HiFimeDIY Sabre USB U2 Async DAC and SBTouch (EDO)

[WAD62]

I have a secondary system in my kitchen, the criteria being small cheap and grease resistant

Until recently it was a second hand SBTouch (EDO), a Mini-T amp, and some fleabay mission 780 SEs, and quite a nice sound it produced too, certainly good enough to cook to

I recently acquired a FiiO E18 portable USB DAC for my phone/tablet/PC and out of interest also tried it in my Kitchen set up with excellent results, but given it has other duties (and I gon't want it covered in lard!) I thought I'd look for a more permanent solution.

I'd spotted some good reviews on here, and the rest of the internet of the HiFimeDIY Sabre DACs, and given the price point I took the plunge.

The HiFimeDIY Sabre USB U2 asynchronous DAC and companion USB isolator arrived yesterday, along with a passive Belkin USB hub, so about £60 in total.

Setup was relatively easy, once I'd confirmed it needed the hub (I also use one with my main SBTouch and MDAC setup), and straight away I noticed a distinct improvement ion the clarity of the top end...

I'll leave them running for a while before I make a more detailed judgement, but at the moment things look very promising

What a budget improvement for an SBTouch...

[AlexM]

I have a secondary system in my kitchen, the criteria being small cheap and grease resistant

Until recently it was a second hand SBTouch (EDO), a Mini-T amp, and some fleabay mission 780 SEs, and quite a nice sound it produced too, certainly good enough to cook to

I recently acquired a FiiO E18 portable USB DAC for my phone/tablet/PC and out of interest also tried it in my Kitchen set up with excellent results, but given it has other duties (and I gon't want it covered in lard!) I thought I'd look for a more permanent solution.

I'd spotted some good reviews on here, and the rest of the internet of the HiFimeDIY Sabre DACs, and given the price point I took the plunge.

The HiFimeDIY Sabre USB U2 asynchronous DAC and companion USB isolator arrived yesterday, along with a passive Belkin USB hub, so about £60 in total.

Setup was relatively easy, once I'd confirmed it needed the hub (I also use one with my main SBTouch and MDAC setup), and straight away I noticed a distinct improvement ion the clarity of the top end...

I'll leave them running for a while before I make a more detailed judgement, but at the moment things look very promising

What a budget improvement for an SBTouch...

That's a nice price for a decent quality Dac. I wonder how it would compare to something like the HRT MsII+ in terms of SQ

Regards,
Alex

[John]

Its a really nice DAC for the money

[WAD62]

Its a really nice DAC for the money

...sounding even nicer after a few days 'burn in', ridiculous value for money

[Covenant]

I use the same dac when listening to music on my computer (and the same speakers). Do you think the isolator makes a difference?

[WAD62]

Hi Jerry, to be honest I've not tried it without...

Based on my previous experience of the success of isolating my MDAC from my SBTouch, via an iFi Power (ok a bit different), I went straight for the isolator, and at £17 I didn't have a second thought.

P.S. I think after about 4 days it's peaked, excellent detail an control

[guyhayton]

Sounds like a good solution... I must admit to being interested in this http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route...&product_id=84

[WAD62]

...I'd not seen that one before, looks like a major 'rip off' at £42.44!!!

FYI there appear to be 2 postal options, for slightly more, about £8 for my 2 components, they will ship in 4 days from a German warehouse, otherwise it's a longer cheaper wait from China...

[RichB]

Sounds like a good solution... I must admit to being interested in this http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route...&product_id=84

I took the plunge on the UAE23+ usb DAC and the power supply..... I'm frankly gobsmacked at the quality of the sound. Its just so natural and although I bought it for a second system I actually prefer it to my V-link/Rega DAC combo playing tunes from a laptop in the main system. it is an audiophile bargain at the price.