Amazing review. You are the first who mentions this dB and bits correlation. I was wondering can i connect this with PC speakers with subwoofer? It will do any difference? And can i connect this to Superlux 681b and feel the difference?
you are one of the better reviewers out there. I don't understand how people take the word of these people on a particular product when there are at least 10-20 variables that can alter the sound and experience. no one has the setup that you do (viewer); well at least 90% don't, so any testing you see tells you nothing. try a product, then return it if it sucks or doesn't make sense in your chain link of pieces of equipment. peace.
Start researching into high sample rates like 24/96 and you'll find its a useful tool for music production by mostly a gimmick for music playback. Simple things don't change much in audio and 2 best things for marketing is girls or numbers. Bigger numbers means better is something everyone understands and assumes. But is often marketing BS.
Hello, I really appreciate your content if you still have you f-x Audio Dac x6 There is no videos on the simple gain mod you can do and also installing an APO which can be cheaply obtained on ebay for $4 (AUD) I think this would make a great video :)
Why is the specs on your manual different than specs on the websites? bro... websites say that it puts 90 mW @ 600 Ω, 180 mW @ 300 Ω, 450 mW @ 100 Ω, 610 mW @ 62 Ω, 910 mW @ 32 Ω, 1000 mW @ 16 Ω. Also Line out says 2V RMS, not 1.8 V and SNR at 105 dB, not 94 dB. WHAT THE HELL is going on here?
2024 thank you! You showed all the contents of the box, I just moved homes and couldn’t figure out which power plug went to my DAC FX AUDIO, when I saw that plug I found it and saw the 12V DC rating and was like there we go, now I won’t break it lol
Hey newbie here I bought this DAC/Amp? And i plugged the USB i to my PC and of course gave it power. I also bought a pair of beyerdynamic Dt-770 pro 250 ohm When i plug the headset in it only plays in 1 side of the headset. What do i do
HOW TO MAKE CONNECT TO MY AUDIO INTERFACE MY AUDIO INTERFACE FOCUSRITE 18İ6 PLEASE HELP ME I PURCHASED 3 YEARS AGO BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONNECT AND FEED MY HEADPHONES
Great informative video! I was looking at sound bars for my TV in the price range of 200-300$ then I found a pkg deal on the sony STR-DH190 paired with Klipsch R41m bookshelf speakers. Thats when started searching for a DAC to convert tv optical out and found this one!
Great review! I recently got my hands on a pair of HD599’s and found my computers sound card didn’t like them very much. Decided to settle for a DAC that can actually drive the headphones while also providing great quality sound from it that on-board sound cards wouldn’t. Saw this on sale on amazon and wasn’t seeing any other worthy contenders for the price point. Your video was first to appear when I searched it up, and I placed my order about half way through the video. Very informative, and very convincing. Thank you!!!
@@iritian Now that I've been using the dac for a couple days and dialing in the sound to the way I like it. I'd have to say I too am very impressed with it. I'm enjoying this setup plenty :)
The X6 has a more recent revision the FX Audio DAC X6 MKII shenzhenaudio.com/products/fx-audio-dac-x6-mkii-ess9018-tpa6120-chip-bluetooth-5-0-aptx-spdif-coaxial-pc-usb-rca-amplifier-dac-decoder
With the MK2, if you are getting a "ring" sound almost like a tube ringing you need to remove the tantalum capacitors C26 and C11 (not replace, remove). I also got rid of 3 more (C91, C94, C105) of the noisy things and REPLACED them with 22uF electrolytic caps. Tantalum is just awful for audio.
Question - Would this dac improve sound from my pc asus xonar essence stx to my x3500h denon and if so, where would it fit in the 'loop'. I am referring to playing flac music files on my pc, also if not a worthy upgrade what dac would you recommend for afore mentioned use, Thanks
It converts a digital audio signal which like anything digital is just a specific sequence of ones and zeros that can represent anything from video to audio into a analog signal which is a sequence of electrical pulses or frequencies that are sent to your speakers by an amplifier. Amplifiers and speakers are analog and most likely always will be since humans can't here ones and zeros.....lol. The DAC chip is important but many will argue the little analog output stage that comes after it is more important. Whats most important with audio is what sounds good to you. Experiment with different products when you can and gravitate to what you like. I've had audio gear that costs thousands of dollars but didn't suit the sound signiture I like so it didn't excite me. There is a line somewhere that defines bad audio but above that its mostly preference.
Yes. Start looking into 24bit audio and you'll find its real but mostly a marketing gimmick. 99% of people cannot afford a system that can even faithfully reproduce 20 bits of dynamic range and we can't hear past 20khz so.... realistically 24bit/96khz is marketing BS for sheeple. 32bit/384khz is laughable for playback. These high sample rates are useful for recording music but not playback. A well recorded, produced and mastered 16bit/44.1khz track can sound breath taking but 99% of music is not recorded with audiophiles in mind. Its done with radio, cars, and typical stereos in mind because thats how 99% of people will be listening. In my experience many audiophiles talk a big game but most of them could easily be fooled with blind tests.
Did you buy the X6 new in 2020, or reuse your unit from previous years? There appears to be a v2 of the X6, with quiet lower quality and spec (e.g. only 38 mW - 300 Ω). Any comments on this? What kind of DAC+AMP would you recommend in this price section?
I have some beyerdynamic DT770 pros. I just bought these and observed a crackling almost static sound out the right ear on low and mid frequencies when it would get loud. At low volumes it doesn’t appear. Do I need an amp for this? Is it a product of them being underpowered? I’m running them off my desktop 3.5mm
Unless the headphones have an issue they shouldn't do that no matter what. Try powering them off your phone see if it they have the same problem. If not your destop has a bad 3.5mm.
The other chain is your ear and brain. Can most people notice 192/24 bit or feel it as that much of an improvement, even if they pay mega $$$ on the DAC?
Most people probably wouldn't notice. Also lots of 24bit music is just upsampled from old analog or 16bit sources. 24bit audio can still suffer poor recording and mastering. To many people just assume cause its "high res" or 24 bit its automagically better or perfect. When it comes to DACs or Amplifiers most people can't dicern much past 70db SINAD so most decent amps and DACS should be fine. I'd spend the extra money on better speakers and room treat. Simply google search for well mastered albums and several lists come up. From there people can seek out the medium they want to consume it through I guess. A well done CD is usually quite good. I've had some fairly high end gear and usually the increase in fidelity is minor, speakers seem to make the biggest difference.
I just bought a pair of Sennheiser 58x and I'm wondering can I just use this DAC amp to connect to my samsung Galaxy Note 9? A response would be much appreciated🙏
I'd get the new FX Audio DAC X6 MKII. At least according to specs its a performance and power increase over the original... Put out more power than what the Fosi Q5 lists.
The unfortunate reality is that the version of this DAC you buy today is probably not same in this review. What I mean is that there are many copy versions of this DAC on the market with totally different chips inside and usually they are comprised with counterfeit componants. Yet the case and model number are the same. Call it China roulette.
You are correct. There are several Chinese brands that copy and paste these and just use what ever parts they can source. Then on top of that QA isn't great so tolerances are.... messy.
I went with this one because it doesn't have a mute relay, so you can just kill the volume to headphones and turn powered speakers off/on with that switch. My next upgrade will be such an amp and speakers. I just hope to find some rca jumpers that won't be $30+ for a pair of 6" cables. And the amp in this is meant for headphones, not desktop speakers, I don't want my drums blown out, so it's good that it's not too loud. But I read that there's some dip switches on the inside that adjusts the gain for the headphone amp. They leave it at the lower setting on purpose as a safety thing.
If i connect it to my pc in one input and in other to a tv (and the tv speakers on the rca outputs) , when i select the pc audio, is it possible to keep listening to the tv even if the audio is not being processed by the dac? thank you
Could I use this DAC/Amp combo to play multiple audio signals at once through my headphones? For example, could I listen to audio through my USB for my PC and optical cable for my gaming console at the same time? I really need to know this as I was using a astro mixamp which allowed that functionality.
Yes you can connect your mixer to the DAC X6 via Optical or Coax and then use headphones for monitoring. But your mixer must have a optical or coax output. If your mixer only has analog RCA outputs then all you need is a headphone amplifier.
@@iowaudioreviews owh via optical & coax for input😅🙊which i dont have or use. I thought can use the headphone port in this device then output at the pack via rca out to via a converter to my headphones 3.5mm jack😅
quick technical tip, some lenses such as the one you have only focus on what is in the center of the frame, so it might be helpful if you want to keep the focus from throwing :)
wait, that knob doesn't control anything on the back, so if you want this to go to speakers, you're really going to want a speaker amp to go with it, right?
Idk if you are reading comments on the old videos but Im still try to get your reply. First Im wondering if you are still recommending this dac/amp in septeber 2020. Second of all I was going to buy a new pair of closed back headphones and idk what are the best pair in September 2020 under $100. It seems kind of weird to buy ath m40x 4 years after their realese. So if you can give me a recommendation on headphones under $100 I would greatly appreciate it.
Yes I still recommend the DAC X6 for best budget dac/amp. For headphone recommendations under $100 check out hifiguides.com they have a usful setup there that will help you decide. The m40x may be old but they are still very good for $100.
Highly recommend the k361, I use it personally and I love it Edit: also if you want a dac amp combo, and can spend a bit more ifi zendac is gucci, but this is twice as cheap, the 361 doesn't need an amp, so an apple dongle type c is an option I would recommend
great review mate. i am considering this so i wanted to know if i can use it as an external sound card to use with my headphones and in music production software so that my music is rendered from this to mp3 rather than using my laptop's
Noticed it doesn't come with the 3.5mm to quarter-inch adapter now? BTW what did you mean when you said the headphone jack sounds good but the DAC doesn't? I really think you should just get into how you thought the sounds were in your own words. I was specifically interested how it changed the sound for the ksc and kph? I'm currently using on-board audio.
To me using the Koss ksc75 or kph30i it seemed pretty neutral. Didn't notice any extra warmth and didn't seem to clinical. Its just a good basic headphone amp so this is kinda to be expected. This combination is still pretty impressive for the price though. A great option for the budget or beginner listener.
@@iowaudioreviews If I put audio only through the left channel it still comes through on the right channel. Making this DAC/Amp useless at competitive gaming. Hopefully swapping out the OP amp might fix this issue though.
If you check out Audio Science Review's testing on the DACX6 the DAC in it isnt very good but the headphone amp is. Its short comings really will only be exposed by a higher end system. So depending on the rest of your gear and quality of your source music may not be a big deal.
Question... if I used the USB audio out from the DAC to my iPhone with a USB to lightening adapter would it work? Could I stream music to it? Thanks :)
For me no. I had the Geshelli Labs Archel 2 Pro, Topping E30 DAC and HD6XX very good little setup. I sold it and went back to the DACX6 because the Geshelli/Topping setup costs 3 times as much but didn't sound 3 times as good. It was slightly better in my opinion. The DACX6 has a good headphone amp and subpar DAC so using it as a DAC with the magni may not be an improvement. The Schiit stack probably does sound better but how much better vs cost.... up to you. Another very good option thats better than the DACX6 and arguably the Schiit is a used LG v40 or G7 phone. About $120 on ebay very good dac and amp built in and you can use it as a player wherever 😉
IowAudio Review Thanks forte reply man. Im pretty sure the g7 has the same DAC as the modi. Anyways, maybe I’ll go for the Little Dot mk2 instead. It may be a slight upgrade, but the tubes are what I’m looking for. I feel like the dac x6 is amazing for what it is, and I’ll be using it for a while. Though, down the line I want to upgrade. Diminishing returns has always been an issue with audio, so I wouldn’t necessarily mind spending twice as much for 50% of an improvement if I’m gonna be using that system for a long while. Thanks again.
Dragonfly Red on paper does perform better granted it is much more expensive. Weather you'll hear the difference is circumstantial. If you can get the Dragonfly it's the better option.
@@iowaudioreviews Thanks for the answer. Now we know it can handle 300 ohm, but what about iems with low impedance (like 16 or 32 ohm)? I forgot to include that in my earlier comment: the ssp are 16 ohm
Hi I purchased this DAC last november through Amazon following this review and others that were also praising it. It was hooked to my TV with optical and the amp with good rca cables the bluray player is connected to the tv through hdmi and i was very satisfied until recently when it started to produce a loud unpleasant humming noise that made listening impossible. I tried all different connections possible usb computer bluray coax with and without tv and differents amps and finally came to the conclusion that the rca output of the dac is causing the noise. Did any body experience the same problem? On the other hand the headphone amp section works fine. Thank you
Hello, i have had the same problem like you but i was using the usb input. At the beginning it works fine for 6 months, after that started a little noisy and went in the end impossible to listen. I had to go back to amazon. For what i have discover it is a common problem with this model.
The Sanskrit 6th is a better DAC but no heaphone option. The FX Audio X6 has a decent DAC and respectable headphone amp so overall its still the value king.
@@BudgetAudioChrono you could actually change the op amp to a op2064 or something else as it's greatly increases the performance (that op amp is socketed btw)
ok so I have a really big problem that I have no idea how to solve. the blue cable that the dac comes with is connected to my switch, that leaves 2 options for my pc, the coaxial cable, and the optical cable. But heres the thing, my pc has none of those inputs in the back. so im trying to find either a optical to usb cable or coax to usb cable. I know this is probably something you cant even do but im really desperate here. Ps: I forgot about the analog left and right coaxial inputs, i tried connecting a mini to rca cable to the dac and my monitor but nothing happened. i also have 3 analog mini jacks, red, green, and blue. (if that helps)
Hi there, so alot of pc's these days do not have an spdif (optical audio input) or coaxial port. The way I went around this a few years back when I bought a pair of headphones is buying a sound card. I personally use this one: www.amazon.com/Asus-Xonar-AE-Sound-Board/dp/B077DGQFTF/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=asus+xonar+ae&qid=1586016247&sr=8-2 however this is only for desktops, not laptops. The other thing you would need to check is to see if your desktop has a free pci express slot available to install it into, and if your case has an opening for it. Hope this helps
As much of a pain in the ass it would be to do, you could in theory just switch the usb inputs between your pc and switch, I know it isnt optimal but would in theory work. Or, you could buy a secondary usb type b to usb type a cable and switch them out that way too.
A lot of modern motherboards don’t have optical / toslink nowadays, you’d have to look at the slightly higher end of the B-series ie MSI B450 Mortar Max or into the X-series. I realised this but was lucky I only use 1 input, and was the USB B port was fit for me.
Dude, there's a 2 year old reddit post that apparently this dac doesn't work with the switch, and you're literally the first being mentioning whether it has gained support over the years or not. So you're saying it works with the nintendo switch via usb? THAT'S SO GOOD NEWS!!!!
We REALLY need someone to do an unbiased teardown on this unit. (Not suggesting you're being biased). A lot of reviewers pooh-poohed the supplied 1A adaptor and reckoned you're better buying one with a higher output (the supplied one could be at worst unsafe, or at best create noise). Some Ali sellers list this without the AC adaptor. Easily sorted. (Barrel tip is 5.5mm x 2.1mm, 12V, some recommend 2.5A output). After I purchased I saw chatter suggesting that there could be rusty or reused electronics inside or even dented capacitors! (some advertisements for the DAC-X6 suggest there should be ELNA capacitors inside) in the audiosciencereview teardown: www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/hardware-teardown-of-fx-audio-dac-x6-usb-dac.2115 More worryingly, eg, this conversation on DROP - it's suggested the OPA2134 chips are FAKE: drop.com/buy/fx-audio-dac-x6/talk/2702464
Budget mass produced gear like this could definitely have any of these issues. FX Audio will source parts from where ever than can so they can keep these in stock. I can take pics of mine and post them to my IOWAudio facebook. Social media links in the description.
