AudioEngine D1 24-bit DAC
Audioengine D1 Premium 24-bit DAC (digital-to-analog converter) allows you to bypass your computer's soundcard or headphone output and send audio through USB or optical. D1 is the perfect digital interface between your computer and music system and will improve the sound of ALL your music. Built-In D1 DAC. We really like the stand alone Audioengine D1 DAC. When using Bluetooth or USB in, you will take advantage of this DAC. We found when we used the D1 in combination with other Audioengine speakers, it greatly improved their sound. The fact that it’s built into the HD3 is a serious perk. May 19, 2014 Audioengine’s D1 digital-to-analog converter is the solution and marriage saver. This little USB-powered gem connects via a digital audio optical cable (not included) from a port on the rear of my TV to an identical port on the rear of the D1. I use my iPad’s USB/AC charging plug to power the D1 from its included USB cable, because my. The D1 worked on my GF's PC (Windows 10) and my laptop (Windows 7), when it was connected to those machines (using the USB cable that comes with the D1) it was immediately identified and in the 'playback' devices menu it was shown as the 'Audioengine D1'. On my PC however it refused to be recognized by my Windows 10. (The company also makes the older, $169 D1 Premium 24-bit DAC, which is larger but offers an optical-digital input, RCA outputs, a hardware volume knob, and 176.4 and 192 kHz capability.
Summary
- Product Name: D1 24-bit DAC
- Manufacturer: AudioEngine
- Review Date:March 27, 2012 07:05
- MSRP: $169
- First Impression: Pretty Cool
- DAC type: Dual Mode USB and Optical (SPDIF)
- Inputs: USB/Optical (SPDIF)
- Outputs: RCA stereo/3.5mm headphone
- D/A converter: AKM4396
- Optical receiver: CS8416
- USB controller: TI1020B
- USB: Type 1.1 or above
- Full-scale output: 2.0V RMS (RCA and Headphone)
- Output impedance: 47 ohms RCA, 10 ohms headphone
- Power source: USB 5V
- Power requirements: 200mA
- USB power filtering: 2-stage redundant regulation
- SNR: >110db
- THD+N: <0.002%
- Crosstalk: <-85db
- Frequency response: 10Hz - 25KHz +/- 0.5db
- Input bit depth: up to 24 bits
- Input data rate: up to 192KS/s (optical), 96KS/s (USB)
- Product dimensions: 3.5x4x1'
- Shipping weight: 1.0 lbs (0.5kg)
- Included accessories: USB cable, 2ft, Setup Guide, Microfiber bag
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/4/3/124383517/175810882.jpg)
Executive Overview
I didn't realize how crappy the preamp was that I was using to feed my AudioEngine 5+ speakers. Now we reviewed those speakers earlier this year and for our listening tests I used various source components, including an iPhone, a Blu-ray player and the stereo outputs of an A/V receiver. But after the review we hooked the speakers back up to my laptop using an external hybrid microphone DAC. That was a mistake. I wondered why the clarity and top end of the A5+'s seemed a bit lacking all of a sudden, when I had previously found them to be pretty darn good.
Then I connected this thing - the D1. This is Audioengine's 24-bit Digital Audio Converter - or DAC. It connects to your Mac or PC via USB (cable included) and acts as an external sound card. And it does it without any special drivers or software installation - which we really loved. It converts your digital music and audio to the analogue signals required by your speakers or amplifier. In our case, we were using the amplified A5+ speakers. Using a device like this is great for a number of reasons. For one, it gives you much better quality than the onboard sound device which is just there to get the job done as inexpensively as possible. Secondly, it gives you more options. Let's go over the physical features and you'll see what I mean.
The front is fairly plain, with a single volume knob and a headphone jack for plugging in your phones - which incidentally mutes the rear outputs. This is good, and the way you want a system like this to work. A white LED lets you know the DAC is receiving power from the USB interface. There are no batteries or external power supplies needed.
On the back of the D1 you have a pair of high quality gold-plated RCA outputs as well as a digital optical TOSlink input. That's perfect for getting digital audio from a television or Blu-ray player into your system. Next to the optical input is the USB connection. Now, the thing to note here is that since there is no battery or dedicated AC adapter, if you use the D1 for converting digital audio to your speakers you need to connect the USB port to either a computer or a USB power supply.
Now, once all the connections were out of the way, what was left was using the D1 and listening to it. Using it was pretty simple. The volume knob is smooth and has a nice heft to it, and the front-located headphone jack was perfect for allowing me to switch from casual listening to podcasting mode. We loved the auto-mute function where the headphones broke the feed going to the speakers without us having to do anything. The improvement in audio quality was also very noticeable. I mean compared to the sound coming straight off the Mac, both headphones and our desktop speakers sounded clearer and less compressed. The bottom end even tightened up a bit and we heard a more natural decay on things like reverb and cymbal crashes. Overall we'd have to say that if you're going to spend good money on speakers for your home or office and you're driving your system with a PC or Mac, you really don't want to drop the ball and use the internal sound card - at least not for long. Save up the $169 and consider grabbing the AudioEngine D1. This is one upgrade you're going to be able to immediately hear and appreciate.
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Recent Forum Posts:
bikemig, post: 899037
Yeah but you won't be able to ding everyone who posts a question about dacs, . This just moved the whole discussion from why would anyone need to spend more than $50 to why would anyone need to spend more than $200!
Btw, I haven't listened to the audioengine dac/headphone amp but one downside to any usb powered headphone amp is that it may have difficulties in driving certain headphones.
ps: D1 is not exactly usb powered -as in it's not drawing any power from pc's USB port. I used external ac->dc usb adapter and D1 is rated to power headphones upto 300 Ohm
From D1 Faq:
Will the D1 work with my low-impedance HiFiMAN HE-500 headphones?The D1 includes a headphone amp based around the TI NE5532 low noise opamp. This headphone amp is able to provide low-impedance, high-fidelity audio to a wide range of headphones and supports headphones with impedances from 20 to 300ohms.
BoredSysAdmin, post: 899024
Yes, I know… Think in these term - BSA Bought $150 external soundcard - much more plausible - right?
Yeah but you won't be able to ding everyone who posts a question about dacs, . This just moved the whole discussion from why would anyone need to spend more than $50 to why would anyone need to spend more than $200!
Btw, I haven't listened to the audioengine dac/headphone amp but one downside to any usb powered headphone amp is that it may have difficulties in driving certain headphones.
bikemig, post: 899016
Wow, BSA broke down and bought a dac that costs more than the $50 Behringer,
Yes, I know… Think in these term - BSA Bought $150 external soundcard - much more plausible - right?
BoredSysAdmin, post: 897990
long story short, after long consideration I decided to wet my feet in the world of DAC and get myself a D1 dac - yes - you read this right… And the only reason is not attempt to improve SQ, but to get rid of annoying RF interference which become really annoying after I recently replaced my video card
I haven't tested my main setup just yet (just got it today) , but for now tested with my Fostex T20RP headphones (Impedance - 50 ohms, Sensitivity 96dB SPL/mW) - not exactly easy load for typical headphone amp… Behringer uc202 struggled and failed and eventually I had to supplement it with Fiio E5 which was highly reviewed by NwGuy - It made a big difference
D1 took this difference and took it a bit further with a bit more push in the low end and better overall clarity in low and mids - it's not brighter, just a bit more clear - drums sound a bit more punchier and precise .
That said - I wish D1 had more juice as running with classical tracks (01. London Symphony Orchestra & Bernard Haitink - Beethoven Symphony No.5 - I. Allegro con brio.flac) - running Max volume - I wish I could add a bit more volume, but this is minor as I rarely do critical listening at work anyhow.
Overall for now I'm happy with the purchase and the big test will running D1 on main rig at home. To be continued….
Wow, BSA broke down and bought a dac that costs more than the $50 Behringer,
BoredSysAdmin, post: 875283
too bad Outlaw only accept usb as only digital input and not spdif
p.s: HK 990 does look rather interesting, but since it has bass management and autosetup - it's really more of modern avr (minus video switching and tuner) than integrated amp
Actually the usb input on the Outlaw is mediocre; otherwise it is a great receiver.
Designed with the computer audiophile in mind.
![Drivers Drivers](/uploads/1/2/4/3/124383517/674173111.jpg)
Audioengine D1 Drivers For Mac Download
A few years ago, I was given a gaming chair that came complete with a built-in audio system. I ran into a problem though when I had realized that the audio inputs on the chair were analog and the audio output from my gaming system was digital. In that case, I wasn’t sure how to get it to work until I did a little research and found that there were digital-to-analog audio converters. These handy little devices make it possible for you to use older devices with newer ones. At the time, I had to track this little box down at Radio Shack, but now, there are much better and easier to use options for converting an analog signal to digital. One such option is the Audioengine D1 DAC Headphone AMP.
Audioengine makes some truly remarkable products and they are a company I’ve been impressed with for quite some time. We had the opportunity to review the HD3 Wireless Speakers from Audioengine and they have become a permanent installation on one of our workstations. I recently got my hands on a set of studio monitors from a different company and realized that I would need a digital-to-analog converter that would work with my computer if I wanted to use them. Drivers for mac os 9. So, I turned to Audioengine for a solution and got the Audioengine D1 DAC Headphone AMP (“DAC” stands for digital-to-analog converter).
I really wanted something that was “plug-and-play” with my Mac and had read many good things about the D1 DAC. It’s an impressive little box and it brings new meaning to good things come in small packages. The device allows you to bypass your computer’s sound card or headphone output and send audio directly through USB or optical. It is a 24-bit DAC so it’s ideal for being a go-between for your computer and music system. The D1 DAC will not only pull audio from computers, but it will also work with your TV, Apple TV, and DVD/BluRay player. It’s powered by USB so it can also act as a high-quality portable computer headphone amplifier.
Audioengine D1 Windows 10 Driver
The D1 DAC is super easy to use. When you take it out of the box, you will notice that it only ships with a USB cable. You will use this to connect to your computer. I have a 15-inch 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar so I had to connect through a Thunderbolt 3 dock since I only have USB-C ports on my computer. I am happy to report that this type of connection did not alter the sound quality or functionality of the DAC. Once you have established your computer connection, you can connect your output method (speakers). For my purposes, I had to acquire stereo RCA cables for the studio monitors and then the connection to the DAC. I picked up a set at Best Buy for around $10. I made sure that the red cable was going to one monitor while the white was going to the other. Each of the studio monitors is powered so I had to make sure the power switches were flipped on before playing any music.
The D1 DAC has a power indicator LED and its own volume control on the front of the box. There is also a headphone jack should you want to plug into it. Before playing any sound through your output speakers, I would recommend turning the volume down on the DAC, your input device, and speakers (if applicable). When I played music through the studio monitors, it ended up causing Robyn to have a headache the rest of the night because of the power behind the sound.
The Audioengine D1 DAC Headphone AMP is a really great investment if you are faced with a digital-to-analog audio roadblock like I was. It’s small so it doesn’t take up much space, it’s powered so you shouldn’t need an external amp, and it has a less than 5 minute set-up time.
Audioengine D1 Review
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