Great reviews. Can t agree more, there is more to dig in amp and speakers than DAC nowaydays.. Smiling to see all that poetry around dac analyse we can see here and here 😊
Quite agree with what you hear in regards to these two chips. Exactly what I hear too, the early ESS chips were a little more obvious than today imo. I think AKM may have always been slightly more smooth overall.
@@TheHonestAudiophile My D320s have moved to my bedroom with a WiiM Pro, SMSL SU-1 DAC, and Fosi TB10D amp. They sound amazing in there. Really enjoying your videos and thank you for the responses.
I think the bigger question is, not whether similar implementations of different DAC chips make a difference, but whether higher budget DACs are able to outperform lower budget DACs, and by how much PRACTICALLY speaking. I would really like to see a comparison between a budget leader like the SU-1 vs a J3 Pro, a Dayzee, and a high tier “end game” DAC in the +$3K space, but from the perspective of who should be considering them and what level of supporting equipment and in what environment they need to be listened to before being worthwhile upgrades. I’m just starting to take my audio seriously, but I will never be in a position to evaluate and compare expensive gear in a way that would constructively inform my purchasing decisions.
That's a good point. I will put that suggestion down on the schedule. I don't have a lot of options in uber pricey but I do have two that cost around 1.5k that can be compared.
Good review! Did you test it with headphones or with speakers? With speakers you are not hearing the difference when enjoying music only when you sit focused and still in front of your speakers which normal people not do all day
As mentioned in the video, I connected it with speaker and headphone amplifiers. As when testing with speakers, I moved around and wasn't always sitting directly in front of my speakers when testing. I would crank the volume and do things around the room or out of the room or sit at different angles. But most of my listening was in front of my desk. As mentioned the video, the differences were heard but very subtle and could be hard to differentiate.
I do like the form factor, that logo needs to get sanded off though, give er that heir of really hi-end ambiguity is what I'd do. But alas.... lack of DoP on the coax input kills the whole deal, sorry. Bottom line, DoP on ALL the inputs should be the baseline standard for anything new.
@@TheHonestAudiophilethat's what i thought and that's exactly what i told him. He said they cannot be mixed. He said there are two different rca outputs for each dac and that the mode just shows that both dac chips are active on different components!!!!!!
From the Douk website: There are 3 working modes with 2 different sound effects, supporting simultaneous output of AK4493 or ESS9038Q2M to groups 1 and 2, or AK4493 output to group 1 and ESS9038Q2M output to group 2. doukaudio.com/products/douk-audio-dac-q11-hifi-ess9038-akm4493-usb-dac-audio-adapter-coax-opt-d-a-converter-dsd256 Essentially with 1 & 2 both working at the same time it is like they are a hybrid. That setting sounds so much different than the other two individual. Maybe I was confused but I thought that it was outputting to both. I can't test and clarify currently my Q11 is with another reviewer.
@@TheHonestAudiophile there is also a third reviewer who also has made a sound test comparison of all three modes. I listened very carefully and i also thought that the mode with the two dac chips together sounded different. I absolutely agree with your evaluation of the two different chips. It's exactly what i heard on that sound test. On that test, the mode with the two dacs working together sounded like a combination of the two as you pointed out .
@@Jil8840 Interesting. Thanks for the information. Seems like Douk has some clarifying to do. They didn't reach out to me and ask me to change my statement so I assume it is accurate.I wonder if there is a bit of bleeding over between the two RCA outputs, thus allowing influence from both DAC chips 🤔
I have Topping DX3 Pro+ and a Topping DX9 It’s a night and day difference Dx3 has strong subbass and strong treble. If go to DX9 you can hear more frequencies in between. That is probably being masked in dx3 DX3 compared sounds compressed The DX9 has a huge soundstage Really happy with DX9
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thank you! You been using SMSL. If I remember correctly. SMSL has so much variety. It’s great. I never have the chance to use. But I’m very curious too. This Douk Q11 is insane. It’s so cool! Great review!
It is necessary to understand that Douk Audio has only mobile DAC chips on board, so this DAC cannot be compared with a more expensive segment. It will never play at the level of the same ESS 9038PRO, for example. Therefore, there is nothing special in this DAC. I even like the sound quality of the iFi Zen DAC V2 a little more when directly compared to Douk. This is expressed in a slightly more open and transparent sound.
Yes, there are differences in DAC chips. I have several different DAC on my desk and compared them all. This little Douk holds its own in comparison to the higher end products I have. I'm not saying that this little Douk is a giant killer but it's more than capable. Thanks for the comment.
Pretty reasonable price for two DACs in one device. DAC only of either one of these DAC chips will be anywhere between $70-100 so two for $170 is pretty decent value in my opinion.
Great reviews. Can t agree more, there is more to dig in amp and speakers than DAC nowaydays..
Smiling to see all that poetry around dac analyse we can see here and here 😊
Quite agree with what you hear in regards to these two chips. Exactly what I hear too, the early ESS chips were a little more obvious than today imo. I think AKM may have always been slightly more smooth overall.
Great review as always. Appreciate the HONESTY Dave 👍
My pleasure, you're welcome
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.
My pleasure, you're welcome
Quite happy with my WiiM Pro Plus plugged into my SMSL AO-300 but I think this is a great idea for dac.
Haven't had opportunity to hear wiiM Pro+.
@@TheHonestAudiophile I think the AKM sound of the WiiM compliments the Cirrus logic/Infineon amp nicely. It’s an all day sound signature.
That's good. Thanks for the impressions
Quick tip .... to make the remote work from behind put a small mirror beside your camera and reflect the remote off the mirror to the device.
That's a great idea, thanks. I'll try it next time.
@@TheHonestAudiophile
You're welcome.
Oh no! Where did the Wharfedales go???? This DAC is very interesting and looks cool. Fun review. Thank you!!!!
Wharfedales are in storage. They come out occasionally for testing.
@@TheHonestAudiophile My D320s have moved to my bedroom with a WiiM Pro, SMSL SU-1 DAC, and Fosi TB10D amp. They sound amazing in there. Really enjoying your videos and thank you for the responses.
@ramondelgado6778 awesome 😎 you're welcome, glad you enjoy the channel content
AKM gang!
I think the bigger question is, not whether similar implementations of different DAC chips make a difference, but whether higher budget DACs are able to outperform lower budget DACs, and by how much PRACTICALLY speaking.
I would really like to see a comparison between a budget leader like the SU-1 vs a J3 Pro, a Dayzee, and a high tier “end game” DAC in the +$3K space, but from the perspective of who should be considering them and what level of supporting equipment and in what environment they need to be listened to before being worthwhile upgrades.
I’m just starting to take my audio seriously, but I will never be in a position to evaluate and compare expensive gear in a way that would constructively inform my purchasing decisions.
That's a good point. I will put that suggestion down on the schedule. I don't have a lot of options in uber pricey but I do have two that cost around 1.5k that can be compared.
@@TheHonestAudiophile awesome, looking forward to it!!!
Good review! Did you test it with headphones or with speakers? With speakers you are not hearing the difference when enjoying music only when you sit focused and still in front of your speakers which normal people not do all day
As mentioned in the video, I connected it with speaker and headphone amplifiers. As when testing with speakers, I moved around and wasn't always sitting directly in front of my speakers when testing. I would crank the volume and do things around the room or out of the room or sit at different angles. But most of my listening was in front of my desk.
As mentioned the video, the differences were heard but very subtle and could be hard to differentiate.
I do like the form factor, that logo needs to get sanded off though, give er that heir of really hi-end ambiguity is what I'd do.
But alas.... lack of DoP on the coax input kills the whole deal, sorry. Bottom line, DoP on ALL the inputs should be the baseline standard for anything new.
Ess akm 차이점에 대해 동의합니다
Ess는 힙팝같은 음악에 더 좋다고 생각합니다 akm은 현악이나 여성재즈곡에 더 좋은듯 합니다
두개가 하나로 줄어들지 구매할께요
There is an option to use both DAC chips at the same time.
There's another reviewer who says that you can't use the two dacs together!!!!!! The two chips cannot be mixed.
It has three DAC selections, AKM alone, ESS alone, AKM & ESS together.The AKM & ESS together is like a hybrid of both.
@@TheHonestAudiophilethat's what i thought and that's exactly what i told him. He said they cannot be mixed. He said there are two different rca outputs for each dac and that the mode just shows that both dac chips are active on different components!!!!!!
From the Douk website:
There are 3 working modes with 2 different sound effects, supporting simultaneous output of AK4493 or ESS9038Q2M to groups 1 and 2, or AK4493 output to group 1 and ESS9038Q2M output to group 2.
doukaudio.com/products/douk-audio-dac-q11-hifi-ess9038-akm4493-usb-dac-audio-adapter-coax-opt-d-a-converter-dsd256
Essentially with 1 & 2 both working at the same time it is like they are a hybrid. That setting sounds so much different than the other two individual. Maybe I was confused but I thought that it was outputting to both.
I can't test and clarify currently my Q11 is with another reviewer.
@@TheHonestAudiophile there is also a third reviewer who also has made a sound test comparison of all three modes. I listened very carefully and i also thought that the mode with the two dac chips together sounded different. I absolutely agree with your evaluation of the two different chips. It's exactly what i heard on that sound test. On that test, the mode with the two dacs working together sounded like a combination of the two as you pointed out .
@@Jil8840 Interesting. Thanks for the information. Seems like Douk has some clarifying to do. They didn't reach out to me and ask me to change my statement so I assume it is accurate.I wonder if there is a bit of bleeding over between the two RCA outputs, thus allowing influence from both DAC chips 🤔
same analog stage
I’ve got that same pair of headphones in the background…
Awesome 👍
@@TheHonestAudiophile for some reason it felt a good idea to share that information 🫤. Interesting looking Dac.
@@RocketLauncherwithInfiniteAmmo no specific one eh
@@phrocasso5906 😄 Røde
There's 8 pairs 😂
If someone was changing between modes and you were blindfolded do you think you could pick which was which 10 out of 10 times?
I'd probably be more around 7/10 depends on what gear and music. They're pretty close in a lot of ways.
@@TheHonestAudiophile
You're more honest than most. 😄
I have Topping DX3 Pro+ and a Topping DX9
It’s a night and day difference
Dx3 has strong subbass and strong treble.
If go to DX9 you can hear more frequencies in between. That is probably being masked in dx3
DX3 compared sounds compressed
The DX9 has a huge soundstage
Really happy with DX9
Sorry haven't heard DX3 or DX9
Thanks for the impressions
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thank you!
You been using SMSL. If I remember correctly. SMSL has so much variety. It’s great. I never have the chance to use. But I’m very curious too.
This Douk Q11 is insane. It’s so cool! Great review!
SHABBAT SHALOM! 🕎
HAPPY SABBATH! ✡️
@@TheVeganVicar Jesus Christ Terminated all kinds of shabbaths. Thank God for that.
@@artsimannisto5659
SHABBAT SHALOM! 🕎
HAPPY SABBATH! ✡️
@@TheVeganVicar Whaa eveer. Tar wars Jewbuccah.
@@artsimannisto5659, kindly repeat that in ENGLISH, Miss.☝️
Incidentally, are you VEGAN? 🌱
It is necessary to understand that Douk Audio has only mobile DAC chips on board, so this DAC cannot be compared with a more expensive segment. It will never play at the level of the same ESS 9038PRO, for example. Therefore, there is nothing special in this DAC. I even like the sound quality of the iFi Zen DAC V2 a little more when directly compared to Douk. This is expressed in a slightly more open and transparent sound.
Yes, there are differences in DAC chips. I have several different DAC on my desk and compared them all. This little Douk holds its own in comparison to the higher end products I have. I'm not saying that this little Douk is a giant killer but it's more than capable.
Thanks for the comment.
It uses both chips simultaneously or what 😮
On mode 1 yes both AKM and ESS chips are used. Mode 1 is only AKM and Mode 3 is only ESS.
$170 and no amp? I want some of whatever they're smoking!
Pretty reasonable price for two DACs in one device. DAC only of either one of these DAC chips will be anywhere between $70-100 so two for $170 is pretty decent value in my opinion.