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I just did another "order first ask questions later" thing. Although I read reviews online, and saw a few that mentioned the AudioEngine D1 was comparable or exceeds the quality of a Xonar Essence STX. I ordered it, FedEx 2-Day shipping, because I hate waiting. The website says it's compatible with Mac, and no drivers are required, which I assume that means it uses generic drivers. Anyway, now that I've ordered it first, , does anyone have any experience with or ever listened to a decent set of speakers or headphones with the AudioEngine D1? I'm not going to be using headphones with it. I will be using it to power a set of Klipsch Promedia 2.1's.

I don't have any experience personally with the Audioengine D1. However, if you don't need a headphone amp, there are well regarded USB DACs starting at around $100.

For example, the Centrance DACport Slim (though I can't find anyone selling this at the moment. Maybe a Massdrop exlcusive?). Or even something like this .

Unless you got the D1 for quite a deal, there are somewhat cheaper options if you are not going to use it with headphones and only exclusively with a Klipsch Promedia.

I got it for $160. From the reviews I've read and watched it gets quite a bit of praise, but never really any clear opinions of how it compares to other external DACs. It doesn't have any negative reviews though, so that is good. It does 24 bit/96 Khz. I wish it did 192 Khz, but I haven't been able to find many FLAC files that do 192. A few samples from sites that sell FLACs derived from master copies, but nothing mainstream. It has rear analog RCA outputs. I guess I won't know how it sounds until I get it. It got good reviews for being well-built as well, with the only complaint being the power button feeling kind of loose and lighting up too bright. There are some complaints from Mac OS X Yosemite users that it doesn't work with Yosemite, but other users say the problem is with either users who upgraded to Yosemite without doing a clean install or users who didn't realize that they had to go into the Audio MIDI Setup menu to point the audio output to the USB device, as they have had zero problems with getting it to work with OS X Yosemite. Also, I found this review of a guy who compared it to a few other DACs.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/581815/review-and-discussions-audioengine-d1-24-96-usb-and-optical-dac-amp-for-laptops-and-computers

I can't speak for that specific model, but I *do* prefer models which have a standard spdif/optical inputs. The reason is that USB can require drivers which may or may not be stable, updated, or available for your OS.

I'd recommend the SMSL M2($65.99) for your PC or the Topping NX2($54.99) if you want battery powered portability. I own both and they sound amazing. The M2 has a 2v output if you ever want to output to an AMP and power some bookshelf speakers too.

M2 http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-External/dp/B00OGWCLKU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1441977050&sr=8-2&keywords=smsl+m2
NX2 http://www.amazon.com/NX2-Portable-Amplifier-Headphone-Earphone/dp/B00T5I60QQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441977221&sr=8-1&keywords=topping+nx2

A Review by Zeos on the M2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NnV9DZ_YmA

confusedpenguin wrote:

Anyway, now that I've ordered it first, , does anyone have any experience with or ever listened to a decent set of speakers or headphones with the AudioEngine D1? I'm not going to be using headphones with it. I will be using it to power a set of Klipsch Promedia 2.1's.

I have the D1 paired with a set of Audioengine A5+'s. I really enjoy the sound it produces. Those Klipsch speakers are decent, and you won't be left wanting for bass with them, but just be forewarned that you may find yourself wanting to replace them soon after you have the DAC. I use the headphone amp on the dac/amp quite often and I really enjoy it too (paired with a set of ATH-M50's and Senn 485's).

I think the D1 is a decent price for what it offers. Really decent DAC, OK amp, small/portable, SPDIF/USB, and it's constructed really well. You'll be happy with your purchase, imo.

Awesome! Yeah, after I spoiled myself on my last computer with a Xonar Essence St, I really can't go back to basic motherboard audio. Regardless of what anyone else says, there is a difference between an aftermarket DAC and the crap that they slap on most motherboards. Although people say some of the high-end ASUS motherboard have very good onboard audio, but I haven't had a chance to hear them personally. I have an iMac though, so I needed to go with the USB option. If I had the money, I would get a $1,000 DAC with a pair of $5,000 speakers. Maybe if I get a good inheritance someday. I had Klipsch speakers once, but sold them last year. Now I wish I would have kept them because now I have to buy another set. I want the subwoofer. I would get the same speakers you have, but I watch some sci-fi stuff on Netflix, so I want that thunderous boom when a starship blows up or something. Not that you'd really hear it in space or anything if it were real.

confusedpenguin wrote:

...but I watch some sci-fi stuff on Netflix, so I want that thunderous boom when a starship blows up or something. Not that you'd really hear it in space or anything if it were real.

I might be a bigger Star Trek fan than you are (I usually am than most ), and honestly I'm never wanting for the bass with my set up. It's definitely personal preference though. One thing that is really impressive with the D1+A5+ is how loud things can get with next to no distortion. The A5+s can really fill a big space.

That's good to know. Sometimes it's impossible to listen to certain speakers beforehand because there are no places that demo them. I loved my old Klipsch speakers, but they didn't have a flat frequency response for sure, at least not with certain types of music. How do you think the bass compares with your AudioEngine A5s to the Klipsch 2.1s? I've also considered a decent stereo receiver and a pair of Polk Audio speakers or even the Bose 901s if I can find a modern receiver with preamp to amp removeable horseshoe pins. Yes, I said Bose. Don't knock the 901s. I also had a pair of them but the ex wife said they were too big for the entertainment center and I donated them to the church we used to go to. They sounded amazing, and they are loud enough to be useful for their small auditorium.

How many watts does the D1 output? How can you tell if it'll drive a given set of speakers?

confusedpenguin wrote:

but I watch some sci-fi stuff on Netflix, so I want that thunderous boom when a starship blows up or something.

You are worried about Netflix audio?

I'm not an audiophile but I do enjoy good sound. I've gone completely over to BT audio (I live in a condo so I've gotten rid of my thunderous speaker setup). A decent pair of BT headphones (Beats Studio Wireless) are good enough for me (and I do enjoy a thunderous boom when a starship blows up).

confusedpenguin wrote:

How do you think the bass compares with your AudioEngine A5s to the Klipsch 2.1s?

I owned the K 2.1's before I had the D1+A5+. There is WAY more boomy bass in the 2.1's. I mean, they do have a subwoofer, what do you expect. The bass on the A5+'s is much tighter, albeit still not as strong.

BTW Penguin, IMHO, unless you are setting up a home theater setup, a subwoofer is really overkill. (don't use the D1 to power your home theater either )

I own the Audioengine D1 DAC with a pair of M-Audio AV-40 speakers. My speakers are the limiting factor, but I definitely enjoy the sound and the ease of using the DAC (no drivers, no separate power cable). Prior to this setup, I used a Creative Sound Blaster Z and Klipsch ProMedia 2.1. Both setups were awesome. The only thing sounding better is my $300 pair of headphones.

FireGryphon wrote:

How many watts does the D1 output? How can you tell if it'll drive a given set of speakers?

It doesn't really have any watts. Its basically an eternal USB sound card. I'm going to get a set of powered speakers also. It has a headphone jack on the front and Left/Right RCA outputs on the back. I'll be using the RCA outputs.

So it requires either headphones or powered speakers -- cool, just checking.

Yup. I would have gone with an internal sound card, but, I can't really find a way to open my iMac and cram one in there. I had to go with a USB solution. I guess noise isolation of going external is a bonus though.

FireGryphon wrote:

So it requires either headphones or powered speakers -- cool, just checking.

Or an external AMP.

Preferably a vacuum tube amp.

Well, I got it. It sound...... pretty dang good. No disappointments. I had to go "borrow" my dad's cheap Bose desktop speakers, and yes, I'm impressed. Now I need to go out and buy some "real" speakers to fully enjoy this thing.

What are you going to get? I really suggest getting something "better" than that Klipsch 2.1 set. That's not to say they are bad speakers, but you can definitely find a better companion for that DAC.

I'm not sure. Do you have any recommendations for under $200 that might be better than the Klipsch Promedias? I used to have a set, but I know there are better ones out there. I just don't want to break the bank right now.

If you like a bit of bass, it's pretty hard to beat the Promedia 2.1 for the money for overall sound if you get a good price. However, if you favor fidelity over base, there are 2-channel bookshelf/amp combo options.

Just an example: Something like these speakers with something like this amp

Nice speakers, but maybe something with an internal amplifier. I may just have to save up another paycheck and get the Audioengine A5+ and then next paycheck get the Audioengine subwoofer. I've read someone say that they couldn't hear the difference between the Klipsch Promedia 2.1s and the Audioengine A5+s.

if you have the choice, may i suggest trying out my setup if its available near to you.. I have the D1, and a pair of JBL LSR305s.. Since you mentioned that you like the reference signature,(I do too!) to be honest with you, I was already very impressed when using my old Grado SR-80i with the D1, and then went out and made my own pair using the Turbulent X drivers, and that felt amazing already, albeit requiring a low noise floor ( have fun listening in a quiet room, they are awesome! ) but then i switched to those two speakers.. hehehe lets just say I didnt touch those cans anymore when I have the choice to Make sure to do proper speaker arrangement as they like to be positioned far away from walls! Bass is punchy yet tight, Have not tried the sub yet but these two are already plenty good!

Sorry for slightly hijacking the thread, but I've been getting fussier and fussier about hearing PC "noise" through my speakers lately, and my Xonar DX has been giving me some pretty annoying audible noise in some situations.

Its been a great card but I find myself not using ANY of its features, and in fact my best sounding speakers (custom built floor standers I'm still working on) are hooked up through my HT amplifier, which is connected to my PC through my TV via HDMI... so it isn't even using my sound card.

For my desk though, I'm using a Sure Electronics TDA7492 based stereo amplifier, powering two Pioneer BS21 bookshelf speakers. The amp is just hooked up to my Xonar DX via a stereo RCA to 3.5mm jack.

Would something like this Behringer UCA202 have a better DAC (and complete isolation from PC interference) compared to my Xonar DX? There are tons of basic USB sound cards out there for under $10 but they look like garbage. This one looks to be of better quality... though the line-in capabilities likely won't be utilized unless I somehow find time to learn how to play an instrument (which would be cool). Is there a better or cheaper option?

I've been a sound card snob for years... I remember being ecstatic when I won an auction for an Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500 SuperQuad PCI Sound Card back in 1999-2000 to get the latest and greatest A3D features... but it seems like they serve no purpose any more, and if you're looking for higher quality and less problems (audible noise problems or driver problems) you're best off just going for a good USB DAC.

What are some things I'd actually be losing by going this way versus just using my sound card? I do have fall-back 3D audio support via an OpenAL based DirectSound3D wrapper (ALChemy can work on non Creative cards with some tinkering), but its been quite some time since I've used that. Is there a way to do that in software just in case?

ozzuneoj wrote:

Would something like this Behringer UCA202 have a better DAC (and complete isolation from PC interference) compared to my Xonar DX? There are tons of basic USB sound cards out there for under $10 but they look like garbage. This one looks to be of better quality... though the line-in capabilities likely won't be utilized unless I somehow find time to learn how to play an instrument (which would be cool). Is there a better or cheaper option?

If you use its optical/digital output it's probably OK. I wouldn't expect great quality analog sound from a $30 unit, though. For analog audio I'd go for another unit, even an inexpensive T-amp like this one.

FireGryphon wrote:

ozzuneoj wrote:

Would something like this Behringer UCA202 have a better DAC (and complete isolation from PC interference) compared to my Xonar DX? There are tons of basic USB sound cards out there for under $10 but they look like garbage. This one looks to be of better quality... though the line-in capabilities likely won't be utilized unless I somehow find time to learn how to play an instrument (which would be cool). Is there a better or cheaper option?

If you use its optical/digital output it's probably OK. I wouldn't expect great quality analog sound from a $30 unit, though. For analog audio I'd go for another unit, even an inexpensive T-amp like this one.

The TDA7492 in my Sure amp is newer and much better than the Tripath 2024 in that topping. I can't see spending $109 on an amp\dac combo to get less power and older technology than I have now.

The point of buying the Behringer would be for the DAC only, since my amp is actually quite good for the money but is analog only. If I were going to use digital output to something I'd just do so with my Xonar.

Also, my speakers were $20 on clearance and my amp was $36. I'm cheap.

Okie dokie. So, I got AudioEngine A5+ speakers for Christmas. I'm loving them, but now I feel like the Audioengine D1 DAC is limiting me somewhat. Now I need recommendations on a better USB DAC. (it seems like I'm going to get myself into an endless loop here, upgrading one piece of equipment only to find I need to upgrade the other and back and forth and so on). I've read good things about the Schitt Bitfrost. It seems like the D1 DAC was just meant to be an entry-level "good" DAC to get people started down the path of being interested in good sound.

Check out the Z Reviews YouTube channel. Zeos has reviewed nearly ALL the reasonably affordable DACs.

confusedpenguin wrote:

Okie dokie. So, I got AudioEngine A5+ speakers for Christmas. I'm loving them, but now I feel like the Audioengine D1 DAC is limiting me somewhat. Now I need recommendations on a better USB DAC. (it seems like I'm going to get myself into an endless loop here, upgrading one piece of equipment only to find I need to upgrade the other and back and forth and so on). I've read good things about the Schitt Bitfrost. It seems like the D1 DAC was just meant to be an entry-level "good" DAC to get people started down the path of being interested in good sound.

o.O I think we're on the same page! I have a set of A5+'s and the D1 too. I kind of feel the same way, but it's more of a personal preference on how the D1 sounds for me. The D1 is actually a pretty decent DAC, especially for the price. I wouldn't necessarily consider the sound quality to be "entry-level," but the price definitely is. I think you need to decide what characteristics you want out of a DAC/AMP and go from there. Plus i'm sure you know this at this point, but no matter how good of gear you have, your source is always going to be a limiter if you have crappy recordings.

I'm going to start replacing things with the Valhalla 2. I will likely pick up a Bitfrost Multibit in another 6+ months or so, but I actually think a Valhalla 2 might be a good place for you to start too. You have a decent set of headphones you like to listen with too?