Thus, when Ian Brown from Critical Sound Information in Hastings offered a review unit of the DAC-Z8 from the new-to-me Chinese company Eversolo, I thought, “Nice! A Headphone amp/DAC.” Whereas, in fact, it’s more of a DAC/headphone amp. Another recent discovery is Chicago four-piece BNNY and upon first listen I was immediately smitten with their sound. Singer/guitarist Jessica Viscius (her sister Alexa is on bass) has a hushed quality to her vocals, almost like she’s singing through her teeth – but it’s a lovely effect. A lot of the songs have a melancholic air but they never wallow or outstay their welcome. They’re delightfully crafted nuggets of pop that really get you in the heart and the ears. Their album Everything (2021, Fire Talk) is pretty nicely recorded and I think really benefits from a nice quiet system to get the full effect of the band’s sound. The Z8 gave a smooth, clean, rich and detailed performance and I have to say, that as a result that album has been on repeat for weeks. I enjoyed good dynamics and textural contrasts along with the illumination and presence of each individual performer.

I’m using the Eversolo DMP-A6 as a streaming transport into the Z8. As well as this, I’m finding I am reverting to the Chord Electronics 2Go/2Yu streaming bridge for its performance. I know it is all meant to be 1s and 0s but there is a fraction more to it than that and I prefer this cleanest of deliveries; on top of this, I am more confident with the Chord bridge, which is most of it. The A6, though is excellent. I’m using a Moor Amps preamplifier and power amplifier into a variety of loudspeakers, though mainly Kudos Titan 505s with Atlas Mavros loudspeaker cable. Physically Outputs are to XLR (the architecture is claimed to be fully balanced, like the A6) and RCA as well as the headphone output that can drive up to 300 Ohm headphones, there is a high/low gain setting for headphones in the Eversolo App. The DAC-Z8’s headphone amplifieralso performs very well and is capable of providing comfortable powerto accompany headphones with impedance from 16 to 300Ω without difficulty. This one also has a two-step gain controlto accommodate both demanding headphones and more sensitive earphones. Control app

Overall thoughts​

In addition to a complete connectivity, the DAC-Z8 has a Bluetooth 5.0 Qualcomm QCC5125 receiver, which allows you to broadcast your music remotely, from a smartphone or a tablet for example, while supporting the codecs of high-resolution transmission aptX HDand LDACfor a high quality restitution in wireless. Digital DSP filters The Eversolo App I used for the DMP-A6 is the same App for the Z8, you can control the filters on the output side. VU meters are selectable from the App, very important. You can use the volume knob as a settings selector alternatively and there is the remote control available. Sound Quality The antenna facilitates a Bluetooth connection, not only for streaming audio but also for control of the device via EverSolo’s own app, allowing you to control volume, inputs/outputs, change DAC filters and almost any other setting on the unit. THD+N@No-wt：0.000069%@1kHz（-123dB@1kHz, Noise@No-wt: <1.2uVrms, SNR @No-wt: 133dB@1kHz, Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz(±0.1dB), Crosstalk: -130dB@1kHz, DNR @No-wt: 133dB@1kHz

I woke up on the sounds of Neuzeit by J. Peter Schwalm & Arve Henriksen ( Qobuz / Tidal), which are still crafting one of the finest Avant-Garde Jazz out there. Around the one minute and 5 second mark, a blanket of low-intensity bass notes covered entirely my body, adding so much weight, definition and texture even at low SPL. The pace was slowly ramping up towards the end and I felt the entire room vibrating with a more energy than ever before. And, while we loved the predecessors, this pair of updated speakers proves significantly more capable. USB-C DAC Input: Compatible with Windows (7, 10), Mac, Android and IOS, Up to stereo DSD512, PCM 768KHz 32Bit, MQA

DAC/Amp comparison​

The analog stage design utilizes eight OPA1612 opamps, with a ‘Shunt Compensation’ approach. This design prevents a peak in gain of the opamp at higher frequencies, in theory reducing any potential unwanted ultrasonic or RF content that may degrade performance of other components in the chain. (You can read more about frequency compensation of opamps here) DAC-Z8 has rich ports for digital audio input, including Coaxial, Optical, asynchronous USB DAC, Type-C for computers and mobile devices. APT HD Bluetooth audio input can be used to connect with computers, streamers, CD players and mobile devices etc. In the end, you can make it smoother or tubey sounding, or you can go with the cleanest and most detailed sound possible. It’s up to you to decide which tuning works best for you.

Velkou péči věnoval výrobce modulu napájecího zdroje, jehož podstatná část je ukryta pod stíněním. Na malou destičku plošných spojů se vešlo jak regulované spínané napájení, tak filtrační kondenzátory. DPLL Bandwidth – 15 positions, 5 is the default one. A lower number will provide a better jitter (noise) rejection, I left it at its default position

The Headphone Amp Section​

The E70V also impressed me recently but I do find the bass is punchier on the Z8. Both do good mids and vocals well but I do find the vocals a little more artificial sounding on the E70V. Treble is sharper and can be uncomfortable sounding when you run both side by side. I think the E70V is a little more clinical sounding and the Z8 is a little more neutral sounding without being boring. E70V and Z8 have close to the same sound detail retrieval but the Z8 just adds something special to the overall sound. I find the Z8 is better for longer sessions due to a better controlled sound signature as well. The analog audio circuit is fully balanced design. XLR, RCA and headphone output are all processed by a bal- anced differential amplifier circuit. The noise has been eliminated by resolving the crosstalk of the shared loop and improving channel separation. The high-fidelity preamp circuit supports refined volume adjustment, without needing to connect with an additional preamp. I must say, I was not ready for the unit to top the charts right out of the box. But that is what it did, finishing easily in our top 20 best DACs ever tested (out of now 400 units!!!): Firing the Z8 through speakers, via an integrated amplifier, provided a similarly rewarding experience. Listening to ‘Sundub’ by Russian electronic duo SCSI-9 from their EP Flop-Flop (2014, 200 Records), hi-hats sounded deliciously crisp and airy, that treble giving the upper frequencies a real sense of presence and immediacy. Bass hit hard and punchy with good note perception, though swapping to the Electrocompaniet DAC, I noticed the latter delved just slightly deeper – yet at the other frequency extreme, it wasn’t quite as crisp. Not a big difference, but we audiophiles live by incremental differences, do we not?