All language subtitles for The DAC that everyone will be talking about this year. EverSolo DAC-Z10 review

When it comes to music, there are some
artists that just have it. You know that

every album they perform, every concert
they deliver, is going to be a

masterpiece. Their albums are timeless.
Their music respected by even people

that may not be fans.

There are a few audio brands like that
too.

And I think one of them might be
Eversolo.

No matter what they produce, it seems to
always be masterfully executed.

They began with two gorgeous DACs, the
DAC -Z6 and the DAC -Z8.

Then there was the streaming range, the
DMP -A6, DMP -A8, Play, and then

recently the streaming transport, the
T8.

There are other Eversolo products that I
haven't tried, but they all seem to

have been very well received.

And now, they've released the DAC -Z10.

This is a flagship DAC.

And I guess even masters can make a
mistake.

Thankfully, the DAC -Z10 isn't it.

Eversolo sent me the DAC -Z10 for
review, but as always, have no influence

this video.

Normally, I like to highlight the fact
that retailers or manufacturers have no

influence over the reviews by trying to
draw attention to and call out any and

all issues I can find with the products.

The problem with the Z10, though, is
that I don't have much negative to say.

In fact, my biggest complaint about the
DAC Z10 was that it doesn't seem to have

a fixed line output mode.

The Z10 has a lovely R2R volume control
built into it.

and it has a separate memory for each of
the individual inputs as well.

So when you go from, say, the I2S to the
optical, it can have different memory

volume levels for each of those inputs.

The only problem with that, and it's a
very minor problem, is that it meant for

me, when I was using the DAC -Z10 as a
pure DAC with external volume control in

my Birth & Followers Voyager headphone
amp and preamp, I needed to turn the

volume up to 0 dB, which is the maximum
volume, for each and every one of the

inputs that I wanted to try.

Now, it is possible that I've missed
something in my testing. I turned this

review around fairly quickly so I could
share it with you as soon as possible,

but I did search through the menu system
twice looking for something to set the

line output to fixed, and I didn't see
anything that looked to be a fixed line

output option or a volume bypass option.
I just couldn't see anything to do with

the volume levels other than the ability
to change how small or large the volume

steps were.

And so, if you think I have missed
something, if you've got a DAC -Z10 and

know that the ability to fix the line
output levels at maximum does exist,

let me know in the comments down below,
and let everybody else know in the

comments below, how that's achieved.

But at the same time, that was really
the only issue I had with the DAC -Z10,

and once you've turned the volume up to
maximum for whichever inputs you're

using, it's going to stay there anyway.

And so, everything else about the DAC
-Z10 is pretty awesome.

It looks amazing, and it's got lots of
different display options, from things

like VU meters, spectrum analyzers, a
full overlay that explains each of the

different steps of the input and output
path.

And I think regardless of which of the
display options you choose, the DAC -Z10

always looks classy and delivers its
information very clearly. But the DAC

also isn't just about looking good.
Inside, it's packing some seriously

impressive tech.

The DAC circuitry is split into a dual
mono design for maximum channel

separation, and on each side of that
circuit is a pair of DAC chips, the

and the AK4191 from AKM. Those DAC chips
work together to produce some of what I

think of as the best decoding you can
hear, without going down the path of

premium R2R designs or some of the
custom programmed DAC chips.

Then there are multiple independent
power supplies to isolate and control

in the system, as well as a temperature
-controlled clock system to eliminate

the fluctuations in timing precision
that can be caused by variations in the

temperature in and around the DAC.

And then on top of that, there's also a
custom program processor that's going to

further improve the timing accuracy from
any of the different sources, whether

it's using the internal clock or
external sources that deliver the clock

information along with the data.

As you might be imagining though, none
of this innovation and technology comes

cheap. The design and technology in the
DAC Z10 will set you back $1 ,980.

That's about $200 more than the amazing
Topping D900 DAC.

So the competition here is strong. As
for how strong, we'll get to that pretty

soon. First though, let's talk about
just a few more features.

In addition to just about every digital
input you could possibly want, the DAC

-Z10 also has analog inputs, RCA and
XLR, to take an input from an external

analog source and to be able to act as a
preamp for that. Its performance as a

preamp, I would say, is solid, but keep
in mind that the DAC -Z10 is a $2 ,000

DAC. and it's a DAC first and foremost.

And so you shouldn't expect it to
perform like a $2 ,000 preamp, because

DAC first and foremost.

And so if preamp performance is a
priority for you, you'll want to buy

a dedicated premium headphone amp and
preamp, or just a dedicated preamp. And

mentioning headphone amps, the same is
also true for the headphone socket on

front of the DAC -Z10.

The DAC -Z10 has a built -in unbalanced
headphone amp, capable of outputting 1

watt into 32 -amp headphones, and it's a
good colored inclusion.

Once again though, this is the DAC first
and foremost. The headphone stage is a

nice addition for convenience, but it's
not going to compete with a dedicated

external headphone amp. And because the
quality level of the DAC Z10 is so good

as a DAC, it does warrant being fed to a
premium dedicated preamp, headphone

amp, etc.

But I don't want to spend too much time
talking about preamp functionality and

headphone amp functionality, because
ultimately, the DAC Z10 is a DAC first

foremost. And so let's cut to the core
of this review, which is how the DAC

sounds as a DAC.

And I'd say that its sound is clean and
pure, but also enjoyable and musical. It

produces excellent soundstage width and
focus, as well as a good amount of depth

and layering as well.

Playing with the clock shaping
technology I mentioned earlier may also

further deepen and space out the
soundstage a little bit further.

Having played around with that clock
taping circuit a little bit, what I

was that when I engaged it, I did feel
like I was getting a better sense of

image focus, a bit more space around the
sound, and a more refined sound overall

as well. That's when it was switched on.

However, it's worth noting that the
specific gains you might hear will

vary depending on the inputs you're
using. Not all input types and not all

sources are created equal.

and some input types bring the clocking
information from the external source,

such as a streamer or a CD transport,
whereas others will rely on the clock

inside the DAC.

And so in situations where the clocking
information is maybe of lower quality,

you might get even more benefit from
that clock shaping tech built into the

-Z10. Whereas when it's using its own
internal clock, that's already very good

and the differences might be minimal. On
top of all of that, I can't really see

any reason to not just leave the clock
shaping circuit switched on all the

I don't see any drawbacks, only
improvements.

However... All of this playing around
with clock shaping and the different

inputs did get me wondering which input
is the best input to use with the DAC

-Z10. And so I took the Eversolo T8
Streamer and I paired it up with a

U26 digital -to -digital converter.

That was so I could have multiple
different digital connections running

DAC -Z10, all running simultaneously.

I then switched between all of them and
found some slight differences between

the various inputs.

None of them were bad.

But I felt like perhaps the AES input
was the best, and that's including

compared to I2S. I've talked before
about the fact that when it comes to

and digital sources, that there is no
guarantee that I2S will always be

I know that many people like the idea of
using I2S, and many people assume that

it's just automatically the best
protocol to use, but I've heard enough

to know that it can vary from DAC to DAC
and source to source. With the DAC

-Z10, I heard a sound from AES, that was
a bit more open sounding and a bit

smoother sounding than what I could get
from I2S. And surprisingly, I'd say that

the sound with optical was as good as
AES, therefore also better than I2S.

As always though, you should try all of
the different input types that you have

access to between your source device and
your DAC, because as I said before, it

can vary from DAC to DAC and source to
source.

In other words, if you have a DAC -Z10,
you might have a different experience to

me because you've got a different source
feeding it. And I should add at this

point that none of the comparisons I've
done so far include the USB input,

because I was already using the USB
output from the T8 streamer to go into

U26 digital -to -digital converter, and
so I still needed to do a test to see

how good the USB input was on the DAC
-Z10.

This comparison was a little bit harder
because it required switching both the

inputs on the DAC -Z10 as well as the
outputs.

on the T8, which I now used as my
source, direct into the Z10, so the

comparisons were a little bit harder,
but I still did them. To my ears, the

connection coming straight from the T8
and into the DAC -Z10 was even better

still than the AES and therefore the I2S
as well. The USB connection sounded a

bit more resolving and a little bit more
spacious.

And once again, the differences were
small, but they were definitely there.

I also decided to check if the I2S
coming straight from the T8 and into the

-Z10 would be better than it was going
via the U26, the digital -to -digital

converter, and once again, the USB was
still the better sound over and above

I2S. And that might be because the T8
and the Z10 both have well -isolated USB

circuits, meaning that all of the noise
of the system should be kept out on that

USB connection.

There's nothing in the marketing to
suggest that the same level of isolation

being applied to I2F and or AES
connections.

And so that might be why the USB sounds
so much better. But all of this so far

is talking about the DAC Z10 in
isolation.

And in isolation, it sounds absolutely
brilliant.

Placing the DAC -Z10 into some
competition, though, was very revealing.

Before I tell you about it, though, let
me quickly heap just a little bit more

praise on the DAC -Z10 for some very
minor things.

Firstly, the remote control is
absolutely gorgeous.

It's the most premium -looking and
feeling remote control I've come across

device at this level, perhaps ever, and
in fact at most levels I've ever played

with. But then I was also pleasantly
surprised to find that the DAC -Z10 also

comes with a 12V trigger cable in the
box.

I often bemoan the fact that devices
with 3 .5mm 12V trigger inputs and

don't come with the very cheap and basic
cable required to connect them. The DAC

-Z10 does. I know it's a very little
thing, but I think it's a great

However, it's not great enough to make
the DAC -Z10 suddenly the best DAC on

market. If it wants that title, it's
going to have to beat the best at the

price.

And to help with that, we should put
this into some context.

When I reviewed the Topping D900 DAC, it
was a match, or maybe even a little bit

better, than the much more expensive
Live Harmony DAC.

In other words, the Topping D900
represents performance above its pride.

By pitting the DAC -Z10 against the
Topping D900, I was able to see if the

-Z10 was really all that good. And I
should make something clear before I

describe what I heard as I compared
these two.

I felt like this was actually an unfair
test in many ways.

After all, the Topping D900 is somewhat
of an outlier with its performance.

This was more like pitting the $1 ,980
DAC -Z10 against the $2 ,500 DAC.

That's based on how the Topping D900
fared when compared to options like the

Harmony DAC, the shit Yggdrasil, and
other DACs around that more premium

range. All of that's covered off in the
Topping D900 review if you want to go

check that out. But the point is, The
Topping D900 was probably a level above

performance what you should expect from
a DAC around about the $2 ,000 price

point. And so it should come as no
surprise that the D900 was a little bit

stronger than the DAC -Z10.

That's when it comes to things like the
sense of three -dimensionality and depth

in the sound. The Topping D900 is also
just a little tiny bit richer or

sounding thanks to its one -bit decoding
approach.

But then what might also come as a
surprise to you is the fact that the DAC

was equal to the D900 in other ways.

And in some ways, maybe even better.

I felt like the DAC -Z10 was just a
touch more resolving than the D900, and

could be down to its slightly less rich
sound.

And we're talking very small, but it's
there. And it means that you might hear

things from the DAC -Z10 that are not
quite as obvious from the D900.

But then, I also think it's important to
put all of what I'm saying here into

some context.

I don't think that I could pick these
two DACs apart in a blind test.

They do have differences, but the
differences are absolutely minuscule.

I think the DAC -Z10 is actually just as
good as the Topping D900, with just

some slightly different characters to
their sound.

And that's awesome. It means that the
DAC -Z10 is at least a match for the

Harmony DAC, which costs $2 ,700.

And it might even be slightly better.

And so what that means is that with the
DAC -Z10 and the Topping D900, you can

be buying DACs that cost under $2 ,000
and get performance that used to cost

nearly $3 ,000.

And when we're talking about the DAC
-Z10, you're also getting more inputs,

outputs and features at the same time.
To bring things back to the D900

comparison only for a second though, I
think these are the two to choose from

under $2 ,000.

And I think the way to choose between
them is as follows. If you want a little

bit more focus on clarity and
articulation from your DAC, you could

-Z10. If you prefer a touch of richness
and extra depth in the soundstage, then

you should get the D900.

Or another way to look at it is that if
you want a DAC with two pairs of XLR

outputs and no RCA outputs, then buy the
Topping D900.

However, if you want a better looking
interface, and a nicer to use interface,

and if you want an onboard headphone
amp, an onboard preamp that includes for

analog inputs, not just the digital
outputs, and if you also want it to have

HDMI arc, then the DAC -Z10 is the one
for you.

The DAC -Z10 can also accept an external
clock input, which the D900 can't do,

but I can't really talk about that here
because I couldn't get it to work

properly, and I think that's due to the
fact that you need both the source

device, say a 3D transport, and the DAC
-Z10 to be operating on the same clock,

and I didn't have time to fiddle around
and get that working properly.

All I got was silence when I tried to
use an external clock with the DAC -Z10

its own. But on that note, if you want
to know more about external clock

systems, how they can work, and whether
or not they improve the sound, then make

sure you subscribe, because I've got a
video all about that coming up pretty

soon, as well as my review of the
Guthard U26 digital -to -digital

There's plenty of reasons to subscribe.
Hit that subscribe button now. But for

now... Let's wrap this up by saying that
I think the DAC -Z10 is an absolutely

brilliant addition to the DAC world.

This is now one of the two best DACs
that you can buy for under 3 ,000 US

dollars. even though it costs under $2
,000.

So grab yourself an Eversolo DAC -Z10
using the links in the description down

below if you've made up your mind, or if
you haven't made up your mind yet, then

you'll definitely want to watch the
video I've pinned here at the end,

that's the other choice, and I'll tell
you all about why the D900 is the only

other choice beyond the DAC -Z10.

And so use the links, or watch the
video, but until next time, peace, love,

music, and I'll see you again soon.