# Emotiva Little Ego DAC Review Discussion Thread



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

*by Wayne Myers*

*Price Each: $169 retail, $169 street.*


*Introduction*

Emotiva has entered the crowded entry-level DAC/Headphone Amp market with the Big Ego and Little Ego DAC models. The Big Ego provides multiple output possibilities and level controls. LIttle Ego is simpler, giving the user only a mini headphone jack output and a minimal - but critical - degree of special control over that output.


*Link to Emotiva Web Page.*


*Go to the Emotiva Little Ego DAC Review.*



























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## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

Very interesting, Thank You Wayne, I do wonder how it sounds in the main rig. I know, there is not enough time for everything.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

I have done as Jack suggested, and found that I can hear the improvement from the Filter3 setting through my main speakers just as I heard it with headphones. I also did some other listening against other DACs and with different sample rates, including my Onkyo TX-SR705 AVR. The conclusions I came to was that the Little Ego with its Filter3 setting sounded the clearest of them all, meaning that it was _probably_ the DAC filter type that was making the most audible difference between those designs. I was not able to compare it to more expensive DACs, like the Oppo HA-1. I am convinced using an asymmetrical filter type is an implementation choice that can be made with any DAC, and should be considered by DAC manufacturers as _THE_ DAC design choice where one must be made, and as a listening option where possible.

The result reminded me of some Dirac Live testing I have done, where system EQ was already pretty good, and the switching in of Dirac Live put a nice polish to the soundstage and imaging of the end result. Dirac must be accomplishing some of the same change as that filter choice (among other things, obviously), removing pre-ringing from the signal.


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## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

Thank you for updating this Wayne, it is really informative.
I have to wonder what the other filters are for if the one you chose, which is doubtless the correct one. Is it a personal taste issue or are the filters doing something that the dac should do always. I would imagine that UAC1 and UAC2 are there to cover USB1 and USB2 as that is how my dac works as it needs special software to work in USB 2 mode.

Very interesting.


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## Emig5m (Feb 10, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm interested in this product but what about EQ? Does it have a manual EQ in the driver/software? If not then that's a deal breaker for me as I like to adjust EQ for tonal preference as I hate the sound of bland mid-range only with no bass or treble. Thanks.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Emig5m said:


> Hey guys, I'm interested in this product but what about EQ? Does it have a manual EQ in the driver/software? If not then that's a deal breaker for me as I like to adjust EQ for tonal preference as I hate the sound of bland mid-range only with no bass or treble. Thanks.


There is no EQ built into the driver or the unit itself, except for a single setting of bass boost built into the DAC unit. That bass boost can only be enabled along with the Filter3 filter setting.

The "filter" setting referred to is not an EQ setting of any use for customizing frequency response. It only allows subtle tuning of the filter which is part of the DAC and affects the amount of pre-ringing or post-ringing resulting from the D to A conversion process.


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## Goodfellas27 (May 13, 2016)

on sale emotiva.com/products/dacs/dacs/little-ego


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