The worst DAC you can buy (Prozor Review)
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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Had to do this, this dac is so hilariously bad that I honestly question if it's even safe to use!
Would love to hear a line out recording of this dac - could be a really helpful case study in actually discerning differences between dacs
This was actually the first DAC I could hear a difference when comparing to others. 😄😄
Thats cos the point of diminishing returns for DACS is like £50
@@Emira_75 yikes....ok zeos
That means that this piece of equipment should be used in every Dac review to measure other dacs against. It’s name should be immortalized in history like eponymous horse that served as a basis for “horse power”!!
@@Emira_75 So true.
@@AntPDCget a pair of ears
I have a similar Toslink/SPDIF DAC. Mine looks exactly the same except it lacks of Prozor label and branded just like "digital to analog audio converter". I never could complain about it's sound quality (I use it as a spare stereo out for my RME Babyface Pro FS as well as a DAC for my TV). I measured specs of my unit with the RMAA and it has pretty flat response (0dB @ 20Hz, -0.5dB @ 20kHz), 102dB of dynamic range, pretty low noise floor and THD. Noise level depends on USB a much, by the way. One adapter may audibly buzz, another may be dead silent. Not very convinient but OK for the price.
The FiiO D3 is a great little cheap DAC. I was pleasantly surprised for $20. I don't think they make it anymore though.
Just bought the 24/192 version connected to a Cambridge AXA25 via optical from the TV,. Amazon music sounds pretty good...
Not Modi 3 good but pretty good.
Certainly good enough for a non audiophile.
I bought one of these DACs in 2018 and ran it for three years pumping music and television audio from my Panasonic television into my analog Yamaha receiver which was pushing some vintage Boston Acoustics A150 speakers. Absolutely no problems, no distortion that was perceptible, and trust me, there was a lot of bass. So maybe something happened between 2018 and 2021 to the quality of these things.
Perhaps it caught Covid?
Maybe you have a tin ear
The dude's listening on $10 earbuds. You'd think if he was gonna be a snob about it, he'd pull out some decent headphones.
@@joeblankenship377 ear buds are a marketing term for plonkers like you who pay 10 000 percent mark ups
Might be a good product for new audiophiles to get a feel for the sound of a “bad” DAC.
@DadsWatchingRUclips What does that tell you? That even the worst DAC of modern times is still pretty fucking good. It's not 1997 anymore.
I have one of these so I disassembled it and found it uses a Cirrus Logic 4344 DAC. I'm sure Cirrus Logic would love to know how they managed to extract such a shocking performance from this DAC.
Proablbly has a shit circuit board and other components
It's not that bad considering.....
Mine sounds surprising for 13 bucks.
the DAC works fine...now i dont have a professional speaker setup, but also not trash at 600 dollars...never had issues with it.
@@melangkoh4184 600 dollars?
@ nah i mean my speakers. They are not so bad that i cant figuer out a decent DAC.
What's the input impedance of the headphone amplifier? Looks like the "dac" is suffering severe loading effects. Though it may be something else.
Must be something wrong with yout gear. I bought one of these to replace a 500$ sony home cinema sound bar with woofer because i wanted the TV sound going through my hifi system which does not have AV connection and guess what, it sounds better.
I also tried it on my headphone and I liked it.
I use one of those to run my VU meters and it sounds fine in that situation 😉
Looks like you found the perfect application for it. Saludos.
Cruel, respect your meters, they deserve better....
I already got burned by one of those with the Bluetooth option for $25. Your description is accurate!
What is the solution? I need to convert the audio from my LG TV to Analog.
I'd just like to say my experience finding the right dac for me. I'm cheap, but I pride myself in finding great quality at difficult low prices. all my media plays from my computer, which never turns off. I want great sound, but I can't see even spending $100 on a dac. I ended up putting together my own dac, was easy, and for about $50. to the best of my ability to notice the difference, I've got the best sounding dac I'll ever own. I got the assembled board on ebay, got a fancy special audio equipment power transformer to go along with it, mounted it all inside a cheap plastic project box. I'm very happy with the result. it plugs into usb and gives me a stereo analog output of high quality and no noise. the usb chip on the board gets power from the usb port, then there's a power supply for all the other digital stuff on the board, then another separate power supply for all the analog parts. no noise, just clean crisp sound to feed down the chain of equipment. it doesn't look fancy, but I'm sure it would stand up to dac's costing hundreds of dollars.
what parts did you use?
@@Hairless-Bear I found a cheap board on ebay with the specs I wanted. the one I went with uses pcm2706 and cs4398 chips. safe to assume it's made of all cheap chinese parts, but sounds good to me. I wanted something that sounds clear with no noise. specifically, I looked for a board that needs multiple power inputs, which means it's separating analog and digital circuits to avoid contaminating the power with noise. I also ordered the transformer to power it on ebay. it's a special shape made for audio equipment which is supposed to cut down on power noise. I almost wish there was more to it, simple to put together. I mounted the board and transformer in a box and it's done. works great. it uses usb power for usb communication, then has 9 volts regulated down to 5 volts for the digital decoding, and another +/- 15 volts for the analog circuits. absolutely no noise from it. if my computer isn't playing something, then it's completely silent, as it should be. works great on linux, just plug in and select it as the output.
Can you suggest an alternative with optical in and rca out?
was your pc volume at 100%? try using it at ~50-70% ish, see what happens! Hanz Beekhuyzen made a video on this DAC, which very clearly explains why there's high distortion with a high level digital input. He also explains how to fix it easily. This DAC is insane value for the money if you take the time to get to know it and use it correctly.
I own this DAC because I needed a cheap way to convert an optical signal. You're right, it's garbage. When paired with a low quality amp, like I was using, the distortion becomes hilariously bad. It clips exceptionally easily.
If it's so bad how does it have over 3000 reviews with an average of 4.5 stars? Really makes you wonder thankfully I got an Audioengine D1 that I can use if I need a DAC.
For a simple and budget-friendly device focused solely on sample rate communication without additional DAC or extensive recording capabilities, you might consider an external USB to SPDIF (coaxial or optical) converter. These converters are designed to transmit digital audio signals, including sample rate information, from your computer to an external DAC.
Here are a few options to consider:
PROZOR Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) Converter:
This is a basic USB to SPDIF converter that can be an affordable solution for transmitting digital audio signals. It supports both coaxial and optical SPDIF output.
"All DACs sound the same" lol this was great for a laugh thank you
I think you're simply overdriving it. I've noticed that the line / headphone output driver of some DACs clip asymmetrically before the DAC reaches 0dB, which is probably then just a gain thing (stay a few dB away from 0).
I have one of these to add analogue output to a Blu-ray player. The headphone amplifier is lousy but the RCA output to an amplifier is fine and works perfectly well.
I bet Zeos can't hear a difference between that and the Holo May lol
You mean Mr. All dacs sound the same? 🤣🤣🤣
@@heavynova yeah, apparently there is no difference between a $250and $4500 dac
Yeah i watch him for the comedy, not for the review. Cat girls and tenticle talk
@@heavynova Same. But back in the days, his reviews definitely had more impact on my buying decision and I was happy with the stuff he recommended. But today, he doesn’t really know how well some products perform and what else is out there
I connected it to my RCA amplifier sounded pretty good through my polk speakers 🔊 😎
I would love to see a video which answers the question: Is an Apple dongle really just as good as a $100 desktop DAC? Thanks
Try it and find out. You can get someone else to have a listen who you know couldn't care less which one sounds better. If someone you don't know on YT tests it you can never be sure if they are bs'ing you or not.
@@mrfrosty3 Ill tell you what I know, the headphone output on my iPad is alarmingly better sounding than the Apple dongle.
Latest ipad mini headphone out sounds like garbage tho. Got the motu m2 just to get around that
@@hdslave I have a little Shure MVi which I use with my iPhone 8 Plus.
Problem with Apple Dongle is the analog output. If you use more expensive headphone that is hard to drive, it won't do it.
I got one of those(different brand, same style) that had L/R reversed.
I actually managed to find what I think is an even worse DAC. The built in DAC on my LG 27GL850 gaming monitors. It crackles CONSTANTLY and is COMPLETELY distorted. I thought it MUST be defective, but all 3 of them have the same thing. It is actually completely unusable for anything, even people talking. Hilarious. I wish they had knocked the half penny they spent on it off the price and didn’t include any DAC.
Prozor DAC amazon page says "don't use anything other than 5V/1A". Your iFi iPower can send... 5V/2.5A; 9V/2.0A; 12V/1.8A; 15V/1.2A. I believe you're actually cooking it...
Should not make a difference, how much current is drawn depends on the device. If the power supply can output 5V 2.5A that does not mean that the device is drawing 2.5 amps, it just means it could. In the end it will draw as much as it needs.
@@professortoasty90 I know it SHOULD not, but it's also the cheapest DAC available. To reach this price, they might have used... unconventional methods.
@@LeDechaine whats the DAC i should buy for convert optical toslink from TV LG to Analog with perfection?
@@mrsandroks I would trust the FiiO D3 (D03K) way more. FiiO is well known, and the D3 measures well.
@@LeDechaine Thanks. Currently Iam with Prozor 192Khz (with volume knob) thats sounding good (faster than the screen Ive added a delay on lg audio conf). Its sounding good I can't tell a difference between the audio.
I'm literally only looking for a sample rate communicator for my DAC that unfortunately doesn't allow drivers so it can show the LED indicators change depending on each song's sample rate
You:
RUclips: Let's AutoPlay a video after this, which is showing you the exact same thing and telling you to buy it sight unseen 😆
it is VERY cheap
Hi. Which DAC would you suggest interms of performance and price ?
I have a TLC 43 inch TV, for some reason they didn’t put RCA outs on the set so I purchased this DAC to send the digital audio to my stereo. It works fine in that you can’t hear the distortion. I take your word for it, that the distortion exists, but can you hear it in a movie ?
That is a 2 USD DAC, they just rebrands it and jack up the price.
Do you actually hear the difference between normal DACS ? Since Z's holo may video im feeling like we might aswell compare the same pair of headphones on a good day vs a bad day
by the looks of just the frequency response, definitely noticeable difference. some hardware is just so bad, it should be a crime to waste the resources of the planet to produce such awful trash. replacing this dac with a literal tin can would sound better.
Get more than one opinion on things.
This DAC actually works like wonder for the price, you can really hear the difference. Maybe you plugged it wrong to the wall, it gets 5V maximum, there is a possibility that you're overloading it.
I'm using a basic 5V 1A phone charger, and I repeat, it works like wonder
Sure it does
how painful is it for others to listen to your audio equipment?
Shouldn't you be using the coaxial input for the full transfer speed from a digital source?
I bought a $20 "Signstek" DAC from Amazon, looks somewhat similar (but not exactly) - wonder if it's just as bad. Still haven't turned it on yet
still haven't tried it yet, too scared honestly
I wonder if my old Amiga 8-bit 30Khz sampling audio out is better than that Dongle...
Hand-built hobbyist R2R DACs that were created to plug into a MS-DOS PC's 8-bit parallel printer port and output direct CPU-driven sound at 22khz with questionable, at best, low-pass filtering probably sound better than this.
I like to see it thru a scope - 5 volt input to me sounds very low + or - 2 volts ??? I know you can up the voltage but that just means you end up with static electricity - can you try turning the dac all the way down then into a pre amp or is it just sht all the way
I have a head unit with optical. I also bought that for my car stereo setup, and it was utter garbage. I actually had a hiss even when music wasn't playing. I bought a more expensive DAC from a store called The Source here in Canada. The brand is Vital. It was much better. When I set my gains I was able to get 35 out of a possible 36 on my volume with less than 1% distortion. The Prozor could only achieve 32 out of 36. The prozor was 5 volt and the Vital was 12 volt which is more compatible with car stereos.
I need someone to explain to me how to make a device actually function, yet have this bad performance. I would imagine by having performance this bad, you would sooner be doing something so catastrophic, the device doesn't function.
Just look at this Link ruclips.net/video/ISLN9u1QOgo/видео.html
Thanks for video. Idea how to increase popularity of your channel - make review of some Nobsound (or like) D-class amplifier. I am sure many people type "Nobsound" and "D-class" in RUclips search. I am interested too :) .
I've had one of those nobsound amps on my desk and now she n my semi sleeper for about 2 yrs now and if you feed it a USB signal from a PC it will Rock some efficient speakers cleanly. It has a built in DAC. For $35 what's not to like?
Out of curiosity I tried it recently and it will probably be my first and last Dac.
It’s not as good as what’s already in my amp and CD player.
It also cuts the volume output so an immediate fail. Bass is wrong , highs are wrong and fade out and sound scratchy. Sounded like my horns where malfunctioning. Alright for a junky stereo maybe. Might help that.
Does your computer have an optical out? If not what source did you use to feed the Prozor?
Pretty sure he uses a raspberry pi with an audio hat.
Thank u for this
Thank u 4 this! I was thinking to buy a Digital Coaxial to Optical SPDIF Toslink Converter. Probably less things can go wrong there but i am gonna support a company who respects the quality n the customers.
What are the album frames on the walls with soundwave graph in it? Do you pin and present there your favorite albums? And the soundwaves suggest that the audio on them are not dynamically compressed.
Listening on ten dollar ear phones and wondering where the bass is?
What alternative would you recommend? I'm looking something with BT 5.0 (aptX etc support). I don't need built-in headphones amp.
I hope this inspires an upcoming episode dedicated to the worst gear your readers have purchased, and why. I 'm trying to think of the worst gear I bought, and not sure I can remember them. I mean, I've had some truly awful earphones and earbuds. Most which just about self-destructed out of the package. It's not bashing, so much as celebrating, just as we love to tell stories about terrible cars we have owned. Hint, the VW Automatic Stickshift in the Super Beetle, well, wasn't so great.
From an Amazon review lol
"The bad:
I'm not sure if there's something wrong with my particular unit, but as you can see in the pictures my oscilloscope shows some pretty aggressive clipping that starts after 50% volume on my PC. For that, I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5. I'd suggest you keep the volume on your TV, laptop, or console below 50%, clipping is very obvious when you hear it, it sounds very grainy and fuzzy so if you hear it, just turn the volume on your source down."
Some TV's digital out is pre the volume control, as in it's always 100%, no matter where you set the volume control (you adjust the volume with your amp), so that bullshit solution won't work.
Lmao how should a basically shit unit with a knowledgeable reviewer still get 4 stars??
I thought it sounded very similar to what comes with the Wiim Mini. Not the worst I have heard, but definitely close.
I just ordered a 1Mii B03Pro (ESS dac) for $60...but almost bought the Bludento BLT-HD $80 (Burr Brown dac)...any thoughts on these BT 5.0 recievers?
Never heard of Sir Woman. Opened Tidal, listened to Bitch. Found my mouse over the heart and clicking before I knew what I was doing lol. Thank you for introducing me.
Aw crud. I just bought their lightpipe to coax converter to free up the adat ports on my Fireface. As this part of the chain plays audio either from the chromecast or the 1Mii BT receiver when guests wanna be dj, I've not noticed any egregious quality ptoblems, but then again I don't have high expectations from YT streams that decide their own bit rate and friends who listen to 240p music videos.
Can you recommend a lightpipe-to-coax spdif converter that does what it says on the tin? Perhaps one that doesn't add or subtract anything substantial?
In my defense I just thought such a basic thing would be pretty hard to screw up. But now that I've said that I'm remembering a certain tiny copycat mixer from B---- that taught me from the first time that gear can actually ruin what passes through it. Thanks a lot B----, you started me down the Golden ears path, and that's cost me a lot of money.
Is it me or is there no sound?
It's not just you. This is the most mystifying YT clip I've ever seen.
Wow i actually bought one of these dacs. theres a lot of them like this. 14$ dacs lol. i bought it to use to try to convert the optical audio out on my TV to RCA. of course it didnt work.
I bought one this week and it works flawlessly
Try making a track tuned for this DAC and see how it sounds on a decent one
What’s a good device to buy to check audio outputs for dc offset? Something that could check ac mains outlets for dc too
Utter nonsense. I have the Prozor, and I find it quite good in every way. Handles all the frequency range as well as any economically priced DAC. In fact it is so good, I haven't even considered buying a more expensive one.
its got the same cirrus chip inside like most in this price class and many more 3-5 times the price. pretty sure you did something wrong. Its def. not hilariously bad.
The chip alone is just one part of a product. Lots of different products with the same chip that perform very differently.
I've actually recently got a new prozor unit to re-measure on the analyzer and it's just as bad: goldensound.audio/2021/08/03/prozor-dac-measurements-worst-dac-in-the-world/
@@GoldenSound i dont think youre even using the right power source. Before painting a product that bad, you should make sure you follow instructions properly. Just saying.
@@melangkoh4184 It takes a 5v psu. I used the ifi ipower, which is an exceptionally good psu.
Using a noisier, worse source like a pc usb port resulted in even worse performance
@@GoldenSound you are absolutely right. This is one garbage dac. Don't understand what these guys are talking about. It has pop which is caused by the distortion.
Lol I bought this DAC at a swap meet for $2. Thought it'd work in a pinch but maybe not!
You may have overpaid 😆
why no one talks about the unbalanced sound of newer dacs{snare drums being pushed behind and vocals being pushed forward(to extract more back ground details)}-everyone talks about specification on paper,no one talks of actual sound,this is the reason older philips 16bits dacs and wolfson 24 bit dacs(even some burrbrown 16bits ones) sound superior to any newer dac(32 bits,dsd compatible).At first even i was obsessed with back ground details but don't want it at the cost of snare drums being pushed back,this takes away musicality of songs.some dacs do not affect midrange(snare drums),but sound thin(lack of midbass).i dont care much about snr values,but what i do care about is well balanced,musical sound,for which designers should take reference from and try to replicate the sound of old philips(tda1311,tda1387,tda1541,uda series dacs,saa series philips multifunctional ics with inbuilt dac),wolfson(wm8772,wm8768,wm8728) and some burrbrown dacs(pcm1727,pcm1742).
The head mounted camera motion makes me woozy... is it possible to get a mount?
you could have saved me $14
I bought this to put some some weak digital source into my soundsystem as cheap as possible. My soundsystem wasn't ready for it. Also not my ears. I thought it was broken, but apparently that's just normal. I've used it for like 5 minutes and buried it deep in the attic ever since. Maybe someday I can use it as someone of cruel audio distortion weapon.
Amazon's choice is bought, not earned.
Remarkable how many yahoos in these comments don’t understand this
finally someone elses who tests with queen
Prozor?
Means "window" where I live. :)
I think that brand associate with "Neoteck DAC's" brand
100% you got a couple units from a bad run. Running mine at 192/24 and it sounds pretty much like my UAD Arrow. Didn't even do Hans' mod . QC is the bane of these economic import units.
this is good ?
a dac from a random 2010 phone is better than that
thank you. this is flooding market in south america, and OVERPRICED ( 50usd!) .
Thank you for this review!!
Peanut Gallery got SO MAD you tore down their doo-doo DAC lol
What dac do you recommend me to convert from my tv to my yamaha dxr12 mkii active cabin. saludos desde colombia
Yo tambien busco algo para convertir el sonido de mi TV para mi bocina profesional, pero compré ese DAC y me dicen que es horrible me siento confuso.
@@mrsandroks hola, en cuanto te salio, yo opte por comprar un bluetooth ugreen 5.0 Aptx rca, me ha ido muy bien
@@vhmd86 no hay problemas con el convertidor Prozor 192Khz just buy the white versión con botón de volumen. Buscar por prozor en RUclips hay otro RUclipsr que dice muy bien de él. Y yo estoy mirando tv y me suena bien el audio
never thought a dac could make me laugh
Now I want to hear this thing
But I don't really want to buy one tho hmmmm
not much point in only you listening
0:58 Didn't you mean to say "On the right..." for the total harmonic distortion measurements of the Prozor DAC?
Can you recommend a good toslink DAC?
www.amazon.com/FiiO-Essential-Digital-Analog-Converter/dp/B07L61JPQW?th=1
@@m4nc1n1 lol that is exactly the same as this DAC just in a different shell and branded by fiio
Compared to our DACs I assume it is terrible
I use this thing to hook up my tv. It doesn’t require careful listening so it’s fine 😊
Please, Please, Please, let this cam rest.
One has to be deaf to not hear how distorted this dac is
Sorry, what are you refer to if you mention the Apple Dongle?
I’d suggest you have a dud. I have one here and it’s astonishingly clear.
nice voice crack (1:49) xD
How to repair this DAC
ruclips.net/video/ISLN9u1QOgo/видео.html
Hello from SBAF.
Please do dailies. This is golden.... pun not intended?
It serves a purpose - CONTRAST!
Use this to contrast against a good DAC for people who think DACs don’t make a difference (in a back-to-back listening session).
See? It has a purpose! 😁
I thought it was Prozac dac for medical use....
lovely :DD
well it's like 12$ sooo...
for $12, I'd expect to get a product that's at least usable. from the looks of it, this is not.
@@lorenzo42p The dac is fine for a general budget system.
I hope you got a refund from Amazon !
Fwiw, to my understanding there is God and He/She can see the humour in the situation at least as well as any human.
First, begone with you Havoc!
Also, great work Golden lol
You're the Mandark to Zeos' Dexter and I love it.
we needed this review so bad
Wow