AIYIMA DAC-A2 Headphone Amplifier & Desktop DAC for PC, MAC and Gaming

Edit (4/14/25): The seller saw my review and decided to work with me to see if we could fix the high pitch I was hearing. While we couldn't in the end, it does seem to be a rare issue and they offered me a full refund to purchase a new one. Changing from 3->5 stars because of the exceptional customer service. ----- I bought this DAC as an affordable option for my office setup, and overall, it performs well. The build quality is solid, with responsive dials and more than enough power for my needs. Setup was straightforward, and the sound is clear, especially at lower volumes. However, I did notice a high-pitched whistle when using the USB input from my desktop. Even turning the treble all the way down didn’t eliminate the noise entirely, so I had to lower the volume to mask it. While this issue is disappointing, it doesn’t detract too much from its usability for casual listening. If you’re looking for a budget DAC and can work around minor noise issues, this could still be a worthwhile choice.

The DAC-A2 is a tremendous value in audio. Not terribly expensive but the ROI is phenomenal. I pared it with the OneOdio Studio Max 1 and it's an immense joy. The Aiyima provides exactly the controls that I'm looking for while offering near exacting audio reproduction. This is a small device but it requires some connections. There are two USB cables. One cable powers the device which is required. The other USB cable allows the Aiyima to pull digital audio from the PC and converts it fantastically. The volume can be incredible and was exactly what I was looking for. Optical and Coaxial input connections are available. It's solid, feels very well made. Metal, what's not to like.

I was looking for a DAC that would work on PS5 so I could use my Beyerdynamic DT770 pro 80ohm headphones properly. The controller doesn't really push their drivers, it's just loud enough, with no meaningful bass. But this DAC solved the problem. It seems a lot of the budget friendly DAC's don't have separate treble and bass control like these. That was the selling point for me. They sound great, no static or buzzing, clean sound, bass turned up, just works! I use a Schiit stack on PC, and if I didn't have that, I would've immediately purchased another one of these for PC. I may get another and replace the stack solely because of the treble and bass controls. The stack sounds clean, but some extra bass would be nice, and this would supply it. Package comes with a USB-C cable for power, a Toslink (optical audio cable), and a USB type B cable (type A to type B printer style cable) for USB audio input (for audio out on PS5 in my case). ***Huge note: it doesn't come with a charge block, I tried powering it through the PS5 USB port, and tried through my TV's USB port. Both did not supply enough power. Make sure you have a spare charging block that'll properly supply power. You'll know it's getting powered when the red light is on solid when the volume is switched to the on position. When not properly powered, it will lightly blink on and off intermittently. If you're looking for a DAC for use on PS5, I recommend this one all day.

So far, so good. Haven't had very long. I use it to add Bass & Treble to improve a wide v-shaped EQ. I had first done this in iTunes to improve the detail on some overly mid-focused Polk bookshelf speakers. But I heard too many clicks that sounded like distortion. So this DAC seems to solve the EQ problem without that somehow. No idea on the quality level of the Sabre chip in it. Bit-depth seems like it could be better, as you only get 192 over optical. That being said, I don't think I've heard the difference when I tried it on other DACs. So, it does the job of adding more distortion-free detail on my specific speakers. Haven't tried the headphone out, so no idea on that.

Connected to DAW using USB and has worked perfectly for me. No noise no added distortion and has been consistent. RCA out to an amp that powers 4 JBL passive speakers and a powered Elac sub. The separate bass, treble and volume that is on the unit are turned all the way up and use the amp to control along with software eq. Have always had a power conditioner attached to the unit along with the DAW, amp and eq as to ensure no noise coming over and consistent power. Over 2 years with it constantly on and it's been flawless.

Initially this unit is great - both sound quality and functionality. Unfortunately, I returned the first one and ended up having the same issue on my replacement. The issue is that after a couple of months, when adjusting the volume, there is a loud static/crackling sound when adjusting. Also, the left and right channel volumes are not consistent and it takes some trial and error to get them closely aligned again (sometimes not ending up on the volume you want). I contacted the seller and I don’t know if there was perhaps a language barrier but the response is that this is perfectly normal. I think most will agree that this is not a normal or desired behavior on a DAC where volume needs to be adjusted and it is important for left and right channels to be consistently aligned. Buy at your own risk as I can almost guarantee you will face these issues unless you do not need this device for volume adjustment.

I added this DAC to my rather "unconventional" signal chain today as a way to input from over USB from a Macbook Air. The full chain is: Macbook Air (Source, VOL 100%) AIYIMA DAC-A2 (VOL 80%) Douk EQ5 (Primary Vol Control) Douk TUBE-T5C (VOL 80% Aiyima T9 (Highs, VOL 80%) [Polk RTi A1 Tweeters] Aiyima T9 (Mids/Sub VOL 80%) [Polk RTi A1 Woofers Polk PSW404 Sub (from pre-out on Mids/Sub Aiyima T9) Bass and Treble controls on DAC-A2 and Douk TUBE-T5C are all set flat (just very slight boos to Bass on the T5C). EQ5 is used as master volume, and tone control. I'm actually very impressed with how well the DAC-A2 slotted into the signal chain with very little fiddling. I know some reviews mention "scratch" issues with the volume control, but I haven't experienced that at all. Tone and Bass pots are "clicky" so it's easy to get them centered for flat tone response. I haven't experimented with the optical input from a WIIM Pro, but that is the next step. Overall I like this configuration, just wish there was an on/off switch instead of the Volume Pot combo, but the same can be said fro the T5C. Other than a dedicated on/off switch like the T9 and perhaps a "bypass" of the tone controls I haven't got any criticism for this device (just those two suggestions). It does what it says on the tin, and price was great!

On the Nintendo Switch, you can adjust the volume from the controller menu, but only if you use USB audio. It doesn't work if you use the headphone jack. I had been playing videogames with my Logitec G gaming headset plugged directly into my Nintendo switch, or sometimes, my Nvidia gaming monitor. The Logitec headset comes with its own USB adapter, and I used that sometimes, but I needed it for my laptop, so I went shopping for a cheap USB-to-headphone adapter. I didn't think sound quality was a factor, because it's a gaming headset not music headphones, and it's a videogame, not music. I just wanted to be able to adjust the volume from the controller. I bought this one because it was about the cheapest one with USB input (needed for the Switch) but it also has optical and coaxial inputs. I have say I'm pretty surprised. The output is perfectly quiet with no hiss or static, and the sound is WAY better, even better than using the original Logitec USB adapter. You can hear every footstep in Zelda, every drop of ink in Splatoon. It's a pretty big difference. You can seriously hear the little footsteps of the smallfry enemies. And the tone controls are more of a bonus than I thought, because gaming headsets often have unbalanced bass. I ended up turning up the bass a little bit just until certain bomb sounds got too boomy. And I cut back the treble a little bit to make it sound less bright and harsh at high volumes. Basically, I didn't expect to need the tone controls but I ended up being glad I have them because no matter what headset I get in the future I can probably benefit from a little tweak. I would say this is the ultimate example of "even a cheap headphone amp is probably better than no headphone amp". Maybe if you have a good soundcard already, this won't help, but it's cheap enough to try, and having the cool tone control knobs and volume knob is worth something too.

Amazing DAC that punches far above its class. Easy plug and play. Adjusted bass/treble to my preference and WOW, such incredible sound! The price is incredibly good too, I don't think you can find anything better at this range. Super happy!!

歪み感なく素晴らしい音質です。価格からは想像できないくらいです!

This is exactly what I was looking for to use my wired headset for playing nostalgic games on my ps3. The sound is crisp and there is plenty of volume adjustment. Surprised it came with cords but you do need to supply the power block (I used an old iPhone block). Well built and happy with this purchase. Hoping it lasts a long time.

音質の再現、UP音楽の録音する状態まで把握できる感じで、予算のない自分にはぴったりでした。物足りなさは直接パワーアンプに繋いでいるので音の大きさが物足りない感じです。

Great value! I have mine connected via Optical to my Linux PC, so no driver required. Perfect match.