[Upgraded] Lavaudio HiFi Bluetooth Receiver for Home Stereo w/LDAC, Bluetooth 5.1 Audio Adapter w/Audiophile DAC aptX HD/LL, Hi-Res Bluetooth Receiver with OLED Display EQ Mode - DS220

I love this device and works very well for my needs. Nobody should hesitate buying one one these. I did see a reviewer giving 1 star and the best thing he/she did was explaining what happens as and when it died. This was not a failure of the item itself this was a clear indication that the power adapter was faulty and this seems to be a theme with tons of products, even Samsung is guilty of crap adapters that come in the box. Granted, the Samsung never failed but it was still not made the best. I strongly suggest buying QUALITY power adapters such as Anker, and yes it is stupid people have to resort to buying adapters when the one in the box should be better. However, since everything is coming with crap adapters, even reputable brands, the only way to combat this is to buy your own higher quality adapters. Make sure these new adapter/usb chargers come with over-volt protection (in and out), short circuit protection, and temperature monitoring.Its sucks having to buy better adapters but sucks even if your good equipment gets ruined due to a crap adapter.Now my review of the product itself and that it is awesome and no issues the sound is smooth the only part that seemed a bit strong was the treble but usually as the DAC breaks in the highs will tone down a bit. Bass is also not its strong suit I mean it has enough for music not requiring much bass and a little recessed for songs which need a bit more. the Sabre 9038 overall has a very clean sound almost relaxing but not as much as the AKM4490 DAC. The product overall and for the price is excellent and with AptX HD and LDAC its a no brainer, BUY IT! just don't trust the power adapter it comes with.

I didn’t want to spend over $100.00 for a good Bluetooth/dac unit that has either optical or coaxial digital output because I already have a TEAC UD-301 DAC unit which has XLR and RCA outputs. So this DS220 had all boxes checked in terms of what I wanted. Since I already owned the DS601 Bluetooth/dac from the same company it was easy choice to try this new unit of theirs. First after switching out the DS601 TO DS220 see last 2 pictures the last pic has the DS601, the first 3 pics has the DS220. My impression, WOW! Even, though this dac has a ESS SABRE 9018K2M which is mobile version of the OPPO 95 & 105,105D Blu-ray players still it sounded fantastic, it could hold its own easily from other units costing 2-3x more. So my DS601 going to my reference unit. The takeaway, cheap doesn’t mean junk means high value for the money. Compact doesn’t take a lot a space. Great sounding dac, you won’t be disappointed and if you have a better dac it has optical output to upgrade the sound even further. The only reason for the 4 out five star is the stock Bluetooth antenna is not sending out good enough signal. I’m about 10 feet using my apple iPad Pro 12.9 2021 edition and I get static as well as loss signal. The fix was I have a unused linksys ac1900 modem and using one of the 3 larger antenna for increase of about 3db added on the Bluetooth signal strength. Now no static or loss signal. See last picture for the larger antenna from my linksys ac1900 modem.

Summary: Useful within the limitations of Bluetooth audio (even considering 'high Fidelity of AptX-HD and LDAC). The main thing that bothers me is only having 16 levels of volume; while technically adjustable, leaves me listening either a bit too loud or a bit too quiet. There is no remote control, though volume can be adjusted from the connected phone. When connected to USB, adjusting volume on this product tells the phone to adjust volume.Details: this device is an ESS9018K2M DAC chip plus a Bluetooth module and a line driver; not much else other than some connectors, display/button interface, and a passive filter circuit between the DAC chip and line driver chip. This means the DAC is not performing the best that it could, but maybe well inline with its price point.The USB-C connection is nothing more than a headphone line in from a phone that doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone port. In this case the phones DAC is directly driving the RCA and I'm guessing the optical out doesn't work (as that would require analog to digital conversion).After using the unit for a week with some nice amps and speakers and also building my understanding of other offerings, I must say that I regret my purchase. I wish the description would have been more clear about what it was, especially the 16 levels of volume control and usb connection.

The replaces a cheaper ($40) HiFi Bluetooth receiver that had been doing an okay job however the range was lacking. This unit allows me to walk anywhere in my house (3 level 3,800sq/ft) and never looses signal with my phone. Also comes with every cable including optical. Very happy with sound and features as well.

Flashed on and then glitched out and turned upside down. Then it didn't even turn on at all. Junk.