Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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D&A Alpha DAC review
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Is this the new budget king of audiophile desktop setups? In today’s review, I’m diving deep into the D&A Alpha DAC and Headphone Amplifier. Priced at just $399 USD, the Alpha feels like a case of déjà vu—it looks nearly identical to the more expensive Alpha Pro I reviewed in 2025, yet it surprisingly offers more power and, to my ears, a better musical connection.

Equipped with a Dual ESS ES9039Q2M chipset and delivering a massive 9W of output power, this compact all-in-one handles everything from sensitive IEMs to demanding planar magnetic headphones. I explore the unique Tone-X mode, a hardware-based adjustment that adds a tube-like richness and 2nd-order harmonic distortion without altering the frequency response. I also compare it to the FiiO K13 R2R and the Loxjie D60 to see how it stacks up against the competition.

BEST AUDIO BARGAINS BELOW!

World's Best Cable Pro interconnects
Review - bit.ly/44b8KtW
Global* - amzn.to/3UOFtAN

Tipsy M1 IEM
Review - bit.ly/48del5v
tipsyaudio.com

Apos Gremlin headphone amp
Review - bit.ly/43FZjna
Global* - bit.ly/GremlinAmp

SMSL M20 DAC & headamp
Review - bit.ly/4oManqu
Global* - amzn.to/3YRxG79

Schiit Mimir DAC
Review - bit.ly/4r3cuaI
Global - bit.ly/484APo8

FiiO FT1 headphones
Review - bit.ly/4lfVCLd
Global* - amzn.to/4iC4VTG

Thieaudio Cypher headphones
Review - youtu.be/B7WT17V6WeI
Global* - bit.ly/TACypher

FiiO M21 digital audio player
Review - bit.ly/3K3PzeU
US & CA* - bit.ly/FiiOM21DAP
Global*: amzn.to/3HS7wfe

xDuoo TA-66 tube amp
Review - bit.ly/448jRoo
US & CA* - bit.ly/xDuooTA-66
Global* - amzn.to/3VWWSYS

SMSL AS400 speaker amp & DAC
Review - bit.ly/480NiZQ
Global* - amzn.to/3JkFxWi

FiiO K13 R2R DAC & headamp
Review - youtu.be/qlPbNWTQQTI
Global* - amzn.to/48r94WU
US & CA* - bit.ly/K13R2RPFS

Ampapa D1 amp
Review - youtu.be/dr7vB-HYPhk
Global* - amzn.to/49Lm3Dn

ADAM D3V active speakers
Review - bit.ly/4rhHeoO
Global* - amzn.to/4hw2Doo

SMSL RAW-DAC1 DAC
Review - bit.ly/43EXDKC
Global* - amzn.to/4hgqgkJ
US & CA* - bit.ly/RAWDAC1

Singxer SA-2 headamp
Review - youtu.be/xC_qVj0pL08
Global* - amzn.to/3ZiTTeq
US & CA* - bit.ly/SingxerSA2A

SMSL PL200T CD transport
Review - bit.ly/4o9LDaE
Global* - amzn.to/3IKlkIQ
US & CA* - bit.ly/SMSLPL200T

Nitsch Pietus Maximus headamp
Review - bit.ly/49nY3Yy
Global - bit.ly/3JQqkwC

Shanling EC Zero T portable CD player
Global* - amzn.to/47U9RR1

Chord Mojo 2 DAC & headphone amp
Review - bit.ly/43F0Rhg
Global* - amzn.to/3E5GNKj

FiiO K17 DAC, headamp, streamer & preamp
Review - bit.ly/42hKvIX
Global* - amzn.to/3QWziIH
US & CA* - bit.ly/FiiOK17

Geshelli Lbs Torc DAC
Review - youtu.be/VMvv24qgws4
Global* - bit.ly/GLTorc

SJY Horizon Closed Carbon headphones
Review - bit.ly/3DTKMd5
Global* - bit.ly/SJYHCCA

ZMF Bokeh headphones
Review - bit.ly/4hXLhAN
Global - bit.ly/42vMLwo

EverSolo T8 streamer
Review - bit.ly/4pdmo7V
Global* - amzn.to/4gjdSkx

Topping D900 DAC
Review - bit.ly/4oJNoMP
Global* - amzn.to/44D157g
US & CA* - bit.ly/TopD900

Vinshine Taihang power conditioner
Review - youtu.be/fJb7rNnUed4
Global - bit.ly/VinTaihang (not affiliate)

ADAM A7V active speakers
Review - bit.ly/4i2hO8L
Global* - amzn.to/43mIbma

Burson Soloist Stellar head/preamp
Review - youtu.be/mjgFlmzTiDQ
Burson - bursonaudio.com/shop/soloist-stellar
US & CA* - bit.ly/SoloistStellar

LTA Velo headamp/preamp
Review - bit.ly/42Eeknp
Global - bit.ly/LTAVelo

Gustard X30 DAC
Review - bit.ly/4p93yij
Global* - bit.ly/GUSTARDX30
Amzn* - amzn.to/3LenKRj

Luxear Valor IEMs
Review - youtu.be/89lSyU9Mzc4
Global - bit.ly/LuxearValor (not affiliate)

00:00 D&A Alpha review
01:04 Design & features
07:45 Sound quality
09:59 Comparisons
17:03 Final thoughts

#Audiophile #HiFi #DAC #HeadphoneAmp #DAAlpha #DAudio #AposAudio #BudgetAudiophile #DesktopAudio #HeadphoneReview #ToneX #AudezeMaxwell2 #HighResAudio #PassionForSound #MusicLover