yrs ago. My ears still do work though. ;-P

@pbaker7160 6 ай бұрын

The built in DAC on my Yamaha A-S301 integrated amp seems to work very well.

@syfrettsj 10 ай бұрын

Great review, but I'm wondering where the Fosi Audio K5 Pro would fall. It is marketed as a gaming headphone amp, but it is a DAC as well, and a good one based on your initial review. Thoughts?

@thomaslytle5519 9 ай бұрын

I love my iFi Zen Blue V2. I prefer vinyl but it’s great to preview a record I’m considering buying. Sounds almost like I’m spinning vinyl. At first I wasn’t impressed, until I realized I should set my Spotify playback to the highest quality. And wah lah! Beautiful. Why do I need a remote control when I simply use my phone?

@Urinehere 10 ай бұрын

Why would I need my dac to have a remote or volume control?

@tikilord66 10 ай бұрын

Or a headphone amp

@Mark198d 10 ай бұрын

If you were connecting directly to powered/active speakers for example. Or if you wanted to connect it directly to a power amp and not a pre-amp or integrated amp driving passive speakers.

@robertblits2477 10 ай бұрын

I have a separate DAC with the Wiim Pro plugged into the optical input, an inexpensive CD player plugged into the Coax input and another device into the USB of the DAC, it is easier to switch inputs if there was a remote control to do so.

@Hirnlego999 10 ай бұрын

Can be used as a pre-amp.. You can select toslink, coaxial and USB as source..

@robertwang7825 10 ай бұрын

Well I just tried using my IPhone 15 Pro connected to my Denafrips DAC using USB connect. To my surprise the results are astonishing V using an Apple adaptor with older lightning IPhones or Mac Mini with USB. I wouldn’t even think of using any streamer using Airplay.

@owenroberts6572 10 ай бұрын

@cheapaudioman I’ve got the eversolo z8…. VERY impressed. I’ll be taking it to my local hifi dealer I’ve used the last 20 years… They want to test it.and I want to see how it links to ultra hi-end shop stuff 👌

@QueOndaWhey 2 ай бұрын

The Factory in Dallas in Deep Ellum rocks. Parking tough and homeless yes but the venue itself great.

@lesley4996 10 ай бұрын

I don’t think you’ve done a review on the Chord Mojo2 - I would be really interested what you think of it, maybe in comparison with the Geschelli labs J2.

@ShazeemKhan 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for this Randy. The SMSL M300 seems right up my Alley. Greetings from Trinidad 🇹🇹

@muldoon67 10 ай бұрын

I just brought the Fiio K5 Pro. Excellent DAC with the added bonus of Line In so I run my turntable thru it.

@thevindictive6145 5 ай бұрын

Yup got the same Fiio K5 pro ess on sale for 85 bucks from aliexpress. Still waiting for it to arrive, probably in 3 days.

@rafacq 10 ай бұрын

I’ve use an Allo Boss2 for almost two years and simply love it. Sadly it seems COVID put Allo out of business as everything in their website is “Out of Stock”.

@tmdillon1969 10 ай бұрын

I just bought a Topping E50. It worked for less than two hours before sending the "d-3" unit is defective code. It goes back tomorrow and I will not be getting another. I decided to go with the Emotiva entry-level pre-amp which has a DAC built in. I might get a Modi for the upstairs listening system as I don't need a remote.

@ron101346 9 ай бұрын

I hope you limit your attendance to live rock concerts. After a few years you won't have any hearing over 5K to 10K Hz. On the other hand, you could then audition speakers with lousy tweeters and not notice anything wrong!

@cheapaudioman 9 ай бұрын

I wear hearing protection

@tagtag-connected5263 9 ай бұрын

I don’t buy dedicated DACs. My Marantz built in DAC via HEOS does 24/192 streaming and virtually indistinguishable from dedicated DAC costing thousands.

@Torso6131 2 ай бұрын

I'll be honest, I'm pretty happy with my chromecast audio. It was like, $15 when I got it (since it wasn't a commercial success) and it honestly sounds great. That's hooked up to my rather lazy amp situation I have for my living room. When set to the "big speakers" mode or whatever the not limited range setting is on it, it actually sounds great lol. I'll probably just upgrade to an actual AVR or something next. My PC is also hooked up to my home theater setup, so it'll be nice to have something a bit beefier than my SMSL SA-60 from like 10 years ago too, but honestly, it's still fine for what it is. I don't really have a use-case for my Fiio e10k anymore as I rarely use headphones on my PC, but that was also pretty decent too lol.

@AllboroLCD 10 ай бұрын

When you can host your digitized music locally at home, and play it anywhere in/out home in far higher quality than any service, "Streaming" starts to make alotta sense. Your music is always there for you to add or remove at YOUR discretion. Think of the "Steam Link" game service but for your music : )

@jimhampton6865 10 ай бұрын

Thanks Randy, I don't do anything without checking with you first. I recently just picked up your A tier DAC dongle from Hidizs which is a fantastic addition to when I'm on the go in the car or want to listen to headsets. At home I have the SMSL DL200 and the SMSL SU1. The DL200 is hanging off my reference system and I love it, but it may be time to check out the Geshelli 4499 with the upgraded Sparkle amp. Today is my sobriety date of one year and I may just treat myself after I get the wifey's approval. 😂 thank you again I've learned so much and appreciate my Metal that much more.

@trog69 9 ай бұрын

So, I bought the SMSL m300se the day your video dropped, when the price was $105. Great deal. BUT, I've had a few issues with the unit. The single-ended side doesn't output, and when I bought the Schiit Midgard for more power to my hungry planars, i never got them to work together. So, I bought the Modius to match the Midgard. Now I'm scared to hook them up just to find they don't work for me because I'm old and ignorant.

@mikesmith5139 5 ай бұрын

What is a DAC? How does it replace streaming music. Still unclear and confused?

@ulgn1964 10 ай бұрын

Vinyl is by far better sounding in my stereo setup, more dynamic and bigger sound and more base, i use tidal with a bluesound node also but the sound is more flat and not as open as vinyl. My vinyl setup is Thorens TD1500 and Hegel V10 with Hegel H190.

@mohammedalomari1998 5 ай бұрын

How about CD? Thanks

@agnelroshandsilva3929 10 ай бұрын

Hi Randy. Very Helpful review. On Your comments om SMSL vs Topping. I have the smsl D300 and the topping E70 Velvet. You had reviewed the smsl D300 previously and it is fantastic. Please do try out the topping E70 velvet if possible. All your preferences on the Gishelli Labs AKM 4499 EX should hold good as it has the same chipset. Strong points are excellent tonality, powerful dynamics and Huge soundstage.

@Mark198d 10 ай бұрын

How would you compare the SMSL D300 vs. Topping E70 Velvet?

@agnelroshandsilva3929 10 ай бұрын

@@Mark198d the smsl has a slightly leaner sound, with the Mids and treble being excellent and does very well with mid focused songs. The E70 Velvet is very Dynamic and forceful with excellent bass response and a wonderful slightly thick tonality which suits a little uptempo music very well especially ones with a lot of drums and beats. The Chord Mojo 2 sonically treads between the Smsl D300 and the Topping E70 Velvet with a slightly warm, full bodied, well rounded and slightly more 3 dimensional sound. Sound Stage wise, both the E70 Velvet and D300 are better than the Chord Mojo 2. All three are excellent with different sonic signatures and none of them are the least bit fatiguing.

@Mark198d 10 ай бұрын

@@agnelroshandsilva3929 Thanks for your impressions. I have the SMSL D300 and I concur with your description of its sound. I find it to be fairly neutral (definitely not thick in bass or mids) but not dry/sterile sounding, the upper midrange and highs are smooth and non-fatiguing. I use this in my headphone setup. I also own the Denafrips Ares (original, not II) in my 2-channel speaker setup, which is slightly warm with a textured/organic sounding midrange. Tonality on Ares is the most natural sounding I have owned. I have also owned Denafrips Ares II (very similar to Ares I, occasionally brighter), Topping E50 (neutral, slightly dry sounding), Chord Mojo 1 (pleasant/smooth, but lacking some dynamics and resolution), Schiit Modi 3 AK4493 (slightly warm, lacks some resolution), Schiit Modi Multibit (warm, but sometimes too forward in upper midrange), Geshelli Labs J2 with ES9038Q2M (neutral but dry/sterile sound, lacks dynamics). I am slightly curious about one of these new AK4499EX chip DACs like Topping E70 Velvet, SMSL D0300EX, Sabaj A20d 2023, J2, etc. but I like the combo of Ares I and D300 that I have. Would only snag one if I found a crazy good deal on used market. Thanks for your time.

@frischma1 10 ай бұрын

So I currently have the Modi + and like it very much. I mainly use it with a wiim mini to stream music to my vintage receiver and speakers. My next upgrade I wanted to get a J2 DAC. Is it worth it to get the regular AKM, or should I save up a bit more and get the 4499 to hear a bigger difference? Thanks.

@ordinaryjoe2247 10 ай бұрын

Randy has said that the 4499 is a big upgrade in terms of sound quality. Lachlan at Passion for Sound thinks so as well. For a great detailed breakdown of the various J2 configurations, take the time to listen to his post, "GOOD news, BAD news: Geshelli J2 DAC and new AK4499EX version". It is very helpful.

@jonstarritt848 10 ай бұрын

If you wanted to build a hifi system with components made in America, not just assembled, what would you use? Including a turntable, phono pre-amp, cd player, pre-amp, amp, and speakers. A price and sound comparison between an all American, all European, and all Chinese system would be interesting as well. Using the same cables with all the systems would show the differences better I think.

@damondhorner1602 9 ай бұрын

For turntables assembled in the US, MoFi.

@JonMoralesLA 6 ай бұрын

That’s a tall order these days

@thepathnotfound 4 ай бұрын

U -Turn turntables made in US. Emotiva makes some gear in the US. Schittz make their gear in Texas Tekton Design makes speakers in the US.

@thepathnotfound 4 ай бұрын

I have a U-Turn table, some Schittz gear and an Emotiva dac.

@olbucky9413 10 ай бұрын

Try visine after concerts before you go to work, then try not to talk to anybody.

@lucashinch 9 ай бұрын

I'm in the DAC debacle as well. I need this great information. thank you

@patrickhart306 Ай бұрын

Great channel! Thank you for all your experience and referrals!

@aaronv2185 10 ай бұрын

No idea why I need a DAC? lol but man, since I started this Cheap "audiophile" journey, I notice so many metal tracks sound terrible on my system and I really like metal...

@timharbert7145 10 ай бұрын

Yamaha for metal. The loudness knob works wonders for metal. I found a Schiit Modi DAC makes the bass snappier. I use CD mostly though. Some metal, like early anthrax, just isn't well recorded.

@CCGeogaddi 4 ай бұрын

I built my own 😊 Raspberry Pi4 4gb. HiFiBerry digi2 Pro for coax output Volumio software (free) Which houses a 256gb MicroSD to hold my personal CD > Flac7 files. Fully supports casting. Nice little metal case. Benefits? My device will probably get software updates for years!

@dougdavis8986 10 ай бұрын

Do you own the SMSL company?

@NickRamsey28 7 ай бұрын

Just bought my first dac, chord mojo2 and love it.

@alexandermikhailov2481 3 ай бұрын

How are these DACs going to be better than a tiny $25 DAC from Amazon (24/96)? I have a great analog setup to which this DAC is connected and I don't hear any issues with it, yet I might not know what I'm missing while focusing on my vinyl records and reel-to-reel tapes. 🤷‍♂️

@0nemoa 2 ай бұрын

You missed the Fiio K7. Outstanding headphone dac/amp. Sounds much closer to something to the $500 price range and its only $200. Cant go wrong. You really cant, you just cant go wrong.

@mboljar 10 ай бұрын

In True Lies line was : “Battery Aziz” 😀

@joeshmoe7485 10 ай бұрын

A lot of people that cover DACs and include the Schiit Modi (or Modi+) never seem to include the Modi Multibit. When I was buying my Schiit stack (Magni+Modi) I decided to splurge and get the Multibit version of the Modi. I am pretty happy with it and have no desire to replace it, but I am curious to hear how the Multibit compares to other DACs (including the base Modi or Modi+). Just a curiosity thing more than anything else...

@rosswarren436 10 ай бұрын

It was hard to get the Modi Multibit for a long time...supply chain issues...Glad it is available. My nephew was going to get one but ended up with a J2 instead. I'm using a Modi 3E with a Vali 2 and Loki for my headphone stack and they make me very happy.

@joeshmoe7485 10 ай бұрын

@@rosswarren436 Yeah, I got mine back in 2021-ish and it took a really long time to get it.

@ChicagoRob2 10 ай бұрын

I have a Modi + and a Modi Multibit 1. Both are great, but the MM1 has better layering and refinement.

@tebbywafer1665 10 ай бұрын

No remote control is not the same as no volume level control. The Bifrost has a remote and still does not have volume level control. Schiit has the sys passive preamp that I use for cheap volume control and switching.

@KajikaMr 10 ай бұрын

Love Static-X. I got to see them in 99' with Fear Factory at a local radio show's festival. Love that their continuing to play music with Xer0 on lead vocals, he sounds great. Speaking of "zero"... Have you (or anyone) listened to the Vanatoo Zero Plus? Anything you'd look to add for a desktop setup?

@barrychiarello8493 10 ай бұрын

Yes, I understand voice loss, great deal Randy

@cillyede 10 ай бұрын

A-L-U-M-I-N-I-U-M. nothing else. ❤😂 There is no A-L-U-M-I-N-U-M !!😭😭😭

@nick7813 5 ай бұрын

I bought a HiBy F4 dac because wanted something portable.

@BigNorthumbrian 10 ай бұрын

I use a Ifi Signature One, very impressive with Bluetooth.

@volkiruski1221 10 ай бұрын

I choose, for the moment, for a Fosi K5 Pro gamerdac icm with a Fosi BT30D pro amp. I use 2 Amazon Speakers and will add a subwoofer too. I am finding out which I take, I think of the Vulkkano. But maybe I make my own speakers instead. I am watching all videoos of how to build yourself. I found suppliers for speakerkits. 👍👍

@waytooslow 9 ай бұрын

Had the Schitt it failed at less than thirty days. Sadly. It sounded pretty good when paired with Wiim pro. Now just using the Wiim until I can find the dac I am looking for.

@JoseFerreira-zb7wh 10 ай бұрын

I wish smsl would come up with an su-1 pro where they would ditch mqa and add a remote (could be very simple only on/off and input selection) or at least 12v trigger in/out and independent usb/ power inputs. That woul be killer! Also, seems like Topping has in fact been changing their sound signature in most of its latest models to a fuller and warmer sounding one that i think you would enjoy - e70, e70 velvet and d70 pro octo are good examples. And they're using 12v triggers which i like. I also think you should try Loxjie d40 pro. Seems like another very good value unit! Chord Mojo 2 is also a very good unit or the price!

@wckkee7 9 ай бұрын

SMSL D400 EX

@JoseFerreira-zb7wh 9 ай бұрын

@@wckkee7 smsl has tons. and tons of the same too

@scottboettcher 9 ай бұрын

For sure use a good streaming setup! Mine is this: Audio Physic Classic 25 Black Glass (pair) Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III, Black Auralic Altair G1 Digital Audio Streamer Have to add a turntable, but I'm still on the fence... That said, it wasn't cheap, but it's not crazy either. Thanks for the DAC info - always looking for more gear ;)

@ENGLISHISBEST 10 ай бұрын

I believe from the needle to the speaker in the shortest route & least amount of electronics in the way is the cleanest route. Far too much flapping about nowadays. When I was 10 I was mire fascinated by my old grandads gramaphone that had the needle & amp on the arm. Now thats clever tech, then I got the audio bug. But not an audiophile, I just enjoy music & getting the best out of my albums without spending.

@Will-xk4nm 9 ай бұрын

Demonstrate an audible difference between DACs empirically that isn't like 60 dB down from the signal level and I will consider it.

@JonMoralesLA 6 ай бұрын

…meanwhile everyone else is just having a good time enjoying their music

@krispee5842 10 ай бұрын

Hi! I was wondering if you could possibly test the SHARP CP-HP500 speaker or a similar speaker of the same manufacturer. They are (or were, idk how old this model is) packaged with a cd player/amp, but you can find just the speakers used from $40-$80. I personally got mine for free, but when I wanted to see if there were any proper tests done, all I saw were people playing cds for a minute and a half on poor video quality.

@jayem1826 10 ай бұрын

I see their store the J2 there’s a J2?Socketed. What’s the difference between this and non-socketed? I don’t see the op amps you mentioned Randy. Sorry. This is much more affordable than the denafrips. If my wiim pro had usb outs then the $50 usb option would be great. I’m interested To answer my own question: The J2 Socketed version will have 3x 8pin DIP sockets available on the board. This will allow you to swap out the opamps with the Sparkos 3602, or any of your favorite chips.

@billllllllllllllly 10 ай бұрын

Dude that True Lies quote got me hard!!! 😂 I still reference that scene. Love it! 👏

@krys2fur 10 ай бұрын

I saw Static-X and Dope at the Vogue in Indy. Great show!!

@cgott42 10 ай бұрын

Newbie here - Q- I stream Apple Music via my Apple TV 4K and it sounds great. Will a DAC improve that, or is it only needed when playing via the PC?

@WhiteHawk77 9 ай бұрын

Apple TV boxes currently don’t support Hi-Res Lossless, that is it doesn’t go beyond a 24-bit 48Khz sample rate.

@mcjonner 10 ай бұрын

Have you tried hooking up the j2 to one of the nice receivers that uses dirac to see if that made much of a difference?

@daffy1981 10 ай бұрын

Oh man, I need to remember your channel, when I eventually get a place where I can listen to music at any kind of substantial volume . For now - just headphones, and laptop speakers :\

@kentrichardson9070 9 ай бұрын

I watched to find out what a dac is and why I might need or want one. I know what it stands for and have one on my bed room tv so I plug headphones in. I’m not sure how many streaming platforms are out there but I subscribe to two, Amazon and Spotify. Both can be streamed to my tv amp without a dac. You also threw a lot of letters and numbers at me but they mean nothing without some context. I will see if you have previously done a video explaining dac better. Cheers

@JMJM75257 10 ай бұрын

Would be great to see you reviewing some ak4499 dacs to compare with the j2. I've just picked up the smsl do300ex, coming from a topping e50. The smsl is definitely a bit softer while also giving me a fair bit more soundstage width and depth. Details wise I'd say it's a wash but the way it's presented has changed for the better imo.