Micca OriGen G3 HiFi USB and Optical DAC Amp for Headphones and Powered Speakers, 24-Bit/192kHz, Earphone Amplifier, Preamp, Volume Control, for Desktop Computers and Laptops

As a matter of background information, I've been evaluating various DAC's over the past several months and currently have 6 in my possession for comment and review - those being the iFi ZenDAC, the Soundavo HP-DAC1, the Schiit Modi 3, the SABAJ D3, the FX Audio X6, and the Micca OriGen 2. I constantly switch back and forth between them all, using two superb passive (built-like-a-tank) GOHIFIAUDIO S1 RCA audio switchers. This switcher model can handle up to 4 different audio units and there is virtually no signal loss or alteration. You can find it here on Amazon at (just copy and paste the link below into your browser): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085W1PPHL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My initial evaluation was accomplished using active speakers only (I'm typically not a headphone user, although I've recently began using some headphones). The active speakers used were the Edifier S3000 Pro's, the Edifier R2000 DB's, the Edifier R1850 DB's, the Edifier S350DB (a 2.1 system), and the JBL 1 Series 104's. USB cables used were upgraded Audioquest Pearl models and the RCA cables used were either versions from World's Best Cables, or from Blue Jeans Cables (their LC-1's). In addition, just recently I added into the mix the absolutely superb (makes a world of different in USB sound quality) iFi Purifier 3.0 USB line conditioner and reclocker. Alright - now on to the Micca Origen2. In a nutshell, it is a very competent performer. The music it produces is transparent and balanced with no one particular area standing out of the crowd, and it creates a large, more laid back sound-stage that spreads out the instruments from far left to far right. Some would call the OriGen 2 boring at times, but that most certainly is not the case - please read on. I tend to listen to only classical, big band, jazz, Latin jazz, and other large orchestral pieces and I specifically listen to how DAC's produce the different instrumentation. With that in mind, for me - the OriGen 2 does not initially call attention to itself and it does not move the music up-front and in your face as some DAC's do. Using classical music as an example, or any orchestral ensembles, what you will experience is that sound staging is pushed back a bit and at the same time widened from left to right. Now some DAC's excite you at first by throwing the music right in your face - that is, they move the sound-stage forward on a single plane. Some of these other DAC's may have a sense of immediacy, but their sense of depth may suffer in the process. Now do keep in mind that I listen to music by my desktop PC because I spend a good 6-8 hours daily working, communicating, and photo processing with Photoshop (in addition to being an audiophile, I am also a photographer). And I'm a critical listener. As I mentioned above, the music is balanced and there isn't any one area that screams for attention to itself (again, like with some DAC's). This balanced sound translates well towards long term listening. Now using the term "balanced," should not be meant to infer that it is bland - far from it. If you want "immediacy," just turn up the volume up bit. When you do that, the Gen 2 keeps the balance and the sense of depth from front to rear, yet also imparts that "immediacy" or involvement that so many are looking for. When there's bass, the Gen 2 does a superb job giving you the wallop you need. Mids and highs are handled with delicacy, not trying to over-shawdow anything. With good source material, some high frequencies like strined instruments for example, have an almost silky sheen to them (not grating). One thing I like about this DAC that is missing in a few other DAC's is that if you want to connect a headphone, you are given two headphone jacks - one for the larger sized version, and a separate one for the 3.5 MM version. In addition, if you want to listen to the headphones only, just flip the front switch to headphone and your speakers will NOT play (just the headphones). Likewise, when you want to go back to the speakers only, just flip the switch back to the speakers symbol and wallaaaaaaa...now you're listening to your speakers without the headphones being used (in case you still have them plugged in). So this exceptionally small sized DAC (which shocks you the first time you open it up) is anything but small in the audio department - that's for sure. But as is always the case, YMMV - everybody uses their gear differently. I don't play rock or higher high-pitched screechy type of music. Large orchestral works are some of the best indicators of musical qualities in audio gear - I learned that a long time ago. In addition, I make it a point to upgrade all of my cables - to include USB cables, RCA or 3.5 MM connector wire, and in some cases the power supplies. Little improvements such as these can often make a world of difference, allowing the true audio performance levels to shine with various gear. So for the ridiculously inexpensive price it's placed at, this G2 is a solid performer and it tends to grow on you as time goes on, and it most certainly does not look like other DAC units. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: On 7-6-2020 I edited and adjusted the initial review. As time went on, I came to really appreciate this Micca MiriGen G2 DAC unit. So for those of you revisiting this review, yes, it has changed. My changes now involved more positive comments about audio performance, sound-staging, and more. And I also changed my initial star rating from 4 to 5.

I wanted to switch from a bulky receiver which I no longer used for anything but headphones and try a dedicated headphone amp. I tried the Schiit Modi and Magni v1 first but didn't like various things about them. Sadly, I ended up resorting to a product not made in America due to budget constraints and picked this up. However, like many knives it seems to be that this is a product of high quality; one of those rare gems that comes from Asia that's built well. The construction is solid, finish is clean and the unit functions flawlessly. I haven't tried anything besides the headphone jacks, volume knob, USB connection, gain switch, output switch and SPDIF out (for functionality testing only) but everything has checked out so far. I leave it connected via USB and it's nice to not have to plug it into the wall. I was surprised how well this thing performs since it's powered by USB alone. The reason I wanted something like this was to hopefully cut down on heat output while also providing a large volume wheel without taking up a lot of space on the desk. The wheel isn't as large as a receiver but in terms of dedicated headphone amps it's relatively large. I would have picked up a JDSLABS "The Element" if I could afford it due to the massive volume wheel but I'm actually quite satisfied with the Micca Origen G2. The light indicators (orange) properly read the correct sample rate coming from the computer (it seems to stay set to whatever you set Windows to, regardless of if you set something else in a media player -- something which I believe is the fault of Window's terrible audio management UX). It also has a light indicator to let you know that the power is on (green) as well as another one which reacts in a unique way to the audio based on the channel(s) audio is output to. This light will light up blue for left channel, red for right channel and purple for both channels. The strength of the light depends on how loud the audio is coming through to the headphones. That green light I mentioned is red when you first power on the unit and wait for initialization, much like a receiver but much faster. It takes about a second to change the light from red to green where on a receiver it would take maybe 3-4 seconds for it to be ready to output a signal. The lights face upward so they can't really hit you in the face when you're trying to sleep and even if they faced you I don't believe they're the type that are blindingly and annoyingly strong. The unit doesn't get too warm which is very nice. As far as sound there's not really any issues on that front and it's difficult to compare to other things without a side-by-side comparison. Plus, sound is subjective so what I say isn't a huge deal anyways but I can at least say, in-case it helps anyone that I didn't notice any sound coloring from the device and yes, it can put out some real high volume levels... to the point that you'll not want to listen to it that loud for a long time because it will get irritating and probably help damage your hearing. I'm overall very satisfied with this purchase and it's nice to know that even if I travel I can easily pack this in my luggage or carry-on and have something with me wherever I go that can be paired with high or low impedance headphones.

The Origen G2 is a fantastic little entry from Micca. It's what I would classify as a perfect starter solution for a desktop setup. I originally bought this little powerhouse for my sister as her all-in-one solution, but I found it to work better for my desk setup than the SMSL M6, which offers a similar feature set but with with a few ommissions. TL;DR - A good DAC with a decent amp capable of driving most headphones. Also has a pretty practical feature set. I'd recommend it. Features: The Origen G2 is a rectangular box with a big 'ol knob on top, which acts as the power switch as well. It's got pre-outs in the rear of the device, selectable via a switch in the front. It also has 2 gain stages via a switch, front-mounted 1/4" and 3.5mm outputs, as well as USB input, Optical input AND output! It can also be powered via a wall-wart if used with Optical via either USB or a small barrel plug. Driverless opertion on Win7+, Android, Linux, and MacOS. 24 bit, 192 kHz. Build: It's built like a brick ****house. It's a full-metal construction feels sturdy and of quality. The knob is decently smooth, and features a satisfying click when turning on/off. There are also small rubber feet on the bottom of the unit so it doesn't slide around on your desk. Honestly, this thing feels solid enough to use as a very small weapon if you needed to, and still work afterwards. I have absoluetly zero complaints of the build for the price. Sound: It's about as clean and realistic as I'd expect. Near-zero output impedance means it can also be used with sensitive and multi-BA IEMs without changing the sound. I really can't complain here either. It's got decent dynamic range as well. Tested Squad (Game) and Mountains (Interstellar OST) with a pair of HD 660 S and things did the range of volume, dynamically! Power: In Low-gain, I've used it with the Campfire IO and Massdrop Plus and both sounded great. In high-gain I've used it with the Sennheiser HD 660S and 58X Jubilee and it's driven them both to suitably loud levels. Haven't really tried it with any Fostex T50 mods, because I use my desk for gaming and work. Conclusions: I really like this thing. On my desk, I use it both with my headphones, and my powered monitors. It works well for both. It connected to Win10 Creators 1703+ with driverless operation and works fantastic. MicroUSB is a bit of a bummer, but isn't a real and true issue for a device of this size/price, or of this age. The G2 has been out for a while at this point. Honestly, it's still a fantastic option for a starter DAC/amp in my opinion. It's the perfect size to drop into a laptop bag and bring on Vacation for a portable listening station. My only complaint, which is subjective, is that there isn't an option to set the Pre-out in the rear to a line-output. Because of a digital output, this complaint is somewhat mitigated, it just becomes harder to compare the amp stages. I do love the fact this has optical out for plugging in different DACs for testing, or sending it to an A/V Receiver somewhere else. The volume knob feels decent, the unit itself feels solid, and it's driven every headphone or active speaker I've plugged into it with aplomb. More than anything else though, it's just a simple, cheap, well-built, and feature-packed unit. I borrowed it from my sister, but if she never asks for it back, I may just keep it for myself, honestly.

For the price this is a decent intro/budget DAC amp. I really like the compact size, and the external build/material quality is good. Solid metal enclosure, and the volume knob control is pretty smooth and satisfying. The sound quality is alright/10. Really nothing spectacular at all. Relatively narrow soundstage on my DT770Pro and 1990s. Out of the box the high/low frequency clarity and definition isn't very convincing, but carried along a passable midrange that was good for TV and passive listening. But it will definitely push volume, and its got a great knob. The problems begin after about a year of regular use. If you're like me and like to listen to music with punchy bass at a decently high volume from time to time, don't expect your time with this amp to be a long one. Started off with some mild, but very noticeable clipping and distortion at higher volumes (80+%) after about 8-10 months. Which I compensated for by just not pressing the volume as much. The -10db switch just makes the bad parts quieter. So that's a nice feature. After that period it slowly crept back to where at even 55-60% volume the low and high frequency response turned into raw garbage sounds. Even mild bass tones at 60% is purely unintelligible and ends up clipping and distorting the entire media. This amp had essentially transformed into a distortion pedal after about 12 months. If this is your first time buying a DAC amp and you don't want to spend a ton of money without really knowing what a DAC can do to your listening experience, this is a solid pick for the price. I had a lot of fun with this thing for the first few months. Mostly turning the big knob. But the fun will not last long, the internal quality of these amps is very obviously budget built. But is it worth $100? Totally, in every sense. Realistically though if you plan on using a DAC amp regularly, you're so much better off investing in a more reliable and quality machine than this one.

I own headphones ranging in price from 300.00 to 1100.00 so I wanted to couple them with a high preforming dac/amp. I first purchased the S.M.S.L M500 based on the reviews on Reddit. It performed pretty good but during soft music such as "if you could read my mind" and "you're so vain" there was a noticeable hiss and having grew up in the audio world during the reign of cassette tapes, I just couldn't do it. I returned it the same day. I expected more from a 400.00 DAC. I tried a few other DACs with most being OK but I ended up settling on the aune B1 for my portable solution and it's a great dac/amp plus it hooks to my phone just fine and sounded great. I ran across a review on the Micca Origen G2 and the audiophile raved about it. Since I wanted a dedicated desktop DAC/AMP I figured for the price on Amazon, I could return it without any bad feelings. That was months ago and it still sits on my desk. What surprised me the build quality and deck amenities. It supports DSF/DSD/PCM and MQA as well as regular flac and wav files. Your lights on the top of the unit flash differently, depending on the file playing. It shows your high end DSF/DSD or MQA files in a different color. It also indicates your flac and wav files. I have a mixed library so it's nice to see it recognize my DSF files. It's just a feel good addition that indicates the quality of workmanship. And did I mention this thing is a 100 percent metal beast? So in a side by side comparison with my 300.00 aune BU1 portable unit, I can honestly say I enjoy the Origen as much if not better. The Origen seems to warm the music ever so much, something like you would expect from a tube amp dac. It drives my 1100.00 250 Ohm cans just as clearly as my 32 Ohm sets. For the price, I am extremely happy with the Origan G2. Extremely. Unfortunately, it is currently unavailable on Amazon. Watch this space, I am guessing they will renew shortly. This is a fantastic DAC/AMP at twice the price.

I have had the Origen G2 for about two weeks now (after waiting quite a while for it to come back into stock) and I think it is perfect. There are quite a few other desktop DAC/Amps but these are the key reasons I like this one. 1) Sounds better than on board audio from PC. Noticed better stereo separation and clarity right away. 2) Nice, solid metal construction, yet compact size. 3) Large volume knob with high degree of volume control. 4) Has both a 1/8" and 1/4" headphone jack. 5) 1/8" output jack on back. Assuming you have some sort of powered speakers attached to your computer's 1/8" analog output jack on the back of your computer, you can simply now plug that same wire into the back of the this instead 6) Output selector switch. This allows you to control output to your powered speakers or the headphones with this switch on the front WITHOUT having to unplug your headphones. I love this. 7) Runs off of USB - no extra power required 8) Zero setup (at least for me) on Windows 10. I just plugged it into a USB 2.0 port and it was immediately recognized. 9) Reasonably priced - all that for about $100! If you are simply looking for better sound and better control of your PC's audio, this thing is a no-brainer. I love it.

I was looking for a good DAC / amp combo, but as this would be my first, I did not want to break the bank. I tried to do some research online - unfortunately, it seems many people are either focused on a single brand or think that you need to go "all in" on your first device and spend $350+ to get something that sounds good. I hate to disappoint them, but the OriGen G2 will do that - not only does it sound great and offer the features that I wanted, it's under $110 at the time I purchased it! I really think that the flexibility of this device is one of the assets that is most overlooked - it offers multiple inputs (though I am only using the USB input with my PC), but the fact that it has a switch on the front that lets you choose between the headphone output and the rear line out? That's just awesome. I never have to unplug my headphones and a flip of the switch lets me decide if I want personal listening or if sound runs through my speakers. The DAC and amp really impressed me too - I am not sure what I was expecting, but the clarity and separation of sound really made for incredible sound. I could hear nuances in the music that I never picked out before, and in some cases, it was like hearing the song again for the first time. If you're on the fence as to whether this will make a difference over your PC soundcard, understand that this device changed my mind. Instead of relying on the motherboard's sound I'll be attaching this simple device that gives me incredible sound with the definition I haven't had before. For those concerned about compatibility, I was able to plug-and-play this device on Windows 10 Version 1803 - as simple as that.

I bought a pair of DT770s to replace a 15year old pair of Bose TriPorts at work. The DT770s are great, but I started to notice some interference on my workstation... Turns out the on-board sound card is not the greatest. Now comes the search for a desktop DAC/amp... Oh boy... There are sooo many options and so many opinions out there. AND I wanted to keep my budget around $100 I looked at the Fulla 2, but people have strong opinions on both sides of the fence. I looked at various FiiO products. They seem alright, but nothing was perfect. I looked at SMSL. Again great products but nothing perfect for $100. I came across 3 reviews on Zreviews (youtube) for the OriGen. The original OriGen, the OriGen+ and the OriGen2 Each review he raved about the existing features and talked about what was missing. Each iteration there was improvement... The OriGen+ got a lot of flack for Windows10 driver issues. I'll go on record to say the OriGen2 has absolutely no drivers, no issues at all with Windows 10. When I plugged in the USB, the device just immediately was recognized by the laptop and started working. But what I really like is that my laptop knows when it's turned off, but still plugged in... So if I set my volume to 100% on my PC (recommended for use with the DAC/amp), I can adjust volume with the OriGen2. If I turn off the OriGen2, the laptop drops the volume back down to the default volume before the device was plugged in! That's fantastic! Without this the volume would be stuck at 100% which would be BAD. The device is so well built... Smooth potentiometer. Easy connectivity. Numerous input/outputs. High/Low gain. TWO headphone inputs (they recommend to not use them both at the same time... But it does work, and I will say it's nice that it does. My wife and I can listen to the same song together while we want the room to remain quite [sleeping baby, puppy, etc]). Can't say enough about this DAC/amp. Exactly what I was looking for. Fulla 2 might be just as good, or better... But I have no desire to find out. The OriGen2 is perfect.

Perfect for what I needed. Using on my gaming PC via optical with a ugreen 5v adapter for my M40x's and Monoprice Retros. Brought my game audio to a much more immersive level. Can't say it provides a huge boost in sound quality, does sound really clean though even at really high volume. A cheap and easy sound quality boost is to buy a USB to AUX dongle for your laptop to bypass your headphone jack, sounds way better and can tap into windows spatial sound. While I don't have speakers on it yet, i'm glad I can expand in the future. Tried it on my laptop via USB and it worked immediately on windows 10. Looks great on a desk, highly recommended. UGREEN AC to DC Adapter 5V 2A Power Supply Adapter with 1.35mm x 3.5mm Connector Plug Wall Charger for Led Strip, String Lights, Wireless Router, LCD, Hub, Switches, CCTV Cameras, Android TV Box

To anyone reading this, I've never been more confident in a product in my life. This thing makes a world of difference. If you care about sound quality, you owe it to yourself to grab one. It's simply the best audio product I've ever owned. Solidly built, and easy to understand. It's like a little audio brick in the palm of your hand.

I like the form-factor and size. This DAC sounds superb, comparing favourably to my Audiolab Q-Dac. It's the perfect audio solution for laptops! It has a simple yet effective LED display to tell you what speed and bit-rate is. The unit is dead quiet, and though good headphones the sound-stage is large and has depth. This DAC/preamp is a steal for the price!

Edit 2017/12/27: After further listening tests between different headphones and switching them between the Micca and the Soundblaster Z, I have edited my review and rating of this product. I purchased this to act as a pre-amplifier with a volume control knob for my JBL studio monitors, and also to get rid of the buzzing noise/EMI/ground loop issue during gaming on the PC. It looked like Micca really built themselves a nice little niche as very few products in this price range can act as both a preamplifier and a headphone amp and accept optical input. I think it's only direct competitor would be the Schiit Fulla 2 which can also act as a preamp and headphone amp but does not have optical input. The moment I opened the box, I was greeted by a small black box that was barely longer than my mouse and just about half the width. That should give you some scale of how small this device is. The switches felt solid and the volume knob had a weighty smooth motion similar to those found on HT receivers. The whole unit has a bit of weight to it and combined with the four rubber pads beneath do well to keep the unit from sliding. Even with the weight of the cables attached behind it, the unit does not move or pry upwards like some cheap Logitech speaker volume control dongle. When connected using USB, it was installed automatically in Windows 10 (version 1709) and worked right out of the box without user intervention. However, I was disappointed to find that when connected using USB, there was a consistent 1-2 second delay before sound comes out. If I pressed play on my Foobar2000 audio player, I would essentially miss the first 1-2 seconds of the first song. Perhaps this has something to do with the C-MEDIA USB audio interface chipset (which is used in other DACs as well). The second disappointment I found was that even though this was an external USB DAC, it was still susceptible to EMI/ground loop/buzzing noises when connected using USB. In my case, the buzzing noises only come out when my graphics card was at peak load during a game almost like EMI was going into the USB ports and out into the DAC. Even providing a separate 5V DC power supply to the DAC did not help. I think this is a known issue and many USB DACs would have the same problem. That being said, I'm happy to report that once I connected the Micca Origen G2 using a TOSLINK optical cable to my sound card, the annoying sound delay was gone completely. The buzzing noise inside games was also completely eliminated. I'm very grateful that Micca included the optical connection so that I could try both. If I had gone with a USB only DAC, I would spazzed like an epileptic after having found that the buzzing I aimed to fix remained unfettered and ready to strike my sensitive ears at any moment. When connected via optical, you lose the kHz display that tells you the sampling rate coming from your computer. The kHz display only works when using USB. The optical connection accepts up to 192kHz sampling rate, which is great considering the Fulla 2 only does 96kHz. However, I switched between 48kHz, 96kHz and 192kHz and could not hear a difference. Hey, at least it's there and you could gloat "My sampling rate is bigger than yours". Another review mentioned about channel imbalance (where one side sounds louder than the other) when the volume knob was turned down to about less than 10%. I managed to reproduce this problem very easily and it seemed like this issue has been present even on the older OriGen+ model according to a quick search online. It has to be said though that at 10%, the volume was pretty low. At that level, it was effectively whisper level on most of my 32 Ohm headphones. I think a regular person would want to turn up the volume between 10 and 12 o clock at -10dB gain to achieve satisfactory listening levels. This brings us to the headphone amp output. When driving my Sennheiser 598SR 50 Ohm headphones, I had to turn the volume knob close to the 2 o' clock position to match 20% of the amplified headphone output from the Soundblaster Z. Based on this scaling, I'm not sure if the Micca has enough power to drive higher impedance headphones. Even though the Soundblaster Z uses identical JRC 4556 opamps, it's a bit strange that the Micca required volume to be set to 65% to match the Soundblaster Z's output at 20%. In terms of the "new" Wolfson/Cirrus Logic wm8740 DAC (it's actually a really old and cheap part) used in the OriGen G2, I do not hear any actual differences between it and the Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC that's present in my Soundblaster Z card when fed to my JBL speakers. I have mixed feelings about this because at $139.99, I sort of expected an upgrade over my $79.99 Creative sound card, and not a mere side grade. However, after realising that the CS4398 was actually a top of the line DAC from Cirrus Logic and used in some high end audio devices, I was glad that I did not lose any (if at all) sound quality after switching to a mid range Wolfson DAC. When using the Micca as a headphone amp, differences between the DACs (and associated amplifier circuitry) become slightly more pronounced. Although the output in many cases was quite close to that of the Soundblaster Z, there seemed to be some distinctions in the sound signatures for certain tracks. The Micca seemed to emphasize on mids more, while the Soundblaster Z seemed to produce a more balanced sound with crisper highs. As a result, although vocals were quite lush on the Micca, the overall sound was a bit busy. The low end produced by both were about the same. Overall, I found Soundblaster Z's sound signature more pleasing but it's was very close between them. Both produced very clear hiss-free sound even at high volumes. My only suggestion to Micca is to take note of its competitors who are now including better components at the same price point. The Schiit Fulla 2 for example comes with some nice high end AKM AK4490 DACs and some nice TI opamps, and at the same time comes in at a lower price point. If Schiit ever decides to include an optical input on the Fulla, I would be sprinting there in a heart beat. As I understand it, the Micca OriGen line is geared towards the "value for money" segment. For the G2, it seems like they actually went backwards and used a cheaper and less capable DAC (no DSD support) over the original CS4392 DAC they used for the OriGen+. The decision was probably due to cost savings and profit margins, or maybe to counter the additional costs of the newcomer C-MEDIA USB chip versus the outgoing the VIA chip. In my opinion, such a move reduces value and diminishes the original intent for the product. I really hope their next product will employ better hardware. In summary, this is a decent DAC and preamp that works well with studio monitors. I wouldn't call it the be-all and end-all of external DACs but it's one of the few in this price range that includes optical connectivity and preamp with volume control for powered monitors. 4/5

Works very well. I have ath-800x on it.