Welcome to my review of the Optoma NuForce uDAC-3 amp and DAC which retails for around £90.
The Optoma NuForce uDAC3 is an A-synchronous, full 24-bit, 96 kHz, high-performance USB Digital to Audio Converter (DAC) and combined headphone amplifier that upgrades any computers sound output.
To use the NuForce uDAC-3 you simply connect it to your computer’s USB port. The idea is that the DAC improves the sound quality of your digital music collection. As you can imagine, most Macs, computers and laptops are generally not engineered to deliver the best quality sound. This can result in subtle errors in the conversion and amplification processes which affects the audio quality. All of my headphones sounded better with the uDAC-3 than just using the headphone out with my MacBook Pro.
The uDAC3 provided a fuller sound with better clarity and a deeper and more powerful bass, more detail and separation. It is amazing the difference this made with streaming services and YouTube. The other aspects that is good about the uDAC-3 is its small compact size and that it gains all its power from the USB port of your computer.
Key Specifications
Output impedance RCA 100 Ohm, Headphone 5.6 Ohm
Maximum sampling rate 96 Bit resolution 24
Frequency response 20Hz-20kHz,THD+N:.005%
Signal to noise ratio 98db
Total harmonic distortion 0.05%
Power supply USB powered 80mA/5V
Native bit rate 32,16,24,48,88.2,96kHz
Dynamic range 90dB
Headphone power output 80m W x2@16Ohm
Volume control Rotory
USB sampling rates 44.1,48, 96
Connectionsinput USB
Connections output 3.5mm stereo, Coax S/PDIF, RCA L+R
Supported HD audio 96/24
Weight 90g
Dimensions 68 x 38 x 21 mm
In the box USB A-Micro cable, user’s manual
Video Review
Conclusion
For such a small compact device, this is an ideal addition to anyone who likes there music and wants their headphones to sound significantly better than the built in computer headphone audio.
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