AudioTrak DR. DAC3 – A Kludgy Steal

Headphone output Performance

Coax input. Optical input. USB input. For 350$, all your bases are belong to this bad boy.

DR. DAC3 is powerful. Through headphone output 2 it reaches output levels several decibels louder than the phenomenal Lynx HILO. Headphone output 1 maxes out at about 8 decibels below that. And like the HILO, DAC3 can’t spit a balanced headphone signal.

It hisses less than the original Astell&Kern AK100, but more than an iPhone 4s. Used in conjunction with high quality playback software, you’ll be able to nail L/R balance at low volumes. But at 100%, through iTunes or Audirvana, sensitive earphones may be too loud for you at the first volume level at which L/R parity is achieved. One such earphone is the Ultrasone IQ.

On the super-duper plus side, DR DAC3 is 100% stable, at all volumes, for just about any earphone or headphone out there. Naturally, high-ohm headphones such as the DT880/600 impose next to no load, and get loud enough through headphone output 1 for sensitive-eared listeners at volumes of 50% and greater. Through the secondary output, my DT880/600 are good at volume settings of roughly 32%.

Stereo detail is even Stephen from 5Hz all the way up to 20K, with no major dips, or peaks. Detail in any frequency band is textured, and smoothly connects to the next gradient without sounding overly contrasty, or chalky. THD and IMD distortion are meager. Sans load, DR DAC3 puts out more THD and IMD distortion than my iPhone 6, but under load those amounts are less than most DACs in the same price category and above, and most, if not all, high-end DAPs out there.

In particular, it defends against searing IMD even when driving Earsonics’s SM2 at 100% volume levels. Ditto the Audio Technica ES7. Under the worst load (Earsonics SM2), DR. DAC3’s THD levels rise by a mere 50%; IMD even less. The AK380 and AK Jr., for instance, rise by up to a hundred fold when driving the same loads. When compounded with noise, 50% becomes 80%. For 350$, phenomenal.

The DR. DAC3 is so stable, that loads are of no consequence.

That said, AudioTrak’s marketing premise: “Ultra Quality 129dB DAC” is extraordinarily optimistic, if not downright misleading. I’m sure its DAC chip is capable of that. But the entire package is not. No DAC I’ve ever used is

If only DR. DAC3 had a less aggressive base gain setting, I would recommend it for every headphone out there, hands-down. As it is, I do not recommend it for the Ultrasone IQ, nor the Shure SE846. Both earphones get too loud, to quick. And the SE846 in particular hisses noticeably from it. That said, it hisses from almost any source out there, price notwithstanding.

USB or SPDIF?

USB software allows you to attenuate base volume levels via software. And DR. DAC3’s USB circuitry is very good. SPDIF edges USB stereo separation, but is edged out in other areas.

DAC performance

All of the above good stuff goes up a notch or two from the RCA outputs, from which DAC3 really runs into its own. The thing is: its headphone output is so nice that it would be a shame to pair it with something outboard, especially if it is not up to snuff. DR. DAC3’s DAC is going to outperform any headphone or power amp you pair it with. And it’s got a damn good headphone amp built in.

Sound

DR. DAC3 doesn’t have a signature sound that you’ll never forget. Its headphone output, open, and unaffected by load, plays it to very good effect. It is more than a match for your headphones and earphones. It would be nice if one of its headphone outputs was balanced.

The big take from the DR DAC3 is its huge sound stage: open, wide, tall, smoothly textured, and absolutely unaffected by load. Plug in your DT880/600, your IQ, your SM2, your PM2: each is going to sound its best. It is absolutely load agnostic. So, if you’re really into wide, detailed, and sweeping sound stages, it won’t matter what headphone you have. Each will check all of the above boxes. DR. DAC3’s sound stage and stereo detail are among the best that exists.

That said, DR. DAC3 isn’t overly detailed.

If pressed to put words to its’s sound signature, I’d say the following:

1. Its bass is grippy rather than starchy or dry. Sense of speed is great for trance and EDM.
2. Mid and high treble edges are slightly soft, but speedy, in the vein of the Vorzüge PURE II.
3. Smoothly gradiented midrange detail

It is my personal recommendation to match DR. DAC3 with neutral/forward headphones. Laid back headphones sound good, but lose some of the grip, and, I think, benefit for starchier-sounding DACs.

End Words

As long as you’re not looking for softening low-pass filters, or valvey warmth, DR DAC3 is as good a source as you can have for your computer or for your optical/coax sources at its price point. It isn’t a be-all-end-all DAC. But at 350$ it shouldn’t be. Its headphone output is phenomenal and pretty much worth the price of admission.

If only its gain circuit was quieter. And if only it ran fully from the bus.

If it nailed those two things, it would be the budget steal of the last couple of years. If it nailed those things and was easier to use, it would be a no-brainer. As it is, it is a very good performing DAC and headphone amp with a great feature set. It is worth it. But it isn’t a joy to use. 

4.1/5 - (18 votes)
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Back before he became the main photographer for bunches of audio magazines and stuff, Nathan was fiddling with pretty cool audio gear all day long at TouchMyApps. He loves Depeche Mode, trance, colonial hip-hop, and raisins. Sometimes, he gets to listening. Sometimes, he gets to shooting. Usually he's got a smile on his face. Always, he's got a whisky in his prehensile grip.

2 Comments

  • Reply December 11, 2015

    Peter Pan

    Very well said! I own dr dac 3 and i agree pretty much with your review!
    Very odjective and unbiased.
    By the way i have been comparing dr dacs headphone out with a burson soloist sl i have on loan and i dare to say that dr dac is on par and better on some points.Amazing little devil!

  • Reply December 16, 2016

    Ale

    Thank you for this review, can You tell the differences between the 3 and the DR DAC 2 Muse edition.
    Thanks again

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