Syba Sonic USB 24 Bit 96 KHz DAC Digital to Analog Headphone Amplifier 2 Stage EQ Digital/Coaxial Output and RCA Output, SD-DAC63057

it is very nice, but if you need more control of your sound do not buy this one go for a more advance product

Drives my DT 990s with ease. Very noticeable sound quality improvement compared to mobo. Impressive product, especially for the price.

A great budget option for gamers looking for an entry DAC/Amp combo that has a microphone input. There is no gain option/toggle and only a Treble/Direct/Bass toggle switch as a built-in equalizer. Overall, works well for my needs as someone who isn't looking to spend above $100 for DAC/Amps.

My Encore mDac has been working intermittently as of late. I have the pleasure of listening to headphones for about 6 hours of my work day, so having a DAC/Amp combo at my desk is nice. However, with a 4 week old baby, my budget was super limited. I came across the Syba Sonic SD-DAC63057 and decided to give it a try. It checked all the boxes. Cheap ($37). No driver install needed (work computer, can't install anything). Enough power (100mw) to drive my IEMs and more sensitive over ears. USB only power. Full specs can be found here The unit features variable line outs, top mounted volume knob, optical out, coax digital out, usb in (for power and signal), mic input, 3.5mm input, 3.5mm headphone out, and 1/4" headphone out (both headphone outputs work simultaneously. The unit has indicator lights to show what signal is being received (96, 44, or 44.1), and an indicator light of sorts that flashes with the music, that comprised of a red and blue LED. Kind of neat. The unit also features a hardware EQ that includes a 7db (yes, 7db!) treble boost, a direct no EQ option, and a 7db bass boost. The hardware EQs are a bit much for me, and I find I leave the unit set to direct most of the time. However, there is one expectation. I have set of custom reshelled Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10's, and in the process, the treble took about a 6db drop. So, for that one set of CIEMs, the treble boost is just right. However, that is a pretty oddly specific scenario, and I would imagine most people won't want to use the hardware EQ. Of note, the device is always on, as there is no power switch. The volume knob has the most minute channel imbalance as the absolute lowest setting. And, there is an uncomfortable audible crackle / pop when plugging in sensitive headphones to the 3.5mm headphone out. All be it, it doesn't seem to be enough to damage anything. I have successfully used the Syba Sonic DAC/Amp with my Chromebook, MacBook Air, and my Windows 7 work PC. I have not tried it on a Windows 10 device, but after scouring the Amazon “reviews” it seems that it may not play nice with all Win10 installs so YMMV. As the unit is not battery powered, it won’t work with mobile devices. When compared head to head with my Encore mDac, the Syba Sonic unit sounds a tad better. The bass is a bit fuller and the treble has just a hair more sparkle. Detail representation is on par, if not better than anything in this price range. All in all, for $37 I am super pleased with the purchase. I love the design with the volume knob on top. And the fact that the RCA outs are variable makes this a great option for those that want a budget option to use with powered monitors. I have run the unit, as mentioned, with my CIEM reshelled TF.10's, as well as with my UM3X, Fischer Audio FA-003 wooden cup over ears, NAD VISO HP50's, AKG K7XX, and handful of other mid-range to lower IEMs. I did find that it struggled a bit to run the K7XX with any authority, but all the other headphones / IEMs I have tried have worked just fine. The only other negative is that, with the volume knob at full tilt, there is an audible hiss on most sensitive headphones (read: 32ohm and below). I would recommend this unit for anyone with a tight budget that wants a somewhat feature rich DAC/Amp. It would also make a great external sound card thanks to the mic input.

Ok, I've only had this headphone dac for a few days but I felt I had to write something soon before I forget . For £30 , this is superb value . Set up is an absolute breeze of course and once it has been run-in for a little while ..wow . Let's understand , we are not reviewing a £200 Schiit or a £300+Cambridge audio dac-Magic here , this is a cheap unit , but it certainly doesn't sound it . My sound card output was woeful , low volume output , no life to the music and only good for monitoring .. I use external audio gear for ' proper ' listening ..till I got this ! Now I feel I just can't stop my listening sessions on the PC , stretched out on recliner chair like a lazy sod ..This little headphone/ dac / increases volume by a significant amount and more importantly , brings some life to my music ..the well recorded tracks sing out , I can separate instruments , there is sense of space and time , a depth and added bass notes that may have been present in my old sound card , but I never noticed them . I'm actually enjoying music on PC again instead of it being just background filler , and guess what ...it has an digital optical ( toslink ) out connection and a digital co-ax out too ..how many much higher priced dac-headphone amps have these , very few ? ( I checked ) . You can then use powered monitors with this device if it has these inputs ..how great is that ? OK ,it's not going to replace a ' proper ' amp, or higher priced Dac/Headphone combi any time soon , but believe me , this little gem is worth every single penny of that £30 spent . If you're on the fence , don't want to spend big , give this a try first , you'll be glad you did . Five stars for me for the sheer value for money alone .