Post by jlafrenz on Dec 6, 2010 23:34:26 GMT -5
I recently received the new XDA-1 and thought it would be fun to see how it compared against my other DAC's so I did some comparison listening today and thought I would share my thoughts.
The 4 DAC's I compared were:
NuForce uDAC (original) $99
Jolida Glass FX $120
Music Hall 25.2 DAC $600
Emotiva XDA-1 $300
**Please note that this was not a blind test as I did not have a helping hand and my review is purely subjective based upon my tastes and system. I did try to be as honest as possible and avoid any bias toward one unit. To make it as fair as possible, I used USB connection on all the units because it is the only connection that all of them had in common. As well, they were all connected with the same RCA cables to my passive preamp. I also played pink noise and measured it with an SPL meter to try and make sure they were all playing at the same volume. **
NuForce uDAC - I picked this up used not to long ago because I wanted to try out a DAC for my everyday PC setup and it intrigued me because it had a headphone amp and thought I might want to dip my toes in those waters. I had never listened to it on any system besides my desktop until today. I was pleasantly surprised with this unit. It produced some nice vocals with a decent sound stage while being fairly smooth. There was a bit of grain on the top end. There was a good amount of heft on the lower end. I can't say that it was too much though. I could see for some that it my be a little much. One thing I noticed while listening to this DAC was that I caught myself tapping my toes more than once. I think that is a good sign that I liked the unit. As a whole, nothing really stood out or fell short. All in all, a nice little DAC for not a lot of cash. It has its own volume control and a headphone amp. Great bang for the buck.
Jolida Glass FX - This is the DAC I have been using in my 2 channel room for about a year now. It is a USB only DAC which may be considered a downfall by some. The Jolida has great clarity with solid bass. It is more open in the top end than the uDAC and remains pretty balanced and maybe a touch softer in the mids. Though this unit is only roughly the size of a deck of playing cards, it puts out quite a big sound. It fills the front sound-stage nicely and has good presence, but doesn't leap out at you. The part where I felt it struggled was during some dynamic passages. It seemed to lose some detail and separation. It seemed a bit recessed and struggling during those busy parts. Again, it is a nice well rounded DAC and a heck of a deal for its price.
Music Hall 25.2 - This has been the DAC in my main system for quite some time now and I have been really please with it, especially after tube rolling. Again, for this test I put the stock tube back in it. Though this may not be one of the "giants" on the market, it is the giant of the group and the one to beat in my eyes. The thing that is most noticeable with the Music Hall is the sound-stage and presence it has. Not only does it fill the front end width wise, it has a nice tall and deep presence. Some moments sound quite 3-D. It comes at you a bit more, but in a non aggressive way. It can be very intimate with particular songs. I really love the vocals on this unit as they stand out quite nicely. This unit is also nice and smooth on the top end. There is nice punch in the mids and lows as well. It is great for 2 channel listening. Though a much higher price tag than the rest of the bunch, if you have been around audio then you realize at this point the law of diminishing returns sets in and you have to bump up the price for improvements in audio. The bonus features of this DAC are that there is a headphone amp and it is tube so it is easily tailored to your liking.
Emotiva XDA-1 - The one I am sure everyone is wanting to hear about. The first thing I can say about this DAC is details, details, details. This thing seems to extract every last bit of info from the digital signal and reproduce it as sound. But before I go any further I need to be honest. At first this unit did not knock my socks off. Let me explain that before everyone ends up on my doorstep with pitchforks. I think there was quite a bit of hype around the unit and there were lots of positive reviews. I am only assuming that for many, this might have been their first DAC. The initial step into the world of DAC's does have a nice wow factor, but I have already had that moment and it seemed more like a lateral move to me. Off the bat with some casual listening it was a bit mushy in the bass and lacking some mids. I didn't want to judge the XDA-1 so harshly right away and give it a fair chance. After I did so, it really started to grow on me and gain back some of the wow factor I had lost. Again with the details. They stand out so much. There is excellent separation and clarity from the unit. There is no signal noise picked up and has a very quiet noise floor. In true Emotiva fashion, it is very neutral and just plays music. At times I found it to be just a touch sterile, but I look at that as it is doing its job correctly. It is not doing anything to the signal. This is not all the time though as it does have it's dynamic moments and can really shine. Compared to the rest, it has similar vocals to the Jolida and retains detail during the dynamic parts of songs (where the Jolida struggled) and possibly edges out the Music Hall for detail (tough to decide, so close) and a bit of separation. My only complaint about the separation is that sometimes things are so separate, that it can lose a bit of cohesion of the song. Again, this may be how the song was mixed. Did I tell you about the details though...? It does a heck of a job at extracting and recreating the layers of music, but has a bit less depth overall than the Music Hall. The XDA-1 really lives up to the Emotiva name with all the features it has for it's price tag. It has the most connection options and is therefore the most flexible. It also has more than plenty of gain for those with tough to drive amps and preamps.
So some of you may be wondering which one I chose as the top dog? Well I am not going to tell you for 2 reasons. The first is that I want you to draw your on conclusions from this. What I think sounds good in my system may not match that of what sounds good in yours. Because of this, I am actually going to do a Part 2 where I will test all the DAC's again in my 2 channel system (which has some major differences from my main system) to see if my thoughts are the same. The 2nd reason I won't pick a winner is that I honestly don't have one. I need to do some more listening to decide which one will be located where. These are all great DAC's and the right choice depends on the system and your tastes. The beauty for me is that since I own multiple ones, I can switch them at any time. ;D
PART 2
I wanted to be fair in all my comparisons so I have redone the comparison after about a weeks time in another system of mine. I thought it would be good to see if my thought were still the same.
Once again, I tried to keep the comparisons as fair as possible. I used the same songs I did in my initial comparison and I matched the volume of playback all via USB. I used my Jolida FX10, an integrated 10w tube amp. Now, on with the good stuff.
NuForce uDAC - This little guy continues to bring a smile to my face. It is great fun to listen to. There is a nice weight to the lower portion of the range and an overall full sound. It quite nicely creates depth to the music. It is laid back compared to the other DAC's. It may be to a point where some may consider it veiled (please don't stone me for using that word ;D). I don't think it is to that point though. It does have some recessed vocals. While it does nicely with details and separation, it probably lacks a little compared to the others. Though it does have good weight, it isn't quite as tight as the others either. So technically speaking, it may not be the best performer, it still is a ton of fun to listen to. Why, you ask? It is tough to say for sure. It is just an easy going DAC that just made me tap my toes. At one point I forgot I was doing a comparison and just enjoying the music with this piece of gear. I also think that because I am strictly 2 channel (no subs), this DAC gives a little more umph in the bottom end which complements the system nicely. So it may not be the best for critical listening, but the enjoyment I get out of it has some merit and should be equally considered in the choice of a DAC. After all, isn't that what it is ultimately about?
Jolida Glass FX - Not a lot changed about this DAC this time around. I should mention that this is the DAC I have actually been using in my 2 channel system for about a year now. I actually purchased it as an alternative to the XDA-1 since it had not been released yet. This time around, the Jolida did better through more dynamic parts where it seemed to fall behind in my main system. One thing that I continued to notice was that the music was coming from my speakers. Well duh! What I mean by that is that I heard more of the speaker and less of the room. My 2 channel room has the speakers optimally placed based on the rooms dimensions. One thing I really like about it is that as close as I am to the speakers, I don't really hear them, I hear the room. I have been pleased with the Jolida over the past year and it has done a good job about letting me hear the room. I just noticed that the others did a bit better job when doing the comparison. Still this DAC remains well rounded and a bargain for it's price and size.
Music Hall 25.2 - I have heard the Music Hall on my Jolida amp with my current speakers, but it was at a GTG a while back. Surprisingly, I have never made the effort to listen to it all together in my house and in my room properly set up. Needless to say, this was good that I finally did this and I was excited for what it would sound like. Right off the bat, I noticed the vocals. This has been present in the DAC from day one. The vocals are quite intimate and it is as if the singer is right there as you stare at him/her and focus on the words they are saying. It kind of sucks you in and the music portion becomes kind of its own separate atmosphere. I became very focused on the singer and not so much the music so I missed some of the details from the rest of the instruments. I had to go back and listen to the song again, and don't worry, the details are there. I think it is kind of awesome that I got sucked into a performance like I did. This DAC does a really good job at making you feel like you are part of the song. It creates a presence around you. There are some songs where I wish there were better layer separation and it reached out a bit more to the extremes. I think the XDA-1 has the edge on reaching the extreme on the high side, but not the lows compared to the Music Hall. I have been pleased with the Music Hall since the day I bought it, but it is tough to shell out the cash for it with all the other options at a fraction of the price. The tube rolling option is nice, but can also make you go crazy with all the options and prices of tubes.
XDA-1 - I must be honest about my thoughts while reviewing this DAC. I think I am the most judgmental about this one because of the hype that was behind it and because I am doing this review on the Emotiva Lounge. I don't want to talk it up just because of where I am posting the review and because I am a regular who owns several pieces of Emotiva gear. I have been looking for an excuse to put this in the Emporium or send it back because I now have 4 DAC's and this was the latest one I purchased. One of them obviously can't be used. The truth is, I haven't found that reason yet. The XDA-1 remains a killer for detail and separation of instruments, vocals, and layers of the music. The XDA-1 does this while remaining tight and with a bit of a punch. It reaches the top end extreme very well and is quite open. To some this could be fatiguing. There were a couple of points where I felt that way and thought a tube buffer would be a nice addition, but that could easily take away from what the DAC does so well. There is a nice depth to the sound stage, but it doesn't seem quite as involving as the Music Hall. Even with the open top end, it is not as forward as I would expect. The music seems to stop at the speakers or just in front of them. This kind of ties in with my thoughts about it not being as intimate as the Music Hall. This is neither good or bad, but listener and system dependent. The last thing that I have noticed is that during more dynamic parts, the low end seems to blend together a bit. Now the detail of the top end remains present, but the lower frequencies seems to become one. I won't claim for one minute that my speakers are full range though and could be a limiting factor. I know I said I haven't found a reason to get rid of this DAC yet, but my review may have carried a bit of a negative tone. In reality, it is not as bad as I may have made it out to be. Hopefully I justified any negative thoughts about it with an explanation. I just wanted to give an honest review and try and see through the smoke and fluff that may have been part of the release of the XDA-1. It has some serious potential and is giving some bigger names with bigger price tags a run for the money. I could easily see someone who is a very critical listener and a stickler for details picking this one out of a large group of competitors.
I know many people out there will read this and wish that I would just pick a winner and make it easy for them. Well sorry fellas, not going to happen this time either. You have read my thoughts, but that is simply what my ears like in the systems I have. Trying to pick a top dog in this comparison is best summed up by the old saying "Six of one, half dozen of the other". The reality is that any differences I have mentioned are quite minor. Each of these DAC's have a place in the market and should make any listener find enjoyment with their music collection.
Happy Listening!
The 4 DAC's I compared were:
NuForce uDAC (original) $99
Jolida Glass FX $120
Music Hall 25.2 DAC $600
Emotiva XDA-1 $300
**Please note that this was not a blind test as I did not have a helping hand and my review is purely subjective based upon my tastes and system. I did try to be as honest as possible and avoid any bias toward one unit. To make it as fair as possible, I used USB connection on all the units because it is the only connection that all of them had in common. As well, they were all connected with the same RCA cables to my passive preamp. I also played pink noise and measured it with an SPL meter to try and make sure they were all playing at the same volume. **
NuForce uDAC - I picked this up used not to long ago because I wanted to try out a DAC for my everyday PC setup and it intrigued me because it had a headphone amp and thought I might want to dip my toes in those waters. I had never listened to it on any system besides my desktop until today. I was pleasantly surprised with this unit. It produced some nice vocals with a decent sound stage while being fairly smooth. There was a bit of grain on the top end. There was a good amount of heft on the lower end. I can't say that it was too much though. I could see for some that it my be a little much. One thing I noticed while listening to this DAC was that I caught myself tapping my toes more than once. I think that is a good sign that I liked the unit. As a whole, nothing really stood out or fell short. All in all, a nice little DAC for not a lot of cash. It has its own volume control and a headphone amp. Great bang for the buck.
Jolida Glass FX - This is the DAC I have been using in my 2 channel room for about a year now. It is a USB only DAC which may be considered a downfall by some. The Jolida has great clarity with solid bass. It is more open in the top end than the uDAC and remains pretty balanced and maybe a touch softer in the mids. Though this unit is only roughly the size of a deck of playing cards, it puts out quite a big sound. It fills the front sound-stage nicely and has good presence, but doesn't leap out at you. The part where I felt it struggled was during some dynamic passages. It seemed to lose some detail and separation. It seemed a bit recessed and struggling during those busy parts. Again, it is a nice well rounded DAC and a heck of a deal for its price.
Music Hall 25.2 - This has been the DAC in my main system for quite some time now and I have been really please with it, especially after tube rolling. Again, for this test I put the stock tube back in it. Though this may not be one of the "giants" on the market, it is the giant of the group and the one to beat in my eyes. The thing that is most noticeable with the Music Hall is the sound-stage and presence it has. Not only does it fill the front end width wise, it has a nice tall and deep presence. Some moments sound quite 3-D. It comes at you a bit more, but in a non aggressive way. It can be very intimate with particular songs. I really love the vocals on this unit as they stand out quite nicely. This unit is also nice and smooth on the top end. There is nice punch in the mids and lows as well. It is great for 2 channel listening. Though a much higher price tag than the rest of the bunch, if you have been around audio then you realize at this point the law of diminishing returns sets in and you have to bump up the price for improvements in audio. The bonus features of this DAC are that there is a headphone amp and it is tube so it is easily tailored to your liking.
Emotiva XDA-1 - The one I am sure everyone is wanting to hear about. The first thing I can say about this DAC is details, details, details. This thing seems to extract every last bit of info from the digital signal and reproduce it as sound. But before I go any further I need to be honest. At first this unit did not knock my socks off. Let me explain that before everyone ends up on my doorstep with pitchforks. I think there was quite a bit of hype around the unit and there were lots of positive reviews. I am only assuming that for many, this might have been their first DAC. The initial step into the world of DAC's does have a nice wow factor, but I have already had that moment and it seemed more like a lateral move to me. Off the bat with some casual listening it was a bit mushy in the bass and lacking some mids. I didn't want to judge the XDA-1 so harshly right away and give it a fair chance. After I did so, it really started to grow on me and gain back some of the wow factor I had lost. Again with the details. They stand out so much. There is excellent separation and clarity from the unit. There is no signal noise picked up and has a very quiet noise floor. In true Emotiva fashion, it is very neutral and just plays music. At times I found it to be just a touch sterile, but I look at that as it is doing its job correctly. It is not doing anything to the signal. This is not all the time though as it does have it's dynamic moments and can really shine. Compared to the rest, it has similar vocals to the Jolida and retains detail during the dynamic parts of songs (where the Jolida struggled) and possibly edges out the Music Hall for detail (tough to decide, so close) and a bit of separation. My only complaint about the separation is that sometimes things are so separate, that it can lose a bit of cohesion of the song. Again, this may be how the song was mixed. Did I tell you about the details though...? It does a heck of a job at extracting and recreating the layers of music, but has a bit less depth overall than the Music Hall. The XDA-1 really lives up to the Emotiva name with all the features it has for it's price tag. It has the most connection options and is therefore the most flexible. It also has more than plenty of gain for those with tough to drive amps and preamps.
So some of you may be wondering which one I chose as the top dog? Well I am not going to tell you for 2 reasons. The first is that I want you to draw your on conclusions from this. What I think sounds good in my system may not match that of what sounds good in yours. Because of this, I am actually going to do a Part 2 where I will test all the DAC's again in my 2 channel system (which has some major differences from my main system) to see if my thoughts are the same. The 2nd reason I won't pick a winner is that I honestly don't have one. I need to do some more listening to decide which one will be located where. These are all great DAC's and the right choice depends on the system and your tastes. The beauty for me is that since I own multiple ones, I can switch them at any time. ;D
PART 2
I wanted to be fair in all my comparisons so I have redone the comparison after about a weeks time in another system of mine. I thought it would be good to see if my thought were still the same.
Once again, I tried to keep the comparisons as fair as possible. I used the same songs I did in my initial comparison and I matched the volume of playback all via USB. I used my Jolida FX10, an integrated 10w tube amp. Now, on with the good stuff.
NuForce uDAC - This little guy continues to bring a smile to my face. It is great fun to listen to. There is a nice weight to the lower portion of the range and an overall full sound. It quite nicely creates depth to the music. It is laid back compared to the other DAC's. It may be to a point where some may consider it veiled (please don't stone me for using that word ;D). I don't think it is to that point though. It does have some recessed vocals. While it does nicely with details and separation, it probably lacks a little compared to the others. Though it does have good weight, it isn't quite as tight as the others either. So technically speaking, it may not be the best performer, it still is a ton of fun to listen to. Why, you ask? It is tough to say for sure. It is just an easy going DAC that just made me tap my toes. At one point I forgot I was doing a comparison and just enjoying the music with this piece of gear. I also think that because I am strictly 2 channel (no subs), this DAC gives a little more umph in the bottom end which complements the system nicely. So it may not be the best for critical listening, but the enjoyment I get out of it has some merit and should be equally considered in the choice of a DAC. After all, isn't that what it is ultimately about?
Jolida Glass FX - Not a lot changed about this DAC this time around. I should mention that this is the DAC I have actually been using in my 2 channel system for about a year now. I actually purchased it as an alternative to the XDA-1 since it had not been released yet. This time around, the Jolida did better through more dynamic parts where it seemed to fall behind in my main system. One thing that I continued to notice was that the music was coming from my speakers. Well duh! What I mean by that is that I heard more of the speaker and less of the room. My 2 channel room has the speakers optimally placed based on the rooms dimensions. One thing I really like about it is that as close as I am to the speakers, I don't really hear them, I hear the room. I have been pleased with the Jolida over the past year and it has done a good job about letting me hear the room. I just noticed that the others did a bit better job when doing the comparison. Still this DAC remains well rounded and a bargain for it's price and size.
Music Hall 25.2 - I have heard the Music Hall on my Jolida amp with my current speakers, but it was at a GTG a while back. Surprisingly, I have never made the effort to listen to it all together in my house and in my room properly set up. Needless to say, this was good that I finally did this and I was excited for what it would sound like. Right off the bat, I noticed the vocals. This has been present in the DAC from day one. The vocals are quite intimate and it is as if the singer is right there as you stare at him/her and focus on the words they are saying. It kind of sucks you in and the music portion becomes kind of its own separate atmosphere. I became very focused on the singer and not so much the music so I missed some of the details from the rest of the instruments. I had to go back and listen to the song again, and don't worry, the details are there. I think it is kind of awesome that I got sucked into a performance like I did. This DAC does a really good job at making you feel like you are part of the song. It creates a presence around you. There are some songs where I wish there were better layer separation and it reached out a bit more to the extremes. I think the XDA-1 has the edge on reaching the extreme on the high side, but not the lows compared to the Music Hall. I have been pleased with the Music Hall since the day I bought it, but it is tough to shell out the cash for it with all the other options at a fraction of the price. The tube rolling option is nice, but can also make you go crazy with all the options and prices of tubes.
XDA-1 - I must be honest about my thoughts while reviewing this DAC. I think I am the most judgmental about this one because of the hype that was behind it and because I am doing this review on the Emotiva Lounge. I don't want to talk it up just because of where I am posting the review and because I am a regular who owns several pieces of Emotiva gear. I have been looking for an excuse to put this in the Emporium or send it back because I now have 4 DAC's and this was the latest one I purchased. One of them obviously can't be used. The truth is, I haven't found that reason yet. The XDA-1 remains a killer for detail and separation of instruments, vocals, and layers of the music. The XDA-1 does this while remaining tight and with a bit of a punch. It reaches the top end extreme very well and is quite open. To some this could be fatiguing. There were a couple of points where I felt that way and thought a tube buffer would be a nice addition, but that could easily take away from what the DAC does so well. There is a nice depth to the sound stage, but it doesn't seem quite as involving as the Music Hall. Even with the open top end, it is not as forward as I would expect. The music seems to stop at the speakers or just in front of them. This kind of ties in with my thoughts about it not being as intimate as the Music Hall. This is neither good or bad, but listener and system dependent. The last thing that I have noticed is that during more dynamic parts, the low end seems to blend together a bit. Now the detail of the top end remains present, but the lower frequencies seems to become one. I won't claim for one minute that my speakers are full range though and could be a limiting factor. I know I said I haven't found a reason to get rid of this DAC yet, but my review may have carried a bit of a negative tone. In reality, it is not as bad as I may have made it out to be. Hopefully I justified any negative thoughts about it with an explanation. I just wanted to give an honest review and try and see through the smoke and fluff that may have been part of the release of the XDA-1. It has some serious potential and is giving some bigger names with bigger price tags a run for the money. I could easily see someone who is a very critical listener and a stickler for details picking this one out of a large group of competitors.
I know many people out there will read this and wish that I would just pick a winner and make it easy for them. Well sorry fellas, not going to happen this time either. You have read my thoughts, but that is simply what my ears like in the systems I have. Trying to pick a top dog in this comparison is best summed up by the old saying "Six of one, half dozen of the other". The reality is that any differences I have mentioned are quite minor. Each of these DAC's have a place in the market and should make any listener find enjoyment with their music collection.
Happy Listening!
