From the ifi manual Audio Format LED (kHz) The LED colour scheme indicates the audio format and sampling frequency received by UNO from the music source. LED Mode Green PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96kHz Yellow PCM 176.4/192/352.8/384kHz Cyan DSD 64/128 Blue DSD 256 Magenta MQA
Lights do change on the UNO. It’s green up to 96, then cyan for 176 and 192, then white with DSD, and magenta for MQA. That being said, you actually need to install the drivers from their website and then configure it on your desktop. So, I run Tidal and Qobuz via Room and there are some adjustments you have to make because for some reason it defaults to 24/48, no MQA, and DSD to PCM. So directly on Roon you need to make the adjustments. Or Audirvana. Apparently, it does work from the native apps with just some toggle switch to make it wasapi exclusive. On my iPad, I know it does since it changes to cyan on Qobuz and magenta on Tidal.
MQA worked here right away with Roon on my MacBook Pro. No need to install drivers or something. Roon recognized the Uno as an MQA renderer compatible device and it happily plays MQA.
@@reasanka8667 the dx1 is on 3 o clock high gain and on windows I average 50 to 70+ for music or gaming. 90 will be uncomfortable depending on the source. Using - 7 preamp
@@reasanka8667 same combo and works like a champ on hi gain. On low the volume goes on 2pm max, so like 65% and it's too loud for me but something is missing and I prefer 30% on hi gain.
A few years ago I've bought an iFi Zen DAC V2 which is happily connected to my gaming laptop. I was looking for a similar DAC to connect my M1 MacBook Pro in the lviing room to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier without breaking the bank. For producing the sounds for my good old console games, watching movies streamed from my server and listening to music (Roon or Apple Music) the iFi Uno turned out to be a great little DAC. The ring behind the volume knob does change color. It turned purple here when playing an MQA file through Roon. Similar to the Zen DAC V2. I haven't toyed with the EQ yet as the current sound is very similar to the Cambridge DacMagic 200M which handles both my CXN V2 streamer and CXC V2 CD transport. Yes, I am a Cambridge guy. Its pricetag of 79 Euro makes it a steal really. Far cheaper, and smaller, compared to the Zen DAC V2. Definitely a great little DAC to put on your shortlist if you are looking for a cheap and great sounding way to connect a device to your amplifier. No idea about headphones as I don't use those.
Seems like overkill, but after I got the Eris headphones, I went from a tiny system, (Grace balanced DAC/Loxjie p20 tube amp) to midsized, (Schiit Modius DAC/Midgard amp) to today's Topping D70 pro OCTO DAC/A90 Discrete amp. This latest setup has made all my headphones sound the best they ever have.
I’m old so i’m still running a Nu Force Udac2 (2011) and hereby claim it’s rightful place as smallest desktop usb powered volume controlled headphone/RCA/Coax Dac. I even believe it was Pre-Audioquest Dragonfly (2012) era. Half the size of the Uno though i take a free Uno if anyone’s offering (sic…slightly)
Deadass. May not be as good as a direct wired connection, but it's now 2023 and Bluetooth is a nice option to have to just send something from a phone.
18:38 talks about potentiometers degrading, static appears in video signal briefly that would be a clever editing thing but i think that was a coincidence
@@ZReviews Was using Koss kph40 headphones. Stood up, felt the shock on my ear. The Uno stopped working after that. First time that kind of shock killed a piece of gear.
The Prince of Darkness (If it's the one with Donald Plesance) it SCARED the life out of me when i was younger, recomended if you like Horror it's why i don't watch many Horror's any more...
Hi zeos, so i've been using topping DX1 for almost five months now and has been working absolutely fine with great sound, but recently my laptop had some kind of GPU Hardware Issue so i've been trying a few things here and there to fix the issue that led up to nothing and i ended up resetting my laptop and do a clean install (and it still didn't fix the GPU Issue). And when im setting up my DX1 again for the laptop, somehow i feel like it doesn't sounds good, almost like its so thin and not spacios and also grainy, im using a Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm on it and i remember it sounding great with DX1 before i reset my laptop. Do you have any idea as to why it happen ?
Zeos, what should i choose to power a hd6xx, the ifi uno or the dx1? They can power well the 6xx? Like, to use the "full" potencial of the 6xx, cuz its 300ohms, but sum people in the hobby argue dat the 6xx reach a peak of a 500ohms. So to use correctely the 6xx u need a amp dat can reach 500ohms, and this 2 dac/amp combo has a output Max of 300ohms, is in the limit to power the 6xx (300ohms).
The DX1 (in my opinion) can drive my R70x (470ohms, 99db sensitivity) adequately on high gain. Based on specs, the DX1 is also more powerful than the Uno.
Zoos or anyone in the chat: I have been hunting high and low for a GOOD DAC that will give good dimensional stereo imaging for surround sound movies. I had a top shelf Denon home theater receiver and I could run my HD800/S headphones off the onboard quarter-inch phone jack. Not only was there sufficient power to blow my ears out, it generated fantastic simulated surround sound. What’s more, when watching a Blu-ray with lossless audio, the Denon would show the same codec being played just like when using my loudspeakers. It didn’t say “stereo” or “virtual”. It showed the actual lossless codec. Scrolling through the playback codecs and changing to stereo or virtual I could hear a distinct reduction in playback quality so it wasn’t a bug, it was a feature. When I upgraded to 4K I purchased a Marantz for a couple of specific reasons but had no reason to believe that the Marantz would differ from the Denon in this respect as both brands are the same company. That was wrong. On the Marantz it’s stereo or virtual and lacks the power and separation the Denon had. I know that Yamaha home theater receivers have similar functionality as my old Denon but now I have the Marantz and I’m sticking with it until there have been enough developments to warrant a new purchase. I know that I am not alone in wanting a DAC that can decode surround sound codecs or at least generate a stereo image that is very good for movies. There are many people who ask the questions but the answers are unwaveringly disappointing. Similarly, the Xbox Series X doesn’t make life easy since it no longer supports an optical output. Yea you could try splitting the HDMI signal but then if you don’t run into handshake issues then you run into refresh rate issues, among others. I also tried to connect a a DAC/ DAC/amp to the rear of the Marantz and though the front phone jack. For the first solution, the Marantz will not allow you to siphon off the audio from an HDMI source. For the second solution, that just didn’t work, at least not with my iFi iDSD Signature DAC/amp. Do any of you have a good solution for this?
I have today received a second Sabaj A20A 2022 , and want to monoblock them using my Q-Acoustic towers (6 ohms). Can anyone assist with an explanation of how to wire this up. I have searched, exhaustively , to no avail.
it must be really hard for companies to make a speaker amp that small huh? also rca outputs but you can't even control the volume like a preamp, why? does it cost that much?
Zen DAC V2 will power HD600 very well on its own. It's a great DAC/AMP! I would also recommend the IFi Hip DAC 2 if you want virtually the same thing, but in a more portable form. Both sound the same, have similar features and similar power output.
That little ifi is only 10 aus bucks cheaper than the zen air dac/amp over here. Seems pointless unless I really want a slightly more portable solution. USB-C is nice though.
I was thinking about downgrading from my ZenDAC v3 to UNO to save some cash, but digital volume control with a delay i just can't accept. Knob needs to work instant.
I have this as I don't need the wireless feature and outputs of dx3 pro and only gonna use for pc headphones or IEM . It is enough for HE400 SE with eq -7 from peace. For wireless I already have some bookshelf edifiers with the tv
Aloha~ from Hawaii🏖 Regardless of today's content, I have a product that needs your opinion. I'm thinking of purchasing Unique Melody Maven Pro, but I'd like to hear your honest opinion before purchasing. Thanks in advance👍
🍄MY LINKTREE :: linktr.ee/zeospantera
So many links! =) good stuff.
topping DX1 all THE WAY BABYYYY!!!!
🤡
Topping DX1 best sound in the range $100👌
I'm so happy I got my zen dac back when it was only $130
From the ifi manual Audio Format LED (kHz)
The LED colour scheme indicates the audio format and sampling
frequency received by UNO from the music source.
LED Mode
Green PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96kHz
Yellow PCM 176.4/192/352.8/384kHz
Cyan DSD 64/128
Blue DSD 256
Magenta MQA
my man has his priorities straight for sure
Lights do change on the UNO. It’s green up to 96, then cyan for 176 and 192, then white with DSD, and magenta for MQA. That being said, you actually need to install the drivers from their website and then configure it on your desktop. So, I run Tidal and Qobuz via Room and there are some adjustments you have to make because for some reason it defaults to 24/48, no MQA, and DSD to PCM. So directly on Roon you need to make the adjustments. Or Audirvana. Apparently, it does work from the native apps with just some toggle switch to make it wasapi exclusive. On my iPad, I know it does since it changes to cyan on Qobuz and magenta on Tidal.
MQA worked here right away with Roon on my MacBook Pro. No need to install drivers or something. Roon recognized the Uno as an MQA renderer compatible device and it happily plays MQA.
Just wanted to be the first to point out Zeos is the first major reviewer on the Topping DX1 in YT.
i use the DX1 for my iems, perfect for my use case
DX1 just perfect for low power phones
@@tenveri you'd be surprised this also powers my he400se. With -7 preamp eq to add
@@andregaboTV thinking to get the dx1 with the he400se, how much headroom does the dac amp has after eq?
@@reasanka8667 the dx1 is on 3 o clock high gain and on windows I average 50 to 70+ for music or gaming. 90 will be uncomfortable depending on the source. Using - 7 preamp
@@reasanka8667 same combo and works like a champ on hi gain. On low the volume goes on 2pm max, so like 65% and it's too loud for me but something is missing and I prefer 30% on hi gain.
A few years ago I've bought an iFi Zen DAC V2 which is happily connected to my gaming laptop. I was looking for a similar DAC to connect my M1 MacBook Pro in the lviing room to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier without breaking the bank. For producing the sounds for my good old console games, watching movies streamed from my server and listening to music (Roon or Apple Music) the iFi Uno turned out to be a great little DAC.
The ring behind the volume knob does change color. It turned purple here when playing an MQA file through Roon. Similar to the Zen DAC V2. I haven't toyed with the EQ yet as the current sound is very similar to the Cambridge DacMagic 200M which handles both my CXN V2 streamer and CXC V2 CD transport. Yes, I am a Cambridge guy.
Its pricetag of 79 Euro makes it a steal really. Far cheaper, and smaller, compared to the Zen DAC V2. Definitely a great little DAC to put on your shortlist if you are looking for a cheap and great sounding way to connect a device to your amplifier. No idea about headphones as I don't use those.
Yo man!! The new year is here and now we need a wall tour 2023!! :D
Seems like overkill, but after I got the Eris headphones, I went from a tiny system, (Grace balanced DAC/Loxjie p20 tube amp) to midsized, (Schiit Modius DAC/Midgard amp) to today's Topping D70 pro OCTO DAC/A90 Discrete amp. This latest setup has made all my headphones sound the best they ever have.
Yes, sometimes good things come in small packages 😋
My IFI Go Blue when hooked up via cable ..is freak’n spectacular 😮
ifi uno have gaming mode on it ? is that mean it can use with a gaming headset and its microphone also work ?
this was a bit early for us peasants to get this review, only 3 days compared to patreon
The Buffer abides.
Hey Z. Can you tell me wich one is better Ifi Uno or IFI Zen Air DAC?
Thank you for your suggestion to watch Akiba Meido Sensou. Awesome show.
Big thumbs up👍💯 Thanks for sharing 👏😍🤩
This or zen dac?
I have a Sennheiser 560s, I play mostly games and watch videos with some music. Between the ifi uno and the topping dx1 what would you suggest?
Which one has more power out of the 3?
Would you recommend the topping dx1 or fiio k3?
For those that have nothing to compensate for 👌
ifi uno is a replacement unit for people who uses their hip dac with their PC. at least that's how I see it.
What are the beautiful open backs z is listening to
Hey Zeos, just a heads up. Micca OriGen G3 is out. They fixed the driver issues :)
I saw.. Will buy
I like small and cheap, as long as its good
can i use speaker then turn off headphone ? and reverse? ty
17:31 cali iron 5 ? Who is that?
I’m old so i’m still running a Nu Force Udac2 (2011) and hereby claim it’s rightful place as smallest desktop usb powered volume controlled headphone/RCA/Coax Dac. I even believe it was Pre-Audioquest Dragonfly (2012) era. Half the size of the Uno though i take a free Uno if anyone’s offering (sic…slightly)
1 of these things has a BT input. It matters.
Deadass. May not be as good as a direct wired connection, but it's now 2023 and Bluetooth is a nice option to have to just send something from a phone.
Nice info. And so many gorgeous figure 😍❣️❣️
I just got myself Zen air Can/Uno stack...
Disappointed with my iFi Zen Air DAC, been getting popping sounds and I tried all three versions of the firmware with no difference, waste
I just noticed that there is a G3 of the micca origen now, are you going to review it?
Will request.. There are only 2 on amazon and I want to make sure its not going away.
I can't decide between the SMSL C100 vs the Topping E30 II. I know the E30 is equipped with 2x of the same DAC Chips. Any advice?
18:38 talks about potentiometers degrading, static appears in video signal briefly
that would be a clever editing thing but i think that was a coincidence
Zeos, when are you going to get your hands on the Kali In-8’s? Waiting on that before I get them or the IN-5’s
Oh, I’m still running the Drop Grace SDAC ( balanced version) 😉
MY TOPPING DX1 ON THE WAY 😊
happy new year
Could you do a review of the Steelseries Gamedac? I’m curious if that wil work as a dac for my tv
Had to return the Uno. One static shock killed it.
Theres almost no metal how can it shock you?
@@ZReviews Was using Koss kph40 headphones. Stood up, felt the shock on my ear. The Uno stopped working after that. First time that kind of shock killed a piece of gear.
Returned mine because of random static noise
does the uno perform as good as the zen dac>?
Shuba 🦆
I knew it looked familiar 😆
The Prince of Darkness (If it's the one with Donald Plesance) it SCARED the life out of me when i was younger, recomended if you like Horror it's why i don't watch many Horror's any more...
Hi zeos, so i've been using topping DX1 for almost five months now and has been working absolutely fine with great sound, but recently my laptop had some kind of GPU Hardware Issue so i've been trying a few things here and there to fix the issue that led up to nothing and i ended up resetting my laptop and do a clean install (and it still didn't fix the GPU Issue). And when im setting up my DX1 again for the laptop, somehow i feel like it doesn't sounds good, almost like its so thin and not spacios and also grainy, im using a Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm on it and i remember it sounding great with DX1 before i reset my laptop. Do you have any idea as to why it happen ?
I had a hipdac, that was the first and last IFI thing I’ll ever own, the warmth was too much =P
Zeos, what should i choose to power a hd6xx, the ifi uno or the dx1? They can power well the 6xx? Like, to use the "full" potencial of the 6xx, cuz its 300ohms, but sum people in the hobby argue dat the 6xx reach a peak of a 500ohms. So to use correctely the 6xx u need a amp dat can reach 500ohms, and this 2 dac/amp combo has a output Max of 300ohms, is in the limit to power the 6xx (300ohms).
The DX1 (in my opinion) can drive my R70x (470ohms, 99db sensitivity) adequately on high gain. Based on specs, the DX1 is also more powerful than the Uno.
Zoos or anyone in the chat: I have been hunting high and low for a GOOD DAC that will give good dimensional stereo imaging for surround sound movies. I had a top shelf Denon home theater receiver and I could run my HD800/S headphones off the onboard quarter-inch phone jack. Not only was there sufficient power to blow my ears out, it generated fantastic simulated surround sound. What’s more, when watching a Blu-ray with lossless audio, the Denon would show the same codec being played just like when using my loudspeakers. It didn’t say “stereo” or “virtual”. It showed the actual lossless codec. Scrolling through the playback codecs and changing to stereo or virtual I could hear a distinct reduction in playback quality so it wasn’t a bug, it was a feature. When I upgraded to 4K I purchased a Marantz for a couple of specific reasons but had no reason to believe that the Marantz would differ from the Denon in this respect as both brands are the same company. That was wrong. On the Marantz it’s stereo or virtual and lacks the power and separation the Denon had. I know that Yamaha home theater receivers have similar functionality as my old Denon but now I have the Marantz and I’m sticking with it until there have been enough developments to warrant a new purchase.
I know that I am not alone in wanting a DAC that can decode surround sound codecs or at least generate a stereo image that is very good for movies. There are many people who ask the questions but the answers are unwaveringly disappointing. Similarly, the Xbox Series X doesn’t make life easy since it no longer supports an optical output. Yea you could try splitting the HDMI signal but then if you don’t run into handshake issues then you run into refresh rate issues, among others. I also tried to connect a a DAC/ DAC/amp to the rear of the Marantz and though the front phone jack. For the first solution, the Marantz will not allow you to siphon off the audio from an HDMI source. For the second solution, that just didn’t work, at least not with my iFi iDSD Signature DAC/amp. Do any of you have a good solution for this?
subaru spotted immediately 👁👁
I have today received a second Sabaj A20A 2022 , and want to monoblock them using my Q-Acoustic towers (6 ohms). Can anyone assist with an explanation of how to wire this up. I have searched, exhaustively , to no avail.
Came for the UNO but left with the C100
Dx1 better.
OKKKKKK BUT HOWWWWWWW DOES IT SOUNDSSSSSSSSS ????omg
Time travel is real! 😮
What is the best budget Dac/Amp around 100$ for music
dx1.
bought it for 82 bucks
Hey the title is wrong Z its the Dx1 not the Nx1
Fixed. Thanks
If I connect an iFi Uno to a Schiit Magni, will i be able to hear the EQ presets on the iFi through the Magni?
Yes, it will pick up the EQ adjustments. The Magni is just a straight amp, which means it just amplifies the signal coming from the DAC.
@@PhoggHawk thanks for the reply. I was confused because Z mentioned in the video that ifi does not push EQ through the rca outs
Hey Z, could I use the topping MX5 with MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL? Would really like to know.
it must be really hard for companies to make a speaker amp that small huh?
also rca outputs but you can't even control the volume like a preamp, why? does it cost that much?
11:16 Hehe, I got Tim”Socked” 😅
any recommendation dac/amp combo if im gonna drive my hd600? currently going with the zen dac v2.
I mean I love the ifi sound on neutral headphones like the 600. Maybe something Class A or go with a tube combo unit like the Xduoo TA-22
@@ZReviews i guess i should try to listen on em haha thankss 🎉
Zen DAC V2 will power HD600 very well on its own. It's a great DAC/AMP! I would also recommend the IFi Hip DAC 2 if you want virtually the same thing, but in a more portable form. Both sound the same, have similar features and similar power output.
Where does Z buy the stickers? I need 100 of them to plaster them over my things!
That little ifi is only 10 aus bucks cheaper than the zen air dac/amp over here. Seems pointless unless I really want a slightly more portable solution. USB-C is nice though.
Dx1 better.
Fiio k3 can kick those dac n amp. peace!
Not dx1.
Fuck.. I was planning on using the Ifi Uno as a dac for my tv i to active speakers. Now you’re telling me the eq doesn’t apply to the rca output. Shit
I was thinking about downgrading from my ZenDAC v3 to UNO to save some cash, but digital volume control with a delay i just can't accept. Knob needs to work instant.
I'm an entry level collector and I was missing something I could justify my money.
Would any of these play well my M1060?
AIYIMA DAC-A1
I have this as I don't need the wireless feature and outputs of dx3 pro and only gonna use for pc headphones or IEM . It is enough for HE400 SE with eq -7 from peace. For wireless I already have some bookshelf edifiers with the tv
How about pairing that SMSL C100 with my Zen Air Can. Thoughts?
I mean yeah that works.
@@ZReviews Yeah, might be an upgrade over apple dongle plugged into the Air Can /
save up and get the topping k7
Remote control only controls make me angry. Lose the remote and you're F'd. Put a basic volume knob and input switch on the unit SMSL. Come ON!
MQA. Oof! it's so bad >.<
(For those who do not know why MQA is bad, go watch GoldenSound's MQA videos)
So small it might rub off that's what she said 😂
Judging by the anime backgrounds and stickers you really need to seek professional help
Bruv can u stop sayin names of the anime waifus, I really dont care i am not 15 and neither r u. Get a real woman
Aloha~ from Hawaii🏖
Regardless of today's content, I have a product that needs your opinion.
I'm thinking of purchasing Unique Melody Maven Pro, but I'd like to hear your honest opinion before purchasing.
Thanks in advance👍
This or zen dac?