Audioengine D1 24-bit DAC/Headphone Amp

This little DAC/Amp from AudioEngine is a total game-changer! Once you drive your headphones over this little audio miracle, it changes completely the sound quality compared to simply plugging the headphone in the standard audio output of a computer. The soundstage becomes realistic, all of a sudden there is bass, there are mids, there is treble, instead of the "washed-down" low-quality audio sound of most computers or laptops (and it even improves significantly the sound quality on more mature computers, such as an iMac).For the price, this product is a revelation. I don't know how this device performs compared to other well-known USB DAC/Amps like for example the AudioQuest DragonFly, but it is absolutely with the money it was sold for on Drop. Inspired by the ... MoreThis little DAC/Amp from AudioEngine is a total game-changer! Once you drive your headphones over this little audio miracle, it changes completely the sound quality compared to simply plugging the headphone in the standard audio output of a computer. The soundstage becomes realistic, all of a sudden there is bass, there are mids, there is treble, instead of the "washed-down" low-quality audio sound of most computers or laptops (and it even improves significantly the sound quality on more mature computers, such as an iMac).For the price, this product is a revelation. I don't know how this device performs compared to other well-known USB DAC/Amps like for example the AudioQuest DragonFly, but it is absolutely with the money it was sold for on Drop. Inspired by the unexpected and amazing result, I purchased also another DCA/Amp on Drop, the Zorloo ZuperDAC-S - but the performance of the AudioEngine is far superior to Zorloo's, without any comparison.Usage is very simple and straightforward also - just plug it in, and it is automatically recognized by the operating system - at least on my work laptop running under Windows10, and on my iMac at home. In both systems, the D3 bypasses the built-in speakers, and the volume level can then directly be set by the system control (the little loudspeaker symbol or the respective keys on the keyboard in the case of the iMac for example).Summarizing, an amazing little piece of audio upgrade that I warmly recommend to everybody interested in upgrading immensely the audio quality of their computer.

A must have if you are looking for high fidelity sound from your digital audio.

At first I began with the purchase of the Audioengine A5+ speakers without a DAC. Right out the box, I immediately fell in love with sound quality the speakers produced. I didn't think I had a need for the D1 DAC since my favorite music already sounded fantastic. Until I began doing more research and reading articles regarding the benefits of using a DAC, is where I realized it was time to purchase the D1 DAC. Immediately you will notice the sturdy construction and firm feel of the device. You will begin to notice the improved sound quality immediately. Everything will sound alive as if you were at a concert hall. I was able to pick out all the sounds contained in my music. It's incredible how much better my music sounds, I can't believe I spent years relying on ... MoreAt first I began with the purchase of the Audioengine A5+ speakers without a DAC. Right out the box, I immediately fell in love with sound quality the speakers produced. I didn't think I had a need for the D1 DAC since my favorite music already sounded fantastic. Until I began doing more research and reading articles regarding the benefits of using a DAC, is where I realized it was time to purchase the D1 DAC. Immediately you will notice the sturdy construction and firm feel of the device. You will begin to notice the improved sound quality immediately. Everything will sound alive as if you were at a concert hall. I was able to pick out all the sounds contained in my music. It's incredible how much better my music sounds, I can't believe I spent years relying on mediocre audio sources. If you have an extensive digital audio collection like I do, having the D1 DAC will encourage you to listen to everything. It really makes a huge difference in the sound quality of your favorite music. I'm so happy, I made the right choice.

Great Little Device

I’m using it to stream music through Tidal, connected via the recommended iPhone camera adapter to a set of powered Audioengine speakers. You can definitely tell the difference, it sounds fantastic, even to a non-audiophile. I hear the difference most prominently in percussion and string basses, for example.I found the product description on the AE website to be rather incomplete, and it took way more time than it should have to figure out what playback devices would produce the best quality sound and in what configuration.What I finally figured out is that, because I wanted to stream to my speakers that my desktop only connects to in another room via an Airport Express, it would be better to stream directly from an iPhone to the D1 DAC. Otherwise you lose the ... MoreI’m using it to stream music through Tidal, connected via the recommended iPhone camera adapter to a set of powered Audioengine speakers. You can definitely tell the difference, it sounds fantastic, even to a non-audiophile. I hear the difference most prominently in percussion and string basses, for example.I found the product description on the AE website to be rather incomplete, and it took way more time than it should have to figure out what playback devices would produce the best quality sound and in what configuration.What I finally figured out is that, because I wanted to stream to my speakers that my desktop only connects to in another room via an Airport Express, it would be better to stream directly from an iPhone to the D1 DAC. Otherwise you lose the benefit of Tidal’s 24-bit Master Quality tracks getting fully decoded by the D1. But to connect your iPhone to the D1, you have to have the more expensive iPhone camera adapter that has the male Lightning cable that plugs into the phone on one end, and BOTH the USB port and female Lightning port on the other. (You’ll have to have plug power into the female Lightning port, otherwise the iPhone gives you a message that the D1 requires too much power.)In all it’s a great little compact device, even if it’s a tad confusing at first.The attached photos show a couple of different configurations, including one where an Airport Express is connected to the D1 with a fiber optic cable. (That one produces a little lower sound quality but is still excellent.)

Great sounding unit

This is a great sounding unit. It sounds great both over USB and optical. I came from a FiiO E10k, and this has a warmer sound than the FiiO, highs aren't quite as ear-piercing (which I like). I'm not someone who can describe sound so much, but I definitely found that the sound stage is a bit wider, the audio is much more level, couldn't be happier for the price. I'm using Philips X2HR headphones.

Makes a difference

This DAC does make a difference. The sound is more clear, clean, and present.I have this hooked up to the AudioEngine 2+ speakers, which have their volume control on the back. With this DAC, it's great to have the volume knob on the front. However, I lose onscreen feedback, and cannot use the keyboard. The volume knob has no marks on it, either. One reviewer said that he used a Sharpie to place a mark on it. For now, I don't want to mark it at all, so I'm learning how essentially fly blind. This is not ideal.When I first began using it, I could hardly hear it at all. One reviewer made a good suggestion that I have followed. Turn the volume knob of the speaker almost all the way up, and turn the DAC volume all the way down. This way, just a little movement of the ... MoreThis DAC does make a difference. The sound is more clear, clean, and present.I have this hooked up to the AudioEngine 2+ speakers, which have their volume control on the back. With this DAC, it's great to have the volume knob on the front. However, I lose onscreen feedback, and cannot use the keyboard. The volume knob has no marks on it, either. One reviewer said that he used a Sharpie to place a mark on it. For now, I don't want to mark it at all, so I'm learning how essentially fly blind. This is not ideal.When I first began using it, I could hardly hear it at all. One reviewer made a good suggestion that I have followed. Turn the volume knob of the speaker almost all the way up, and turn the DAC volume all the way down. This way, just a little movement of the DAC knob gives you better control, and you don't have to move it very far.Of course, it's also nice to have the headphone jack on the front. So nice not having to hunt in the back of my iMac. It's also nice that the speakers automatically turn off when you plug in your headphones.The body of the DAC is very lightweight. You will probably find that it swims around if you have it on a smooth surface.Quirks aside, it definitely works, and it has greatly enhanced my listening experience.

Perfect for pairing with a WFH desk computer and a 3rd gen Apple TV

I chose the D1 DAC for its USB (connected to a Dell micro desk computer) and optical (connected to a 3rd gen Apple TV) connections. I play my music with iTunes and ALAC files. Everything sounds so clear. I did pair this with A5+ Wireless speakers (and I could have gotten the plain wired speakers as well, but I like the wireless speakers' centered tweeter), and they work well together. (A caveat is that if your computer is awakened from sleep with a previously running iTunes application instance, you might hear annoying clicks. If you restart iTunes the random clicks will go away. The clicks are not coming from the D1 DAC nor the A5+ speakers.) If you like listening to all the details in your music (in the mid-range frequency), this is a very ideal desktop computer ... MoreI chose the D1 DAC for its USB (connected to a Dell micro desk computer) and optical (connected to a 3rd gen Apple TV) connections. I play my music with iTunes and ALAC files. Everything sounds so clear. I did pair this with A5+ Wireless speakers (and I could have gotten the plain wired speakers as well, but I like the wireless speakers' centered tweeter), and they work well together. (A caveat is that if your computer is awakened from sleep with a previously running iTunes application instance, you might hear annoying clicks. If you restart iTunes the random clicks will go away. The clicks are not coming from the D1 DAC nor the A5+ speakers.) If you like listening to all the details in your music (in the mid-range frequency), this is a very ideal desktop computer setup. Btw, I also am using the MaxxAudio Pro that came free with the Dell computer. Set MaxxBass, Details, Width all to 40, and set your computer volume to 50%. Set the D1 DAC volume to around 50%. Then use the A5+ wireless remote to modulate the speaker volume. I'm listening to the jazz album I Got No Kick Against Modern Jazz over and over during the daytime hours at a fairly loud volume (as much as my eardrums can tolerate), and the piano and other instruments are faithfully reproduced. I work well into the night at times, and I like listening to J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations when everyone else is asleep. You'll have endless hours of pleasurable listening while working.

Pleasantly surprised

My first headphone amplifier purchase. I hit a home run. Great sound, excellent build quality, versatile. Analog outputs are handy for running active speakers. And most importantly for my needs, it works pretty much with all smart phones. It does speed up battery drain in my phone, but so what? I would definitely buy this product again.

Spot on with great design and function

Just like any other Audioengine product. It's made with all the right material inside and out. The D1 is wonderful. I have been using it with my FOCAL Shape 65 speakers and they truly sound amazing. The D1 gives me volume control a power button and the ability to plug in headphones to the front of the D1. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal but it really is when it comes to wanting to quickly plug and unplug them. I don't think I can remember a time I have been disappointed with Audioengine.

Such nice sound, heartbroken to be returning it

I'm heartbroken, because I'm sending it back. It sounds really good when it's making music. Probably the best sound you can get for the money. But I found it unacceptably... hinky, in general operation at best.I had the problem with disconnects, and also had pops and clicks in the background while playing music. I moved it to a USB-3 type A port on a thunderbolt 3 hub attached directly to the mac with nothing else connected to it. That cleared up the pops and clicks mostly, tho I could still detect them sometimes in high sample rate tracks thru Tidal. Notably, that also seems to have cleared up the problem with disconnects, too.But a new problem came up. About every 4th or 5th time I clicked on a track to play what came out of the speakers was very loud static. ... MoreI'm heartbroken, because I'm sending it back. It sounds really good when it's making music. Probably the best sound you can get for the money. But I found it unacceptably... hinky, in general operation at best.I had the problem with disconnects, and also had pops and clicks in the background while playing music. I moved it to a USB-3 type A port on a thunderbolt 3 hub attached directly to the mac with nothing else connected to it. That cleared up the pops and clicks mostly, tho I could still detect them sometimes in high sample rate tracks thru Tidal. Notably, that also seems to have cleared up the problem with disconnects, too.But a new problem came up. About every 4th or 5th time I clicked on a track to play what came out of the speakers was very loud static. Didn't seem to matter if a track was playing already. At first I thought it was a problem with Tidal, but then it happened in Roon in non-exclusive mode, and also happened once when my iPhone rang thru my computer too.I looked at everything on the AudioEngineUSA site for info on this without finding anything. There is no human support option on their site either. So back it goes.

This Thing Rocks In A Portable Package

I would consider myself an audiophile and have very High End equipment in my home, but I do travel and like everyone am trying reduce the number of devices I lug around with me without sacrificing quality. In that quest, about a year ago I bought the Audioengine D1 Portable USB DAC and was pretty much blown away with it and left a a very positive review of it here on Amazon. So when I saw that the Engineers at AudioEngine came out with a smaller and better still DAC, The D3, I pounced on it almost immediately and I can tell you it is every bit as good as the D1. Actually it's even better because the sound quality is astounding and it weighs no more than a USB Flash Drive. It doesn't matter what I feed this little DAC - Classical - I can hear Wynton Marsalis's breath ... MoreI would consider myself an audiophile and have very High End equipment in my home, but I do travel and like everyone am trying reduce the number of devices I lug around with me without sacrificing quality. In that quest, about a year ago I bought the Audioengine D1 Portable USB DAC and was pretty much blown away with it and left a a very positive review of it here on Amazon. So when I saw that the Engineers at AudioEngine came out with a smaller and better still DAC, The D3, I pounced on it almost immediately and I can tell you it is every bit as good as the D1. Actually it's even better because the sound quality is astounding and it weighs no more than a USB Flash Drive. It doesn't matter what I feed this little DAC - Classical - I can hear Wynton Marsalis's breath blow through his trumpet, Rock - I can hear fingers feathering guitar strings, Reggae - Cymbals, horns and backing vocals float left right and centre in Marley's Is this love - This little DAC is awesome. But it did take several hours of "Burn In" to really soften it up. I highly recommend both this D3 and the D1 UPDATE AFTER A YEAR OF USE I've been loving this little DAC ever since my original review. It has withstood a lot of travel and has consistently kept me happy by smoothing out the sound when using my PC BUT today I made a discovery and the sound, clarity, and imaging is now spectacular. I just bought an Astell & Kern AK120 Portable DAP which will not work natively with iTunes so I started looking a new Media Manager Software. I landed in JRIVER Media Center Which will use my existing ALAC library and allow me to manage my new player with out messing up the library. I started playing around with the settings and Under "Playback" / Audio / Audio Device I found a new setting "Audioengine D3 Direct Playback" so I set it as default and all I can say is WOW - Now I've truly got audiophile sound coming off my PC. I tried the same file with iTunes, Winamp and JRiver witht eh new setting and there's no comparison. Jriver is the Bomb in terms of the ability to completely bypass the soundcard and go directly to the Audioengine DAC. GIve it a try - JRiver Media Centre comes with a free 30 day trial. Its awesome!