FX-AUDIO- DAC-X6 Mini DAC Headphone Amplifier, USB Coaxial Optical Input, RCA/AUX Output, HiFi 2.0 Digital Audio Desktop Decoder Headphone Amp for Home Theater, Support up to 24bit/192kHz Black

It uses an old Cyrus logic DAC and apparently doesn't return Stella test results. However listening to it driving a 1986 Nas 3020 and some modern Tannoys it sounds superb, it's fast amazing mids and driving bass. It's on the warm side but fast and clear. It's actually got decent simple switches to select input options. Compared to the remote control dacs this is a breath of fresh air simplicity. It includes a UK plug power brick and decent usb a cable to usb b

Really excellent amp. Can recommend it.

This is a great DAC. I bought more than 4 different DACs from Amazon and compared diligently - this one was the best in the same price range. It suffers from one issue, however, which is that whenever you have turned the DAC off, you may need to replug the USB wire to get it working again. Just turning it on might not be sufficient - the sound is extremely faint. I raised the issue with the seller, and they were helpful with assistance. I could never get the issue fixed, but the seller was kind to offer a partial refund. It is not the end of the world that you may need to replug the USB wire once per day - we shouldn't be that lazy. The DAC still offers excellent sound.

I got this DAC headphone amp to drive my high impedance Sennheiser HD600 (300 ohms) and vintage HD414 (2000 ohms) headphones. These are audiophile phones and demand more from amps than typical device headphone jacks offer. I like this device. It's not too big, the most used controls are up front and clearly marked. There's a handy green signal LED that lights to let me know when my iMac is driving the headphone amp via USB. One issue I find a bit annoying is that the volume changes in overly large dB steps when I change it from the macOS level control. I don't know if this is a Mac/USB issue or if it's internal to the FX-Audio device. The volume changes smoothly in small dB increments from the front mounted volume knob.

I purchased this DAC for it's coax digital support with the intention of assembling a TV sound bar equivalent. I have a couple of audio interfaces that are USB only which could not be used for a disk player. The sources are a desktop computer running Ubuntu 22.04 and a Sony 4K blu ray player. The FX-Audio provides inputs for both. The volume control on the front does not apply to the RCA out connectors on the back and that is clearly stated in the product discription. The unit sounds great for both streaming from the computer or watching disks on the Sony player. The unit's case is of brushed aluminium and the face plate is brushed aluminium about 1/2 cm thick. It has a solid quality feel when you pick it up. This is a first rate choice from the budget DAC category.

I connected it to my old Luxman CD player and Linsoul XDUOO MT-602 6J1 Tube Transistor Headphone Amplifier and it worked great.

excellent

Any of these are going to greatly improve the sound over plugging your headphones directly into the mini-jack on a computer. Listening was done with a few different headphones but mostly with beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X Closed-Back Studio Headphones. Music source was a laptop connected to the DAC/Headphone Amp via USB. If an external power supply was included, I used that. If not, power came via USB. I've kept notes on my impressions brief and included comparisons amongst the DAC/Amp's in this list. They are listed below in my order of preference with my favorites at the top. If you want flowery vocabulary I'm sure in depth reviews are available out there on the web. Headphones make the greatest difference in sound - spend more on them, if necessary. The DAC/Amp is secondary but does add its own flavor to the music. --- iFi Zen DAC V2 | Desktop Digital Analog Converter (Listening only with "TRUEBASS" off.) Very good. Slightly better than the FiiO K7. Better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. I ended up comparing this with the FX-Audio DAC-X6 head to head, which continued to surprise me as I put it up against significantly more expensive competitors. Across several hours and many pieces of music, I prefer the iFi... but the difference is infinitesimal. Possibly the iFi has a little more punch to the bass? Maybe a bit more space ans separation? If you're working to a budget, get the FX-Audio and put the extra cash towards better headphones. FX-Audio DAC-X6 Mini HiFi 2.0 Digital Audio Decoder DAC This thing is good. Surprisingly good. I ended up putting it head-to-head with amps costing three times its price. Slightly warmer sound, with slightly less detail in the vocals than the iFi Zen Air, but more space in the music, and more enjoyable to listen to. Slightly better clarity than the Topping. FiiO K7 Full Balanced HiFi DAC Headphone Amplifier This is indeed better than the K5 version. Vocals are more lifelike. And a particular emphasis on the mid-treble heard in the K5 is absent. There is more separation between the instruments. Very close call with the iFi V2, with my preference going to the iFi for better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. iFi Zen Air DAC Not quite as good as the V2, but close. Closer than the FiiO K5 is to the K7. There is, again, a comparative emphasis in mid-treble and the vocals get a bit lost. The sound is slightly thin compared to rivals at this price point. FiiO K5 Pro Headphone Amps Portable Desktop DAC and Amplifier Not quite as good as the K7, but at half the price one cannot really complain. Vocals are not quite as lifelike and there is more mid-treble - but not in a good way. Topping DX1 Mini Stereo DAC Headphone Amplifier Combo Very good little unit. Bass is slightly overemphasized. Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming DAC Headphone Amplifier I thought this unit was DOA. Turns out that you must long press the volume knob to turn it on. (Short press to select input.) Not terrible, but not as musical as the others in this test. Also, the only one with bass and treble knobs. And only a mini-jack - no 1/4" jack. Pro-Ject Head Box S2 Digital This DAC/Amp had an issue that makes it unlistenable. The sound is very nice... but... there's some faint static. Only in the music, not in silence. A faint crackling.... Can't have that.