EarMen Donald DAC Review

Design, Build Quality, Layout, price, Accessories

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The Donald DAC is a small, basic square sized “box” with a simple yet effective design.

It comes delivered in a very simple brown box, with a plastic desktop mounting stand. The retail price is $99USD, but don’t let this fool you as it performs at a very high level. The only negative point I can say here is that there are no cables included in the box, and you’ll have to make sure you have all the needed USB-C cables to hook up your source to the DD. At the same time, the DD only costs $99 USD so…case closed.

The build quality (made in Europe) is very good and even though the unit is extremely light, it with its metal case feels robust. All the connectors on the back are sturdy as well, so it can take a beating. I’m not saying you shouldn’t treat the DD with care, as you should, but when on the go in the back-pack, I can’t see this unit getting damaged at all.

Design wise, it’s also simple. On the front site (plastic) you’ll find the EarMen logos and product name. It’s this logo that switches colour (blue vs red) depending on the power source used. On both sides you again the names and logo and on the back there are the 4 connectors. Top down you get: RCA R Out, RCA L Out, USB-C Power In, USB Data In.

Connectivity

If you’ve read everything up to know you will have noticed the Donald DAC only has a USB(-C) input, there is no coaxial or SPDIF input.

EarMen Donald DAC

Connecting it to my Windows laptop only took a few seconds and ROON immediately “finds” the unit, sending bit perfect data to it. I did not manage to connect the DD to my OnePlus smartphone however. I also didn’t get it to work with the AK SP1000 as source, so it does seems that the DD is limited to be used with PCs. It would have been awesome to see the Donald DAC work directly from a phone, but at this stage that doesn’t seem to be possible.

Sound – Powered or not?

So in theory, and according to EarMen, there should be a difference in sound depending on the use of an external power supply. I quote:

“Better definition and more vivid & sparkling tones present throughout the range. The color and discreet overlays between the tones will become more pronounced, and the feel of the sound will become more powerful and energetic.”

To test this I used the Auris Audio Headonia amplifier and the Hifiman Susvara headphone. I have been plugging the power cable in and out of the Donald DAC for a couple of hours with different tracks. To be clear, I’m not using another USB output of my laptop, but I’m plugging in the DD directly to the wall outlet. While there is a difference, it isn’t a night and day difference. It could be completely different in your setup but it seems that my DELL laptop has a pretty “good” USB output.

With an external power supply, the sound loses a bit of sharpness and it exchanges it to a more soft, natural sound with better extension, this is especially noticeable in the mids. You also get an increased clarity, making micro detail better noticeable. Bass definition improves a little as well, and bass in the powered “version” is tighter and more detailed/precise.

The treble section in powered mode with my test tracks is also less prone to sharpness and that’s always a good thing.

Conclusion: yes there is a difference and a powered Donald DAC does elevate the performance. At he same time the differences aren’t huger and you need gear that can demonstrate these differences. I wouldn’t worry too much if you only have one USB-C connection available.

EarMen Donald DAC

Sound

To be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect from a $99USD DAC, but I was and still am pleasantly surprised with its performance for such a compact and cheap unit.

The 32 bit Cirrus Logic CS 43198 is doing a good job regarding detail retrieval and its presentation is balanced, musical and relaxed over analytical. There’s a bit of softness and smoothness in the delivery, so this isn’t a dry, flat DAC. The Donald DAC is also quite forgiving when it comes to file quality. Donald DAC doesn’t boost frequencies and in that regards is linear.

The background blackness is pretty good and improves further when using an external power supply. The same goes for the overall definition, preciseness and the sparkling-ness .

Sound stage wise the DD performs well but it isn’t a particularly wide and spacious DAC. You get a more compact/closer feel but within there is good separation. The left-right balance and stereo imaging is nice and the depth is good. The layering is good for the price but it isn’t the DAC’s strongest point. This is especially noticeable if your using a good amp and headphone down the chain.

For $99USD the Donald’s extension and spaciousness is great but it has its limits. Compared to high end DACs, the Donald DAC is not as refined and detailed, and of course the extension, precision, speed and layering are not at the same level. The timbre and the mids however are absolutely musical and addictive.

Conclusion

For only $99 USD you get a nicely performing transportable DAC with an overall smoother and very musical delivery with a touch of warmth. This makes it easy to love the unit, as it’s very engaging.

Donald not only sounds great and musical, but it also easily outperforms many mid-fi DACs. Donald DAC is perfect when you’re starting out with the hobby or if you don’t have a big budget available. The Donald will last you for quite a while till you’re ready for the next step. The DD is also interesting if you’re switching between offices where you have desktop amplifiers available.

In the future I would love to see a version of this unit with more than just a USB input, and one that at the same time also works with phones and DAPs. Knowing EarMen, I wouldn’t be surprised if that unit is being designed already.