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In Reply to: RE: There is no Infamous ESS/SABRE Glare.... just bad DACs posted by AbeCollins on March 11, 2024 at 07:37:37
Hi Abe,
I agree with you!
I used to think AKM DAC chips had the very best sound quality of all other brands. I loved the sound of my FiiO M15 with dual AK4499EQ DAC chips. Then came the fire at the AKM factory and FiiO had to switch to ESS DACs.
When I bought the new FiiO M17 with dual ES9938PRO DAC chips I was surprised at how much better it sounded than the M15, which had been classified as FiiO's Flagship DAP. Now, I have the new FiiO Flagship, the R9, which also contains dual ES9938PRO DAC chips and it sounds even better than the M17. When I go back and listen to my M15 with its AKM DACs, it just sounds a little too smoothed out, kind of like you describe the sound of DSD.
Happy Listening!
John Elison
Follow Ups:
those models also have different op amps, power supplies and the use of higher quality caps and silver plated OFC wire in the case of the R9.
The R9 alone employs separate multiple stage power supplies for digital and analog sections like my DAC. And can run 15V from the PL50 linear.
It's interesting that RME used AKM DAC chips until the fire at the AKM factory which forced them to switch to ESS/Sabre. The chips differ in some of their capabilities but RME wrote an article to explain how they were able to make their ESS/Sabre DACs sound very much like the ones that use AKM chips.
It is my understanding that AKM has since recovered from the factory fire.
Well, it wasn't a speedy switch-over. The AKM factory fire put FiiO out of business for over six months. It took a while to redesign their digital players for ESS DACs, but they did it and their players sound better now with ESS DACs.
I thought they would go back to AKM after AKM recovered, but so far, FiiO is sticking with ESS. I still really like the sound of my old M15 'Flagship' DAP with AK4499EQ DACs, but there's no question that the new R9 'Flagship' sounds noticeably better with ES9938PRO DACs. These chips provide eight DACs per channel connected in parallel. There's absolutely no noise and the sound quality is spectacular. Moreover, the functionality of the R9 is unsurpassed. It's like a Swiss army knife. It does virtually everything digital you can imagine at a price of only $1499. And it does everything very well. It's the heart of my new digital system.
Check it out !
How do those dacs compare with the DA-3000?
Cut to razor sounding violins
The DA-3000 sounds very good, but it's not really designed for playback. The DA-3000 is a digital recorder. It's therefore very limited for playback because of its tiny display and its small plug-in memory. Consequently, it's extremely inconvenient to use as a digital audio player. However, there was a short period of time that I used it for playback until I discovered FiiO digital players. They sound just as good if not better, and they're designed for playing digital albums. The new FiiO R9 is phenomenal as a digital player.
LOL. I WAS using the DA-3000 as a player for years. These days I am feeding it with a network connection and just using it as a dac. It is phenomenal especially when you factor in its price. And its pretty flexible with its ins and outs. If I need 24/192, its ready to go.
Ugh, now I need to compare it playing the same file internally vs. through the network. And if I end up having to use that tiny screen again I will hunt you down!
Cut to razor sounding violins
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