Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
The headphone amp section seemed like a value added feature and when I asked about it, it was confirmed to be just that. I can say that I think those starting off with the Z8 as an all in one device and then adding a nice headphone amp later on will be really happy going this route. For the rest who just want an all in one desktop unit, I think the Z8 headphone amp is good enough but I feel a lot of performance is lost relying on just the included headphone amp. That’s not to say it’s bad but let's get into my thoughts on the sound from the built in headphone amp!
Wish you could see my face smiling as I type this, reflecting my experience with the Z8. Not only does it have superb performance but it is a delight to see and use. Zidoo jumps into a very crowded and competitive market and easily makes room for itself with state of the art performance and delightful user interface. These impressions were done with the DAC-Z8 connected to the SMSL SP400 headphone amp via XLR. While I’m treating this a DAC first over DAC/amp combo, I will mention the amp section later on.This is what the DAC-Z8 sounds like with the current headphone/IEM inventory I have on hand. Things like headphone pairings or different headphone amps will produce different results and impressions versus what my ears hear on my specific gear. Sluchátkový výstup má výstupní výkon stejný jako u DAC-Z6, THD+N činí jen 0,00016%, odstup signálu a šumu je lepší než 124 dB a parametry jsou tedy také ještě o špetku lepší, než u nižšího modelu.
Gear used
Best to stay with the default Fast Linear and not complicate your life. That choice gives you this excellent wideband THD+N versus frequency: At the heart of its digital processing are staying two flagship ES9038 PRO 8-channel DAC chips of ESS Technologies. While newer ES9039 PRO chips are already on their way to audio designers around the globe, spec wise…these aren’t any better. The only difference is an included MQA decoder and a lower power consumption, meaning that both chipsets will coexist as flagship ESS-Sabre DAC chips. SMSL has a ton of experience with this exact silicon that’s already powering plenty of their devices. However, an absolute first in SMSL’s portfolio is using two DAC chips, from which all 16-channels have been used, paralleling 4 channels into a single one for a much lower harmonic distortion & channel crosstalk and for a marginally better dynamic range. SMSL never did this before…and that somehow excites me to the core.
DPLL Bandwidth – 15 positions, 5 is the default one. A lower number will provide a better jitter (noise) rejection, I left it at its default position
Inputs and outputs
Benefited from development engineers' rich experience in analog circuit design, DAC-Z8 has professional calibration and circuit design. The total harmonic distortion ratio which has The Eversolo DAC-Z8 has optical, coaxial and USB B and C input support with MQA full decoding and rendering. Inputs also include a Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth 5.0 module that supports aptX HD and LDAC protocols. The third-generation XMOS 316 processor has faster processing speed and better USB bandwidth, which ensures lossless transmission for high-definition audio data. USB output supports DSD512 Native, PCM768kHz/32Bit and MQA full decoding. Optical and Coaxial output support DSD 64 (DoP) and PCM192kHz/24Bit. The quality is exemplary, the look is the future, and the DAC output is as good as it gets at this price point." V čem se oba přístroje liší, to je mírně jinak pojatý vnitřek, zejména sekce D/A převodníku. Nižší model staví na ES9068, pro každý kanál je tu použitý jeden čip. Signál je zpracováván ve dvojitém diferenciálním čtyřnásobném zapojení. Vstupní data zpracovává třetí generace XMOS 316. Díky tomuto řešení DAC-Z6 také podporuje PCM signály až do 32 bit / 768 kHz, DSD512 a umí také plně dekódovat MQA, nic tedy nechybí. Sekce hodin je osazena dvěma oscilátory se základní frekvencí 45,1584 a 49,152 MHz. Bluetooth rozhraní obstarává moderní čipset Qualcomm QCC5125 a podporuje standard 5.0 se všemi nutnými zkratkami – SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD či LDAC.
DACs: SMSL SU-10, SMSL M500 MKIII, Gustard R26 Discrete, Gustard X18, Topping D90SE, Chord Electronics DAVE, Gold Note DS-10 Plus & PSU-10 EVOLow-noise regulated power supply module and dedicated audio filter capacitor are tailored for DAC-Z8. It powers for audio circuit and ensures clearer sound, with low ripple and less interference. The DAC-Z8's analog audio circuit is a fully balanced differential amplification circuit design. XLR, RCA and headphone output are all processed by a balanced differential amplifier circuit. The noise has been eliminated by resolving the crosstalk of the shared loop and improving channel separation.The high-fidelity preamp circuit supports refined volume adjustment, no additional preamp is needed, so you can connect directly to your hi-fi amp. Move up the frequency range and the steps up in articulation and clarity are striking. Voices come through with greater subtlety, and it’s easier to hear changes in intonation and phrasing. The B&W 606 S2 offer a clearer view of the recording and sound more balanced overall. Another recent discovery is Chicago four-piece BNNY and upon first listen I was immediately smitten with their sound. Singer/guitarist Jessica Viscius (her sister Alexa is on bass) has a hushed quality to her vocals, almost like she’s singing through her teeth – but it’s a lovely effect. A lot of the songs have a melancholic air but they never wallow or outstay their welcome. They’re delightfully crafted nuggets of pop that really get you in the heart and the ears. Their album Everything (2021, Fire Talk) is pretty nicely recorded and I think really benefits from a nice quiet system to get the full effect of the band’s sound. The Z8 gave a smooth, clean, rich and detailed performance and I have to say, that as a result that album has been on repeat for weeks. I enjoyed good dynamics and textural contrasts along with the illumination and presence of each individual performer. Measurement setup and device under test are running on regulated 230V power from a Furman SPR-16-Ei
Firing the Z8 through speakers, via an integrated amplifier, provided a similarly rewarding experience. Listening to ‘Sundub’ by Russian electronic duo SCSI-9 from their EP Flop-Flop (2014, 200 Records), hi-hats sounded deliciously crisp and airy, that treble giving the upper frequencies a real sense of presence and immediacy. Bass hit hard and punchy with good note perception, though swapping to the Electrocompaniet DAC, I noticed the latter delved just slightly deeper – yet at the other frequency extreme, it wasn’t quite as crisp. Not a big difference, but we audiophiles live by incremental differences, do we not? Sound Color – Standard, Rich 1,2,3, Tube 1,2,3 and Crystal 1,2,3. I’m surprised hearing a substantial difference between them. I like the standard one the most, but if you would like to alter its tonality, make it richer, softer or clearer sounding, then there are plenty of options to choose from. Firmware UpdatingSpeaking of firmware! The process to update is fairly easy, the only real issue I personally ran into was a USB drive to update the Z8 with. You have to use an exFAT formatted device which I had none on hand due to all my portable storage being too big to allow exFAT(outside of portable SSDs and I wasn’t formatting those). I happened to find an old 8gb SD card on a determined hunt for an old storage device so, I used that and an SDcard reader to update and it worked just fine. DACs ideally should have a few dB of digital headroom to accommodate this and reconstruct properly, and many such as Chord, RME, Benchmark etc do, and will output signals with intersample overs without any issue/distortion.
Power switch and volume knob
In the end, you can make it smoother or tubey sounding, or you can go with the cleanest and most detailed sound possible. It’s up to you to decide which tuning works best for you. The analog stage design utilizes eight OPA1612 opamps, with a ‘Shunt Compensation’ approach. This design prevents a peak in gain of the opamp at higher frequencies, in theory reducing any potential unwanted ultrasonic or RF content that may degrade performance of other components in the chain. (You can read more about frequency compensation of opamps here) Benefiting from EverSolo development engineers' rich experience in analog circuit design, professional calibration and circuit design are adopted for the DAC-Z8. The total harmonic distortion ratio which has been measured is -124dB (0.000062%), signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range are 133dB. These industry-leading indicators are a solid foundation for excellent sound quality.
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