Firstly I would like to thank Space Audio for the samples,
they are a relatively new company on the block with some great looking products.
I always try to write honest reviews, and these units have been used for over
50hrs before review.
Gear Used:
Audio Opus #2 > Space One > Marantz PM-5005 >
Mission 702e
Laptop > Space Plus > Grado SR80 / Status CB1
Tech Specs:
MSRP: One - €56
Plus - €276
(apple remote extra €20)
Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories:
The Space One comes in a simple plastic bag with a small
paper instruction manual, very simple and keeps costs down.
The Space Plus on the other hand comes in a lovely metal
tin, and is held tightly in place inside by foam, I really like the packaging
of the Space Plus.
The packaging doesn’t have any details of specifications on
it, but most people will be buying these online where you can find all the info
you need.
The build quality of both units is very good, the aluminium
casing is well finished and sturdy, all the connectors are gold plated, and the
volume buttons on the Space Plus also feel good. I cannot find any issues with
the build quality on either.
Accessory wise, with the Space One you don’t get anything,
not even a USB power cable, again I suppose this is to keep costs down, but it
would have been nice to have one included.
The Space Plus comes with a USB cable only, but nothing else
is needed.
For both units, I would have liked to see some rubber feet
included, luckily I had some handy, otherwise they slide about.
Usability:
The Space One can only be used with Optical and Coaxial
sources, and is powered by a mini USB cable. It is plug and play, not setting
up required. I had it working fine via optical with my Opus #2 and my Marantz
CD-52 CD player.
The Space Plus has USB input, Coaxial and also the front
mounted 3.5mm headphone socket doubles up as an optical input. Now this means
you cannot use it with an Optical source and headphones at the same time. The
USB input is standard Micro USB, and there are some drivers you will need to
install if it doesn’t come on first time.
To change the input source, simply press the up and down
buttons at the same time, or get the optional apple remote. With the apple
remote you can change the display from an info based one, to a VU meter, to set
the RCA outputs to line out simply max out the volume. The great thing about
the output is that the buttons are digital, so it works well with sensitive
headphones and IEM’s.
 |
| Size comparison next to a 3.5 to 6.3mm adaptor |
Sound:
The Space One is a great little device you can tuck behind
your equipment and let it do its job, my Opus #2 already has an excellent DAC
and Amp section, so the main audible differences came when hooked up to my
Marantz CD52. Without the Space One, it sounds a little congested and also
smooth, which is great if you like that kind of sound, but the Space one
manages to separate the sound much better and bring out an extra layer of detail.
The detail retrieval is excellent, and I would say that is has a very neutral
sound signature, but not artificial sounding.
The Space Plus shares a similar signature, with both devices
using the ESS Sabre chips, compared to my JDS Labs EL DAC I would say it has
slightly sharper edges, and a slightly harder sound. The EL DAC sounds ever so slightly
more coherent and natural, but the Space Plus is tiny and can drive most easy
to medium hard to driver headphones, and does not require an external power
supply.
The Space Plus is a great transportable DAC/Amp for using in
the office, or coffee shop. The sound has no obvious flaws, it is detailed and
neutral working well in most systems. I wouldn’t recommend it as a main desktop
amp/DAC as the amp section does not have the most power or authority to it, but
it works well with most portable headphones. Hook it up as a DAC to an external
amp and you have a high quality DAC though.
Conclusion: The Space One is perfect to improve the output
of your CD player or similar, it is tiny and can hide behind your equipment and
provides a welcome boost in clarity to lower quality components. It won’t work
miracles if you have top end equipment, but if you are looking to improve your
equipment without spending big bucks, it’s worth looking at.
The Space Plus is a small, transportable DAC/Amp that is
fully DSD compatible etc... It does what it says, and has a nice clean sound.
The amp section does not have a lot of weight and authority to the sound if
using harder to drive full size headphones, but works very well with portable
headphones and IEM’s.
It has different inputs and outputs, and is very versatile;
it works excellently as an external DAC for at home too. It is a bit of a jack
of all trades, doing most things very well, but nothing spectacularly. For
which I actually cannot fault it for the price and size.
Sound Perfection Rating:
Space One: 8/10 (Great for Optical and Coaxial based
systems, no USB support)
Space Plus: 7/10 (resolving, detailed but the headphone
out lacks body, works best as a pure DAC)
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