Eversolo is new product line from Chinese audio streamer brand Zidoo. It seems that their Eversolo product line is targeted at hifi audio DACs at the moment, with two DACs (the Z6 and Z8) and a portable headphone DAC dongle available at the moment. They are soon releasing a new multimedia/streaming DAC as well.
This review will take a deeper look at their DAC-Z6 product, which I purchased on Amazon for $459.
The Z6 is a medium-sized DAC that feels heftier than I would have expected. It is approximately 270 x 187 x 50 mm in size, and features two ESS Sabre ES9068 DAC chips. For amplification, Eversolo went with the Rincore RT 6863S op-amps, using them for both pre-out and headphone outputs.
The back of the unit has a variety of inputs and outputs. For outputs, there is a set of RCA and a set of XLR balanced outputs to go to your speakers or amplifier. On the input side, there's a bunch of choices to plug into. There's both USB-B and USB-C input, toslink optical and digital coaxial, as well as a bluetooth antenna that supports LDAC and bluetooth 5.0.
In addition to the I/O, there is also a USB port for installing firmware upgrades. My unit came with the first upgrade already pre-installed, but I did need to upgrade to the latest firmware using a FAT32 formatted USB stick. It was a very simple process, and took a few minutes to complete.
On the front, there is a large multi-use volume knob. It also acts as a menu controller when pressed in to activate the menu and select items. To the right of this are a power button and a 1/4 inch headphone jack input.
The left side of the front is dominated by the beautiful 3 inch color display. This display shows the menu options, and will also show a choice of VU meters, and audio source information. It's a very well-done screen and my only wish was for it to display album/artist info and have more visual meter options. But there's 4 choices included, and perhaps more to come in future updates.
The chassis is all aluminum and is one of the better looking units I've seen at this price point. Actually, it could very well be the best at under $500. It's sleek, modern, with a simple, elegant design and interface, that is sure to please most people. There's no exposed fasteners or random holes, and the interface lines between the front panel and main box is clean. Everything about the front panel looks high quality and beautiful.
Sound Impressions
The sound impressions I am going to use for this review are with the Eversolo DAC-Z6 as an all-in-one unit. I have used this with a variety of headphones and in-ears including the Hifiman Susvara and HE400SE, Sennheiser HD600, Emu Walnut, HarmonicDyne Athena for headphones, and Empire Ears Odin, Hidition Viento, Unique Melody MEST, and Xenns Top for in-ear monitors.
The first thing I'll discuss is the power output. This is a relatively weak headphone amplifier, with a maximum of about 230mW at 32 ohms in high gain. This is less power than many portable digital audio players on the market, but is more than most dongles. With that said, I had no issues getting any of my headphones to loud listening volumes, with the Hifiman Susvara getting loud at the very upper bounds of the amplifier. I could actually max out the volume on high gain and not go deaf with this headphone, but it is one of the most difficult to drive headphones on the market by far.
There are three DAC filters with this Z6. They are the standard fast roll-off (linear phase), slow roll-off (minimum phase), and hybrid. I spent most of the time on hybrid, though I also liked how it sounds on any of the three filters.
The Z6 is a fairly neutral sounding DAC with a clean sound that does not really exaggerate any area. Where some sources may have a warm low-end or lean on the highs, I don't find the Z6 to skew in either direction.
Instead, I found the bass to be fairly punchy, even keeled mids, and a treble that doesn't render music too bright or sibilant. I'd say it can be on the neutral/bright side of things, and may not pair well with every headphone out there -- I did not like how the HD580 sounded with this headphone amp; it was too harsh with its elevated upper-mids and low treble. With that said, however, it sounds really nice with my Empire Ears Odin or my Hifiman HE400SE, which are both balanced and neutral sounding gear.
The Z6 is not the most dynamic DAC I've tried, but it does give some punch and impact when called for. I actually found it pushed my Unique Melody MEST CIEM to the point where I really loved how impactful and dynamic it sounded, and the soundstage was engulfing and holographic -- something I haven't felt on the MEST CIEM in a very long time -- mostly listening to various Digital Audio Players.
Overall
The Eversolo DAC-Z6 is a beautiful, modern-looking audio appliance that has a lot of features, a decent headphone output, and a visually stunning display at a relatively low cost at $459. While I wish it had more headphone power and/or a balanced output for headphones, I still can use it for all but my Hifiman Susvara without problem.
It's a very neutral-tuned headphone DAC/Amp, and those who are looking for a warm and lush device may want to look elsewhere. Instead, this has a nice incisive and open sound that will work well for those looking for a more clean and clear sound.
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