Since I owned a older laptop that I use to listen to my music files it was about time to try out one of these headphone DAC/Amps that I kept hearing about.
I can only afford a few hundred dollars so I stated out by purchasing a Topping DX1 that used a ASHAI AK4493 DAC that was made in Japan and was supposed to have good performance.
I was a little disappointed that the DX1 only slightly improved the music on my Shure SRH840 headphones. It got rid of some distortion and made some vocals sound smoother and maybe slightly improved some low level instrumentals in background.
Afterwards I started looking at the Schiit Magni Unity AC/Amp.
The Schiit Magni Unity uses a ES9018 DAC chip. Do you think that the ES9018 DAC chip will sound better then the ASHAI AK4493 DAC chip ?
Hi,
The DX1 is only a little better than most onboard sound. The Schiit will sound much better, and tons more power (so you can stay in low gain for best sound quality). Some others I’ve had for the business that are good all in one models:
SMSL DL100 and DL200 (one is larger than the other, they sound identical and have the same power)
Topping DX5 (lite version is less and just doesn’t have MQA which nobody uses anymore)
SMSL C200 which is really compact if space is at a premium.
Topping EX5 which is hard to find but sounds great, it was a limited edition.
Anything by JDS Labs that’s in budget will not disappoint, tech support is epic there.
If you plan on travel with the laptop, the Topping G5 is the pinnacle for mobile sound performance. It’s 10oz, so best in a laptop bag than strapped to a phone.
Jason of Schiit Audio has stated in the past that “a Magni Unity is all you need”. Since they sell other solutions that cost more, that is quite the statement (also many people touting how good it is helps as well).
Going to recommend the JDS Element IV. I sold everything else I had and am just using that now. I had some really expensive stuff. The EQ web app is killer and it sounds good subjectively to me. It’s more than $300, but being able to EQ is worth it, IMO.
I really do not think I want a EQ and also I can not put apps on my phone. Furthermore I already returned 2 Chinese headphone DAC amps and I finally decided to buy a product that is made in the USA.
Frank
In my experience, the implementation (the circuit(s) that are before and after) matters much more than the specific DAC chip. The 9018 is still a very competent chip.
No, because a properly implemented dac will not be any different. If you want to improve the sound, you either do some physical mods on the headphone or buy a new one.
For the record, I did have the Maximus Pietus with the Schiit Unity DAC and it’s very good.
But also JDS Labs is US Made, like Schiit, right? Maybe they outsource, but I know the company is US-based like Schiit.
Totally get not being ready for EQ, but the Element does not require an app installation, that is the beauty of it. It’s all web-based. You just go to core.jdslabs.com and you can add presets, make adjustments, update firmware as they are adding more features, etc. That’s my favorite thing about it. I tried the Fiio K19 which requires app installs and did not like it as much, despite being more robust overall.
For me personally, once I learned how to EQ properly, especially with the element IV which makes it extremely user-friendly, it’s near impossible to go back.
Good luck and hope you find something you like! I do think the Schiit stuff is very good.
