# My "subjective" experience with AKM vs ESS DAC chip "sound signature".



## JayNetTech5 (Mar 28, 2021)

*With inexpensive and fewer devices and equipment, so take it with a grain of salt. Not trying to open a can of worms, but, I personally, find that different DACs, whether or not if it's the chip itself or units they go in, tend to sound a specific way, and I can only use terms I can come up with mixed with "audiophile terms" to describe them.

AKM = well-rounded, can be overly smooth in parts of the midrange, almost like there's variable peaks and dips, and while being generally weightier sounding, it can go either way when it wants to, kind of airy, bassier, very dynamic in volume, imaging and staging, literally can go almost entirely mono-sounding, to huge and 3D in different tracks, track sections or sources, captures individual instrument tone very well almost to the point of being cheesy or wonky; instrument solos really bring that out. 

ESS = harsher high frequencies, almost like the vocalists in tracks with a lot of commotion are piercing my ears (AKMs do this too but it's a different kind of harsh), more detailed or revealing of very delicate sounds, lesser bass, thinner-sounding, more metallic and gritty, can be more pacey, more percussive texture from not being as smooth as AKM, consistent imaging and staging whether narrow or big, vocals have more emotion, upfront, and feel more immersive or "exciting". Overall, I tend to enjoy ESS Sabre more upon first impression, because there's something more exciting and different about how it makes tracks sound.

AKM tends to sound its best with good direct source material, while ESS tends to be highly enjoyable in multiple sources; AKM can too but is picky. Then there's the variable where some units can sound like they want to be like the other, but not quite, there's still that sense of having their typical sound but with each chip and unit having their own overall sound but stick to the general premise of their brand signature. For instance, the ES100 is dryer and harsher than the HUD100 but still have a general similarity to their signature. AKMs to me sound more refined almost too much at times without lacking too much bass even when bright, and there's a variability with enjoyment, but they tend to not be so immersive or emotionally impressive as ESS Sabre chips, at least in terms of vocals, especially upon first impression, but non-vocal instruments are a different story. Keep in mind, all are very inexpensive devices, especially my headphones, so my judgement may not be justified, and it's not like I've had everything to test out because of budget.*



AKM devices I've heard: PlayStation Model SCPH-1001 (1995), 5001, FiiO K3, EarStudio ES100, EarStudio HUD100, FiiO BTR3.

ESS devices I've heard: XtremPro X1, Sabaj Da3, SMSL X4 and Sabaj Da2, DragonFly Black, Monoprice Monolith USB DAC, Hifime Sabre 9018 USB DAC.



My general thought.


AKMs are more balanced, bassier, smoother almost to the point of losing texture, and captures the tone and notes of individual instruments so well that it sometimes sounds so hilariously cheesy and wonky, or off-key, it's hard to explain, but still more impressive over the ESS, maybe because of the slight sharpness in the highest part of the treble. AKMs like to exaggerate certain parts in a tracks, like it's excessively dynamic.

Dullest/boring sounding AKM: FiiO K3 and BTR3

Darkest sounding AKM: FiiO K3 bass-boosted

Brightest sounding AKM: EarStudio ES100



ESS Sabres sound more immersive with strong emotion in the vocals, are very detailed, "euphoric", and generally just enjoyable all-around with a lot of sources, but can be excessively harsh and unrefined in comparison, also sometimes lacking in bass, not as dynamic or flexible in how it produces sound, but this could be a good thing if you like a specific sound.


Dullest/boring sounding ESS: DragonFly Black

Darkest sounding ESS: Hifime Sabre 9018 USB DAC

Brightest sounding ESS: All, except Hifime Sabre 9018 USB DAC and Monoprice Monolith USB DAC





I really want to try more TI/Burr-Brown stuff, I know a lot of people like Wolfson and old iPods, but I cannot get myself to like them, older iPods never sounded great to me, they're so "conventional", soft and dull-sounding, like most other players; I remember my Sandisk Sansa Clip back in '09 sounded amazing.



I think I might look into the iFi Zen DAC next, I heard a lot of good things about it, but a portion of people have said some bad things about it.


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## Ronion

Loved my Sansa Clip FWIW.


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## JayNetTech5

The original Sansa Clip had such great audio, unfortunately, there was a flaw where the usb circuitry died after a short period of time.


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## jayteeare

I was hoping to read more replies on the subject.  ESS and AKM are the two most popular DAC chips, used on the the majority of flagship DAP's.  The SP2000 from Astell & Kern seems to unanimously be hailed as the best DAP in the market today with the now out of production *AK4499EQ.  *ESS Sabre DAC's have their own following as well, but when it comes to Flagships, the new Shanling M9, Fiio M15, and the aforementioned A&K SP2000 all sport the AKM dual chips.

About a year ago when i jumped into the audiophile rabbit hole, the first time I'd ever heard of a DAC was during my ipod collector days.  The most hardcore of audio enthusiasts would always praise the iPod Classic 5.5 Enhanced version to be the best of all ipods, sporting the now defunct Wolfson DAC.

At the end of the day, you can only really tell the subtle yet subjective difference of the DAC's with the highest quality audio files, and the best set of headphone/IEMS.  I personally use my two defacto IEMS: the classic Shure SE846 and Sennheiser 800s.

*Wolfson DAC*: Compared to the other ipods without the Wolfson DAC (they used the Cirrus DAC later on, who eventually bought out Wolfson) sounds professional; listening to music on any other "normie" audio player with lesser no name DACS, you can hear alot of inconsistencies, unreliable referencing, and sometimes an emphasis on music that is more prone to sound "metallic", like old low compression MP3's of two decades ago.  The Wolfson DAC is cleaner, and more "musical", which immediately stands out.

*ESS Sabre:  *Last year I bought a Astell & Kern Kann Alpha, and was expecting amazing things.  It touted it's own built in amp and huge output power, and was hoping that my music would sound sublime and on a whole different level with my Shure846.  I was disappointed, almost immediately.  Though it sounded perfectly "fine" there wasnt much in the way of holographic 3d sonics.  Seemed like the ESS was a perfectly suitable DAC for listening to music as a casual, non enthusiast, "wouldn't even notice" type person.  It didnt sound worth the $1000 price tag, and I returned it after using a couple of months.  

*AKM AK4499EQ: *I decided to try the Fiio M15, and went with it vs the SP2000 because it was a third of the price for the exact same AKM4499EQ chips.  So far, AKM has the best sounding DAC ive heard of the flagships.  Like the first person said, it sounds so detailed and over the top, almost exaggerated in a sense, and with all the holographic 3D audio experience I could have imagined.  You literally to smile (or large grin I should say) when listening to a song youve heard 1000's of times for the first time on this DAP.  

I know its subjective, and contradictory to the extent most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind test.  I cant say its a placebo effect, as the AKM chips really do make a difference, especially with my Shure 846.  Keep in mind many hardcore audiophiles would argue that the DAC chip is more dependent on how its configured inside the device that really makes any relevant difference.  I would this imagine this to be true, as it would be the only logical reason to explain why so many say the SP2000 blows the Fiio M15 out of the water at triple the price and with exactly the same DAC chips; I hope to one day be able to do a side by side test and hear for myself.


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## Brain Damage (Jan 15, 2022)

Have you any experience with dacs with Cirrus Logic chips? How do they compare lined up with ESS Sabre dacs and AKM dacs?


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## Mhog55

Brain Damage said:


> Have you any experience with dacs with Cirrus Logic chips? How do they compare lined up with ESS Sabre dacs and AKM dacs?


Less resolving, lesser detailed/instrument separation, somewhat thick, warm, and dark. This makes them sound bad, but they actually aren't. I've previously owned the Opus#1s, and still have my Hiby R5.
I prefer AKM in general. ESS is typically too harsh and bright for my tastes. Dac chips are only a portion of the end result. Implementation, tuning, other components are at play as well.


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## Neil91

jayteeare said:


> I would this imagine this to be true, as it would be the only logical reason to explain why so many say the SP2000 blows the Fiio M15 out of the water at triple the price and with exactly the same DAC chips; I hope to one day be able to do a side by side test and hear for myself.


I would say the SP2000 struggles to contest with the M15 but thats just me.  Think we have more people on the side where SP2000 was a complete disappointment and made even more so with its price tag.


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## jayteeare

Neil91 said:


> I would say the SP2000 struggles to contest with the M15 but thats just me.  Think we have more people on the side where SP2000 was a complete disappointment and made even more so with its price tag.


Interesting take, as I've ready dozens of Fiio M15 vs Sp2000 articles.  I have not read a single one saying the M15 is superior.  Mind you, I own the Fiio M15 and I love it, and wish to one day also get to hear the SP2000 take on the AKM chip configuration/tuning.  One memorable review I read, said something to the effect that even though bot DAP's have the same exact chips, that the SP2000 completely outshines the M15 to the point its a no contest; he made a comment about the SP2000 being way more tremendous, in every aspect from soundstage, imaging, and that the silent parts of the song are as black silent as the universe lol.

With a $3500 price tag, I cant ever see myself justifying buying one, but as a music enthusiast the curiosity I cant deny.

The fellow above asked about the Cirrus DAC.  These replaced the Wolfson DAC (Cirrus purchased the Wolfson company) on the later ipods classics, and from if you even read on this forum, people were massively disappointed.  The would describe the Cirrus DACs as being perfectly suitable to everyday music listeners who arent as "into it" as your average audiophile, and they wouldnt even imagine how great audio can sound with not only the right DAP/DAC, but the right set of cans.  I would place them below the ESS Sabre in third place, with AKM taking the throne at #1.

One thing is for sure though. The M15, SP2000, Shaning M9 are some of the most expensive flagships and all use the AKM's.  The only reason ESS Sabre DACs are even in the same (and I know I will get heat for this but I welcome a discussion) is because they consume WAY less power, and are easier to drive because of it.  No doubt its a perfectly fine DAC, but its innovation isnt so much in sound, but just the fact that it works more efficiently internally with the battery power.

I hate to say it, but Astell and Kern coming out with the SP2000T is a slap in the face with its ESS Sabre DAC; (that price tag it touts is the most undeserving in recent memory) I realize the AKM chips are very scarce and rare now, but then how did Shanling M9 manage to get so many that they were able create an entire product line even after the fire to the factory, in 2022?


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## Lappy27

jayteeare said:


> P5Interesting take, as I've ready dozens of Fiio M15 vs Sp2000 articles.  I have not read a single one saying the M15 is superior.  Mind you, I own the Fiio M15 and I love it, and wish to one day also get to hear the SP2000 take on the AKM chip configuration/tuning.  One memorable review I read, said something to the effect that even though bot DAP's have the same exact chips, that the SP2000 completely outshines the M15 to the point its a no contest; he made a comment about the SP2000 being way more tremendous, in every aspect from soundstage, imaging, and that the silent parts of the song are as black silent as the universe lol.
> 
> With a $3500 price tag, I cant ever see myself justifying buying one, but as a music enthusiast the curiosity I cant deny.
> 
> ...


If you ever have the chance, try to listen to the iBasso DX300MAX. Dual AKM4499 with separated batteries for digital and analog. I'm blown away by it's performance with my Focal Utopia. It's better than my old full scale headphone system that costed over 8000.00$. No joke.

But the size and weight are not for everybody.

I do also prefer AKM sound signature over ESS (I had the 220MAX with dual ESS9028PRO previous to the 300MAX. But the 220 do sounded very very good too).

In my speakers 2.1 system, the dacs inside my Michi P5 are dual AKM4490 (older model but known to be great and adopted in lots of high end dac). Before that, I had a Bryston BDA-3 with also dual AKM4490.

P.S. Most of people who compared the 300MAX to the SP2000 gave the edge to the MAX. At least in the MAX thread.


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## jayteeare

Aside from maybe 1 or other threads on the entire internet (who’s results have dwindled ridiculously due to Google search) I could only locate very few with this particular discussion about AKM vs ESS vs Cirrus/Wolfson.  Perhaps there are others in this forum, but when you search “AKM VS ESS DACS” this is one of the first results to show up.

Since thousands of people will eventually land here, I hope anyone/everyone reading this can contribute thier own take on the matter.

I’d love to hear from someone who is an engineer of these devices and really spell out what makes a DAC have its unique signature (many even speculate there is no such thing) and how/why is the best way for engineers to design the internals in order to maximize they efficacy of the sound.  Like we said earlier, why are daps like the SP2000 and the Fiio M15 considered “different in sound” with the same exact chips?  A side by side comparison of the internal layout, pros and cons about certain configurations, and all the geek stuff we’d like to know.


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## jayteeare

I’d also like to add the subjective experience as it relates to most people failing a double blind test when it comes to both dacs.  I find it incredible that even the most experienced head fi’ers fail at this.

Really makes you wonder about the placebo effect in action.

And in reality the only way I can describe why I think the AKM is the best with the right cans is because again, you can’t help but smile at the over the top ridiculousness of how awesome and “different” a song you’ve heard millions of times can sound.


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## Brain Damage

I think I am preferring the sound of R2R having just purchased the Cayin RU6. More analogue sounding - consistent across all frequencies.


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## Kelly Whetzel

I’ve also heard many DAC chips and tend to prefer ones I’m familiar with. Burr Brown, AKM, Wolfson, mainly. ESS makes great chips too.  I’m enjoying an 80s BB R2R 16bit DAC, since ladder DACs seem to be all the rave, again. 

I do enjoy today’s DACs also. Big blow to audiophile DACs. The AKM fire set everything back. I wouldn’t expect companies ability to offer new finished AKM products until 2023. EVERY manufacturer using them had to change their chips to mostly ESS.🤔 Used AKM equipped DACs currently list for hundreds more than it’s competition and have always had a reputation for being in higher end model equipment. The AK4499EQ chip supposedly has great sound. It’s AKM’s fist current chip. It was made to be used in $2k DACs dual mono.


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## harry501501

Very interesting to read. Must admit, from my more budget source history, I totally agree. My optical out from smart TV is to an AK DAC... Helps with a smoother more laid back listen and the thicker sound and deeper bass makes movies and TV more fun.

I do prefer ESS DACs in my on the go DAPs as I like a more detailed, airy sound. More neutral due the IEMs I tend to use. Music listening with AK DACs is fine, but can be a 'meatier' listen and over bodied.


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## chesebert

Op’s observations are not relevant outside the dacs sampled. The IC is but one of many parts of a dac.


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## Mhog55

I'm excited for the release of the new AK4499EX.


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## jayteeare

These responses are awesome, and currently this is the main search result on the internet when you google AKM vs Sabre DAC.  It will be read many many times for years to come, and I urge anyone with any opinion on this matter to share their thoughts with us, whether you are new to the hobby or a old school audiophile.

I'd like to hear people thoughts on the best AKM DAC ever made in DAP.  How would you compare the Sp1000 to the Sp2000?


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## Mhog55

jayteeare said:


> These responses are awesome, and currently this is the main search result on the internet when you google AKM vs Sabre DAC.  It will be read many many times for years to come, and I urge anyone with any opinion on this matter to share their thoughts with us, whether you are new to the hobby or a old school audiophile.
> 
> I'd like to hear people thoughts on the best AKM DAC ever made in DAP.  How would you compare the Sp1000 to the Sp2000?


For what it's worth, after I spent some solid time with my M6 Pro, I for once didn't have the craving to try something else. The tuning really fits my desires. Although I did recently purchase the Hiby RS6, essentially based on the architecture and design. I've heard enough ESS dac implementations to know AKM suits me better. On that note, the actual tuning and components used seem to play a larger role than the chips themselves.


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## manueljenkin (May 4, 2022)

JayNetTech5 said:


> *With inexpensive and fewer devices and equipment, so take it with a grain of salt. Not trying to open a can of worms, but, I personally, find that different DACs, whether or not if it's the chip itself or units they go in, tend to sound a specific way, and I can only use terms I can come up with mixed with "audiophile terms" to describe them.
> 
> AKM = well-rounded, can be overly smooth in parts of the midrange, almost like there's variable peaks and dips, and while being generally weightier sounding, it can go either way when it wants to, kind of airy, bassier, very dynamic in volume, imaging and staging, literally can go almost entirely mono-sounding, to huge and 3D in different tracks, track sections or sources, captures individual instrument tone very well almost to the point of being cheesy or wonky; instrument solos really bring that out.
> 
> ...


If you have the chance, play around with the interpolation profiles (also called over-sampler settings in some cases). I really like the super slow profile (marketed as the more natural/life like profile by AKM) on AKM DACs, especially with music sampled at 88khz or higher (truly sampled at higher rate, not upsampled 44khz which can also disguise as higher sample rate file).

I cannot generalise ESS vs AKM though. I have tried 3 different ESS dacs and all 3 sound noticeably different, but the different AKM dacs I’ve tried did show similarities to each other.


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## jayteeare

Mhog55 said:


> I'm excited for the release of the new AK4499EX.


I am as well.  But with AKM coming out with new flagship DAC’s about once a year, it’s clear they’ve graduated to higher marketing ambitions, as the customer base (or enough of the customer base I should say) are willing to buy up any equipment with the latest AKM DAC, but it goes back to that subjectivity if each iteration of the AKM DAC truly improves upon its last effort, or they just tweak it enough to it’s not identical to the prior one, just to have a reason to put more out.

Whatever the DAC was on the AK240 DAP was probably on of the best I’ve heard and that came out over half a decade ago.


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## Mhog55

jayteeare said:


> I am as well.  But with AKM coming out with new flagship DAC’s about once a year, it’s clear they’ve graduated to higher marketing ambitions, as the customer base (or enough of the customer base I should say) are willing to buy up any equipment with the latest AKM DAC, but it goes back to that subjectivity if each iteration of the AKM DAC truly improves upon its last effort, or they just tweak it enough to it’s not identical to the prior one, just to have a reason to put more out.
> 
> Whatever the DAC was on the AK240 DAP was probably on of the best I’ve heard and that came out over half a decade ago.


Cirrus Logic CS4398. Same chips in my Hiby R5 (original), and my old Opus#1s. It's also being used in one of the latest, popular dongles, but I can't recall which one. I've always been keen on how they perform and sound.


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## jayteeare

One thing I just thought of, which may or may not be more fuel to the whole "just because its the same DAC doesnt mean it will sound the same in all DAPs; what matters is how its configured internally".  And you'll see examples, especially with FiiO and Astell and Kern showing these elaborate corridors and diagrams to the architecture of the device to not have crossfeeding or interference, and being engineered to the hight of modern electronics science, directly on their sales literature.

While modding my ipod 5th Generation Enhanced collection, which of course has the 'famed' Wolfson DAC in it, which many herald as the greatest sounding DAP ever made; I've modded dozens of these iPods and if any of you have seen the primitive and simple little green board and where the DAC sits on it, with the argument of internal specific placement and all the fancy tech the newer companies put into stuff, how do you reconcile that?

The ipod 5.5 enhanced is so basic with little to no inner advanced architecture to improve on the sound (at least not visibly) how is it that the company that bought Wolfson out (Cirrus) nearly 2 decades later isnt technologically light years ahead as far as sound quality innovation?

For example, taking a non 5.5 ipod classic and stacking it on a Fiio Andes AMP/DAC from 2012 (which has the exact same Wolfson chip) be any different than just having the 5.5 alone?

Makes me wonder why exactly there hasnt been anyone with experience in wave technology being able to explain why some DACs sound better than others, and how to make that distinction aside from subjective opinion, and if more importantly....

Is there some intangible quality to DACs that make them more appealing to certain audiences or others, but NOT because of the numbers and waves they display on a graph, but maybe something even deeper...what Im getting at is that even though those supposed levels human ears cant hear below or above of, maybe there is a correlation by some other immeasurable process that is occuring, that no one has really considered; for example, what if the frequency output of certain DACs resonate with us more than others by matching our biological/mental/unknown receiver within us by whatever ever other unknown byproduct the DAC is actually producing, aside from the stats and tech jargon.   

I believe its the only thing that makes sense.  For example, totally unrelated, but if anyone here has heard of Havana Syndrone or other government audible based weaponry, where if a certain frequency inaudible to the human ear still ends up having a deep affect on those exposed to it, like naseaua, hallucinations, panic, and a sense of well being?  I wish there was more/any studies on this.

In closing, we're told by audio experts that arent nessesarily audiophiles that all DACS are the same and resolve 0's and 1's in music we can hear;  and we all know there has not been 1 single example of someone being able to identify a DAC brands in double blind tests without any consistency or expertise.  some cant pass FLAC vs MP3 files.

This is something I'd like to bring into this thread, and please share your thoughts.  Sorry for any typos I just literally wrote this out non stop off the top of my head, whch is probably very obvious lol.


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## Aevum

i remember that people use to complain that Wolfson dacs were too dark and slightly colored, great for pop, rock, rap...

the Famed cowon D2, the first ipods (before they moved to lower end cirrus logic as a cost cutting mesure), ipods never sounded the same after that. 

my expiriance of comparing AKM to ESS has been in the low to mid end, my old Echo Audiofire 2, the Fiio M3K vs the M3Pro the M3k having physical controls and a AKM chip while the pro having touch controls and a ESS chip, i liked the M3 Pro much better, made me feel like the AKM was cold and clinical, putting accuracy over enjoyment, while the ESS is smoother and most enjoyable and fun to listen to, 

I guess my findings are the exact inverse to yours, so YMMV.


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## Brain Damage

Aevum said:


> i remember that people use to complain that Wolfson dacs were too dark and slightly colored, great for pop, rock, rap...
> 
> the Famed cowon D2, the first ipods (before they moved to lower end cirrus logic as a cost cutting mesure), ipods never sounded the same after that.
> 
> ...


I'm starting to really like the R2R sound signature. The RU6 is addictive. Makes me wonder about a larger R2R DAC


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## Mansinthe86

Brain Damage said:


> I'm starting to really like the R2R sound signature. The RU6 is addictive. Makes me wonder about a larger R2R DAC




My DACs and experince with them

- Smsl D300 with a ROHM (Japanese) DAC Chip.
- Cambridge CXN V2 with dual Wolfson dac
- hifiman ef400 with R2R dac
- Cambridge CXA 81 Ess DAC

After upsampling the same source material to the same sampling and in roon I have to say the difference is small.

Expect the ESS DAC.. that one measure's meh and is the cheapest one.

I really like the SMSL D300 and the CXN V2.
The R2R dac was alright but clearly not as clean as the other DACs but if I had nothing else I would be happy with it too.

I would love to try a AKM DAC when they are back in production but I quess once you even the playing field (upsampling, volume, source etc all the same) the difference is small.


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## harry501501

I've had the FIIO K5 PRO ESS for a week or so now and must say I'm really enjoying it and prefer it to the SMSL SANSKRIT 10th ii (AK4993). I still like the SMSL, but the FIIO is more open and airy sounding I feel. It has great synergy with IEMs that already have a decent soundstage. It's far from thin too. The SMSL is more buttery and smooth (tho not lackin in detail or in any way congested). I like the more immediate sounding FIIO. Both are equally as musical, tho the SMSL has the edge for vocals and far more forgiving of YouTube videos.


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## Lonestar166

Greetings. I believe this is my first post, though I have spent a fair amount of time lurking and reading. I wanted to say this is an excellent thread for me, very helpful. I'm feeling overwhelmed at the moment as I make choices about updating/upgrading my 10-year-old AVR setup. DAC choices are such a large part of my decision-making process. By no means do I classify me as an audiophile. I'm just a grumpy old man who likes good quality sound. Thank you everyone for your comments, they have been most informative. Cheers


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## jayteeare

I think since FiiO has implemented THX technology so much into their products, it’s worth adding that to the conversation. The FiiO Q5s has dual AKM DAC chips and I have used the THX module with it. I can’t reconcile why the Monolith Monoprice Portable DAC/AMP just blows anything out the water. The AKM DAC alone is amazing but paired with the THX technology is as good and end game as I’ve gotten.

I watched a older Zeos review where he basically denounced any other DAC/AMP in his collection, waving the Monolith Portable as the clear champion, above the Q5s saying they should all be part of the next yard sale since the Monolith Portable was just on a whole other level. 

I’m glad and lucky I managed to get a Monolith portable for $150 off eBay right before they got discontinued.

Now they are selling as high as $500 (that being even $200 more than its debut retail price). It’s pretty much a modern day collectors item now, if u can manage to find one below $200 it’s a steal get it!


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## Brain Damage

jayteeare said:


> I think since FiiO has implemented THX technology so much into their products, it’s worth adding that to the conversation. The FiiO Q5s has dual AKM DAC chips and I have used the THX module with it. I can’t reconcile why the Monolith Monoprice Portable DAC/AMP just blows anything out the water. The AKM DAC alone is amazing but paired with the THX technology is as good and end game as I’ve gotten.
> 
> I watched a older Zeos review where he basically denounced any other DAC/AMP in his collection, waving the Monolith Portable as the clear champion, above the Q5s saying they should all be part of the next yard sale since the Monolith Portable was just on a whole other level.
> 
> ...


Interesting. I have viewed many Z reviews on YouTube - mainly headphones and desktop amps. How does the Monolith contend with the RU6? I appreciate their diversity in architecture (AKM v R2R); but I have to ask because the RU6 (for me) is end game as far as portable dac amps go. A few argue only 1 portable edges the RU6 and that's the Centrance Dacport HD; however, sadly, I cannot get my hands on one to verify.


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## stuck limo

JayNetTech5 said:


> The original Sansa Clip had such great audio, unfortunately, there was a flaw where the usb circuitry died after a short period of time.


Every single Sansa I had died. I had like 3 or 4 of them and within about 3-4 months each died.


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## jayteeare

Im not sure how it compares to the RU6; keep in mind Zeos goes off when he's manic and finds a new toy, and was on one of his fabuluos conviction laced tirades where he waved the monolith across the table to whatever other DAC/AMP portable happened to be around, and just said "THis is better than that, better than this this that this.." lol


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## KaiFi

It’d be interesting to see how Burr Brown compares.

It’s too bad that AKM DACs are less available and ESS almost has a monopoly at this point…


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## originalsnuffy

AKM is back in the game and I bet the next wave of new toys will have many AKM options.

I have the FIIO Q3 MQA with AKM and THX and I am very satisfied.  A bit of a learning curve at first, then it became reliable.


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## Ufanco

Interesting to see other folks responses. After trying a few chip based DAC’s like the W2 ( CS43198) and Shanling M6 pro 21 (ES9068AS) decided for home system to go with the Ares 2 R2R and find it‘s sound quality much better than the chip based dac’s I have tried.

The Shanling M6 isn’t bad and once I added a Oriolus BA300s portable tube amp to it makes for a good sounding portable setup.

Just picked up the WiiM Pro streamer and it has Burr-Brown PCM5121 DAC chip. Listen to it briefly and wasn’t very impressed with it. I bought it to stream and since bypassing the dac in the wiim pro no big deal.

Personally they’re just something with the Ares 2 R2R Dac sound I enjoy that I didn’t find in a chip based dac.


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## theveterans

Ufanco said:


> Personally they’re just something with the Ares 2 R2R Dac sound I enjoy that I didn’t find in a chip based dac.



That's called Plankton. Tiny micro-graduation in the loudness of the timbre of instruments that makes it sound as if you're transported to an illusionary room


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