Sabaj Da2 2in1 Portable Headphone Amplifier USB DAC Earphone AMP 32bit/768kHz

*UPDATE*I've reduced my rating from 4 stars to 3 because I recently picked up the Da2 and found that the housing was loose because a couple of the [increadibly tiny] screws had become unscrewed (one actually fell out of the device). I assume this resulted from the temperature fluxuations of the device causing the metal to expand & contract. I was lucky enough to find the screw on my desk. Had it fallen on the carpet, it would have been lost forever. I happened to have the appropriate torx driver and was able to easily reassemble the housing. I now feel that the Da2 is an example of a device with excellent on-paper specs but mediocre implementation.*ORIGINAL REVIEW*This is a great little DAC with a couple minor flaws. I was initially looking at the Audioquest Dragonfly Red, then I came across a handfull of HiFi / audiophile forums in which the Sabaj Da2 (and Da3) got a lot of hype and positive comparisons to the Dragonflys. The Da2 sounds great and apparently has some impressive hardware if you know what you're looking for. Sabaj's website says the Da2 can handle headphones up to 300 Ohms. I used it with some Sennheiser HD 600s and the Da2 was able to power them when the volume on both the DAC and device were maxed out (300 Ohms is deffinately the limit). The Da2 came with three short (~ 6") micro USB cables - one USB-C, one (normal) USB-A, and one Micro USB.Cons: - It gets REALLY warm. It doesn't quite get hot on it's own, but it certainly gets warm enough to be slightly concerning. When I tried using the Da2 in my car the device was sitting on the passengers seat in direct sunlight and after maybe a minute of use it was HOT - I mean hot enough that I thought I might have fried it. - There's a weird glitch with Android phones where you have to start playing your music BEFORE plugging the Da2 in.Also, if size / portability are not a concern for you, the Sabaj Da3 is supposed to be a considerably better DAC for not much more money.

I bought this device based on audioscience.com review. It represents a new wave of highly capable but tiny USB DACs. You can run it from PC at 384k/32 bit. Its headphone amp output impedance is measly 0.4 Ohms (less is better). It also has very low noise and THD. But its headphone amp simply lacks any power, and as a result, the sound comes out as harsh, lacking mid freq substance. If you pair it with any good headphone or speaker amp - you would, no doubt, will achieve much better results. I tested it with AKG K7xx and Superlux 668B. Both headphones just love higher than normal amperage. They cannot be driven properly with run-of-the-mill Android phone or tablet, for example. You can drive them easily with special phones like Galaxy S7 international (Exynos), or LG V10-V40.I'm going to compare this USB DAC to Hifime Sabre9018 which was destroyed by audiosciencereview - measly 96Khz at 24bit, higher THD+N, 10 Ohm output impedance. But, Hifime can drive my AKG K7xx and Superlux 668B easily, producing clean and "sweet" sound. I don't know where that particular sweetness comes from (maybe some timbre maipulation). But there is no harshness at all.So here goes. Specs don't mean much it turns out. Or they are beyond human audible difference already.

not a bad little DAC/amp. sounds good has an analog vol. control.and is instantly accepted by windows 10. the box is kinda cheap but the unit itself seems solid as are the connections.The sound is a bit brighter than the drago nfly and a tad louder so some adjustments will be in order. initially the audio is great with a wide soundstage and no bg noise , deep clean bass and flat mids vocals seem accurate and highs clean, not sibilant really fine sound for such a budget piece. aiary and detailed with great dynamics. the vol. control will take some getting used to but I enjoy the overall sonic presentation. equivalent audio to my now dead dragonfly and superior to the fiio q1.... two weeks in; detail is awesome, but still getting used to fiddling with the analog volume control, needs to be adjusted each time you log in. However i think the sound is superior to the dragonfly for air & detail.

Update:I really loved this thing but had to drop from 5 stars to 3. After finally getting out to work with a Y cable adapter, I was very impressed with the sound improvement. A few months later it quit working at all. Completely dead. Bummer.Original Review:This thing makes music sound so much better through my Galaxy S8. I was skeptical that DAC's are just audiophile snake oil (gold plated power cables anyone?), but this thing is great. At first it didn't work with my phone, though. It needs extra power, so I bought a Y-type OTG cable that allowed me to plug this into my phone as well as an extra usb power source. This DAC really brings music to life. For example, I can hear a bit more instrument separation and can notice much more detail in bass guitar tones.

Pros:- Good amp- slightly improves sound quality- Compatible with most devices- 3 different connection cables included- small size- volume buttonsCons:- earphone in-line control and microphone does not work- Unable to use earphones for anything else but music player- gets hot- drains my battery very quickly- in android it has the annoying sound until you switch it to midi, but still it doesn't last and goes back to usb charging (but without the annoying noise)Overall really good device for the price, it does the job, if only these annoying things could be fixed, I would have given it 5 stars.

7 month Update: Device stopped working. Light is off when plugged in and it has stopped working altogether. Tried connecting to PC and mobile. Will leave rating as is, as I did get 7 months of use out of it and it was great while it worked. Since I purchased it while it was "Fulfilled by Amazon" they gave me a full refund and that was that. Also would like to warn others that these types of devices plugged into your phone will degrade your battery quicker. My iPhone was still 100% battery health after 2+ years of use, and while using this device for 7 months the battery health dropped to 96%.6 month Issue: The issue with failing to play on iOS happens regularly.New iOS Connection method: Turn on Airplane Mode. Open the Onkyo HF Player App, minimise App. Connect Sabaj DA2. Open App switcher, return to Onkyo Player App, Press Play.Using this method has DAC so far has been consistently playing.(I have lowered the rating since when it is working it is a great sounding device which has very few competitors at its price, yet the issues while using the device over time have made it less than adequate in terms of ease of use.)First impressions: the product is smaller than expected which is good and also a surprise.The small size makes it very light-weight and portable, it is nice and thin, and out of the way like the cable since it is so compact.Outside of the unit is nice feeling metal, cool to the touch (the unit produces a bit of heat so this must help to dissipate the heat). The buttons have a solid feeling when clicking, and are a bit loose feeling (just like the Sabaj DA3 Desktop DAC/Amp) but this is fine since they work well on the DA3.The box includes the unit + 3 short white cables (USB to micro-usb, USB-C to micro-usb and micro-usb to micro-usb).Build quality: of the DA2 it is just OK. Upon first plugging one of the included cables into the Sabaj DA2, I noticed a bit of movement in the plug socket, a bit of concern over the longevity of the sockets. I also own the Sabaj DA3 Desktop DAC/Amp and it feels much more solid overall.Usability and performance: I am using it with an Apple device on iOS 13 with the Apple Camera Adapter (the compact USB 2.0 version) and the unit powers and works. I keep all the cables connected (headphones>Sabaj DA2>included cable>Apple Adapter) and hanging off the headphone cable ready for use.I use the iOS Onkyo HF Player App to play CD quality lossless files.Issue: DA2 fails to synchronise with iPhone and buzzing sound is heard.Frequently the music refuses to start playing (counter stays at 0:00 or you are met with a buzzing sound).(Please refer to 4 Month Update at the top of review)When the device works it is great, even when the iPhone screen automatically turns off the music keeps playing. I can pick the phone up to change music and the connection of cables is solid.Sound: The best way to describe the sound in typical Sabre DAC fashion is neutral and detailed. The Sabaj DA2 uses a single ES9018Q2C chip, the same chip as the DA3 only the DA3 is of balanced design and uses 2 of them.There is a noticeable increased amount of speed, detail and treble extension compared to the headphone output of iPhone.There is increased detail throughout the frequency ranges and on my headphones it is particularly noticeable in the mids and treble region.Some may think it sounds a bit 'thin' in the bass, most likely from added detail in the mids & treble region(neutral sound), this is only noticeable with music that has that sub-bass slam. For most of the music I listen to there is enough bass, being fast & detailed.(Update: Compared to the sound of the Sabaj DA3 Desktop DAC/AMP, I find it difficult to notice much difference in the mids & treble region. In this area the DA2 matches the DA3 in terms of detail & resolution with the DA3 possibly having slightly more width & top-end extension. Also the sub-bass of the DA3 has more definition, slam & bottom-end extension.)Power & Consumption: There is more than enough power for driving low-impedance headphones. The device does get warm, and this is with low-impedance headphones at mid-volume with 44.1khz files.Being so small I expected low-power consumption, the Sabaj DA2 however does consume more battery power than when using the phone's headphone output.This is only an issue if you are low on battery etc, if you have a fully charged phone I predict you will get an adequate amount of listening time using the DA2.(Edit: With iPhone at full-charge & in airplane mode, listening for about 2.5-3 hours of listening to 44.1khz files at moderate-volume the iPhone's battery was down to 50%).I find the increased battery consumption when using the DA2 acceptable for the improved sound-quality and driving power.Sound Conclusion: I find the DA2 to have an overall worthwhile difference from the sound of a typical headphone output. The evenly detailed and neutral sound of the DA2 contrasts from the sound of the typical 'consumer' sounding headphone output.Other Portable USB powered DAC's typically have a more warm or bassy sound to them, which is similar to the typical 'consumer' headphone output sound making the differences less noticeable, in which case basically what you are paying for is just more driving power.Overall Conclusion: The sound is great, and it functions well enough. However the device could work more seamlessly, the Issues with iOS require a bit of work to get it working, but when it is working the product is fantastic.I also own the Sabaj DA3 which is a great compact budget Desktop DAC/AMP and it is a better product, it feels a lot more solidly built and continues to function to this day (8 months on & counting).

Abituato ad un ascolto con orecchio "educato" al suono alle cuffie alle casse alle fonti varie, avevo bisogno di un Amp per pilotare le mie cuffie (Akg K511, AT MH30 e Status CB-1) nel tempo libero, usando lo smartphone, un qualcosa di non impegnativo. Questo Sabaj mi ha colpito poiché ha anche un DAC ed ho deciso di comprarlo non per le recensioni ma per il prezzo e le sue caratteristiche. Oggi è arrivato e l'ho provato solo per 1h, le mie prime impressioni sono: comodità estrema oltre le mie aspettative, microscopico ed in metallo con comodi tasti volume,il cavo in dotazione type C è cortissimo ed adatto allo scopo, riesce a pilotare le mie cuffie sopra elencate con una buonissima resa oltre ad incrementare di un buon 20%-30% la potenza di uscita che varia in base alle cuffie (stra-soddisfatto!!). Non ho riscontrato alcun problema di ronzio, il DAC fa il suo dovere senza eccellere nella performance (per 60 euro ci mancherebbe pure) forse un orecchio poco educato potrebbe aver bisogno di più tempo x notare la differenza, per quanto mi riguarda si sente forte e chiara con diversi file audio, anche semplicemente con youtube (scarsa qualità) riesce a tirar fuori qualcosa di decente 😉. Uniche 3 pecche riscontrate sono: la batteria del cell si scarica più rapidamente (era prevedibile ma speravo meno), dopo pochi minuti la scatolina si scalda molto, siamo in estate e non è piacevole, soprattutto scuotendolo dolcemente, sento qualcosa che si muove dentro, tipo una vite minuscola o una cosa del genere. Per il resto, 1h è insufficiente per un giudizio, queste le mie prime impressioni. Ne deluso ne entusiasta, scrivo ciò perché in 10 anni la tecnologia audio ed il DAC Han fatto passi da gigante e credevo fosse più netta la differenza tra lui ed il mio vecchio lettore mp3 della Creative Xfi 2 che ha la funzione crystallizer che, pur non essendo DAC, è al pari di questo Sabaj da2. L'alta fedeltà richiede prezzi esagerati, ma con 60 euro un primo approccio a questo mondo è da consigliare.

Qualità del suono ragionevole con cuffie di bassa impedenza. Ottimo rapporto qualità/prezzo

In poche parole: il suono che esce da questo scatolino, veramente minuscolo (e finchè non l'hai in mano, non ti rendi conto di quanto piccolo sia), è FENOMENALE. Per quanto mi riguarda, è il mio quarto DAC portatile, chi più blasonato, chi meno, ma devo dire che questo è il primo che mi lascia a bocca aperta. Dettaglio, brillantezza, corpo, spazialità: c'è tutto. E, come deve essere per un amplificatore che si rispetti, musica piena anche a volume bassissimo.Le cinque stelle mancate sono dovute al problema di compatibilità con Android, cosa di cui ero a conoscenza e rischio che ho scelto di correre. E' il famoso ronzio di cui si legge anche qua in giro, e che nel mio caso è presente su due device molto diversi (telefono Huawei e tablet Asus), entrambi con USB-C, con la sola differenza che col telefono esce solo ronzio (forte e fastidioso) mentre dal tablet escono ronzio e musica. Ma, per fortuna, dopo aver fatto un po' di esperimenti, ho scoperto che tutto scompare se si connette il dac DOPO aver fatto partire un qualsiasi brano. Da lì in poi, nessun problema fino a quando non lo si disconnette di nuovo: direi quindi che si tratta di un piccolo problema, aggirabile con uno stratagemma che non rovina l'esperienza con questo giocattolino.Con pc e Windows 10, invece, tutto perfetto: collegato, rilevato e funzionante in pochi secondi.Vivamente consigliato.