Singxer SDA-6

[sonodynesrp205]

38 minutes ago, DomiJi said:

 

Roon ROCK: Intel NUC (i5, 16GB, Ssd) with fanless case and 19v linear power supply. 

nice. Thank you

 

regards,
Simon

[mevdinc]

11 hours ago, DomiJi said:

 

The SDA-6 doesn't have a volume control...

That's what I thought/feared. The lack of volume control is what puts me off about this otherwise wonderful DAC.
I don't like to have a separate preamp and don't like software volume either.

[SwissBear]

11 hours ago, mevdinc said:

That's what I thought/feared. The lack of volume control is what puts me off about this otherwise wonderful DAC.
I don't like to have a separate preamp and don't like software volume either.

 

You might want to check this DAC: 

 

Apart from a different chip (ESS9038 x2 instead of AK4499), it has a lot of similarities with the SDA-6: 

- NOS mode to make the best out of software upsampling (HQPlayer for instance)

- high precision clock with the capability to synthesise a 10 MHz external clock if desired

- full discrete analog output stage with volume control

- similar price range

[DomiJi]

1 hour ago, SwissBear said:

 

You might want to check this DAC: 

 

Apart from a different chip (ESS9038 x2 instead of AK4499), it has a lot of similarities with the SDA-6: 

- NOS mode to make the best out of software upsampling (HQPlayer for instance)

- high precision clock with the capability to synthesise a 10 MHz external clock if desired

- full discrete analog output stage with volume control

- similar price range

 

Sandu already reviewed it:

 

 

[SwissBear]

2 minutes ago, DomiJi said:

 

Sandu already reviewed it:

 

 

 

Yes, very good review indeed :)

[mevdinc]

3 hours ago, SwissBear said:

 

You might want to check this DAC: 

 

Apart from a different chip (ESS9038 x2 instead of AK4499), it has a lot of similarities with the SDA-6: 

- NOS mode to make the best out of software upsampling (HQPlayer for instance)

- high precision clock with the capability to synthesise a 10 MHz external clock if desired

- full discrete analog output stage with volume control

- similar price range

Thanks for sharing it. As it happens I am a fan of AK DAC chips.
I am also considering COS D10 which comes with a built-in pre and analog input too, the latter is useful for home cinema application.

[DomiJi]

On 4/17/2021 at 3:34 PM, mevdinc said:

Thanks for sharing it. As it happens I am a fan of AK DAC chips.
I am also considering COS D10 which comes with a built-in pre and analog input too, the latter is useful for home cinema application.

 

There is also a Gustard A22 with 2x AK4499 Chips :)

 

 

[sonodynesrp205]

On 4/15/2021 at 2:32 PM, DomiJi said:

Hello :)

 

i've recieved my SDA-6 Pro the last week and i'm still in the burn-in period. 

 

But what i can hear so far it is a phenomenal DAC and i like it much more than my "old" Gustard X16 DAC with U16 DDC.

 

At the moment i use the USB interface directly feed by my Intel NUC with Roon ROCK and a linear power supply. 

 

The SQ is exceptional. Very smooth but still detailed. The soundstage is fairly wide but not deep. 

 

I still experiment a bit if PCM upsampled to 384k or DSD512 sounds better on this device.

 

Best

Dominik

May I ask if the depth of the soundstage is already any better?

 

regards,
Simon

[DomiJi]

2 minutes ago, sonodynesrp205 said:

May I ask if the depth of the soundstage is already any better?

 

regards,
Simon

 

The SDA-6 is getting better and better with every day. It sounds very holographic and instrument separation is well defined. The depth is indeed better.

[sonodynesrp205]

2 minutes ago, DomiJi said:

 

The SDA-6 is getting better and better with every day. It sounds very holographic and instrument separation is well defined. The depth is indeed better.

Nice to hear that. This is with any input? Im interest in USB the most. Because of galvanic isolation.

 

regards,
Simon

[DomiJi]

I only use the USB input and sold my Gustard U16 DDC. 

 

I think there could not be a better compliment for the quality of the USB Implementation of the SDA 6 Pro... 

[sonodynesrp205]

2 minutes ago, DomiJi said:

I only use the USB input and sold my Gustard U16 DDC. 

 

I think there could not be a better compliment for the quality of the USB Implementation of the SDA 6 Pro... 

Thank you for this info. Im looking some good DAC for my 2ch speaker setup (Exposure 3010s2D integrated amp and Gallus Audio Portato speakers).

Now I have moded Topping D30 DAC 😬

 

regards,
Simon

[wolft]

Hello, since yesterday I also own a Singxer SDA-6 Plus Dac. I now have some questions:

- How can I recognize the Plus Version?

- which firmware is the newest?

- how is the nos mode with the HQPlayer  to configure?

- which modulators and filters are the best

- which modulators and filters with DSD512 are possible?

 

Best regards

 

Wolfgang

 

Mac Mini M1  + HQPlayer --> NAA --> USB --> Singxer SDA-6 Plus 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DomiJi]

4 minutes ago, wolft said:

- How can I recognize the Plus Version?

- which firmware is the newest?

- how is the nos mode with the HQPlayer  to configure?

- which modulators and filters with DSD512 are possible?

 

Open the case and search for the Mundorfs

 

There is only one firmware at the moment

 

Just choose the Nos filter and it is active

 

In DSD Mode the SDA 6 is always in NOS

[patatras]

Pro version :there is a "p" in the serial number. 

 

Pierre 

[Miska]

1 hour ago, DomiJi said:

In DSD Mode the SDA 6 is always in NOS

 

Does that mean it is always DSD Direct? Since in any case DSD is always NOS with any chip I'm aware of...

 

[SwissBear]

13 hours ago, wolft said:

Hello, since yesterday I also own a Singxer SDA-6 Plus Dac. I now have some questions:

- How can I recognize the Plus Version?

- which firmware is the newest?

- how is the nos mode with the HQPlayer  to configure?

- which modulators and filters are the best

- which modulators and filters with DSD512 are possible?

 

Best regards

 

Wolfgang

 

Mac Mini M1  + HQPlayer --> NAA --> USB --> Singxer SDA-6 Plus 

 

Hi Wolfgang,

 

Congrats on your acquisition :)

I personally have a preference for the AMSDM7 512+fs and DSD 512 when running this DAC. But I am also very happy with ASDM7EC and DSD 256.

[sonodynesrp205]

Hello,

 

anyone use this DAC in 2ch speaker system? In the past I have Nuprime DAC 9 with 4490.

I like the sound. But I dont know how this SDA-6 compare with similar DAC.

 

regards,

Simon

[Tavy]

@sonodynesrp205 Hi,

I am using it in a 2ch speaker system and sounds better compared with my Oppo 203 (AK4490) and better than D90 MQA DAC (the same AK4499 chipset).

If it will sound better in your system it is difficult to tell. You have to try it yourself. And the burn in period is quite long but gives very good results after that (I was disappointed when I have received the replacement for the first defective one as the sound was not at the same level but after 4 days of usage 24/7 the audio quality is now much better).

If you identified the DAC as the weakest link in your system than maybe it worth a try

 

[sonodynesrp205]

27 minutes ago, Tavy said:

@sonodynesrp205 Hi,

I am using it in a 2ch speaker system and sounds better compared with my Oppo 203 (AK4490) and better than D90 MQA DAC (the same AK4499 chipset).

If it will sound better in your system it is difficult to tell. You have to try it yourself. And the burn in period is quite long but gives very good results after that (I was disappointed when I have received the replacement for the first defective one as the sound was not at the same level but after 4 days of usage 24/7 the audio quality is now much better).

If you identified the DAC as the weakest link in your system than maybe it worth a try

 

Thank you for this info. Obviously I will really have to test it in my system. The problem is getting SDA-6 for the test with the possibility of a return.

Yes, my DAC now is modded Topping D30 :-/ and it is the weakest link in my system (Exposure 3010s2D and Gallus Audio Portato).

 

regards,
Simon

[Tavy]

@sonodynesrp205 You have at least two EU online shops where you have the standard 14 days return possibility. After few days of burn-in it should be clear if it worth keeping it or not.

[DomiJi]

Does anyone tested how the SDA-6 reacts to different power cords and fuses?

[sonodynesrp205]

14 hours ago, Tavy said:

@sonodynesrp205 You have at least two EU online shops where you have the standard 14 days return possibility. After few days of burn-in it should be clear if it worth keeping it or not.

Ok. I will check about this. Thank you.

 

regards,
Simon

[DomiJi]

What kind of upsampling did the SDA-6 owners here prefer? DSD vs PCM?

 

Normally i upsample everything in Roon to DSD but with the SDA-6 i find PCM 384 KHz really impressive. It could justified by the volume difference between PCM and DSD but PCM seems to sound a bit more clear and "airy"?

 

So which format do you prefer with the SDA-6? DSD or PCM? 😁

 

 

[semente]

On 1/29/2021 at 7:21 AM, SwissBear said:

Hi everyone,

 

We had an interesting discussion the other day with @Miska on the subject of 10 MHz clocks. I was trying to make the point that 10 MHz clocks had an interest in music reproduction which  Jussi refuted, explaining that the conversion of 10 MHz signal to frequencies usable by DAC oscillators (multiples of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz) added jitter and was therefore not useful.

 

At the end of the discussion, Jussi shared some measurements of his Holo Spring 2 DAC, which were in fact not comparable to the ones I had published, essentially because he was measuring multiples of 44.1 kHz to show how powerful his technology of HQPlayer was in reducing jitter, when increasing sampling frequency to PCM 1.4 MHz or DSD 256. Measurement published by Jussi and mine were not comparable because the upsampling drastically reduces jitter, at least on his DAC and also because we had no idea of the number of samples used to make the FFT in either measurements, which has a direct impact on the noise floor.

 

To come back to my point, and to the comparison of things which are comparable, here is a graph of the jitter measured at the output of an R2R DAC, in connection with an interface SU-2. 

 

Please note that you cannot compare the noise floor with Jussi's measurement as we do not know how many samples were used to produce this FFT. Also, the impulse is at 12 kHz as the sampling frequency is 48 kHz. Please also note that the x-axis has been very much enlarged.

 

In red, measurement of the jitter induced by the oscillators of the SU-2 (Accusilicon AS-318B).

In blue, measurement of the jitter when the SU-2 is connected to an external 10 MHz clock which is cold.

In green, measurement of the jitter when the SU-2 is connected to an external 10 MHz clock which is hot (after 12 hours of warming).

 

 

I am tempted to infer from this graph that Yes, definitely, 10 MHz clock can have a beneficial influence on the J-test measurements of jitter, made at a DAC. I am also tempted to infer that Singxer has a good knowledge on how to implement these technologies.

 

Hope this helps :-)

 

Reference: http://www.erji.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2216213&page=1#pid33553664

 

[EDIT] Measurements have been made by l7audiolab.com (https://hv6mkka65l5nbcgw64taospppe--www-l7audiolab-com.translate.goog/f/tmmt再出发/). The 10 MHz clock was Gustard C-18. 

What is your technical background? (considering that your opinion is up against Jussi’s , whose technical experience and expertise are known and proved)