Sabaj D5 110V Hi-Res Audio Digital to Analog Converter Balance HiFi Headphones Amplifier DAC Chip ES9038PRO ES9311 32bit/768kHz DSD512 w Preamplifier Remote Control

This is my very fist review ever anywhere, so I feel that's saying something about the Sabaj D5. I purchased the Sabaj D5 from Amazon back in July when it was on a Prime Day Sale for $376. All I can say is… WHAT A BARGAIN!!!I’ve just recently, in the last 6 months or so, started listening to music with headphones instead of my stereo system for reasons, I found out later on, were also very satisfying. I’m not an Audiophile by any sorts, however, I do know what sounds good, great or amazing to my ears. I also know that this Hobby, or for some like me, a Passion… can be quite money hungry. We crave that perfect audio experience more and more… only to find that we’ve taken out a second mortgage on the house to feed our passion. Needless to say, I have found the system that I’m very satisfied with for my personal music enjoyment.And it wasn’t until the D5 that this came to be…First off, this thing is a Mini Beast. It’s small but hefty, which is a great thing. You know you’re getting a well-built product that’s solid. I really like the display with one caveat… the text for the bitrate and such is really small. You literally have to be up close to see it. Again, other than that, it’s a great display. I really like the remote. It’s very responsive and the buttons have a nice touch to them. I like the dial as well, however, some may say it’s a bit wiggly. Personally I feel the little bit of “play” in the dial is nice, however, I mostly use the remote since its part of my HT/Stereo system. I love that there’s just a cord for power and not some huge brick you have to puzzle into your power outlet.Now for sound…WOW… This is one amazing sounding unit. That may or may not be saying much since I’ve really only listened to a handful of DAC’s and Amps, but the sound that comes from this thing is so damn Hypnotic and Transparent. I can hear instruments, the breath that a musician takes, or a slight clap in the back, that I’ve never heard before with my headphones. For cans I use the Meze 99 Noir for closed back listening and HiFiMan HE400i and Focal Elears for open back listening. Both of which have their own unique sound quality I really enjoy. The D5 just opens these up to a level that grabs you and takes you on a journey of musical bliss. I’ve also been using this with a Loxjie P20 tube amp which makes for a very pleasing warm sound signature. Love the setup…In the end I can’t say enough great things about this little guy. I’m just really glad I took a chance on the D5 being that it’s so new and all, plus at the time there was only a couple reviews on it.I can wholeheartedly recommend the Sabaj D5 for your music listening enjoyment.

Prior to buying this DAC, I was leery about going with such an unknown brand/source. I still use an Emotiva X2 daily, have no complaints about the sound, but wanted something even better for a new rig with better speakers and amplification. While measurements don't necessarily reflect listening pleasure, the testing done at audiosciencereview.com undeniably shows this particular model to out-perform (in terms of noise floor and distortion) my X2, and most other DACs I was considering as an upgrade. Seeing this seal of approval, backed by credible test bench results, got me off the fence. After enjoying this for a couple weeks, I'm simply blown away by the sound. I've tried the optical input (Sony TV as a source, via suggested LONG toslink cable) at 16-bit/96khz with great results, and at 44.1-192khz PCM at 16 and 24bit, and DSD64 via USB, which was simply fantastic. I've yet to try the headphone output, so I can't comment on that yet. (I'll revise when I do.) The OLED display is small, they chose a tiny font for everything save the XX volume level display, which goes away shortly after adjustment. I can read the volume setting from ~16ft away, but must approach to see anything else. I'm able to dim the display to the point where I can still read volume from afar, but don't notice it otherwise, even placed directly under the center of the TV. As tiny and lame as it is, I appreciate that the included remote is *exactly* the same remote I got with an SMSL DAC/AMP, and it's used for most of their remote-controlled products... This means that if I damage or lose it, I can get another for <$10 all day long. It also means that due to the popularity of SMSL brand stuff, someone has already solved the problem of sleuthing out remote codes for Harmony, etc. The unit is heavy, solid, and the jacks are great quality. I don't detect any appreciable warmth after heavy use. I detect ZERO background hum/hiss/noise from 88db/watt speakers, even with volume on DAC at 40=max, 275W amps run wide-open. I did hear a significant reduction in background noise, and improvement in detail, when switching from stated 95db SNR class-D amps to much nicer 110db SNR class-D amps for the "tops" of my speakers, which adds credibility to this amp's stated specs, and those measured by audiosciencereview. It's definitely the "purest" part of my system now, allows me to appreciate subtle differences in recordings, and small changes to the rest of the system. I simply love it, and think it is an outstanding value. Be sure to download and install the XMOS drivers from Sabaj before trying to play DSD content. (No drivers were needed for PCM playback via windows.)

The construction seems nice and the aesthetics are good. The sound quality and amplification were both underwhelming. I suggest a Topping or a THX amp instead.