Z Review - FX Audio DAC-X6 [The Return of Cheap and Decent] 

You make quality content. I like the honesty of your reviews. You have detail and relevant information on every video. GOOD JOB

Thanks to your review, I just purchased one and I'm very impressed so far. Feel like my Sennheiser finally came alive! Love your reviews

Thanks for the in-depth review on this DAC. I was going crazy trying to make up my mind and your expertise/opinion has done me justice in the past. Amazon cart, Prime shipping, mission accomplished.

i just picked one of these up for my headphones for casual listening thank you

Based on this review I finally bought my first DAC and WOW! Took it a while to get to South Africa but oh my was it worth it. Connected it up, plugged in my Audio Technica ATH-AD900X, played my reference songs (Pink Floyd's Mother and Wish You Were Here) and was simply blown away by the quality and sound stage. Thanks Z Review for the recommendation. You have made me a happy man :)

Just bought one of these on the back of your review, Zoes. Really loving it; a massive improvement over the sound card in my PC. Many thanks for your very, very entertaining reviews. :-)

Just picked this up... all I can say is thank you for pointing this out. I did not know what I was missing with my audio quality. I know there may be better out there... but damn this works for me right now.

Bought this and ATH-M40-X Good buy, do recommend.

Thanks to you as I bought this for my beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro's and I have to admit, such great value and a great sound pushing the DT 770's really well..Okay so I am a couple of years late but really enjoy your content...

SMSL SD793-II and SMSL SA50 are doing the job with FLUANCE SX-6. Thank you Z.

it's end 2019. bought mine waiting for delivery! My first DAC, will go with AKG K242HD and some 2.1 Logitech speaker. 64€ to home, so much headache for decide but the I/O layout is what I need and couldn't find something similar under decent amount of money. Thanks for your work man, beeing addicted to yours videos!!

excellent DAC that I bought on Aliexpress around 50€, to go between my foobar/FLAC Files and my old Pioneer SA-706 amp on Aux. : sounds great ! Really a no-brainer :)

Bought one of these back in February because I needed USB/Optical/Coaxial, didn't want it to be USB powered and also because I'm a sucker for actual switches. Have it mounted under my desk, computer (via monitor hub) in via USB and TV in via optical and then RCAs out to a SA-50 under my monitors with MB42Xs on either side. Honestly not sure I'd trade this set-up for anything on a desk, certainly not at this price range. Everything worked perfectly right away, it sounds great and I really like the tactile feel of the volume knob. Had a few connection issues with a 1/4 adapter at first, but it turns out it was the adapter itself not the DAC. Even after I switched the USB from direct to computer to the USB hub out of my monitors it worked flawlessly. The black SMSL SA-50 and black DAC-X6 look almost identical too in terms of font and volume knobs so if someone wanted to stack them like you showed, it would look like it belonged. I didn't want headphone cables going across my desk so I have the DAC mounted underneath my desk and the amp under my monitors. The cable management was a bit of a nightmare but love the results.

mines just arived today and the difference is mind blowing my headphones now sound amazing i have athm40s and phillips sph9500,i can believe this little black box makes so much difference

I'm looking to get some higher quality speakers and headphones. I went to go see your guide on reddit and it said it's deleted. What would you recommend for an entry level setup? Budget is flexible and I'm willing to spend a bit more for a lot more quality.

I ordered this off Massdrop about a month ago, and it came just yesterday. It was for sure worth the little amount of money I spent on it.

Hey Z, very good recommendation I got the FX audio and paired it up with my AKG 7XX and its awesome :) cheap and does the job I just have a question, whenever I'm not plugging in my AKG 7XX can I plug in an over the shelf $40speaker with built in amp and use the FX Audio DAC to act as a dac for the speakers..? with a 3.5mm jack converter to fit

Just got this dac/amp on your recommendation, it's a huge upgrade over my computers on board sound. I'm looking at maybe getting the HD 660s now, would I need something better to drive those?

awaiting stax review! :)

I purchased a Micca Origen+ a while ago and had issues with windows 10 drivers. I ended up returning it, but micca has since released the origen G2 which has a more compatible USB interface with windows 10. Would you recommend the X6 over the origen g2? I listen to headphones 100% of the time with my Fidelio X2's.

Those speakers look amazing

Coming from the Asus Xonar DG in a computer, which would be the better option (the X6 or the 793)?

Man you really need to review Topping D30 and A30, that combo with the topping shelf looks amazing!

I happen to have it. Usb while decent is not perfect - buggy on WASAPI, noisy and busy, Optical and coax however are pristine and superb. I have SPDIF from my pc sound card so I took advantage. Replacing power supply with cheap 12v 6a made a huge difference in sound quality over builtin headphone amp if u use this device as allinone solution. And I have it connected 3 way to speaker amp, powered subwoofer and headphone amp. Highly recommended!

Hi Z first let me say...LOVE your review.. :-) just a question to be sure, before gonna buy something i may not need. most of my music comes from my laptop, and after looking to upgrade a set of headphones i watched your reviews and got me a nice set of the M40X... :-) (shit pads :-( ) now...the laptops audio card is not ...the best you can say and im feeling its not doing justice for the headphones. so i was thinking to re-use my old SANSUI AV RECEIVER and set the music from the laptop to the receiver and plug the headphones straight to it. for a set up like that, is there a need for the DAC-X6 ? or is it gonna be a waste of money if i use the receiver? thanks for the help/ Eli

Sick vid mate!

Can confirm that cheap and decent is the perfect title. Just bought these as my first ever amp / dac to power my 58X's and wow it's like i've never heard the headphone properly before. Blown away by every song... even tv shows have that perfect balance and bass. Just astounded. Thanks Zeos, you're the man, recommended me the perfect headphones and now the perfect amp / dac. :D Edit: Adds more soundstage, clarity everything... mind = blown

Fx audio is great. I have their Tube preamp and its amazing. You can control the bass and tremble. I pair it with a modi2 magni 2 and a t50rpmk3

If one was going to get a dac for either a darkvoice or a littledot mark 2. Would this me the "best" dac for the budget? Is this the one? Or should i consider the SMSL M3 as well? EDIT* and yes primarily will be using the two amps mentioned as the main amp, will be bypassing the amp on the X6.

I'm curios which DAC would suit me best: S.M.S.L M3 or FX Audio DAC-X6 Outputs: Speakers: Edifier Luna HD (built in amp and volume control) Headphones: Sony MDR7506 I need to be able to control the volume via the DAC and not the Lunas (after setting the volume to the desired max on the Lunas) as the Lunas have a horrible touch control for the volume. Edit: I think from your video on the S.M.S.L. M3 it's a passive line out so won't be option. Would FX Audio be the answer? Ideally I want mount it under my desk. If there are any other DACs you can recommend, it would be greatly appreciated.

I couldn't find a better to comment on or the original video that I had commmented on. I purchased the Philips Fidelio X2/27 per your recommedation and they have been nothing but amazing for gaming and audio. However I am not content with the onboard audio of my mother board with these (Asus Crossshair VI Hero: I purchase nothing but high end motherboards). I am looking to upgrade to an external dac/amp. What is your suggestion at current time for these?

So... I have the Ships (SHP9500) and the Status Audio CB1.. I really wanted to improve the quality of what I'm hearing. I get this will power them (whatever that means), but you're talking about needing some other stuff.. I'm confused. If I get JUST THIS, will I be set? I was also thinking about the SMSL M3, cause I wanted something that's just kinda plug and play, plus the other one is smaller and I'm guessing needs less wires and I like that.. (though Idk how that affects the sounds - the usb only connection) My motherboard has this thing that it likes to show off on the product page, that is a "USB DAC-UP 2" which apparently gives low noise power and doesn't drop the voltage. It's a yellow usb port, very fancy. I'm guessing a simple dac/amp thingy that plugs through there would sound better than nothing right? Now I just need to know what to get. I didn't want something over 100€ so here we are.....

Would this be good for the fidelio x2? Or should I get something else? I mostly game if that helps

DAC-X6 or Audioengine D1, which one is better choice if we compare only audio quality?

I read here (www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/5rk667/fxaudio_dac_x6_gain_jumpers/) if you are struggling to power t50rp with the X6 inside there are gain jumpers you can move to switch to high gain.

Hi,this can be use to make the headphone out from a mixer louder for monitoring purpose?

Hello Z! I have a question can i use this device to connect my Creative Gigawork T40s that i have for my computer and also connect the PS4 so when i play dem games i can have the speakers play the sound of PS4? (also will DAC-X6 improve the sound of the speakers in a huge way?)

hey zeos! have you tried op-amp rolling? This DAC x6 allows you to change the op amp. I recommend to change it to Muse Op amp. I wanna hear your thoughts about that

Hey Z thanks for your videos! Excellent as always! I have a question for you... Back about 1 yr ago, based on your recommendation, I bought the 793 / SA50 combo for my PC and it has been working great w/ the Micca 42x speakers! I recently upgraded my AV surround system in my living room w/ a Marantz 6011 and freed up my Yamaha V775. So I thought let me use the Yamaha instead of the 793 / SA50 combo for my PC. So I now have the digital audio cable going directly to the Yamaha and of course my speakers & sub are connected to it as well. Everything sounds pretty good. What I would like to know is which is better: Running the digital audio cable to the Yamaha directly from my PC or running it to the 793 and then connecting the 793 to the Yamaha? Which DAC is better I guess is what I'm asking?

Hi! Does X6 better than my Asus Xonar U3 for my headphones Klipsch R6 On-Ear Black?

it might be worth to compare different power supplies for this amp. I.e. to try this amp with stronger regular power supply of 2,5A and also to try it with linear power supply of similar capacity. I have found in some on-line fora that 2,5A power supply fixes the issue with low end.

I thought about getting D802, but it just did not have the features I wanted and I found a good deal on the Q5 pro. Love my Q5 pro! It works great for my small 2 channel system on the living room TV.

Hey Z, will you be at the headphone festival in Tokyo this weekend?

If you have a newer computer with a Realtek DAC it's worth trying first. When I my old computer with an expensive Creative sound card died I assumed the replacement would need a DAC so bought this one, the Signstek mini usb DAC, and the Creative SoundBaster Play 3. Then I read an article that the new motherboard DACs are very good so did my own comparison after trying these three. I think the onboard DAC is the best. It's an ALC 1220 but also using the free Equalizer APO software (which is also helpful for the first two). Creative has it's own software. Give your motherboard's DAC a try first with this free software. There are other free software packages out there too, but his one has a Pre-Amp which is nice. It's powerful software.

you can change gain by changing the gain jumpers on the pcb. may be that'll help with hard to drive headphones

Nice keyboard!

Z Reviews: I forgot to mention i have the m560s, but from what i heard they dont take much juice either. Thanks!

Love your reviews, honest and no sponsored bullshit... Can you please help me out ? I got this DAC, but when i plug it in the USB windows recognises it OK... in sound devices i see sound playin on it (the green bar moving up and down). But i get no sound on my DT 770. My FiiO works normaly on this computer. Is there a catch setting this up, or did i get a faulty unit.

Z i just got this in the mail today. thank you so much because this is fucking amazing with my k550's

Hey all I need to choose from something max $150-200. What would you choose: -monoprice dac amp -fulla 2 -FX audio X6 -audiotrak prodigy cube black -fiio e10k -ifi nano LE -schiit modi 2 uber -smsl sanskrit/m6 -smsl m3 -dragonfly black 1.5 -HiFime Sabre 9018 USB DAC It has to be a DAC as I will be mostly feeding my powered monitors (eve audio SC207). I am also using headphones (M50x, mdr-xb700 and maybe V-moda m100/lp2 in the future) from time to time so an headphone amp is beneficial but not essential. Signal is from late 2013 rMBP which I believe has Cirrus 4208-CRZ and it doesn't sound that good (borrowed 5 year dell vostro 3550 recently and it sounds quite a bit better then my macbookpro which is odd). What I like in terms of sound? Powerful sound, very deep and warm bass (but not muddy + I am not a 'basshead' - I just love when I can 'feel' the music go thru me), nice mids and detailed highs (but not fatiguing after 1 hour of listening) - generally I don't like bright sound, not a fun of neutral either (although better then bright) - I like dark sound. I listen to Deep House and other electronic music mostly so that's why bass is so important. The decoded sound must have soul, be very musical and captivating (I don't like dry/analytic sound which gives you headaches after 1 hour) This set up is used for casual music listening from flacs/mp3 from said rMBP + a lot of youtube/safari/soundcloud. Please advise. I was also thinking of X1S heavily as its reviews are amazing but it is $350 and I don't want to spend that much really - unless it is really worth it and borrowing money for it from family would make sense as it will blow all models I mentioned above out of the water??? Generally, with this purchase, when done and I plug the new DAC/DAC combo to my rMBP I expect to hear very considerable sound quality increase compared to listening on board DAC in my rMBP - the Cirrus shite :) ). Many many thanks ps. I understand that at this price level (up to $200) I won't find XLRs out but it would be useful as the powered monitors I use (SC207) have XLR in and.......balanced cable is always better then unbalanced right? ps2. I don't use DSD/DXD. Maximum quality I go up to is FLAC/wav at 192khz and it doesn't happen that often so......I would even be happy with 96khz I suppose.

When u say I can think of an onboard card that will beat this, do you mean just the headphone amp or the DAC? I mean is this also superior converting just the signal?

stuck choosing between this and the Fiilo E10K for use on the PC for games / movies / music - im thinking perhaps this is the better option as I stream and my USB is already pretty overloaded.. that a decent reason to go with this? (with DT990 Pro Studio 250ohms btw)

Hey Z, you should do a review of the Rolls DA134. Id love to hear your take on it.

So between these and a fiio e10k, for a starter pair, which would you suggest? if it's relevant, my current cans are the shp-9500, cb-1, and takstar pro80's. also, how would the sabre DAC compare to this?

So its 2020. Is this still the best option in that budget range? I am looking for something to boost the volume of my Sennheiser HD559 and get rid of the terrible noice from the onboard audio... Also FX Audio DAC-X6 MKII is out with a new chip - AK4499EQ. Would this be better?

Question. What headphone DAC/Amp or combination do you recommend for use with a Phillips X2 ? (Getting back into a hifi from my old marantz 4415 receiver, Koss Pro 4AA, ADC Equalizer system days all of which still works perfectly, lol.)

Hi, nice review! Please I need your help. Everybody is talking about this device as an amp for headphones, but does the X6 work as an amp for speakers as well? I'd like to play games on PS4 and PC and sometimes listen to music without using headphones. However, I don't look for too much power as I live in a flat. Normal volumen is ok for me. Thanks, much appreciated it!

Hi thinking of getting a preloved one like this for around $30 and gonna pair it with a HE400SE. Would it be a good choice to power it to play competitively for fps games? Meaning, can I power it up to higher than desired levels?

Hehe, you have focal elear on your desk. Can't wait to see a review for those. MDR-Z1R and Mrspeakers Aeon are another reviews I am waiting for...

Hey Z! Can you stack X6 as DAC with Fiio K5 as amp? Would it be a good combo?

Is the low base response the DAC's fault or the amp? Cause I'm thinking of getting this and then maybe getting an upgraded amp later.

Question, I have the dac-x6, can I use this pass through trip with a separate headphone amp, to help push 650s? I'm about to buy 650s, and as you said, this dac/amp starts to struggle with 300ohm headphones. Or is there a better option?

Noob question, probably a stupid one.... I do own a superlux hd668b headphones, do you think it's not a waste buying the fx audio x6? or should i go with the x3??? And also, would i be able to connect this Dac to an audio interface? Specifically a Behringer Xenyx 302usb :) thanks!

Do you need one of these things if you want high quality sound for gaming if you aren’t getting a run of the mill gaming headset? I’m looking at the audio technica ATH M40x, but will that plug into my motherboard just fine or will I need an amp for the best quality?

ive bought this dac after seeing this review ages ago. ive happily used it for ages with my hd58x. however, ive recently upgraded my phone, and had to get a dongle dac. so imagine my surprise when my 5$ off-brand dongle dac i got at the phone repair place actually sounded better than my 50$ zeos-reccomended desktop dac-amp combo

Your FULL DAC/AMP RECOMENDATIONS LIST isn't up at Reddit anymore Zeos!

Would you recommend that I use FX Audio DAC-X6 with my computer (over optical input) and output sound from it into my old Sony TA-FE520R passive speaker amp? Thanks!

Wondering if you could buy 2 of these and link them together for headphones and speakers? Thanks in advanced

hello, what i want for my pc is a better sound, i only use speakers, is this the right choice, i mean, is this a sound card to improve the overall sound, or an amp for the mic??

LMAO THAT BACKGROUND, I LIKE YOUR STYLE

Hey Z, are you gonna review the fx-audio X7? comparing with smsl m6,hard to make choice!

Mine sounded like it was clipping when music/TV got loud with a lot of low end. Drums did it in particular. Reducing the volume a lot in foobar and cranking up the X6 clears it up and it sounds great, but this workaround doesn't work with the digital out from my TV since the level can't be adjusted at the TV. The line out into my receiver sounded fine though. I returned it. Bummed, I want the try the SMSL M3 but quite a few Amazon reviews mention it died on them after a while. Maybe a SMSL 793? I can deal with only the optical and coax. I only need two sources anyway. Edit: So when I had the line outs connected to my receiver, the headphone out sounded like shit with the clipping I mentioned above. Without the line outs connected it was fine. I tried connecting the line outs to two different receivers and had the same issue, but not when connected to a set of powered PC speakers.

Thanks for the review. I finally bought the amp but I don't get anything out of the output. I don't even hear crackling when plugging my headphones in. My pc is spitting out sound via SPDIF and the led indicator on the amp is lighting up, so theres a signal coming in. No output whatsoever. Does anybody else ever had a problem like that?

Hey Z, I'm curious, how well do Deeezzzzz drive the MK 3s?

Hey Z, what do you think about the "Behringer ultramatch pro src2496" as a rack mounted DAC. Do you think it's any good?

The girl in the background's name is Hotaru Shidare just in case anyone needed it for research purposes.

Bought the X6 before Z reviewed it, called it. ;)

How is the low-end compared to the SMSL SD793-II? Great review by the way!

I use Beyerdynamic DT 770Pro 80 Ohm. Does this DAC/Amp require an additional amp?

Hi, I wonder if you can help me. Based on your recommendation, I bought the FX Audio DAC-X6. Now I want to connect it to the Kopmlete Audio 6 audio card. Is it possible to connect the headphone port of the Kopmlete Audio 6 to the headphones amp? And if so what cable? Thanks.

If I hook this up to my TV via optical cable, can I still change volume with the TV remote or only with the X6's knob ? If I can't, then what else can do that ? MX3 ?

so you could use this with for example earplugs and passive speakers to amp right...? (just by switching cables...?)

I just saw that it's only at 50$ in aliexpress very good review thanks for it !

Will this drive DT 990 Pro 250 ohm properly or do I need something better?

Gotta ask at 1:45 you said the power switch doesn't kill the DAC, that means that the Line Out is still functioning with the amp off (mains still powered on of course)?

Nuforce udac 3, monoprice 111567 or this? I used ath mx 40,grado sr60e, Phillips 9500 and senheiser momentum on ear first generation.

Can you help me? i have a HE-500 + O2 and i need a cheap external DAC, you think this amp will do the job? Thanks man, i appreciate the review.

Im after a combo. I just cannot understand how it will sound because I have never heard with a dac/amp before. Now I got a present - DT770 250ohm. Sound aweful plugged to my phone. Im trying to understand how it will sound with FX, or should I get the SMSL? Or the ifi zen? What will I miss buying the the FX over the zen (that costs more than twice) ? Will it be that noticable? I cant understand. Any input will be welcome. Thanks

I was wondering if i get this one will it help solve my problem. The thing is I want to connect my TV to my DVD Amplifier via Optical cable. The problem is that even if I turn amplifier to the max volume, its still very low. I was thinking to buying this, and connect TV ddigital output into Dac, then from dac RCA out to RCa DVD Speakers amp RCA in. Would it make a difference?

Is it a bad ideea to use it with a 50 ohm headphone? Knowing that this X6 has 10 ohm output impedance. My headphones are hd 559, if that matters.

While I am very interested in the X6, I have to ask about the X3 because it seems like it has everything I would need, at a considerably lower price (and import taxes are quite heavy here). Would it be a reasonable alternative, does anyone have any experience with it?

What do you think about the ESS Sabre DACs built into MSI gaming laptops?

Z thank you for the videos, what is your opinion of the ELAC EA101EQ-G?

I want a dac that supplies a balanced bottom end for my nht classic 4's powered by two niles audio 2125 amps bridged per speaker. Which would you choose fx audio dac-x6, origen plus or the 793?

Z Reviews: For my first amp should i go for the smsl sap 6 or the schiit magni uber. Didnt you say you had a issue with the sap 6? I aint got much and im cheap, what do you think? I have a pyle pro pha 40 and a fiio e6 i got with my m 40Xs but i would barely call those amps. Supposedly alot of people have had issues with the smsl sap 6.

Does this work well with beyerdynamic dt 990 pro 250 ohm headphones? Till how much ohms do they support?

Gonna get this, and the AT MSR7 Headphones.

I bought this amp and it came today. Monoprice retros are on the way. I also bought a pair of M50X's cause I like them. Too excited. The amp itself is damn good, I hooked up my HyperX's, which are made by beterdynamic,and those sound really good. I wouldn't have bought the amp if it were not for this video. Very happy with my purchase.

is this good enough for philips x2 to use with ps4pro? or do i need an extra amp also?

is FX Audio DAC-X6 an amp because i have seen some reviews that it is not an amp and whats the difference between FX Audio DAC-X6 vs Mayflower Electronics Objective 2 Headphone Amp, DAC im getting the massdrop sennheiser 6xx which one would you recommend as i just want to listen to music and for games and movies too