I read a lot about DAC:s but I don’t se any comparison between the audio quality of the popular DAC:s <100€
HifiBerry DAC+ seems to be the most popular but anyone did some comparison?
There are a number of threads on this forum about comparisons but which is best can be a religious war - is a mac better than a PC for example.
There are a huge number of factors to consider and the easiest have little to do with sound quality:
- price
- features
- what’s included in the package / what’s not
Then there’s the softer side:
- vendor support
- audio distribution inclusion etc.
Then onto the quality of components:
- The DAC chip itself
- The PCB quality (0.8mm or 1.8mm)
- The other smaller components and their quality
Then board layout and noise handling; we’ve seen plenty of designs over the years using great DAC chips but poorly executed and producing audio quality worse than a DAC chip considered poor by comparison.
If you want to look at actual measurements then you could grab an audio precision analyser and do some measurements. Some vendors produce such output graphs - others don’t.
The linux drivers can also have a difference as even with the same DAC chip the linux drivers can be different, one driver may set a specific feature one way and another driver (for the same chip but different board) may use a different feature setting.
I’m biased so would obviously suggest you select an IQaudIO DAC 
but the choice is yours.
I remember in the early eighties buying the same amplifier as a friend’s only to find it sounded different in my system - no surprise, different input source, different interconnects, different speakers and different acoustics in the room. A large amount of audio is subjective - what we are trying to do is bring what would have cost >£1000 several years ago in terms of audio quality to <£100 now.
All the above is IMHO.
Thank you for your replay.
I did find any threads that someone did a ABX-test or Blind experiment. With multiple DACs.
It’s seems that the two most popular and most supported for RASPI B+ is:
HifiBerry DAC +
IQaudIO Pi-DAC+
DACBERRY3+
Why should I choose IQaudIO Pi-DAC+ compred two the other two?
I have spent the last week or so listening to the IQaudio Pi-Dac+ with Volumio and it sounds very good to my ears. I think it sounds better than the Wolfson I2s DAC which I also own. I cannot comment on the sound quality of Hifiberry or the DACBERRY 3+ as I have not heard them.
However, I can attest to the incredible customer service offered by IQaudio. I have sent a few emails to Gordon at IQaudio, and he has responded quickly each time. He seems to have great patience and answers each question fully. If you look at the forums for Volumio and RuneAudio you will find that he is very active on both of those boards. IQaudio appears to have good relationships with the various developers of audio software for the Pi, which means that the software has good support for the IQaudio Dacs.
IQaudio is also developing an add-on amplifier which looks quite interesting if you are looking to possibly create a really compact all-in-one design for a music player.
Best of luck with whichever DAC you choose.
I have tested
- Wolfson Audio Card
- Audiophonics es9023
- IQ Audio pi dac
All give me excellent sound quality and excellent value for money.
I agree with the comments from wickerrobot, and the customer service and support from Gordon is a deal breaker for us. Our best in class is IQAudio Pi DAC.
gswg , any measurement of jitter and i Intermodulation 19kHz & 21kHz? IQaudio DAC+
Nothing this side of Christmas for measurements 
I also need to find time to sit down and listen to some music sometime - I guess it’s good to be this busy though.
Gordon
I got a few Hifiberry DAC+ in my house and they sound good in my set-up.
Had some chinese I2S DAC that had a fake spacial sound which is not good if you have a nice stereo set-up.
So i ended up using it for a music zone where the music is just for background.
I am also interested in the new Hifiberry DAC+ Pro which has some extra features
I told you… Es9023 is better…
Hi
I own the Hifiberry DAC+ (PCM5122) and recently purchased the Mamboberry Hifi DAC+ (ESS Sabre 9023p). I can now compare the sound quality of both DACs. The Mamboberry is extra fed by additional toroidal transformer (6V AC) also sold by the manufacturer (collybia.com)
I spend 3 months with Hifiberry before swapping to Mamboberry + toroidal transformer.
All I can say is there is a real difference to my ears.
Hifiberry was pleasant listening, but I would say a bit dry and some lack of bass. There was also an unpleasant clear shift to the right of sound image on my device.
The Mamboberry has a lot more of everything. A fat sound with more bass (really nice), more clarity, and a very precise and centered stereo image, better than Hifiberry.
Mamboberry is more expensive, but looking on the 2 PCBs, I understand why. It is clearly an audiophile solution with carefully chosen audio components. I am really amazed by this sound.
I sold the other dacs… Only stay with the mamboberry…
Hallo,
i have ROCKNA DAC and Audiobyte Black Dragon with Hydra Z.
I2S DACs an the sound is perfect.
Cliff
I have Durio Sound Pro, for me is fantastic. You can also play with a jumper to select two different digital filters. One for warm sound and one for more detail.
Hi…i want to say that there are a huge number of factors to consider and the easiest have little to do with sound quality. Then board layout and noise handling; we’ve seen plenty of designs over the years using great DAC chips but poorly executed and producing audio quality worse than a DAC chip considered poor by comparison.If you want to look at actual measurements then you could grab an audio precision analyser and do some measurements.
So this means that TerraDac is only slighly weaker than the Audiophonics v3, right?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have the IQAudio Dac+ newly installed in my first Raspi streamer. It compares favorably to a Cambridge DacMagic and a Schiitt Gungnir that retails for $850. I’d say you can’t go wrong with it.