FX-Audio DAC-X6 DAC&Headphone amp

Any of these are going to greatly improve the sound over plugging your headphones directly into the mini-jack on a computer. Listening was done with a few different headphones but mostly with beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X Closed-Back Studio Headphones. Music source was a laptop connected to the DAC/Headphone Amp via USB. If an external power supply was included, I used that. If not, power came via USB. I've kept notes on my impressions brief and included comparisons amongst the DAC/Amp's in this list. They are listed below in my order of preference with my favorites at the top. If you want flowery vocabulary I'm sure in depth reviews are available out there on the web. Headphones make the greatest difference in sound - spend more on them, if necessary. The DAC/Amp is secondary but does add its own flavor to the music. --- iFi Zen DAC V2 | Desktop Digital Analog Converter (Listening only with "TRUEBASS" off.) Very good. Slightly better than the FiiO K7. Better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. I ended up comparing this with the FX-Audio DAC-X6 head to head, which continued to surprise me as I put it up against significantly more expensive competitors. Across several hours and many pieces of music, I prefer the iFi... but the difference is infinitesimal. Possibly the iFi has a little more punch to the bass? Maybe a bit more space ans separation? If you're working to a budget, get the FX-Audio and put the extra cash towards better headphones. FX-Audio DAC-X6 Mini HiFi 2.0 Digital Audio Decoder DAC This thing is good. Surprisingly good. I ended up putting it head-to-head with amps costing three times its price. Slightly warmer sound, with slightly less detail in the vocals than the iFi Zen Air, but more space in the music, and more enjoyable to listen to. Slightly better clarity than the Topping. FiiO K7 Full Balanced HiFi DAC Headphone Amplifier This is indeed better than the K5 version. Vocals are more lifelike. And a particular emphasis on the mid-treble heard in the K5 is absent. There is more separation between the instruments. Very close call with the iFi V2, with my preference going to the iFi for better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. iFi Zen Air DAC Not quite as good as the V2, but close. Closer than the FiiO K5 is to the K7. There is, again, a comparative emphasis in mid-treble and the vocals get a bit lost. The sound is slightly thin compared to rivals at this price point. FiiO K5 Pro Headphone Amps Portable Desktop DAC and Amplifier Not quite as good as the K7, but at half the price one cannot really complain. Vocals are not quite as lifelike and there is more mid-treble - but not in a good way. Topping DX1 Mini Stereo DAC Headphone Amplifier Combo Very good little unit. Bass is slightly overemphasized. Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming DAC Headphone Amplifier I thought this unit was DOA. Turns out that you must long press the volume knob to turn it on. (Short press to select input.) Not terrible, but not as musical as the others in this test. Also, the only one with bass and treble knobs. And only a mini-jack - no 1/4" jack. Pro-Ject Head Box S2 Digital This DAC/Amp had an issue that makes it unlistenable. The sound is very nice... but... there's some faint static. Only in the music, not in silence. A faint crackling.... Can't have that.

Alright - so right off, allow me to say that I gave it 5 stars due to two factors - the price (which is only $69.95 as of this writing - a pittance really) and the audio performance that punches a bit above its weight. To set up this review, I am reviewing this DAC mostly as a result of listening to various self-powered active speakers around my desktop PC. I am not a headphone user (as of yet). The speakers I am using are the Edifier S3000 Pro's, the Edifier R2000DB's, the Edifier R1850DB's, the Edifier S350DB's, and the JBL 1 Series 104's. I also have 5 to 6 other DAC units that I switch back and forth thanks to the likes of the most excellent manual (lossless) GoHiFiAudio S1 RCA audio switcher (sold here on Amazon). Cables used were: 1) USB cables were the Audioquest Pearls, Kabel Direct cables, and Amazon basics cables. 2) RCA cables were the World's Best Cables and the Blue Jeans Cables LC-1's. In addition, just recently I added the unbelievably superb iFi Purifier 3.0 USB conditioner which really cleans up and reclocks your dirty USB lines. Since I spend a good 6 - 8 hours daily working, communicating, and photo processing in Photoshop (yes, in addition to being an audiophile, I'm a photographer also). While there, I listen to a variety of music centered around classical, big band, jazz, Latin jazz, and other larger orchestral styles. And I'm quite serious about the quality of the music to be sure. Now enter the FX-Audio X6. So why in the heck would I buy such a budget unit if I'm an audiophile? Quite simple, and that involves cost vs performance ratio measurements. I wanted to see how low you can go price-wise and still get relatively superb sound. I also purchased another DAC unit which I've come to enjoy and that is the similarly price ($69.99) SABAJ D3. So between the two, some interesting comments can be made. Sound-wise, the FX Audio X6 has an expansive sound quality to it, with more of a laid back sound stage, yet at the same time handling dynamics quite skillfully and providing that sense of "immediacy" that transports you to the live performance. The SABAJ unit has a more up front sound and although it also has a good depth profile, the FX Audio's depth goes further back from front to rear. Additionally, the imaging (instrumental separation) is quite good in both units and I cannot fault either unit. I must say however, that periodically - depending on recording - the imaging on the FX-Audio can be a bit strange (but only rarely). In one recording that I was listening to - Schubert's Trout Quintet - there was a passage where the violin on the left of the stage sounded as if it was recorded in a separate booth all by itself and sounded quite unnatural (when compared to the rest of the musicians playing the piece). I had wrongly assumed it was just the recording, but when I played the same piece through both my Schiit Modi 3 and the SABAJ D3 DAC's, all sounded well and the instrumental placement was where it was supposed to be. Bass reproduction was exemplary with tight bass - not bloated at all. Bass transients were tight, although presented a bit further back on the soundstage. Again, the other DAC units I use had a more up-front sound quality to them. The only other DAC that I currently have that has a more laid back signature (similar to the FX-Audio X6) is the Soundavo HP-DAC1. Mids and highs are exceptional and the full crescendo of a symphony orchestra is presented with both weight and clarity, whereas some other DAC's I've tried in the past got a bit muddy when that occurred. And things sounded even better once I added the awesome iFi Purifier 3.0 USB conditioner into the mix - remarkably so. Now, I can't go any further without stating that any good audio gear benefits by a warm-up/break-in period. The sound I'm hearing now (having owned the FX Audio for over a month now) sounds much better (warmer) than it did when I first turned it on. So whatever you do, don't make any judgements until your unit has been warmed up for several days to a week. I keep my DAC's on all of the time and that can make a world of difference. It has been my experience that most budget DAC's tend to sound a bit bright or harsh, if you will, upon first turning them on. So just give it some time. There are so many DAC's out there now - I'd say almost a 100 or so and many are budget DAC's. What ever you do, don't assume that budget equates to below standard, as that is most certainly not the case. There are some excellent units out there for well below $100 - those being the likes of the FX AUDIO X6, the SABAJ D3, and a half dozen others. It's uncanny really. Also please note that many budget DAC's sound very, very familiar. It is only as time goes on and the units become properly broken in that small differences begin to arise. And such was the case with the FX AUDIO and the SABAJ units. Other than the depth scenario, they pretty well sound very similar. Typically once I acquire and evaluate different DAC units, I wind up selling those were just so-so, or less than stellar, but I must say that both the FX AUDIO X6 and the SABAJ D3 are worthy "keepers," and they will be staying in my system. In fact, as I write this personal review, I am listening to my Edifier S3000Pro active speakers fueled by the FX AUDIO X6 - to Beethoven's Piano Concerto 5 - and the sound is absolutely sublime. I feel as though I'm there in the symphony hall. And isn't that one of the best compliments you can pay to a unit? As is usually the case, YMMV and I can only discuss experiences I have with my system.

I got this DAC headphone amp to drive my high impedance Sennheiser HD600 (300 ohms) and vintage HD414 (2000 ohms) headphones. These are audiophile phones and demand more from amps than typical device headphone jacks offer. I like this device. It's not too big, the most used controls are up front and clearly marked. There's a handy green signal LED that lights to let me know when my iMac is driving the headphone amp via USB. One issue I find a bit annoying is that the volume changes in overly large dB steps when I change it from the macOS level control. I don't know if this is a Mac/USB issue or if it's internal to the FX-Audio device. The volume changes smoothly in small dB increments from the front mounted volume knob.

This thing is excellent, robust, great sound quality and being able to leave the headphones plugged in all the time and still have it go to the speakers is a really nice touch. I just turn the speakers off when they aren't wanted. I love the look too, it matches my silver 70s amp stack nicely

I connected it to my old Luxman CD player and Linsoul XDUOO MT-602 6J1 Tube Transistor Headphone Amplifier and it worked great.

excellent

I purchased this DAC for it's coax digital support with the intention of assembling a TV sound bar equivalent. I have a couple of audio interfaces that are USB only which could not be used for a disk player. The sources are a desktop computer running Ubuntu 22.04 and a Sony 4K blu ray player. The FX-Audio provides inputs for both. The volume control on the front does not apply to the RCA out connectors on the back and that is clearly stated in the product discription. The unit sounds great for both streaming from the computer or watching disks on the Sony player. The unit's case is of brushed aluminium and the face plate is brushed aluminium about 1/2 cm thick. It has a solid quality feel when you pick it up. This is a first rate choice from the budget DAC category.