Product Comparison: NuForce uDAC3 vs Fiio E10K

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NuForce uDAC3 Black Optoma Mobile USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

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Fiio E10K USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

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General Specifications

Brand

NuForce

Fiio

Model

uDAC3

E10K

Origin

China

About the Product

The uDAC3 Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) and combined headphone amplifier significantly upgrades any computer's sound output. It simply connects to the computers USB port and extracts every last nuance and detail from your digital music collection.

The E10K USB DAC high resolution Headphone Amplifier from Fiio is customizable and designed to improve your laptop's audio output quality via its PCM5102 DAC chip and is capable of handling PCM files in up to 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution.

Key Specs

Built-in DAC

ESS9022

PCM5102

Type

Portable

Sample Resolution/Rate

24-bit / 96kHz

Signal/Noise Ratio

98 dB

108 dB

NuForce uDAC3

Fiio E10K

What customers say about "Key Specs"

NuForce uDAC3 Black Optoma Mobile USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

This is a pretty good DAC for the price. It has a great sound stage over all making most music sound more clear.
I like that this DAC is portable and runs off of the USB power.
I was already using an m audio external DAC with a pair of Yamaha monitors, but this sounds even better.
Very dynamic with powerful but controlled bass. Very nice sound.
I admit that I am a bit spoiled by the power and sound of my Icon DAC when using full sized phones.

Fiio E10K USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

This unit is a serious amp with a very good DAC built into it.
Using this DAC while playing competitive titles such as CS:GO gives you a distinct advantage as you can pinpoint individual footsteps.
Superb sound! Love how I can run both headphones and (active/powered) speakers from this device from this device.
By default this dac/amp has a nice clean sound, and it gets loud enough on it's own (though the volume on the PC has an impact on this).
For whatever reason, this DAC seemed to make my headphones sound worse.

Size & Weight

Color

Black

Height

0.8 in.

Width

2.7 in.

2 in.

Depth

1.5 in.

3.1 in.

Weight

8.8 oz.

2.8 oz.

NuForce uDAC3

Fiio E10K

NuForce uDAC3

Fiio E10K

NuForce uDAC3

Fiio E10K

NuForce uDAC3

Fiio E10K

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

NuForce uDAC3 Black Optoma Mobile USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

Small, good sounding, easy to install and use, gery nice with headphones.
I loved this DAC great design and looks great on your desk but keep in mind that is VERY small.
I love this thing. It's small, solid, and sounds fantastic.
Perfect for work, small portable and powerful.
Small but not so small you'll accidentally wash it in your pants pocket.

Fiio E10K USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

Not much to say, It's a very simple DACAMP, built from solid brushed aluminium, lightweight and small to carry around.
I'd highly recommend these small, light, and rugged DACs.
I also love the size. This thing is small and doesn't take up much room on my desk.
I cant say much about portability aside from the size being pretty nice and compact, I'm sure it would fit in my pocket with a phone.
Nobody told me how big this device is! I expected it to be the size of an old phones or something like this, but it's large!

Features

Enclosure Material

Aluminium

Max. Frequency Response

25 kHz

20 kHz

Min. Frequency Response

20 Hz

Controls

Volume Button

Bass, Gain, Volume Control

OS Compatibility

Apple OS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple iOS, Android

Wireless Connection

Interfaces

Micro USB Input, Coaxial Output, Phones, Analog Stereo RCA

Phones, Coaxial Output, Line Out, Micro USB Input

Extras

High voltage 2V analog output, A linear TOCOS volume control, Low power consumptiont

Power Indicator Light, Lower Noise Floor, Portable Design, Optimized low-pass filter

Min. Frequency Response
Max. Frequency Response

NuForce uDAC3

Fiio E10K

NuForce uDAC3

Fiio E10K

What customers say about "Features"

NuForce uDAC3 Black Optoma Mobile USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

I've been a long time NuForce DAC user, until I upgraded my Macbook Pro to macOS Mojave, then the machine stops recognizing the device.
However, if you have some cheap headphones or speakers I would recommend you upgrade those before looking at a DAC.
uDAC-3 with Bitperfect - a great, and cheap add on app required to get really great sound out of your Apple.
I have also connected the uDAC 3 to my Logitech Z2300s and they sound fantastic when compared to being directly connected to the Chromebook!
The dac sounded pretty good while I was using it but the poor construction quality has turned me away from this manufacturer for good.

Fiio E10K USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

I would absolutely recommend this DAC+AMP to anyone wanting some more volume, better overall frequency response.
I run line out of the 10k into the RCA on the Bravo with a 3.5 to RCA cable. The sound is FANTASTIC.
It drives my headphones LOUD and improves the sound quality over a plain 3.5mm input.
This little unit blows away any built in DAC I've used on my computers at work and really makes a good pair of headphones great.
This dac worked well for about 3 months I started having my audio brake on PC it would stop working.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

CE, FCC