J-Tech Digitalto Analog Audio Converter with Headphone Amplifier & Bass Control | 192kHz 24bit Optical Coaxial RCA 3.5mm

For my use, this has better function and value compared to other versions I have tried. It seems very well constructed and it works very well - once I figured out a subtle electronic issue. My goal for it was to use a Klipsch floor speaker to enhance the sound from my older Samsung TV. Overall this is a secondary system used for casual viewing, or party uses. The Samsung has very good picture and I didn't want to get rid of it. The Klipsch is basically a glorified "boom box" but good quality sound with deep base (what the TV doesn't have). The Samsung does not have a 3.5 plug output. The Klipsch does not have an optical input or coaxial input. The conversion hardware itself worked well with good quality, clean sound. But, there was a trick. When I first plugged everything in it did not work - no sound. I checked the DAC using headphones (and the headphone output of the DAC) and good sound was getting to the unit. I was using an RCA to 3.5 adapter cable. I unplugged the 3.5 from the Klipsch and then very slowly plugged it back in again. At one point during the plug insertion sound did happen. Then I completed the insertion of the plug - and it worked. It was as if the signal from one of the left-right channels needed to deliver some signal to complete the "cross-talk" between the devices. (In this era of electronics such things are possible.) I don't know if this is what actually happened, but I do know that then the devices did "talk" to each other. Anyway, from that point the sound coming out of the TV did work well coming to the speaker. For my set up the final step was working with the Samsung settings on speaker output. In theory, in this older TV, my choice was either the internal speakers of the TV or the external Klipsch. However, I did discover that setting the TV to "internal" speakers resulted in both the internal and the Klipsch working together. Yay! That was what I wanted! And, in this configuration the sound quality is very good. Last, both the volume and bass controls on the DAC are clean, good quality controls. In this configuration I can get more bass than I would ever want. (Exciting movie scenes would shock the viewer out of their chairs.) And the bass is very clean - not "boomy", rather I hear clean low frequencies with distinct low frequency waves.So, this device allows me to use and enjoy older, or for-other-purposes, devices (like the Klipsch, a party "boom box"). For such functionality this DAC is a very good value, in my opinion.

This is a followup to my first review. The decoder worked very well then went DEAD after only a couple of weeks. I was about to return it for a refund when I decided to test the supplied ADAPTOR first on a multimeter. Sure enough it was the adapter that had blown. A working 5.0 volt replacement adaptor restored the decoder. Happiness!

The J-Tech digital to analog converter was the perfect solution to getting the wifes analog headphones connected to the optical output on the new TV. Installation was a breeze. I can only take about ten hours of continuous news on TV before I start to crack. The J-Tech converter and amp allows the wife to closely watch things fall apart while I enjoy the sometimes calming effect of music. The J-Tech is really a solid piece of equipment and beyond that, it really works. Great sound at a great price.

easy hookup. flawless. I'd bought a slightly cheaper one previously and it died within a month.

I really didn't need a switch, just a decoder. I chose this over a like priced decoder from another manufacturer base on positive reviews. A lot of reviewers bought this to connect to Sennheiser headphones, which is what I needed a decoder for. First thing I noticed was that in comes packaged well with the item encased in an anti static bag. That's a good sign that the manufacturer knows what they're doing and it's not some, bought in bulk, offshore crap, repackaged and shipped to you DOA. Next is the build quality. Heavy metal case, not cheap plastic. I connected the unit to the optical out of an OPPO UDP 203 bluray player. OPPO allows you to sent five or six different formats from the optical out while running something different from the HDMI out at the same time. The tech where I bought the headphone told me to run PCM to it, so that's what I did. And it worked great. But after reading the fine print in the manual that came with the decoder, I gathered that it would decode many different formats. So I tried bitstream and it worked great also. This is a great feature. As for sound quality, the better the input, the better the output.Like I said, I didn't need a switch but J-Tech didn't offer a single decoder product. I has an on/off switch that also changes the inputs. I have it set up so it powers up when I turn on my home theater receiver. I was afraid I would have to manually turn it on and set the input every time I turned on the receiver. But, it remembered the setting after being powered down and back up. This means I can hook it up and put it somewhere out of sight so the LEDs don't annoy anyone.Overall, just a great little decoder.