👍👌Wow really amazing the way you describe this product I feel I have it in my home and I’m actually hearing the music for me that’s a gift you have your vocabulary speaking about sounds fantastic once again one of my favorites best reviewer good luck to you as always a big fan Steve Costello🙏🙏
Man you say the same thing to every other reviewer on TH-cam also. Talk about laying it on thick and heavy. Lol Just having fun man. 🤣🤣🤣 He is really good at this IMO also. And it's definitely not easy describing sound like that IME. I'm usually at a loss for words myself. ✌️
@@amb3cog Hey Scott there are some reviewer’s after a minute I have to change the channel you know what I mean this guy I could listen to him all day lol
@@stephencosta6814 I agree. I think we like all the same people too, for the most part anyway. I always see you commenting on here. I like this guy because he's so down to earth, matter of fact, and he's not all full of himself. A common TH-camr trait. Which is understandable really, considering what they do. But it's still refreshing to have someone who isn't like that on here.✌️
@@stephencosta6814 Oh cool. I’m fairly close to you. Newport RI area. Right in the southeast coast of RI/border of Massachusetts area. Beautiful spot, but not nearly as action packed as the city is.
Thanks for the review Srboljub, detailed and informative as always. My everyday DAC is a Topping E30, used in DAC mode, with no filters applied, and I like the sound of it. I used an EarMen Donald DAC earlier, but the E30 is way better than Donald in every sense. I loaned the Tradutto from a friend, just to try it, and must say I'm stunned by the sound difference I've heard on my mediocre Denon system with QA3020 speakers. I've tried it with a supplied power brick (don't have anything else) and here are the differences to my ears after 3 days of listening: a LOT more details, much darker background, vocals (especially female) are much more present and natural; I would say the bass tones are not as deep as on the E30, but I'd say they are way more tight. The biggest difference for me is when the music starts to be complex: E30 tends to lose a bit of detail in this situation, but Tradutto stays composed with equal ease as when the music is very simple - it doesn't mind if you're listening to a string trio or a symphonic orchestra in full swing - everything is equally discernible in both cases. What I noticed is that the Tradutto is "quieter" than the E30 - I need to crank my amp a bit higher to get the same sound level; this is not a complaint, just an observation. A complaint would be the tiny screen - it's almost unreadable from my listening position and so the usefulness of it is questionable, to say the least. Anyway, I'll try to A/B the E30 and the Tradutto, hooking both of them to USBs on my RPi. Hope this will work, so I could listen to the same tracks and switch between DACs in real time. Don't know if it will work actually... Sorry for the long post :)
Bought the Tradutto because of your review. It’s really really great… In the last view month i use a second dac from Meier Audio (Corda Daccord with wolfson chips). To me they both playing on par/the same level. The earman is playing on my main system, the meier on my headphone system atm…
@@clarice1001nights Tradutto has a surgical, punchy character to it. Slightly warm, slightly muscular, detailed and refined. But I'm still barely 30 hours into it.
@@sleeper1023 A fascinating way to describe what you are hearing. I sent my SMSL DO200 back today. So I have a week to come to a decision. In order to understand what you are enjoying may I restate for clarification? Tradutto is very refined (ok :)) and detailed. What is so much more refined than normal? Are the tones coming out of a pitch-black background? slightly is used two times. Muscular...is fascinating. Warm could be op-amps. Surgical...like meaning exacting, or what do you mean. This is so interesting. I can not wait to hear more.
@@clarice1001nights My use case may be a bit different though as I have them hooked up to my stereo system. I have one a few amps that are quite transparent and I could hear the nuances that the DAC introduced in the chain.
@@sleeper1023 I am a former opera singer and teacher. The details one can hear with the right type of DAC can help me to help musicians and to have fun too. I have not heard the Tradutto but your comments are extremely interesting and important to me.
Great review of a cool new dac. Glad you expressed/admitted your personal preference, which I think is an essential point of reference for viewers. Btw...I nearly died from laughing @9:10....and I too love "nice and clicky buttons"!!!
Your comparison of Tradutto vs Ares II can be said for the Schiit Bifrost 2. I found the Ares II offers blurred edges to the sound, which means it lacks sharpness and quickness that gives music and video the realism I seek. I sold my Ares II for that reason. Cheers to a great explanation of sound characteristics!
Hungarians love their Leonard Cohen :) My father was from Budapest and Leonard Cohen was pretty much the only non-classical music he listened to. Thanks for the great review. I'll be keeping my Ares II in my system although the Tradutto sounds like a great piece of kit for someone with modern punchy speakers who listens to a lot of electronic music.
Great review. I have been considering the Denafrips Ares II for a while, but kept humming and hawing because it was a) big, b) had no remote control, and c) I had worries about it eventually developing a fault. I didn't fancy the thought of having to return it to China or wherever in a couple of years at my own expense. So your review was very timely. I trust what you say, and for £699 in the UK (the Denafrips has gone up to £880), the Tradutto looks like a reasonable deal to me. I've ordered it from Richer Sounds and it should be here in a week or so. If it ever goes wrong, being a delta sigma DAC hopefully means it should be more easily repairable, and it comes as standard with a 2-year warranty. My current amp, the Audiolab 6000A, also has an inbuilt Sabre DAC (the earlier 9018) that is pretty well-tuned, and I can't wait to see what improvement the Tradutto will bring.
Well, amazingly It arrived yesterday and I rigged it up so I could compare it with the DAC in my 6000A. Never having heard the Denefrips, I can't comment, but I can say that the Tradutto sounds superior to the DAC in my 6000A - better and more tuneful bass, better separation, better imaging. In some indefinable way, it's just more musical. Analogising with a photograph, it's as if a photo has had a layer or two of obscuration removed. You appreciate colours, textures and details that have always been there, but somehow you tended to overlook them. With the Tradutto, you realise (without having to strain to listen) that those details enrich the musical experience. I don't want to criticise the 6000A's internal DAC - it's excellent for what it is. However, when listening to something like the Tradutto, you realise what you've been missing. Hopefully it will improve even further should it require a little break-in time.
Oh, Wow. I sat down for a listening session today and was amazed to find that the hi-fi faeries had apparently been at work overnight. Everything has opened up, the soundstage is better, the midrange and treble are much better -- I could hardly tear myself away to come and post this. It's absolutely amazing, never heard anything like it on my system before!
New subscription here, I'm a bit late to the party but I came across this video while searching for a simple to operate, quality DAC to use at my desktop where I will be listening primarily on headphones. I picked this DAC up for $399 USD and then followed that up by ordering their little streamer, the Staccato, for $249. I'll be connecting a desktop NUC, a Schiit Audio Lokius EQ, a Cayin Mini CDP and powering it with a Woo Audio WA6 tube amplifier. Perhaps not TOTL but should suit me pretty well.
Hi Srboljub. Did you test this DAC with RCA out? I have been watching lots of your videos. I am going crazy trying get the R2R sound but I am limited to RCA out and I hear R2R is not good through RCA. Is this my best RCA out choice at $1000 or less? Would also consider SU-9 Pro, SU-10, or just buying a R2R and take my chances with RCA out. Thank you so very much for your advice!!!!
The description you give of the sound could almost be applied to my Elac Carina bookshelf speakers also. I really think you would enjoy them. I was actually shocked at how good they are when I first heard them. And I have more expensive speakers too. But these are my favorite by a country mile. If you want my pair. You can have them. However, you'll have to peel them out of my cold dead hands! Because I plan on being buried with them. Okay maybe they're not quite that good. But pretty close to that good. Pretty darn close I tell ya. 🙂
Perhaps it just needs burn-in-time to open up more. Great review still. I am making notes of artists you mention - I really loved discovering Nenad Vasilic
Poslušao sam vaš savjet tradutto je spojen na cyrusu i to je neusporedivo sa S2 . Moje je mišljenj da ovaj dac jednostavno najbolje obavlja ono što bi dac trebao da radi.Strašno bogat zvuk, energičan i u svakom pogledu zadovoljavajuč.U biti Q acoustic sad pokazuju da mogu pratiti ovaj dac.Neznam zašto takve negativnosti u mediju oko ovog daca kad je jednostavno nadmašio konkurenciju i nije bezveze dobio nagradu ja sam svjedok.Pozdrav Marin
Great review as always. I have not heard this DAC, but I doubt it could replace my Topping D70S which was less expensive to buy than this. The connections are superior and I doubt it would match the Soundstage of this particular Topping, which for me outperforms it’s more expensive sibling , the D90 and every other DAC I have heard under 1000. I would love to try them in an AB test though, it sounds like it would be an interesting comparison.
In your opinion, is going from A30pro + D30pro stack to A30 Pro + Tradutto worth the upgrade? I'm using DT 1990 Pros btw. Fantastic details in your reviews by the way, really enjoying your channel.
I saw weights on top of your speaker, amp, and dac and find that very interesting. Will you be making video about that and how it effect the sound of your system? Another hot topic for sure lol but I do love to watch and learn about that. I’m into audiophile for a year and there are many things I used to not believe for truth be told when I enter this hobby I don’t even believe dac make a difference. But now after watching many reviews and of course countless personal testing, even I can tell the difference in my system when the usb cable is changed. I heard your and other people story how it took you and other audiophile years and decades until they find out about the truth in cable and other “snake oils” which simply isn’t true because they do make audible difference. And I don’t want to wait years to come to learn about these tweaks. I want to be open minded yet skeptical about these idea. It would be insightful if you could show me how those weight you put on your dac and amp improve the sound. Thanks. My current setup Hifiman sundara fiio q5s as dac and topping L50(your recommend) as amp the usb cable I used to replace the generic one is audioquest forest the system run off my laptop where both the laptop and topping is powered from ac power conditioner Clef powerbridge duo (a brand in Thailand). Actually a video on power conditioning would be cool as well!
Do yourself a big favor, and try stuff yourself, then make up your own mind about it. Always! Never believe what others say ever, unless they've already proven themselves to be trustworthy. But the only way to be sure about that is to actually try the gear they review out for yourself. So you'll know if what they say is true or not. So that's what it's always good to just try things yourself if at all possible. I will say though. That you should save your money for the gear first. Then worry about things like cables and tweaks for later. After you've found a combination that suits you. They're not going to make nearly as big of a difference as upgrading your gear will. Besides until you reach a certain level. They don't make much of a difference anyway. So it's really a waste of your resources IMHO. Also the weight is just their to dampen the gear a little bit. This can possibly help to reduce vibrations (from the music or other stuff like people walking in the floor, or maybe an AC unit, heater, etc.) as this can possibly affect your sound quality. You can use anything you want to try this yourself. Put a big bag of rice, or flour on your amp for instance. Just be sure whatever you use doesn't end up in the amp. Anything really dense, such as a piece of lead, or steel is good too. Good luck. ✌️
Great review 👍 I prefer XLR on my components..but I’ve got a question.. On the Bluetooth..does it decode the Bluetooth signal using the power of DAC’s powerful processing capabilities? Btw, I’m running the Drop Grace SDAC ( Balanced) ..and it’s pretty damn nice 😊
Great review. Using Bluesound Nodi built-in dac with Vintage Luxman L-100 with Thiel CS 2.3's. Will this Tradutto make a big difference? Twice as good would be acceptable! Let me know.
Thanks! Yes I did and it did sound better using Balanced connection, but it's not as easy to say how much of it is coming from the DAC itself and how much is from the preamp/amp combo that definitely sounds better too when balanced is used. It's that kind of situation where you just can't separate one component's influence from the other that's on the other side of that connection.
Where are u bro? no news for last 3 days, waiting for new DAC review, Can you please review Ibasso - DC05, its new portable DAC with two ESS Dac. they have mentioned that it has implementation of their Quad Dac+ technology ...... not sure how is the quad Dac implementation on dual physical DAC
If you connect Tradutto to a good streamer such as Pi2AES or Zen Stream, that will sound cleaner and better, but will cost significantly more than PecanPi.
My system is rotel amp RB1572 v2, rotel preamp RC1570 and wharfedale diamond 11.5 speakers. Usually play videos from youtube via TV (optical out). Do I need DAC, what improvement can I get with DAC? Any recommendation for DAC up to 1000 eur?
I have a rose technics rt5000 dac, but it making static noise when connected to my amplfier, it works fine with my other amps, issue is present with my main amp only and i really love this dac, do you think the earmen tradutto will be similar in performance or it is a downgrade?
It's difficult to say that. It seems like RT5000 and your amp are making some sort of ground loop maybe. If you can, try plugging your DAC or your amp into a different power socket. Another reason may be a bad ground connection on the RCA/XLR jack. Try using different amplifier input if it's avaliable or using different interconnect cable. Anyway, the fact that it works OK with other amps enforce the idea that the problem is not in the DAC itself but in their connection somehow. Also, RT5000 is a better sounding DAC than Tradutto, it would be pity to change it.
The R-2R resistor ladder network directly converts a parallel digital symbol/word into an analog voltage. Each digital input adds its own weighted contribution to the analog output. This network has some unique and interesting properties. - Scalable to any desired number of bits - Uses only two values of resistors which make for easy and accurate fabrication and integration - Output impedance is equal to R, regardless of the number of bits, simplifying filtering and further analog signal processing circuit design
@@iiWiReviews Let's hope you come across one. I'd love a comparison of it with the Ares, the Tradutto, the X18, the RME ADI2...well you get my drift, anything between 700 and 1k. Only a couple of reviews of the Draco.
Thanks! I believe I've heard 851n at friends system once, and the whole system sounded really nice. But I never tested it in my own test system so can't compare them directly.
Nice review, as always. I'm using the Zen Stream for Tidal Connect via Coax to the Hegel H95 (Revel M106 Performa 3 speakers). Very good natural sound. Do you think the Tradutto would improve things further, using the USB out from the Zen Stream? Thank you
Hi, nice rig there. I can say that Tradutto is a significant improvement over the H90's DAC but I've never heard the one inside the H95. Many are saying that its digital section is much improved over H90, so it's tough to give any advice here.
@@iiWiReviews Sure, I understand that. One possible advantage of the Tradutto would be using USB out from the Stream to the DAC, as Tidal Connect only works with USB if the DAC is bit-perfect, which is not the case with the H95. I could achieve this with the Zen Dac Signature V2, which is considerably cheaper than the Tradutto. However, your review made me think that the Tradutto may be on another level compared to the Zen Signature or the H95, in which case I could also envisage using it as an external DAC for my Rega Apollo via Coax. So many choices. It's hard to make a decision. Anyway, I truly appreciate your reviews that are informative and focused on the things we really care about when faced with alternative options.
Happy New Year! I didn't have a 12V LPS but I have used it with iFi iPower X which is a high quality and low noise switching power supply. There was a noticeable improvement with it.
You should compare it with Topping D70s since you recommended it strongly. I bought one, now I want to know how it compares with this Tradutto. They are almost the same price too is it not?
D70s is a great DAC, a little bit brighter and airer in upper registers. Tradutto on the other hand has more punch, slam, and midrange is fuller, more palpable. That's roughly that. I didn't feature D70s in the video because I had it very shortly for a review and returned it afterwards. Other DACs that were mentioned I compared directly to this one.
@@johnm3544 are they so much better than the DO200? It is going to be delivered here shortly. I have tried to find who sells the Earmen in DACH and have yet to find one. Did you test the D0200 vs either the Ares or the Earmen when you had them? If you let me know then I could return it after a test listen. Thanks
Haven't tried DO200, but I would give it an honest try first. SMSL makes really good sounding products and it's so easy to get sucked into that rabbit hole "just a bit better". What is the rest of the system?
@@clarice1001nights The SMSL DO200 has dual ES9068AS ESS chips, coupled with dual OPA1612 opamps for the output stage. I'd be very surprised if it sounds worse than the Tradutto or any other DAC that doesn't have a dual-mono implementation, usually dual-mono DAC's have superior imaging, soundstage, resolution etc compared to non dual-mono designs. Also, the SMSL has I believe ten different sound color settings, which I think is unique to SMSL. Another thing is that the DO200 uses SMSL's new 12v internal low-noise power supply, while the Tradutto uses a 12v external wall wart - which means there will be more noise in the signal coming from the external power supply compared to the SMSL.
@@johnm3544 The SMSL DO200 has dual ES9068AS ESS chips, coupled with dual OPA1612 opamps for the output stage. I'd be very surprised if it sounds worse than the Tradutto or any other DAC that doesn't have a dual-mono implementation, usually, dual-mono DAC's have superior imaging, soundstage, resolution, etc compared to non-dual-mono designs. Also, the SMSL has I believe ten different sound color settings, which I think is unique to SMSL. I read several reviews saying it is better than the D1SE. Like you point out R2R has a different signature. The sound samples I heard from it are very interesting. I can see why you decided to stay with the Aers r2R.
@@johnm3544 I understand from what you are saying is, if, I want to have a more enjoyable rendering of the timbres,you say the Bifrost2 DAC would be more satisfying because it gets on your nerves less. The two are in nearly the same price class, correct? ca 500€, where as the ares is nearly 750 as is the Earman. Between the Earman and the Ares, is there a clear favorite? and Why?
Thanks! That is actually Acoustic Invader preamp made here in Serbia. I'll make a video about this preamp and amp combo too. Those came in for a review but I bought them and sold my Hegel H90. 😅
Find a part where I compare it to Gustard X18 and you can basically just copy-paste it for Topping. SMSL M400 would be a competitor of the same price. That one is warm and smooth sounding, but I find Tradutto more natural sounding, and also punchier and livelier in general.
@@vlax12 So you say that from your memory Topping d70s is closer to R2R dacs qualities that you like than Tradutto is? I own Topping d70s in fact and I admire its full midrange and precise (but not blurry and not emphasized in any way) highs, wide soundstage. Also d70s has 5V on xlr output (vs 4V in Tradutto) and lower output impedance so technically d70s should be better, also due to less channel crosstalk with 2 AKM chips instead of 1 sabre.
@@marcinwasilewski5414 iiWi Reviews already compared those two so please watch review of D70s. I have heard Ares 2 but never comared it to D70s (witch I own).
Pozdrav predivno je slušati vaš opis zvuka pojedinog uređaja vidi se da radite iskreno vaš posao! Imam pro box s2 dali je velika razlika između ova dva uređaja? Molim vas savjet dali se isplati promjenit dac. Svira na mac mini ,Cyrus zvučnici qacoustis 3050i.Unapred zahvaljujem .Pozdrav Marin
Hvala Marine! S2 je super DAC, neutralan, dobro izbalansiran... Tradutto jeste bolji, mahom po pitanju energije i dinamike zvuka. Pitanje koje se uvek nameće je kako bi to kliknulo u vaš sistem... A pošto sam imao i Cyrus i QA... Mislim da bi trebalo lepo da se složi.
Another reviewer said the sound quality in the balanced output is much much better than the RCA. Is that true in the unit you are reviewing in this video?
It was better in my system too, but that also depends on the preamp/integrated amp you connect it to. For example, my Acoustic Invader preamp is fully balanced design that sounds better using balanced connection so it is difficult to say how much improvement in using balanced come from the DAC itself and how much from the preamp. But in general terms, if you can use balances connection then use it. It's more advanced, less prone to interference, and most of the times sounds better.
@@iiWiReviews thanks for taking a time to write such a detailed answer but seems like I am going to pair it to a tube amp, Feliks Audio Echo 2. That tube amp does not have any balanced input so I am going to have to rely on the RCA. I specifically planned this setup for ZMF Auteur. ZMF customer service recommended the Schiit Bifrost but I personally think it is too big and also doesn't look as good as the Tradutto. I also heard that some people received a defective product so perhaps the RCA output that reviewer received was defective. I guess I just have to ask Earmen staff to make sure to check my unit before shipping it out when the time comes for me to purchase it. Once again thank you for the great review and keep up the good work!
It's simply because I had to return D70s quickly after the review, if I had it with me or if I used it for a longer time and etched its sound better in my memory... I would compare them. This way I just didn't feel comfortable doing it. All other DACs from the video were readily available for a direct comparison.
@@iiWiReviews I was going to ask similar as to comparison. My guess is that the stage may be a bit larger and deeper from how you compared the others. I have the D70S and quite like it. There is enough resolution, detail, stage and dynamics for movies and music hooked up to a Keces E40. If the Topping craps out, I would definitely consider the EarMen Tradutto. Definitely would prefer a US/Euro design over PRC given the tensions today. Not really wanting to hook it up to my computer. BTW, if you get the opportunity to Keview a Keces E40 (Taiwan) I think you'd be impressed at its' price point and its' size as well. Definitely a Rega alternative and sounds very close to my Hegel.
@@iiWiReviews makes sense that not all products are available when reviewing new ones. However since i have the D70s personally i can share that its strongest points are sound stage,quickness and detail. If you combine a “warm” sounding amp with it, i think it will give you the best of both worlds.
@@alizadehweshky I find the D70s MQA to lean to the warm side a bit. It's certainly never fatiguing in my setup. Where as the Schiit Bifrost 2 can be a bit too much IMO. That really needs something to tame it a bit IMO. But it's definitely not a tube DAC sound. That's for sure. Either way, I rather like it a lot. ✌️
Looking for opinions on the denefripp Aries II with bluesound node 2i, there’s a Limetree network streamer II out with the built in dac, Which set up would be superior. Thanks
Limetree's built-in dac wouldn't be a match to a stand alone dac. I demoed limetree network, lumin d2 and innuos zenmini mk3. Only innuos's dac sounded not flat and not thin. Limetree was the thinnest, lumin still didn't have the body, innuos brought 3d soundstage with some body and got rid of the analytical sound limetree and lumin was producing.
If you haven't purchased any of the products that u mentioned. I would go for smsl vmv d1se with bluetooth and would sign up to Qobuz and add a dedicated streamer later on. There is a good review on smsl d1se on GoldenSound youtube channel. Check it out. Yet again what is your amp and speakers? Can it cash out what denafrips or smsl d1se would provide, is another question.
I own smsl vmv d1se and I am missing tangibility, body in my setup when I am listening to trash metal and electronic music. I think this dac can save me. I also think u should keep both, if you got the dough (denafrips and this tradutto) in that way you would be covering both sides of the spectrum. Acoustic, airy and mellow being on one side and dynamic, slamming and tangible instruments with body being on the other. Do u have any other recommendations in this tier that would provide this for me? ✌ Thank you!!!
I have the D1SE, and it has plenty of 'slam' in my setup - I use Sophie Tucker's 'Batshit' to test that sort of thing, and the bass on that track will literally blow out my woofers if I'm not careful with the volume level. If for some reason you're missing dynamics from your setup, you need to look at the downstream components of your system, since the D1SE has plenty of 'body'; it's not a good idea to use to use a DAC as tone control.
How would it pair with the HD 650/660s. I have the zen dac v2. The sound from the headphones was too warm and a bit…dull. I got the Tr-amp a month ago and I realised these two headphones can sound really dynamic and punchy…so much so that the bass boost on ifi zen feels muddled and bloated in comparison to the raw output of tramp’s line out. Its so much better than the zen that I just can’t listen to it without taking a break from the Tr-amp’s sonic signature for a day or two. I’m keeping the zen just because it has balanced out. The main question: How much better is this Tradutto than the Tramp, considering that both have the same DAC chip. I am using the Aune X7s amp. It’s not a warm amp as some people opine. I confirmed it by comparing the headphone out of Tramp, and I could not notice any tonality shifts, except the (very) subtle improvements that come while using a dedicated amp.
Thanks! TR-Amp is a really great bang for the buck. As with everything HiFi, going higher in price three times doesn't yield that much sonic improvement. If you asked me this same question for a more expensive system that has an amp and speakers in it (speakers benefit more clearly from an expanded soundstage in my experience). I would say that upgrade to Tradutto is well worth it, but I'm not sure if the difference with your head-fi system will be big enough to justify this kind of price hike, and I'm having a difficult time recommending such step to be perfectly honest.
@@iiWiReviews the amp I’m using is a class A unit from Aune. It sits around $250 usd And is called the X7s. I’ve stated that In the end of my previous comment. The amp is transparent enough to let me notice the difference between ifi zen and tramp. And I feel it can sound even better with better dac.
@@apoorvasharma7 I am pairing hd660s with zen dac v2 and if u haven't updated it yet, it becomes another beast afterwards. That dull sounding match up ( which I enjoyed) became more dynamic and sound opened up. Another add on recommendation would be a good usb cable. I have audioquest forest and coffee and demoed dh-labs mirage with hd660s and zen dac v2. Forest can't provide the openness that mirage and coffee can. And between mirage and coffee. You can go for coffee if u like laid back presantation and for mirage if you like forward and even more dynamic presantation. Again if you haven't updated zen dac v2 yet. It changes drastically after the update. Enjoi!✌
I have the zen dac v2 and experienced the same thing. Only difference is that I got a Geshelli Erish 2 for the amp. It took that flat, dull, warm sound from the zen and turned it into a 3d space with some depth. Feels alive now, but I am looking at this for a DAC upgrade because the taste of the amp upgrade made me hungry for more.
Maybe keep both and use one or the other according to the types of music you are listening to. I intend to do something similar (taking into account a lower price range) and buy a rca switch, using one or the other according to my tastes and what im playing at the moment or using it for. By the way, what would be your recomendation of a dac with a fuller and warmer sound under 300 dollars? Maybe this could be a good idea for future videos, your "best of" or "top 3" recomendation for dacs, dongles, amps, etc. in different price ranges. Keep up the good work! :D
For D300 go here and scroll down to the comparison section: iiwireviews.com/smsl-m500-mkii-looking-for-a-new-dac-look-no-more For M400 just look time tags in the description under this video, there is a time tag leading to "vs M400". Or better yet, just watch the whole thing. 😊
Not sure what we're talking about here but if something sounded like that, it's purely coincidental. Edit: OMG, I've just realised that Sandu has those kind of awards. 😂 It was really not pointed at him, just my general kind of goofing around. All the best to Sandu and SoundNews! 👍
Sound quality is no doubt a Stand out factor, yet Tradutto has lost on the Balanced Output front (4,4 pentacon instead of XLRs) and the Power input front. Two, Compactness is a desirable quality in cheaper, lower quality products, not @$750. First and foremost drawback of compactness is in poor Visual appeal of the product. Most Earmen Products despite their Technical quality, are weird. Missing the Wood for The Trees. CHORD can getaway with it, not all.
Agreed. Also I wonder how well does it perform against another sub $1000 delta sigma champ deemed by many: VMV D1se. Even Golden Sound seems to be smitten by it and says it is one of his favorite dacs in 2021 along with denafrips ares II (below 1000 of course.)
Music is not about objectivity, it is about preference and taste. So Subjectively the Ares II is better. I think the Venus II is even better with a lighter touch, judging from this video th-cam.com/video/mcu9pWEWOjk/w-d-xo.html I would even prefer it to the Terminator. I'd like to see a shoot out with the Pontes which is not in the video.
Is the Tradutto a n R-2R design or a reworked Sabre DAC? 2ndly, do you have any way to record the Tradutto because it is impossible to find a sound test?
It's a Sabre DAC. About recording it, I might try but those differences are really hard to spot trough the recording that we are listening trough the whole other set of audio gear. For example, there is a noticeable difference between Chord Qutest and Denafrips Ares II in real life, but it's barely noticeable in video (I made that one).
@John Guess what. Even though this DAC does not allow you to change the results, which seems a bit of a knock-off, but I am sending the SMSL Do200 back and will buy the Tradutto. I realize it is based on the low-power version of the same chip that is in the SMSL D1Se. but I heard examples from it out of South East Asia, and it is a different animal. My only thinking...go with the Ares or the Tradutto. Sound quality is everything for me. Focus, s3 dimensionality. Which has a better sense of timbre. Instruments have a very specific quality of sound that is unique. Captures Tradutto that better or Ares II? By the way, your insight and the way you have taken such care to make your points is remarkable John. Bravo
@@iiWiReviews I found a critic in SE Asia in Thai or some other language and he had 2 cuts with a Woo Tube Amp connected to the Earman and that was impressive. So I will take this chance. If you revisit this piece in a few weeks I will write a review here. Thanks
Didn't try and can't imagine it being a problem. This DAC doesn't have volume control so remote would be used only to turn it on and off, and to switch inputs. You probably wouldn't need to recharge more often than once every few weeks (or even months if you don't cycle inputs often). At that rate, an average rechargeable battery with ~300 cycles can last for a really long time. I'm thinking decades.
@@iiWiReviews Do you have 1 item in your home, with a built in battery, that lasted longer than 5 years? Be honest... :-) I have some items with built in batteries and NONE got very far. I think my bose sound link Mini was the longest in the row with 3 to 4 years of battery life. If something has an inbuilt battery i don´t buy it any more because i know that sooner or later (probabely sooner) there will be issues. In this case, if you are not able to open up the housing and put new batteries in you can put your 799$ into the trash. But anyone has to take own decisions!
@@iiWiReviews Yes, i agree on the kindle. Lets see how the kindle behaves on really long term :-) We both now how that will end... Thats why there aint no kintle libraryes instead of "old fashioned" paper books. With new technology that might change but i don´t see a battery technilogy coming. Atleast not in the mainstream.
Thank you for another great review. Earman is a new brand to me but after watching this I will be considering them for my next dac! 👍👍👍
I always enjoy hearing your description of sounds that is why I always watch your videos. Gives me a great idea of your impressions
👍👌Wow really amazing the way you describe this product I feel I have it in my home and I’m actually hearing the music for me that’s a gift you have your vocabulary speaking about sounds fantastic once again one of my favorites best reviewer good luck to you as always a big fan Steve Costello🙏🙏
Man you say the same thing to every other reviewer on TH-cam also. Talk about laying it on thick and heavy. Lol
Just having fun man. 🤣🤣🤣
He is really good at this IMO also. And it's definitely not easy describing sound like that IME. I'm usually at a loss for words myself. ✌️
@@amb3cog Hey Scott there are some reviewer’s after a minute I have to change the channel you know what I mean this guy I could listen to him all day lol
@@stephencosta6814 I agree. I think we like all the same people too, for the most part anyway. I always see you commenting on here. I like this guy because he's so down to earth, matter of fact, and he's not all full of himself. A common TH-camr trait. Which is understandable really, considering what they do. But it's still refreshing to have someone who isn't like that on here.✌️
@@amb3cog I totally agree where do you live Scott’s I’m in New York City
@@stephencosta6814 Oh cool. I’m fairly close to you. Newport RI area. Right in the southeast coast of RI/border of Massachusetts area. Beautiful spot, but not nearly as action packed as the city is.
Thanks for the review Srboljub, detailed and informative as always.
My everyday DAC is a Topping E30, used in DAC mode, with no filters applied, and I like the sound of it. I used an EarMen Donald DAC earlier, but the E30 is way better than Donald in every sense.
I loaned the Tradutto from a friend, just to try it, and must say I'm stunned by the sound difference I've heard on my mediocre Denon system with QA3020 speakers. I've tried it with a supplied power brick (don't have anything else) and here are the differences to my ears after 3 days of listening:
a LOT more details, much darker background, vocals (especially female) are much more present and natural; I would say the bass tones are not as deep as on the E30, but I'd say they are way more tight.
The biggest difference for me is when the music starts to be complex: E30 tends to lose a bit of detail in this situation, but Tradutto stays composed with equal ease as when the music is very simple - it doesn't mind if you're listening to a string trio or a symphonic orchestra in full swing - everything is equally discernible in both cases.
What I noticed is that the Tradutto is "quieter" than the E30 - I need to crank my amp a bit higher to get the same sound level; this is not a complaint, just an observation.
A complaint would be the tiny screen - it's almost unreadable from my listening position and so the usefulness of it is questionable, to say the least.
Anyway, I'll try to A/B the E30 and the Tradutto, hooking both of them to USBs on my RPi. Hope this will work, so I could listen to the same tracks and switch between DACs in real time. Don't know if it will work actually...
Sorry for the long post :)
The Tradutto is the highest end DAC they currently make and brand new
Bought the Tradutto because of your review. It’s really really great…
In the last view month i use a second dac from Meier Audio (Corda Daccord with wolfson chips). To me they both playing on par/the same level. The earman is playing on my main system, the meier on my headphone system atm…
Running my Tradutto through a Decware 6wttx2 integrated amp into Decware DNA single driver speakers. CD only so far. Really a trip. Loving it.
I have been waiting for this video. I bought this last month even without a lot of reviews out there, and it's been a pleasant surprise.
If you had a DAC before how does your Tradutto compare?
@@clarice1001nights Tradutto has a surgical, punchy character to it. Slightly warm, slightly muscular, detailed and refined. But I'm still barely 30 hours into it.
@@sleeper1023 A fascinating way to describe what you are hearing. I sent my SMSL DO200 back today. So I have a week to come to a decision.
In order to understand what you are enjoying may I restate for clarification? Tradutto is very refined (ok :)) and detailed. What is so much more refined than normal?
Are the tones coming out of a pitch-black background? slightly is used two times. Muscular...is fascinating. Warm could be op-amps. Surgical...like meaning exacting, or what do you mean.
This is so interesting. I can not wait to hear more.
@@clarice1001nights My use case may be a bit different though as I have them hooked up to my stereo system. I have one a few amps that are quite transparent and I could hear the nuances that the DAC introduced in the chain.
@@sleeper1023 I am a former opera singer and teacher. The details one can hear with the right type of DAC can help me to help musicians and to have fun too. I have not heard the Tradutto but your comments are extremely interesting and important to me.
Great review of a cool new dac. Glad you expressed/admitted your personal preference, which I think is an essential point of reference for viewers. Btw...I nearly died from laughing @9:10....and I too love "nice and clicky buttons"!!!
I've got to say, I enjoyed this vid even more this time, Tradutto is the truth. Thanks again.
GREAT detailed comparison of R2R DAC vs very good chip DAC. Very informative!
Quite EXCELLENT!
Would be nice to have a comparaison with VMV D1SE which is in the same price category.
yes am thinking the same or the topping d70s
Nice review. If I didn’t already own my Denafrips I’d certainly give this one a try and likely save $$.
Your comparison of Tradutto vs Ares II can be said for the Schiit Bifrost 2. I found the Ares II offers blurred edges to the sound, which means it lacks sharpness and quickness that gives music and video the realism I seek. I sold my Ares II for that reason. Cheers to a great explanation of sound characteristics!
Hungarians love their Leonard Cohen :) My father was from Budapest and Leonard Cohen was pretty much the only non-classical music he listened to. Thanks for the great review. I'll be keeping my Ares II in my system although the Tradutto sounds like a great piece of kit for someone with modern punchy speakers who listens to a lot of electronic music.
It might be that I have some Hungarian blood, cause he's one of my favourite singers ever. 😄
This is now 399 EUR via their official site. 😮❤
Great review. I have been considering the Denafrips Ares II for a while, but kept humming and hawing because it was a) big, b) had no remote control, and c) I had worries about it eventually developing a fault. I didn't fancy the thought of having to return it to China or wherever in a couple of years at my own expense.
So your review was very timely. I trust what you say, and for £699 in the UK (the Denafrips has gone up to £880), the Tradutto looks like a reasonable deal to me. I've ordered it from Richer Sounds and it should be here in a week or so. If it ever goes wrong, being a delta sigma DAC hopefully means it should be more easily repairable, and it comes as standard with a 2-year warranty.
My current amp, the Audiolab 6000A, also has an inbuilt Sabre DAC (the earlier 9018) that is pretty well-tuned, and I can't wait to see what improvement the Tradutto will bring.
Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I am. Cheers!
@@iiWiReviewsThanks. I might post my brief impressions after I get it and have a listen.
Well, amazingly It arrived yesterday and I rigged it up so I could compare it with the DAC in my 6000A.
Never having heard the Denefrips, I can't comment, but I can say that the Tradutto sounds superior to the DAC in my 6000A - better and more tuneful bass, better separation, better imaging. In some indefinable way, it's just more musical.
Analogising with a photograph, it's as if a photo has had a layer or two of obscuration removed. You appreciate colours, textures and details that have always been there, but somehow you tended to overlook them. With the Tradutto, you realise (without having to strain to listen) that those details enrich the musical experience.
I don't want to criticise the 6000A's internal DAC - it's excellent for what it is. However, when listening to something like the Tradutto, you realise what you've been missing. Hopefully it will improve even further should it require a little break-in time.
Oh, Wow. I sat down for a listening session today and was amazed to find that the hi-fi faeries had apparently been at work overnight. Everything has opened up, the soundstage is better, the midrange and treble are much better -- I could hardly tear myself away to come and post this. It's absolutely amazing, never heard anything like it on my system before!
@@johncallaghan3097 So happy to hear this. It is truly a great DAC, enjoy it! 👍
New subscription here, I'm a bit late to the party but I came across this video while searching for a simple to operate, quality DAC to use at my desktop where I will be listening primarily on headphones. I picked this DAC up for $399 USD and then followed that up by ordering their little streamer, the Staccato, for $249. I'll be connecting a desktop NUC, a Schiit Audio Lokius EQ, a Cayin Mini CDP and powering it with a Woo Audio WA6 tube amplifier. Perhaps not TOTL but should suit me pretty well.
Love this vid. Love my Tradutto. Cool runnings
Thanks man 🙏👍
4.4mm short( 15cm) can be purchased for 20€ and works excellent in my ifi zen can and zen blue stack, much better than via Chord RCA.
Another great review.
Hi Srboljub. Did you test this DAC with RCA out? I have been watching lots of your videos. I am going crazy trying get the R2R sound but I am limited to RCA out and I hear R2R is not good through RCA. Is this my best RCA out choice at $1000 or less? Would also consider SU-9 Pro, SU-10, or just buying a R2R and take my chances with RCA out. Thank you so very much for your advice!!!!
Great review. Well done. Thank you.
The description you give of the sound could almost be applied to my Elac Carina bookshelf speakers also. I really think you would enjoy them. I was actually shocked at how good they are when I first heard them. And I have more expensive speakers too. But these are my favorite by a country mile.
If you want my pair. You can have them. However, you'll have to peel them out of my cold dead hands! Because I plan on being buried with them. Okay maybe they're not quite that good. But pretty close to that good. Pretty darn close I tell ya. 🙂
Perhaps it just needs burn-in-time to open up more. Great review still. I am making notes of artists you mention - I really loved discovering Nenad Vasilic
I also want to add, some of us like hearing musicality over spec’s. R2Rs do something special to reproducing music that can’t be explained by points.
But can be explained by measurements, this sth special is distortion resulting in highest transients smearing and loosing some detail vs best DS DACs
Also, just added a Small Green Computer LPS to power my Tradutto, well worth it.
Nice review 👍🏻
A very exciting review Good work
Thank u got your detail!
Poslušao sam vaš savjet tradutto je spojen na cyrusu i to je neusporedivo sa S2 . Moje je mišljenj da ovaj dac jednostavno najbolje obavlja ono što bi dac trebao da radi.Strašno bogat zvuk, energičan i u svakom pogledu zadovoljavajuč.U biti Q acoustic sad pokazuju da mogu pratiti ovaj dac.Neznam zašto takve negativnosti u mediju oko ovog daca kad je jednostavno nadmašio konkurenciju i nije bezveze dobio nagradu ja sam svjedok.Pozdrav Marin
Pozdrav Marine, drago mi je da vam se sviđa zvuk ovog uređaja. Uživajte!
Awesome! I love the competition at this
Thanks!
Great review as always. I have not heard this DAC, but I doubt it could replace my Topping D70S which was less expensive to buy than this. The connections are superior and I doubt it would match the Soundstage of this particular Topping, which for me outperforms it’s more expensive sibling , the D90 and every other DAC I have heard under 1000. I would love to try them in an AB test though, it sounds like it would be an interesting comparison.
Can anyone confirm the performance of RCA line outs pls?
Very attractive DAC.
In your opinion, is going from A30pro + D30pro stack to A30 Pro + Tradutto worth the upgrade? I'm using DT 1990 Pros btw. Fantastic details in your reviews by the way, really enjoying your channel.
I agree don't assume the ESS is sharp and bright. Listen to Hi Fi Rose streamer using ESS 9038 and you will know!
Pls give us a sound demo of this .. I don’t know why EarMen are not wanting to make sound demo on TH-cam .. it helps us get idea
I saw weights on top of your speaker, amp, and dac and find that very interesting. Will you be making video about that and how it effect the sound of your system? Another hot topic for sure lol but I do love to watch and learn about that. I’m into audiophile for a year and there are many things I used to not believe for truth be told when I enter this hobby I don’t even believe dac make a difference. But now after watching many reviews and of course countless personal testing, even I can tell the difference in my system when the usb cable is changed. I heard your and other people story how it took you and other audiophile years and decades until they find out about the truth in cable and other “snake oils” which simply isn’t true because they do make audible difference. And I don’t want to wait years to come to learn about these tweaks. I want to be open minded yet skeptical about these idea. It would be insightful if you could show me how those weight you put on your dac and amp improve the sound. Thanks. My current setup Hifiman sundara fiio q5s as dac and topping L50(your recommend) as amp the usb cable I used to replace the generic one is audioquest forest the system run off my laptop where both the laptop and topping is powered from ac power conditioner Clef powerbridge duo (a brand in Thailand). Actually a video on power conditioning would be cool as well!
Do yourself a big favor, and try stuff yourself, then make up your own mind about it. Always!
Never believe what others say ever, unless they've already proven themselves to be trustworthy. But the only way to be sure about that is to actually try the gear they review out for yourself. So you'll know if what they say is true or not. So that's what it's always good to just try things yourself if at all possible.
I will say though. That you should save your money for the gear first. Then worry about things like cables and tweaks for later. After you've found a combination that suits you. They're not going to make nearly as big of a difference as upgrading your gear will. Besides until you reach a certain level. They don't make much of a difference anyway. So it's really a waste of your resources IMHO.
Also the weight is just their to dampen the gear a little bit. This can possibly help to reduce vibrations (from the music or other stuff like people walking in the floor, or maybe an AC unit, heater, etc.) as this can possibly affect your sound quality. You can use anything you want to try this yourself. Put a big bag of rice, or flour on your amp for instance. Just be sure whatever you use doesn't end up in the amp. Anything really dense, such as a piece of lead, or steel is good too. Good luck. ✌️
Great review 👍
I prefer XLR on my components..but I’ve got a question..
On the Bluetooth..does it decode the Bluetooth signal using the power of DAC’s powerful processing capabilities?
Btw, I’m running the Drop Grace SDAC ( Balanced) ..and it’s pretty damn nice 😊
How about a sound demo ? There is no sound demo of tradutto
Second time watching, really like this dac.
Great review. Using Bluesound Nodi built-in dac with Vintage Luxman L-100 with Thiel CS 2.3's. Will this Tradutto make a big difference? Twice as good would be acceptable! Let me know.
A great review! Yours are always very descriptive and honest. Just wondering if you reviewed both single ended and balanced and if much difference?
Thanks! Yes I did and it did sound better using Balanced connection, but it's not as easy to say how much of it is coming from the DAC itself and how much is from the preamp/amp combo that definitely sounds better too when balanced is used. It's that kind of situation where you just can't separate one component's influence from the other that's on the other side of that connection.
Which country does the Tradutto technology hail from and where is it manufactured?
Headquarters in Chicago, production in Serbia (South East Europe). It is a sister brand of a more premium and probably better known Auris Audio.
@@iiWiReviews Thank you very much!
It all depends of the speakers and the amp combination
wow this, zen can and ifi power supply would make a great 1000 dollar setup I reckon.
What amp do U use with Denafrips…✌️🙋♂️
Just take a look at my latest review that was uploaded few hours ago. 😊
I would proclaim the SMSL D300 best product!😊
Where are u bro? no news for last 3 days, waiting for new DAC review, Can you please review Ibasso - DC05, its new portable DAC with two ESS Dac. they have mentioned that it has implementation of their Quad Dac+ technology ...... not sure how is the quad Dac implementation on dual physical DAC
Can a headphone be connected to this amp? How do you compare this to the soundbase svs pro?
Great review! How does it compare with Orchard’s PecanPi ?
If you connect Tradutto to a good streamer such as Pi2AES or Zen Stream, that will sound cleaner and better, but will cost significantly more than PecanPi.
My system is rotel amp RB1572 v2, rotel preamp RC1570 and wharfedale diamond 11.5 speakers.
Usually play videos from youtube via TV (optical out). Do I need DAC, what improvement can I get with DAC? Any recommendation for DAC up to 1000 eur?
I have a rose technics rt5000 dac, but it making static noise when connected to my amplfier, it works fine with my other amps, issue is present with my main amp only and i really love this dac, do you think the earmen tradutto will be similar in performance or it is a downgrade?
It's difficult to say that. It seems like RT5000 and your amp are making some sort of ground loop maybe. If you can, try plugging your DAC or your amp into a different power socket.
Another reason may be a bad ground connection on the RCA/XLR jack. Try using different amplifier input if it's avaliable or using different interconnect cable.
Anyway, the fact that it works OK with other amps enforce the idea that the problem is not in the DAC itself but in their connection somehow.
Also, RT5000 is a better sounding DAC than Tradutto, it would be pity to change it.
@@iiWiReviews thanks i will try to resolve the issue somehow in that case
Chord Qutest + Anni for Hifiman Arya and Kef LS50? Go? No go?
I think u would really like smsl vmv d1se.✌
Possibly, I liked M400 quite a bit too but feel that this one is better balanced and more accomplished.
So, is it better than the Are II?
If you get pls review mdac plus by audio lab
Thank you. I like earmen. Do you have any news or upcoming review of the accompanying streamer "staccato", which has been teased in some audio shows?
Not sure, I do have a lot of devices piled up for testing at the moment...
Please review the Gustard X26 pro.
R2R ...what is that?
The R-2R resistor ladder network directly converts a parallel digital symbol/word into an analog voltage. Each digital input adds its own weighted contribution to the analog output. This network has some unique and interesting properties.
- Scalable to any desired number of bits
- Uses only two values of resistors which make for easy and accurate fabrication and integration
- Output impedance is equal to R, regardless of the number of bits, simplifying filtering and further analog signal processing circuit design
Great review and according to it, what a find! Can you please throw in a few words of how this one compares to Musician Draco?
Thanks! Musician Draco looks very interesting but I didn't have a chance to try it yet.
@@iiWiReviews Let's hope you come across one. I'd love a comparison of it with the Ares, the Tradutto, the X18, the RME ADI2...well you get my drift, anything between 700 and 1k. Only a couple of reviews of the Draco.
Hi man, great reviews, new subscriber hear.. Any idea how this dac compares for Cambridge 851n? thanks, great work from you👍
Thanks! I believe I've heard 851n at friends system once, and the whole system sounded really nice. But I never tested it in my own test system so can't compare them directly.
Nice review, as always. I'm using the Zen Stream for Tidal Connect via Coax to the Hegel H95 (Revel M106 Performa 3 speakers). Very good natural sound. Do you think the Tradutto would improve things further, using the USB out from the Zen Stream? Thank you
Hi, nice rig there. I can say that Tradutto is a significant improvement over the H90's DAC but I've never heard the one inside the H95. Many are saying that its digital section is much improved over H90, so it's tough to give any advice here.
@@iiWiReviews Sure, I understand that. One possible advantage of the Tradutto would be using USB out from the Stream to the DAC, as Tidal Connect only works with USB if the DAC is bit-perfect, which is not the case with the H95. I could achieve this with the Zen Dac Signature V2, which is considerably cheaper than the Tradutto. However, your review made me think that the Tradutto may be on another level compared to the Zen Signature or the H95, in which case I could also envisage using it as an external DAC for my Rega Apollo via Coax. So many choices. It's hard to make a decision. Anyway, I truly appreciate your reviews that are informative and focused on the things we really care about when faced with alternative options.
Does tradutto have holographic ambiance ?
Excellent
Hi Srboljub! Happy New Year -did you try this DAC with good quality linear PSU? This would be interesting...
Happy New Year! I didn't have a 12V LPS but I have used it with iFi iPower X which is a high quality and low noise switching power supply. There was a noticeable improvement with it.
Very well explained. I understand all of it. (using a Chinese PCM only R2R board, diy)
You should compare it with Topping D70s since you recommended it strongly. I bought one, now I want to know how it compares with this Tradutto. They are almost the same price too is it not?
D70s is a great DAC, a little bit brighter and airer in upper registers. Tradutto on the other hand has more punch, slam, and midrange is fuller, more palpable. That's roughly that. I didn't feature D70s in the video because I had it very shortly for a review and returned it afterwards. Other DACs that were mentioned I compared directly to this one.
Thank you..yours the best
I just purchased a SMSL Do200? Should I send it back for the Earman or is the Earman artificially meaty?
@@johnm3544 are they so much better than the DO200? It is going to be delivered here shortly. I have tried to find who sells the Earmen in DACH and have yet to find one. Did you test the D0200 vs either the Ares or the Earmen when you had them? If you let me know then I could return it after a test listen. Thanks
Haven't tried DO200, but I would give it an honest try first. SMSL makes really good sounding products and it's so easy to get sucked into that rabbit hole "just a bit better". What is the rest of the system?
@@clarice1001nights The SMSL DO200 has dual ES9068AS ESS chips, coupled with dual OPA1612 opamps for the output stage. I'd be very surprised if it sounds worse than the Tradutto or any other DAC that doesn't have a dual-mono implementation, usually dual-mono DAC's have superior imaging, soundstage, resolution etc compared to non dual-mono designs. Also, the SMSL has I believe ten different sound color settings, which I think is unique to SMSL. Another thing is that the DO200 uses SMSL's new 12v internal low-noise power supply, while the Tradutto uses a 12v external wall wart - which means there will be more noise in the signal coming from the external power supply compared to the SMSL.
@@johnm3544 The SMSL DO200 has dual ES9068AS ESS chips, coupled with dual OPA1612 opamps for the output stage. I'd be very surprised if it sounds worse than the Tradutto or any other DAC that doesn't have a dual-mono implementation, usually, dual-mono DAC's have superior imaging, soundstage, resolution, etc compared to non-dual-mono designs. Also, the SMSL has I believe ten different sound color settings, which I think is unique to SMSL.
I read several reviews saying it is better than the D1SE. Like you point out R2R has a different signature. The sound samples I heard from it are very interesting. I can see why you decided to stay with the Aers r2R.
@@johnm3544 I understand from what you are saying is, if, I want to have a more enjoyable rendering of the timbres,you say the Bifrost2 DAC would be more satisfying because it gets on your nerves less. The two are in nearly the same price class, correct? ca 500€, where as the ares is nearly 750 as is the Earman. Between the Earman and the Ares, is there a clear favorite? and Why?
How does Tradutto compare to Denafrips Pontus II 15th?
So has this dethroned all the highly regarded sub-$1000 offerings from the likes of Topping and SMSL?
At this moment in time no. You should take a look at more recent reviews of SMSL SU-10 and Topping D70 pro for example.
Hi, nice review 😀 can't see clearly but is that Audio GD on your right?
Thanks! That is actually Acoustic Invader preamp made here in Serbia. I'll make a video about this preamp and amp combo too. Those came in for a review but I bought them and sold my Hegel H90. 😅
How does this compare with the Topping D70s and SMSL at the same price?
Find a part where I compare it to Gustard X18 and you can basically just copy-paste it for Topping. SMSL M400 would be a competitor of the same price. That one is warm and smooth sounding, but I find Tradutto more natural sounding, and also punchier and livelier in general.
@@iiWiReviews D70s is more like Ares 2 so that comparison is more relevant.
@@vlax12 So you say that from your memory Topping d70s is closer to R2R dacs qualities that you like than Tradutto is? I own Topping d70s in fact and I admire its full midrange and precise (but not blurry and not emphasized in any way) highs, wide soundstage. Also d70s has 5V on xlr output (vs 4V in Tradutto) and lower output impedance so technically d70s should be better, also due to less channel crosstalk with 2 AKM chips instead of 1 sabre.
@@marcinwasilewski5414 iiWi Reviews already compared those two so please watch review of D70s. I have heard Ares 2 but never comared it to D70s (witch I own).
Pozdrav predivno je slušati vaš opis zvuka pojedinog uređaja vidi se da radite iskreno vaš posao! Imam pro box s2 dali je velika razlika između ova dva uređaja? Molim vas savjet dali se isplati promjenit dac. Svira na mac mini ,Cyrus zvučnici qacoustis 3050i.Unapred zahvaljujem .Pozdrav Marin
Hvala Marine! S2 je super DAC, neutralan, dobro izbalansiran... Tradutto jeste bolji, mahom po pitanju energije i dinamike zvuka. Pitanje koje se uvek nameće je kako bi to kliknulo u vaš sistem... A pošto sam imao i Cyrus i QA... Mislim da bi trebalo lepo da se složi.
Could you recommend an affordable wide detailed and analytical sounding DAC preferably with a remote but not essential.
Take a look at new Loxjie D30 and also FX Audio DAC M1. You can find my reviews for both of these here on the channel.
@@iiWiReviews ok ill check out those reviews. Thanks 👍
Another reviewer said the sound quality in the balanced output is much much better than the RCA. Is that true in the unit you are reviewing in this video?
It was better in my system too, but that also depends on the preamp/integrated amp you connect it to. For example, my Acoustic Invader preamp is fully balanced design that sounds better using balanced connection so it is difficult to say how much improvement in using balanced come from the DAC itself and how much from the preamp. But in general terms, if you can use balances connection then use it. It's more advanced, less prone to interference, and most of the times sounds better.
@@iiWiReviews thanks for taking a time to write such a detailed answer but seems like I am going to pair it to a tube amp, Feliks Audio Echo 2. That tube amp does not have any balanced input so I am going to have to rely on the RCA. I specifically planned this setup for ZMF Auteur.
ZMF customer service recommended the Schiit Bifrost but I personally think it is too big and also doesn't look as good as the Tradutto.
I also heard that some people received a defective product so perhaps the RCA output that reviewer received was defective. I guess I just have to ask Earmen staff to make sure to check my unit before shipping it out when the time comes for me to purchase it.
Once again thank you for the great review and keep up the good work!
Hi, thanks for your great video. Which streamer, transport did you use for testing this device?
You can find it in the description under the video. Just add Hegel H90 to that as a second amp I've used too.
@@iiWiReviews saw it, thanks
It feels too good to be true.
quite weird that you are comparing it to the D30 pro and not the D70s, which resembles more the same charachteristics as the Tradutto.
It's simply because I had to return D70s quickly after the review, if I had it with me or if I used it for a longer time and etched its sound better in my memory... I would compare them. This way I just didn't feel comfortable doing it. All other DACs from the video were readily available for a direct comparison.
@@iiWiReviews I was going to ask similar as to comparison. My guess is that the stage may be a bit larger and deeper from how you compared the others. I have the D70S and quite like it. There is enough resolution, detail, stage and dynamics for movies and music hooked up to a Keces E40. If the Topping craps out, I would definitely consider the EarMen Tradutto. Definitely would prefer a US/Euro design over PRC given the tensions today. Not really wanting to hook it up to my computer.
BTW, if you get the opportunity to Keview a Keces E40 (Taiwan) I think you'd be impressed at its' price point and its' size as well. Definitely a Rega alternative and sounds very close to my Hegel.
@@iiWiReviews makes sense that not all products are available when reviewing new ones. However since i have the D70s personally i can share that its strongest points are sound stage,quickness and detail. If you combine a “warm” sounding amp with it, i think it will give you the best of both worlds.
@@alizadehweshky I find the D70s MQA to lean to the warm side a bit. It's certainly never fatiguing in my setup. Where as the Schiit Bifrost 2 can be a bit too much IMO. That really needs something to tame it a bit IMO. But it's definitely not a tube DAC sound. That's for sure. Either way, I rather like it a lot. ✌️
Looking for opinions on the denefripp Aries II with bluesound node 2i, there’s a Limetree network streamer II out with the built in dac,
Which set up would be superior.
Thanks
Limetree's built-in dac wouldn't be a match to a stand alone dac. I demoed limetree network, lumin d2 and innuos zenmini mk3. Only innuos's dac sounded not flat and not thin. Limetree was the thinnest, lumin still didn't have the body, innuos brought 3d soundstage with some body and got rid of the analytical sound limetree and lumin was producing.
If you haven't purchased any of the products that u mentioned. I would go for smsl vmv d1se with bluetooth and would sign up to Qobuz and add a dedicated streamer later on. There is a good review on smsl d1se on GoldenSound youtube channel. Check it out. Yet again what is your amp and speakers? Can it cash out what denafrips or smsl d1se would provide, is another question.
Oh, and I totally recommend innuos zenmini mk3 over bluesound any given day and twice on sunday. :) Interface is brilliant etc. ....
Pls do hear m DAC + also
I own smsl vmv d1se and I am missing tangibility, body in my setup when I am listening to trash metal and electronic music. I think this dac can save me. I also think u should keep both, if you got the dough (denafrips and this tradutto) in that way you would be covering both sides of the spectrum. Acoustic, airy and mellow being on one side and dynamic, slamming and tangible instruments with body being on the other. Do u have any other recommendations in this tier that would provide this for me?
✌ Thank you!!!
Just curious what is your set up? Speakers and amp. I just ordered vmv d1se. But I do like a lot of punch in my music. So i’m considering earman
I have the D1SE, and it has plenty of 'slam' in my setup - I use Sophie Tucker's 'Batshit' to test that sort of thing, and the bass on that track will literally blow out my woofers if I'm not careful with the volume level. If for some reason you're missing dynamics from your setup, you need to look at the downstream components of your system, since the D1SE has plenty of 'body'; it's not a good idea to use to use a DAC as tone control.
@@decoryder what r ur components?
I should have refered to the Tradutto as a dac.
How would it pair with the HD 650/660s.
I have the zen dac v2. The sound from the headphones was too warm and a bit…dull.
I got the Tr-amp a month ago and I realised these two headphones can sound really dynamic and punchy…so much so that the bass boost on ifi zen feels muddled and bloated in comparison to the raw output of tramp’s line out. Its so much better than the zen that I just can’t listen to it without taking a break from the Tr-amp’s sonic signature for a day or two. I’m keeping the zen just because it has balanced out.
The main question: How much better is this Tradutto than the Tramp, considering that both have the same DAC chip.
I am using the Aune X7s amp. It’s not a warm amp as some people opine. I confirmed it by comparing the headphone out of Tramp, and I could not notice any tonality shifts, except the (very) subtle improvements that come while using a dedicated amp.
Thanks! TR-Amp is a really great bang for the buck. As with everything HiFi, going higher in price three times doesn't yield that much sonic improvement. If you asked me this same question for a more expensive system that has an amp and speakers in it (speakers benefit more clearly from an expanded soundstage in my experience). I would say that upgrade to Tradutto is well worth it, but I'm not sure if the difference with your head-fi system will be big enough to justify this kind of price hike, and I'm having a difficult time recommending such step to be perfectly honest.
@@iiWiReviews the amp I’m using is a class A unit from Aune. It sits around $250 usd And is called the X7s. I’ve stated that In the end of my previous comment. The amp is transparent enough to let me notice the difference between ifi zen and tramp. And I feel it can sound even better with better dac.
@@apoorvasharma7 I am pairing hd660s with zen dac v2 and if u haven't updated it yet, it becomes another beast afterwards. That dull sounding match up ( which I enjoyed) became more dynamic and sound opened up. Another add on recommendation would be a good usb cable. I have audioquest forest and coffee and demoed dh-labs mirage with hd660s and zen dac v2. Forest can't provide the openness that mirage and coffee can. And between mirage and coffee. You can go for coffee if u like laid back presantation and for mirage if you like forward and even more dynamic presantation. Again if you haven't updated zen dac v2 yet. It changes drastically after the update. Enjoi!✌
I have the zen dac v2 and experienced the same thing.
Only difference is that I got a Geshelli Erish 2 for the amp. It took that flat, dull, warm sound from the zen and turned it into a 3d space with some depth. Feels alive now, but I am looking at this for a DAC upgrade because the taste of the amp upgrade made me hungry for more.
@@dialecticalmonist3405 I got the Gustard stack . H16 and x16
Maybe keep both and use one or the other according to the types of music you are listening to. I intend to do something similar (taking into account a lower price range) and buy a rca switch, using one or the other according to my tastes and what im playing at the moment or using it for. By the way, what would be your recomendation of a dac with a fuller and warmer sound under 300 dollars? Maybe this could be a good idea for future videos, your "best of" or "top 3" recomendation for dacs, dongles, amps, etc. in different price ranges. Keep up the good work! :D
It's unfortunate LDAC was omitted.
It seems this DAC has copped some flac over at ASR....
Did you try a linear PSU ?
I didn't have a 12V LPS, but I did have a low noise iFi iPower X and it provided an upgrade over the bundled one.
How does this and the D300 compare to the M400?
Please go to iiwireviews.com and you can find D300 in comparison part. I mentioned M400 here in the video, near the end.
@@iiWiReviews Sorry, mate, can't find it.
For D300 go here and scroll down to the comparison section: iiwireviews.com/smsl-m500-mkii-looking-for-a-new-dac-look-no-more
For M400 just look time tags in the description under this video, there is a time tag leading to "vs M400". Or better yet, just watch the whole thing. 😊
@@iiWiReviews Cheer’s, found it. I was looking at the Earmen review, not the M500 mk2
Tradutto vs cutest ?
You lost me at lack of airiness! I need air coming off cymbals!
dude you really didn't have to throw jabs at Sandu in the end :D
Not sure what we're talking about here but if something sounded like that, it's purely coincidental.
Edit: OMG, I've just realised that Sandu has those kind of awards. 😂 It was really not pointed at him, just my general kind of goofing around. All the best to Sandu and SoundNews! 👍
Sound quality is no doubt a Stand out factor, yet Tradutto has lost on the Balanced Output front (4,4 pentacon instead of XLRs) and the Power input front. Two, Compactness is a desirable quality in cheaper, lower quality products, not @$750. First and foremost drawback of compactness is in poor Visual appeal of the product. Most Earmen Products despite their Technical quality, are weird. Missing the Wood for The Trees. CHORD can getaway with it, not all.
Agreed. Also I wonder how well does it perform against another sub $1000 delta sigma champ deemed by many: VMV D1se. Even Golden Sound seems to be smitten by it and says it is one of his favorite dacs in 2021 along with denafrips ares II (below 1000 of course.)
Music is not about objectivity, it is about preference and taste. So Subjectively the Ares II is better. I think the Venus II is even better with a lighter touch, judging from this video th-cam.com/video/mcu9pWEWOjk/w-d-xo.html I would even prefer it to the Terminator. I'd like to see a shoot out with the Pontes which is not in the video.
Try the IRIS with the ARES II and don't forget to update the firmware. Then you will get a big improvement
;
Is the Tradutto a n R-2R design or a reworked Sabre DAC? 2ndly, do you have any way to record the Tradutto because it is impossible to find a sound test?
It's a Sabre DAC. About recording it, I might try but those differences are really hard to spot trough the recording that we are listening trough the whole other set of audio gear. For example, there is a noticeable difference between Chord Qutest and Denafrips Ares II in real life, but it's barely noticeable in video (I made that one).
@John Guess what. Even though this DAC does not allow you to change the results, which seems a bit of a knock-off, but I am sending the SMSL Do200 back and will buy the Tradutto. I realize it is based on the low-power version of the same chip that is in the SMSL D1Se. but I heard examples from it out of South East Asia, and it is a different animal. My only thinking...go with the Ares or the Tradutto. Sound quality is everything for me. Focus, s3 dimensionality. Which has a better sense of timbre. Instruments have a very specific quality of sound that is unique. Captures Tradutto that better or Ares II?
By the way, your insight and the way you have taken such care to make your points is remarkable John. Bravo
@@iiWiReviews I found a critic in SE Asia in Thai or some other language and he had 2 cuts with a Woo Tube Amp connected to the Earman and that was impressive. So I will take this chance. If you revisit this piece in a few weeks I will write a review here. Thanks
4:36 And, can you replace the rechargeable battery? If not battery dead = remote dead! NOT GOOD
Didn't try and can't imagine it being a problem. This DAC doesn't have volume control so remote would be used only to turn it on and off, and to switch inputs. You probably wouldn't need to recharge more often than once every few weeks (or even months if you don't cycle inputs often). At that rate, an average rechargeable battery with ~300 cycles can last for a really long time. I'm thinking decades.
@@iiWiReviews Do you have 1 item in your home, with a built in battery, that lasted longer than 5 years? Be honest... :-)
I have some items with built in batteries and NONE got very far. I think my bose sound link Mini was the longest in the row with 3 to 4 years of battery life.
If something has an inbuilt battery i don´t buy it any more because i know that sooner or later (probabely sooner) there will be issues. In this case, if you are not able to open up the housing and put new batteries in you can put your 799$ into the trash.
But anyone has to take own decisions!
@@insighteins1317 Amazon Kindle comes to mind. Rarely used but still working great when occasionally used.
@@iiWiReviews Yes, i agree on the kindle. Lets see how the kindle behaves on really long term :-) We both now how that will end... Thats why there aint no kintle libraryes instead of "old fashioned" paper books.
With new technology that might change but i don´t see a battery technilogy coming. Atleast not in the mainstream.
At this price, at least ESS 9038 Pro will consider
Topping and smsl are better since their power supply are built in. Less noise
Why do you think having all the power close to your audio components will make less audible noise?