Veri - thanks for the information but here, I'm trying to feed two USB outputs from my Zidoo streamer into two separate DACs. These are "data" streams not analogue. The techniques you refer to are, yes quite complex but do not seem relevant to my scenario

The quality is exemplary, the look is the future, and the DAC output is as good as it gets at this price point." Despite my prattling on about headphones, the DAC-Z8 is indeed not intended just for private listening. It is first and foremost a DAC which happens to contain a headphone amplifier and can be used as a pre-amp. Eversolo also offers a cheaper version – the DAC-Z6, as well as a Network Streaming DAC – the DMP-A6, which I believe Head Witchdoctor Gary Steel is currently investigating. In addition to a complete connectivity, the DAC-Z8 has a Bluetooth 5.0 Qualcomm QCC5125 receiver, which allows you to broadcast your music remotely, from a smartphone or a tablet for example, while supporting the codecs of high-resolution transmission aptX HDand LDACfor a high quality restitution in wireless. Digital DSP filters

Design

Even without listening to the damn thing, every cell in my body felt excited for what’s to come. So far, I can’t say a single bad word about the SU-10, as everything’s up there if not higher versus its direct competition. Let’s go deep and learn everything there is to know about the newest SU-10 DAC of SMSL. While SMSL Audio always resonated with affordable audio that anybody could enjoy without wandering into the four-figure territory, a time came in trying a slice of that fat and delicious pie that’s called High-End Audio. Everything changed when SMSL revealed their VMV line a few years ago, inspiring all other DAC makers to follow the same course. Firmware Updating​Speaking 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. Exactly a year ago I posted my SMSL VMV D1SE review, which at that time was the coolest ESS-Sabre DAC that SMSL had to offer. It had everything it needed to succeed, starting with a nice-looking case, top-notch build quality and finishing with a great component selection and outstanding sonics to match its lineage. For almost a year, that was The DAC to beat below one grand and ah, you nasty SMSL…you did it again with the release of the SU-10! While this is their highest performing DAC from the SU line, I feel that it should be part of their VMV (High-End) line, as in many ways, SU-10 seems like a true successor to the VMV D1SE. Velkou péči věnoval výrobce modulu napájecího zdroje, jehož podstatná část je ukryta pod stíněním. Na malou destičku plošných spojů se vešlo jak regulované spínané napájení, tak filtrační kondenzátory.

If connecting to the headphone output, there are two BUF634 chips used to provide the headphone amplifier buffer. Best to stay with the default Fast Linear and not complicate your life. That choice gives you this excellent wideband THD+N versus frequency: The mid-range and vocals also offer a nice clarity in the like of Taylor Swift’s glorious exile (Qobuz FLAC 24-bit, 44.1kHz) where Justin Vernon’s baritone complements Swift’s vocal perfectly. The treble is clean enough, and high mid cymbals shimmer cleanly (I’ll point you to The Stone Roses’ percussive Waterfall (Qobuz FLAC 16-bit, 44.1kHz)). Separately I stumble across Smells Like Teen Spirit (Qobuz FLAC 24-bit, 96kHz) which has a reassuring clarity and with little of the cloudiness that can come with such grunge. Meze Audio 109 Pro Headphone (high gain mode): Output level(Vrms): 1.2Vrms@0dBFS, Maximum undistorted power: 26 mW@300ΩAs with its streaming brother, the Cambridge Audio CXA61 is an updated version of a product that we weren’t particularly aware needed updating; and, as with the CXN, we are extremely glad that the boffins at Cambridge went to the trouble. It was well worth it, both times. DAC-Z8 is a compact audio decoder with excellent workmanship and high per- formance. Coming with the 3rd integration of XMOS 316 and ESS flagship ES9038 Pro DAC chip, the decoding formats support up to DSD512, PCM 768Khz@32Bit and MQA full decoding. It has exceptional sound quality, good preamp performance and strong headphone driving force. Rich inputs make thedevice be a good partner of high end headphones and stereo speakers The Z8 comes in a very nice well designed box which gives an extremely high end unboxing experience. Once inside the box, we get the Z8 in its own little fabric travel like bag, remote, a nice power cable, braided USB-B cable and user manual/warranty cards. I do like the included braided USB cable quite a bit and it gives a sense of attention to detail. EverSolo DAC-Z8: https://www.eversolo.com/Product/index/model/DAC-Z8/target/PfjRkwqbV7FKKmVViAFMcQ%3D%3D.html

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.

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The knob on the front panel is multifunctional, not only can be used for volume adjustment but also for menu selection, such as input source switching, output selection, filter modes, UV meters, system language setup and firmware updates, etc. The embellishment of ambient light adds a degree of charm to the modern device. This interface works as a supplement to the included remote control. The analog audio circuit is fully balanced design. XLR, RCA and headphone output are all processed by a bal- anced 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, without needing to connect with an additional preamp. značka Zidoo umí udělat komponenty s dobrým poměrem ceny a výkonu, to už je dnes vcelku obecně vnímáno. Že se rozhodla udělat si jakousi dostupnější odnož, v níž zužitkovala zkušenosti se zvukovou architekturou, ale vypustila obrazovou část, to bylo poměrně překvapivé. Téměř šokující pak je ale to, jakou kvalitu s tímto novým konceptem značky dokázal dosáhnout. DAC-Z6 i DAC-Z8 od EverSolo jsou výjimečně kvalitně zpracované a v daných cenových úrovních jen stěží najdete něco podobného. Stejně tak nabízí solidní konektivitu (možná škoda, že tu není streaming, byť nový streamer této značky je na cestě), spoustu možností nastavení, hezký displej a solidní sluchátkový zesilovač. DAC-Z6 je pak dobrý a nic v obdobné ceně nemá šanci (výbavou, provedením ani zvukem), DAC-Z8 je ale natolik dobrý, že pokud to váš rozpočet jen trochu dovoluje, stojí to za příplatek. Všeobecně představuje EverSolo DAC-Z8 to nejlepší v ceně do 20 tisíc, možná spíš i do 30 tisíc a možná, že spoustě D/A převodníků i v ještě vyšších sférách zatopí. Co se nás týká, EverSolo DAC-Z8 nahradil v redakční výbavě o víc než polovinu dražší RME ADI-2 DAC FS. Vřelé, maximální doporučení! All in all, SMSL used the most impressive ESS-Sabre implementation I’ve seen thus far, as two linear transformers and a beefy output stage that should bring those chips so very close to their maximum potential. My ears are heavily itching and I’m expecting wonderful things coming out of it, so what are we waiting for? Let’s hit some eardrums! I attempted to determine a difference between the various filter options – using headphones and speakers – but hand-on-heart I could not hear anything discernible whatsoever. I’m not sure what their best use case is but not one of my setups benefitted and I don’t see the point. The digital VU meters (I preferred number 4) may seem a novelty but I enjoyed seeing the “needles” move and in any case if these aren’t to your taste, they can be turned off. There are several other display options on offer and that screen is wonderfully crystal clear.

I think the What Hi Fi selection of components is really predictable, when there are so many alternatives on the market and I was hoping they'll be a little adventurous. THD+N@A-wt: 0.00015%@1kHz(-116dB@1kHz), THD+N@No-wt: 0.00018%@1kHz(-115dB@1kHz), Noise @No-wt: <2uVrms, SNR@No-wt: 124dB@1kHz The Headphone Amp Section​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! Sending music from my smartphone that was connected to Qobuz and Tidal worked as a charm and LDAC codec sounded almost indistinguishable to a wired connection. Bottom line is that SU-10 worked great via Bluetooth, but it performed better with those that support BT 5.0 and LDAC codecs. The heart of the DAC-Z8, its digital-to-analog conversion stage, is equipped with an excellent ESS ES9038Pro chip. This ensures low distortion and noisefor a truly convincing high-fidelity music experience. In addition, the DAC-Z8’s audio circuitry is specifically calibrated to deliver its full potential. XMOS XU316 USB InterfaceWhen I removed the Chord Ultima 3 Preamp and let it play as a DAC and Preamp combo powering a Chord Ultima 5 power amplifier, then it no longer felt as impressive, especially in terms of dynamics and sheer scale. It felt shier by a few notches and my loudspeakers felt smaller sounding and it wasn’t filling the room with sounds to excess. What was tight, fast and impactful, became shier and less impressive on the technical level. I’m pretty sure there’s a small impedance mismatch between it and Ultima 5 or maybe that’s the way it sounds without a preamp. 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. 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!