DACs — Eversolo DAC-Z10

The Eversolo DAC-Z10 is a desktop digital-to-analogue converter that also works as a fully balanced preamplifier and a headphone amplifier. It went on pre-order in late 2025 with shipping from December, at a US price of USD 1,980.

Key specs that matter

Conversion is dual mono, with each channel given its own AKM chipset made of an AK4191 modulator and an AK4499 DAC, plus its own linear power supply and signal path. A DCP8568 main processor and a multi-core USB audio processor handle the digital side, and OPA1612 op-amps sit in the analogue stages. Via USB and HDMI I2S the unit accepts PCM up to 768 kHz and 32 bit and DSD512. Eversolo quotes THD+N of 0.00008 percent and a dynamic range of 130 dB. Balanced output is 5 V and single-ended output is 2.5 V. Power draw is rated at 32 W from a 100 to 240 V supply, and the chassis is 78 mm tall and houses the linear supplies described below.

Engineering and use context

The clock section is the Eversolo Precision Core, which combines an OCXO temperature-controlled crystal oscillator, PLL circuitry and FPGA clock reconstruction, and an external master clock can also be connected. Three separate ultra-low-noise linear supplies feed the circuit. The input panel is wide - USB-B, HDMI I2S with eight configurable pin modes, HDMI ARC for a television, AES/EBU, two optical and two coaxial inputs, plus Bluetooth 5.0 through a QCC5125 module. ARC, AES/EBU, optical and coaxial inputs run up to 192 kHz and 24 bit, with DSD64 over DoP on the S/PDIF-type connections. An 8.8 inch IPS touchscreen with electromagnetic shielding shows input, format and volume, and control is possible from a physical remote or the Eversolo Control app on a phone or tablet.

Pairing

As a preamplifier the DAC-Z10 has XLR and RCA analogue inputs and outputs with analogue gain adjustable by up to 10 dB, which allows a direct link to power amplifiers while an outboard phono preamplifier or tuner stays connected. The 6.35 mm headphone output delivers up to 1 W into 16 and 32 ohm, offers low, mid and high gain, and detects headphone impedance between 16 and 300 ohm automatically. A streamer feeding S/PDIF or AES/EBU, a computer over USB or a player with I2S over HDMI completes the chain.

Alternatives

The Eversolo DAC-Z8 is the brand's lower-priced converter, based on one ESS ES9038PRO chip with an XMOS XU316 USB interface and a 3 inch colour screen.