Question about two USB DAC/Interfaces.

Specs as best I can find:
1. SybaSonic SD-DAC63118, DAC/ADC: C-Media CM6533, Op-Amp: TI-LM4562
2. M-Track Solo, TI Burr-Brown chip (from Linux info), unknown on the rest.
Using them as a PC onboard audio (ALC1200) replacement.
Both are USB input/power and RCA out to my Fosi V3 Amp.
Both are plug and play (use the same MS built in stock driver).

1. The Syba drives the V3 amp or headphones much harder/louder (like twice as loud at same volume position). It behaves similar to using the optical output of a sound card, shown in Windows as a SPDIF out and has no effects tab. I swear I can hear better detail in music with it vs the M-Track.
2. The M-Track behaves like analog outputs on any other sound card, and has effects tab with Loudness EQ, etc. A feature I really want to have for those annoying "super quiet dialog > super music/boom" movies. Audio quality seems a bit anemic compared to the Syba at the ~same volume.

So in short, the Syba sounds a bit better, but lacks any/all effects. The M-Track has effects but seems inferior otherwise, weaker/no preamp. Why? Are they totally different types of devices, or am I just seeing the quirks of the particular chip sets used? The goal would be to get Loudness EQ while using the SybaSonic as a DAC? Maybe some lightweight, simple program I can use for that?

Yes they are different and you are comparing an Audio interface to a DAC two different things.

DAC is about converting Digital to Analogue so you get a perceived "Richer" sound.

Where an Audio Interface is about relaying sound in a pure way whether the source is analog or digital because its meant for recording music or digital music production where the sound needs to be correctly relayed.

The M-track is an interface so its already a preamp and interfaces have inbuilt audio buffers meant for production so that the computer does not slow down because the interface is doing the processing.
This does not apply to playback only real time audio. Real time audio production can be taxing so interfaces Alleviate the stress on the computer.

If you have an interface just for playback you are basically paying for an external sound card that has a preamp and the rest of its features are dead weight. it has a convenient gain knob and some connections on it though.

Malneb said:

Yes they are different and you are comparing an Audio interface to a DAC two different things.
DAC is about converting Digital to Analogue so you get a perceived "Richer" sound.

Yeah, but they both have a "DAC" obviously because they both are getting the digital audio from USB and outputting analog via RCA to amp. If/when I use the M-Track for actual music production, I do use the proper ASIO drivers for -latency, but just using it as a "DAC/Sound Card" I just use the built in Windows driver. I am mainly just curious why one shows up as SPDIF (digital), and the other as Speakers (analog) out.

Also, found a solution to add the missing Enhancements tab to the SybaSonic DAC, with working effects, via registry. Why on Earth did they disable it to begin with I wonder.

How To: Restore Enhancements Tab (Realtek UAD) no 3rd party bloat.

You don't need Asio when using a interface, that is the whole point of an interface. Just for clarification Asio is a driver suited for real time audio production as normal playback drivers are not fast enough.
When you have an interface the processing should be done on that not Asio because the interface has dedicated hardware.

The logic would be similar like the other scenario, using the interface basically as external sound card just to listen to audio but not actually using the dedicated hardware of the interface to process that audio because its through Asio and just listening through the interface.

unless you are talking about a different Mtrack then its not a DAC its an interface, not the same thing. The device category for each device will be nuanced.

Audio Interfaces don't convert a signal that is what DAC's are for, you can play Analog through a interface though because you can hook up live instruments to it that is one purpose or you can simulate Analog and plug your DAC into it.

Interfaces realistically are monitoring devices that have various inputs and outputs hence the term interface its about being able to interface several equipment's in and out of the computer while offering a preamp and onboard processing. They are not supposed to shape or convert sound because that sound needs to be closely represented as true as possible, so that the person is receiving the sound as close as it is to its source.

The shaping of that sound happens past that like in the daw or if its live instrument then they might have effect chain pre interface or something.

That Mtrack also should not have all those effects on the device manager, not sure what they were thinking when they designed that driver. Unless we are talking about two different items, as you don't want any sound enhancements on a audio interface in that way if you are actually using it to produce music.