New subscriber here….great review!! I have a D16 and the PB5….I have a question for you about stacking these two components. The PB5 specs says it can accept a balanced input up to 2.5 V, while the 4.4 balanced output of the D16 in Line Out, DAC LO gain is 3.3 Vrms and DAC High Gain is 4 Vrms. D16 DAC volume control while in Line Out mode will decrease Line Out voltage. Since each step of of the DAC vol is .5 dB, then to attain a D16 Line Out voltage of 2.5 V (for the PB5), the DAC volume should be around 95 (Low Gain) or 92 (High gain)…..Do you keep your D16 Line out voltage under 2.5 Vrms when stacking it with your PB5 to prevent clipping your analog signal? Thanks!! 👍🏼
Hii, I do not attenuate the volume at all, and it sounds very good! So I use the volume on the DAC up to 100%, and use the volume on PB5. I also used PB5 at max and used the volume on D16 when driving very hard to drive headphones, like Susvara unveiled, or T+A Solitaire P-SE. But it does not make a big difference, somehow it just works with no background noise and no distortion
I have only briefly heard the R8 ii, so i can't say for sure, but judging from the time I spent with D16, I would say it is easily the best portable DAC AMP I heard so far, R8ii is also nice, but DX340 is coming out soon, I'd wait for it :)
Great review, as always! I own the Dan Clark E3 headphones, and I would like to know if in terms of sound quality, if the Taipan gives a better sound than the Questyle CMA 18p? (I already own it...) I'm not talking about power. In short, is the upgrade worth it? Because the CMA18p makes a very good match with the E3.
@@mariorock76 for my expanse, D16 is the best sounding portable dac amp out there, but I have not heard cma18, so I'm not sure where it stands. But you really can't go wrong with d16
Good question, I am still waiting on the DX340, so until it arrives, D16 is my top choice for a desktop portable DAC, or DX320 MAX Ti, but Max ti is much pricier
If I want to have best possible sound quality with no lag to play music, movie and games with Sony MDR-Z1R mainly / only, should I get iBasso D16, DC-ELITE, Questyle M15i, CMA18, Sony 707 DAP or something else, in door most of the time, outdoor maybe? I read that DAP before Android 14 or 13 will have lag when use in USB DAC and apps outside the special made native walkman app, true?
From that list, D16 would be my top pick. Around this price point, a second hand DX320 MAX Ti might be an excellent choice too. D16 would be my favorite option overall. Or Dethonray listening M1 if you can get it a better psu
@AudiophileHeaven i see, thanks! By the way, I am a freelance logo designer, would you love to have a logo redesign to have a heaven inspired audiophile logo instead just AH to take advantage of your cool brand name to have something more functional and memorable looking of logo? Let me know and I would love to work with you to redesign your logo and brand too! :-)
At 1:40 you talk about charging the battery. Sorry, but I don't understand from the video what the problem is. More information would be very nice. THX
Okay, so please let me go a bit more in-depth. Having the data input separate from the charging port has a big impact on the sonic quality, as it isolates the battery circuit from the processing circuit, eliminating all the noise that would enter the digital processor, allowing the unit to sound the most defined and most crisp.
That is a very good question - Typically they cannot function without it, but for long-term usage, the battery is easy to replace and should not be a problem
As far as I am aware, no DAC chip in particular can beat the D16, but it does not have an XLR output, nor the features of a desktop DAC, which is why I would recommend it more as a portable DAC. For example, XLR and RCA outputs at the same time, combined with having a subwoofer output can help a lot for a desktop DAC, wile D16 has only 4.4mm and 3.5mm outputs, great for many things, not the same as desktop DACs. Something with a similar degree of performance is AAdac which is a few times in price.
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Great video thanks. This makes the prospect of the DX340 particularly appealing, as it seems it will use the same dac technology.
Super nice, can't wait for it to be released too!!
Strongly recommend pairing it with the PB5! Such a great “portable” stack.
Using it this way every day, totally recommend it too!
New subscriber here….great review!!
I have a D16 and the PB5….I have a question for you about stacking these two components. The PB5 specs says it can accept a balanced input up to 2.5 V, while the 4.4 balanced output of the D16 in Line Out, DAC LO gain is 3.3 Vrms and DAC High Gain is 4 Vrms. D16 DAC volume control while in Line Out mode will decrease Line Out voltage. Since each step of of the DAC vol is .5 dB, then to attain a D16 Line Out voltage of 2.5 V (for the PB5), the DAC volume should be around 95 (Low Gain) or 92 (High gain)…..Do you keep your D16 Line out voltage under 2.5 Vrms when stacking it with your PB5 to prevent clipping your analog signal? Thanks!! 👍🏼
Hii, I do not attenuate the volume at all, and it sounds very good! So I use the volume on the DAC up to 100%, and use the volume on PB5. I also used PB5 at max and used the volume on D16 when driving very hard to drive headphones, like Susvara unveiled, or T+A Solitaire P-SE. But it does not make a big difference, somehow it just works with no background noise and no distortion
Have you heard the Hiby r8 ii? Trying to decide between that and the d16. Purely from a sound perspective
I have only briefly heard the R8 ii, so i can't say for sure, but judging from the time I spent with D16, I would say it is easily the best portable DAC AMP I heard so far, R8ii is also nice, but DX340 is coming out soon, I'd wait for it :)
Great review, as always! I own the Dan Clark E3 headphones, and I would like to know if in terms of sound quality, if the Taipan gives a better sound than the Questyle CMA 18p? (I already own it...) I'm not talking about power. In short, is the upgrade worth it? Because the CMA18p makes a very good match with the E3.
@@mariorock76 for my expanse, D16 is the best sounding portable dac amp out there, but I have not heard cma18, so I'm not sure where it stands. But you really can't go wrong with d16
Worth waiting for the dx340 or pick up the d16 Taipan?
Good question, I am still waiting on the DX340, so until it arrives, D16 is my top choice for a desktop portable DAC, or DX320 MAX Ti, but Max ti is much pricier
If I want to have best possible sound quality with no lag to play music, movie and games with Sony MDR-Z1R mainly / only, should I get iBasso D16, DC-ELITE, Questyle M15i, CMA18, Sony 707 DAP or something else, in door most of the time, outdoor maybe? I read that DAP before Android 14 or 13 will have lag when use in USB DAC and apps outside the special made native walkman app, true?
From that list, D16 would be my top pick. Around this price point, a second hand DX320 MAX Ti might be an excellent choice too. D16 would be my favorite option overall. Or Dethonray listening M1 if you can get it a better psu
@AudiophileHeaven i see, thanks! By the way, I am a freelance logo designer, would you love to have a logo redesign to have a heaven inspired audiophile logo instead just AH to take advantage of your cool brand name to have something more functional and memorable looking of logo? Let me know and I would love to work with you to redesign your logo and brand too! :-)
At 1:40 you talk about charging the battery. Sorry, but I don't understand from the video what the problem is. More information would be very nice. THX
Okay, so please let me go a bit more in-depth. Having the data input separate from the charging port has a big impact on the sonic quality, as it isolates the battery circuit from the processing circuit, eliminating all the noise that would enter the digital processor, allowing the unit to sound the most defined and most crisp.
Would Charging the D16 from a power bank instead of a power brick, eliminate any noise.?
Yes, that would help a lot. I do that a lot as I have a huge power bank from Anker and it works well!
Greetings
Very good video, keep up the good work
I have a question, do you know if the device can still function without the battery?
That is a very good question - Typically they cannot function without it, but for long-term usage, the battery is easy to replace and should not be a problem
@@AudiophileHeaven What a pity
I wish this had a battery bypass mode like the FiiO Q15.
Thanks 🫡
thank you so much for this review.. what desktop dac beat the dac in it?
As far as I am aware, no DAC chip in particular can beat the D16, but it does not have an XLR output, nor the features of a desktop DAC, which is why I would recommend it more as a portable DAC. For example, XLR and RCA outputs at the same time, combined with having a subwoofer output can help a lot for a desktop DAC, wile D16 has only 4.4mm and 3.5mm outputs, great for many things, not the same as desktop DACs. Something with a similar degree of performance is AAdac which is a few times in price.
Topping D900