How does the FiiO E10K compare with the Centrance DAC Port Slim?
On another note, I've been looking for a USB DAC / Amp where I can use the Amp stage directly (eg, feeding it the analogue 3.5 mm output from an iPod). Is there such a thing?
greenhornI have both and I've observed the following:
- Fiio is noticeably warmer and rounder. For casual listening, the sound is full and musical. Bass boost is effective but extends a little too high, making most songs sound muddy.
- CEntrance is cleaner and flatter. Everything is where it's supposed to be, but nothing is emphasized. If you're used to warmer setups, the CEntrance may sound top-heavy.
- Fiio has less noise and an almost pitch-black background. Honestly, it's impressive. Most of the time you literally cannot tell whether it's switched on until you start playing music through it.
- CEntrance is not noisy, but the background is slightly more noticeable.
- CEntrance *blows everything away* in terms of soundstage and headroom. With good binaural recordings (Amber Rubarth, Ottmar Liebert) you will be literally unable to distinguish whether the artist coughed during the recording, or whether a real person is coughing six feet behind your right shoulder. For a device of this size and price, it's incredible.
- Fiio is ergonomically superior for desktop use. With a little tape you can fix it to your desk, and the layout and large volume knob make it very pleasant to use.
- CEntrance is better for mobile/portable use. The slim design is easily pocketable and the volume dial is much more suited for use in the hand than on a desk.
greenhornThe E10K has more features, but the DACPort is plainly superior on every performance aspect within the amp and DAC, and the more convenient form factor.
On another note, I've been looking for a USB DAC / Amp where I can use the Amp stage directly (eg, feeding it the analogue 3.5 mm output from an iPod). Is there such a thing?