Cons — Neo iDSD2’s Amp section is not powerful enough to drive inefficient headphones
– aptX Adaptive performance can be device dependent
– iPower X could be included in the packaging given the asking price
– Background hiss at the highest gain setting

INTRODUCTION

It is update season again, with iFi overhauling parts of its lineup. First up was the hip-dac 3, then the Diablo2 — and Neo iDSD2 arrived in tandem.

I reviewed the original Neo iDSD almost 3 years ago, and found it to be lacking in the amp section. The DAC performance was excellent, but the meek amp output held it back from being a universal recommendation. iFi has taken the sweet time to refine all “controversial” aspects of the original.

The amp section is noticeably improved with better power delivery into high impedance loads. Meanwhile, the noise issue with sensitive loads has been taken care of by the inclusion of IEMatch. Moreover, the general build and finish has become further refined, with a new UI and display, extra buttons on the front for easier control, and external app support for OTA updates and more.

Sounds like a winner so far, but then you look at the… upgraded price tag, which is almost $150 extra over the OG version, placing the Neo iDSD2 near the kilobuck range. In the days of measurement-topping budget gear, the Neo iDSD2 needs to have a few unique trick up its sleeve to justify the extra dough.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. IFi Audio was kind enough to send the Neo iDSD2 for evaluation.

IEMs and headphones used: Symphonium Crimson, Campfire Holocene, Sennheiser IE 900, Sennheiser HD 800, Hifiman HE-6se V2
Price, while reviewed: $900. Can be bought from Amazon.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

iFi Audio bundles practically everything you will need to get the Neo iDSD2 up and running. Aside from a 12V iPower V2 power adapter, you get a pair of RCA Cables, a USB cable, a handy remote control, and a stand to vertically orient the Neo IDSD2.

The only thing I’d change about the packaging is the supplied power adapter. The iPower X is noticeably “quieter” than the entry-level iPower adapter that’s bundled with the Neo iDSD2, and given the premium pricing, I’d have preferred the more “upscale” adapter.

BUILD QUALITY

The basic design language is similar to the OG Neo iDSD, with a sleek, sandblasted aluminum frame; a large, multi-functional rotary encoder placed in the center, while the display and the headphone outputs flank it on both sides.

One of the key elements of the design is the vertical orientation capability. With the supplied stand you can easily prop up the Neo iDSD2 on your desk, leaving horizontal space to place your speakers or other amps. There’s a built-in accelerometer as well that automatically rotates the display.

The central rotary encoder stands out with its knurled finish and excellent tactile feedback. There is still some wobble when you try to press it inwards. Frankly, only way to avoid that would be to use a more complex setup where the outer ring and the inner “button” needs to be separated. iFi tried to keep things simpler here I guess.

The buttons have been improved from the OG Neo iDSD it seems, with a more defined feedback and less wobble than before. They are still a bit stiff so the remote is better for most operations. Do note that you have to aim the remote directly at the Neo iDSD, otherwise the infrared signals are not picked up well.

The sides now have an opaque acrylic “cut-out” for better RF signal transparency, which should improve BT reception and transmission performance. Another readily noticeable aspect over the first version is the weight of the unit, which feels more substantial. The OG Neo iDSD feels somewhat hollow and less rigid in comparison.

Overall, excellent build quality and industrial design, as expected from iFi.

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The Neo iDSD2 does not skimp on the input options at all. In fact, there are a few surprises here.

First of all, you have the power input that accepts 9V to 15V AC-DC adapters. The USB 3.0 type-B port is there, alongside the coax and optical inputs. Then there is a 10 MHz external clock input (via BNC) which is somewhat rare in the under USD$1000 range of sources. On paper, it should provide even better jitter performance when combined with an external clock.

Lastly, there are the analog/pre-amp line-outs in the form of both single-ended RCA and balanced 4-pin XLR. Strangely enough, there is only a single-ended 3.5mm line-in and not the usual 4.4mm analog input that iFi tends to have in their amps.

It’s a strange omission given the amp section is marketed as fully balanced internally, so there needs to be an additional single-ended to balanced conversion in the signal path if iDSD2 is used in amp only mode.

The headphone outs are all placed in front, with both 6.35mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs available. They have auto “IEMatch” enabled at the lowest gain setting, taking care of hiss with sensitive IEMs.

TECH SPECS AND INTERNALS

Let’s get the spec sheet out of the way first:

The iFi Neo iDSD2 uses a Burr-Brown chip as per tradition. The BT5.4 is one of the highlights of the product and has both LDAC and the newest aptX Lossless codec support.

iFi also uses a new proprietary PureWave topology where they go for a dual-mono setup with shorter signal paths than their previous designs. The default firmware is GTO-enabled by default. I am happy to see that iFi has brought back the xBass and xSpace features, both of which work exceptionally well here.

The internal components are all high quality as expected: TDK/Murata caps, FET-based switching to mute those annoying “pops” you encounter on some DAC/Amps, and native MQA full-rendering support. I confirmed the latter by setting up Tidal on Windows in exclusive mode and playing MQA Master files, which were seamlessly handled by the Neo iDSD2 (indicated by displaying MQA on the display). At this juncture I should mention that it’s advised to install the iFi Neo iDSD driver package if you’re on Windows (Mac version coming soon). You can get it here.

The Bluetooth performance in LDAC was excellent. I did not notice any dropouts and not much fidelity was lost over wired USB connection. However, aptX support was a bit iffy with Samsung phones, likely due to Samsung’s somewhat poor implementation of the codec over other manufacturers.

One last note regarding amp specifications: the power rated is likely “peak” power, as I do not find the balanced output to provide 620mW of current into a 600 ohms load. The very high rated current delivery into lower impedance loads (max of 5.5W into 32 ohms) also did not really translate to real world usage, as certain planar magnetic headphones needed the 3rd gain setting to be driven properly. iFi’s FAQ section is also somewhat vague about the exact methodology used.

Speaking of gain, there are 4 different gain levels, with the first one being for sensitive IEMs, the second and third one for most headphones and IEMs out there, and the last one for very difficult to drive loads. The last gain level has audible hiss with even somewhat sensitive IEMs and headphones, so caution is advised while using that one.

IFI NEO IDSD2 SOUND CHARACTERISTICS

It’s always difficult to describe the sound of a source in isolation because, well, you are going to use it with a pair of IEMs, headphones, or speakers in the end, which have their own “coloration”. Moreover, the additional effects like xBass, xSpace, and even the IEMatch can affect the sound somewhat.

Nonetheless, I would describe the general tuning of the Neo iDSD2 as neutral with a hint of warmth. Notes are slightly rounded off, resulting in a softer presentation that works well with somewhat “edgier” sounding headphones and IEMs. Staging is not intimate or claustrophobic, rather the instruments are naturally spread apart.

The filters have subtle sonic changes, but in the end I preferred the DXD filter for the most part which is a sort of “oversampling” filter that sounds engaging with my Tidal library. You can also try the Bitperfect filter for a slightly different flavor.

PAIRING NOTES

Sennheiser HD 800

The Sennheiser HD 800 are extremely “amp-picky”, with the wrong pairing often verging on unlistenable as the treble peak tends to be too distracting. Fortunately, the Neo iDSD2 displays no such issues, with the HD 800 showing their usual transparency without veering into “analytical” or “sterile” territory.

The xBass switch helps here as well, since the HD 800 has a linear bass response with sub-bass roll-off. The driver performance is still one of the best around, so pushing the sub-bass a bit with the xBass does not hurt performance and fidelity at all. The xSpace makes things too airy for me, however.

In general, the Neo iDSD2’s amp section pairs well with high impedance dynamic driver headphones, so if you primarily plan to drive such headphones, this one is a great fit.

Hifiman HE-6se V2

The Hifiman HE-6se V2 proved to be a difficult challenge for the Neo iDSD2. These notoriously difficult to power headphones have a sensitivity of about 83 dB/mW at 50 ohms of impedance. Some even use speaker amps to drive these, which is bordering on the absurd.

Even at the highest gain level, the HE-6se V2 do not show the bass slam and macrodynamics they are capable of displaying. The volume got loud enough for me, but the subtler details felt missing.

The modern Hifiman planars like the Arya or the Ananda tend to fare much better, however, as they have relatively efficient drivers. The Arya Stealth especially was phenomenal on the Neo iDSD2, so try to audition them together if possible.

Campfire Audio Holocene

The Campfire Holocene magnify the slightest amount of source hiss and as such, most desktop amps are a no-go to drive them. The auto IEMatch and the dedicated low-gain IEM mode on the Neo IDSD2 comes to the rescue. There is no noticeable hiss with the Holocene, and the FR did not skew noticeably.

On the other, the Symphonium Crimson are another pair of difficult to drive IEMs, with an astoundingly low 6 ohms of impedance and a sensitivity of only 84dB/mW. These factors combine to somewhat “choke” the amp section of the Neo IDSD2 which is not designed to handle such low impedance loads it seems.

The Crimson, just like the aforementioned HE-6se V2, are anomalies, so it’s not an inherent “con” if an amp is not designed around their specific needs. As a reviewer, I yearn for that true “all-in-one” solution though, and it’s always a bit of a letdown when that doesn’t happen. Ah well.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Neo iDSD2 is still unique in the market, three years after the first version came out. I cannot think of another DAC-Amp combo with such a sleek design and rich connectivity options. The amp section is much improved over the first version, and the already excellent DAC section makes this sequel a great upgrade all around.

The market has not sat still in the meanwhile, with the likes of Topping DX7 Pro+ offering higher output power, better “measurements”, and a cheaper price tag. The Neo iDSD2 have the latest BT codec and version to offer, alongside handy extras like xBass, xSpace, IEMatch, a nicer display, and an analog line-in for amp-only usage.

Most of all, the Neo IDSD2 got the looks and the vertical orientation may be preferred by those with small desk space. All these considered, I can recommend the Neo iDSD2 for desk usage if space is a premium and you need an all-in-one solution with exceptional BT connectivity. Just keep in mind that this is not an amp you use with power hungry planars, as there are other options for that particular use case.

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from Amazon or WODAudio

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post iFi Neo iDSD2 Review – A Proper Upgrade appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The ifi Audio Go bar was supplied by the company for my review – and I thank them for that. You find more information on the Go bar’s product page.

Introduction

My first portable DAC/amp was (and still is) the ifi Audio iDSD nano Black Label (which I treated in my hip-dac review). It was a safe buy as it had won quite a few awards – and it is still available. The nano BL is a microcosm of what ifi Audio stands for: classic shape, integrated IE Match, house sound. It is still my standard for headphone measurements.

The nano BL is a rather blocky device with limited portability, it is rather transportable. It is reasonably powerful and can drive headphones up to 300 ohm easily.

In contrast, the Go bar is a small device as it does not contain a battery. It draws its current from its source, that is a phone/tablet or a computer. This has its pros and cons as will be discussed below.

Alberto has already taken apart the Go bar’s technical and functional aspects in very great detail. I therefore would like to add and give my 5 cents where we differ – and possibly simplify some details. After all any review is to a large extent subjective.

What is most important to me is functionality, especially when it comes to miniature devices. How does the Go bar fare in the wide field of applications I’d like to use it for?

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

The Go bar probably received its name from a pun derived from its portability (“Go”) and its form factor (“gold bar”). And it has the dimensions of a Bounty chocolate bar. In the box are the Go bar with a nifty leather case, 2 high-quality OTG (“On The Go”) cables with adapter, and the paperwork. That’s all you need to connect the Go bar to any computer, Android device, even iOS devices. No other accessories required.

The build quality, haptic, and mechanisms of all parts are outstanding. The chassis is made of alloy, workmanship is impeccable, the the button mechanisms are precise. Same with cables and USB adapter, which feel premium. Physically, the Go bar is high end.

Functionality and Operation

As to the Go bar’s “standard staples”: it features two circuits, a single-ended 3.5 mm one, and the ever emerging balanced with 4.4 mm socket. Although the 3.5 mm is S-balanced, the true 4.4 mm balanced circuit has better generally better specs and is more powerful. Try using mainly this one, that’s where the Go bar’s value is.

The Go bar features a 16-core XMOS micro controller with proprietary firmware to optimize the analog output quality through synergy with the Cirrus DAC. It features a precision clock to minimize jitter.

There are 4 different digital filter options available to minimize unwanted sonic artifacts:

• BP’ (Cyan): Bit-Perfect: no digital filtering, no pre or post ringing
• ‘STD’ (Red): Standard, modest filtering, modest pre and post ringing
• ‘MIN’ (Yellow): Minimum phase, slow roll-off, minimum pre and post ringing
• ‘GTO’ (White): Gibbs Transient-Optimised: upsampled to 352/384kHz, minimum filtering, no pre ringing, minimum post ringing

Ringing relates to an unwanted echo effect before (pre-) and after (post-) a note. Post ringing is actually a normal artifact of human hearing, pre ringing is not. Many claim pre ringing is not audible. This is a tricky topic and you are advised to rely on your ears.

In some aspects, the Go bar is the most complete dongle on the market as it has functionality no competitor offers: IEMatch, S-balanced, XBass, and XSpace.

IEMatch is an extremely useful tool for low-impedance iems in that it increases output impedance done by resistors dampening the amplifier. It removes hiss from very sensitive iems, for example the 16 ohm Dunu Zen. Check out Alberto’s detailed description of IEMatch in his Go bar review as well as his article dedicated to this tech feature.

XBass elevates the frequencies close to the sub-bass, adding a dry punch which can be quite enjoyable. The company calls it “an analogue bass boost to ‘add back’ lost bass response for more accurate reproduction of the original.”

XSpace, as you could imagine, adds headroom. It is, in their own words “a holographic sound field to open up your music to give you the spaciousness of a live concert.“

S-balanced (Single-Ended Compatible Balanced) means that the listener gets the benefits of a balanced circuit (2 amplifiers) with a normal 3.5 mm TRS plug (also with 3.5 mm TRRS).

Turbo is ifi Audio’s fancy term for high gain: it adds 6 dB to the signal. This is quite impressive considering the dedicated Helm dB12 adds maximally 12 dB.

Last but not least, the Go bar’s firmware is user updatable. It can be downloaded here.

Amplification and Power Management

Power management is not very efficient. The Go bar draws more than twice the current as the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt, and 50% more than the comparable Questyle M15. Most iPhones allow only a draw of 100 mA, which is below the Go bar’s 140 mA. My iPhone SE (1st gen.) does work with the Go bar, albeit with greatly reduced power.

In any way will phones not be the ideal partner for the Go bar. Any dongle without a battery can only be a compromise: those with low current draw (AudioQuest DragonFlys) will be easy on your phone’s battery, but may not be able to handle low-impedance/inefficient headphones well. Current hogs like the Go bar will have a more powerful performance, but will empty the host battery fast, or will not work with the host at all.

The best compromise is the Questyle M15, which has both acceptable current draw and much power. ifi Audio’s next step should be to reduce Go bar’s energy consumption, possibly even with a firmware update.

In terms of amplification power, the Go bar delivers 475mW@32Ω and 7.2V@600Ω on its balanced circuit, and 300mW@32Ω; 3.8V@600Ω on its single-ended circuit. Ignoring the single-ended circuit (it should only be used in emergency cases) the superior balanced circuit drives low-impedance iems such as my Final E5000 and Final A3000 very well, and it also handles the 300 ohm Sennheiser HD 600 with ease.

I have not tested any more demanding devices but would have my doubts that Go bar does justice to powerhungry planar magnetic headphones.

Sound

The Go bar follows the tradition of previous ifi DAC/amps in that it has a neutral signature with a light tinge of warmth. Call it “tepid”. It is less warm, more neutral, crisper and swifter than the nano BL. More like the excellent hip-dac. I took my time: >4 months of testing (apologies to ifi Audio).

The Go bar’s notes are like its build: accentuated, articulate, controlled, composed, cohesive, detailed, clean. The sound is from a single mold. The sonic image is of good clarity and detail. Extension at both ends is good however subtle, never overwhelming or intrusive. Treble is “sweet”.

The sound is substantially better with the balanced circuit. Comparing the sonic image to a picture means clear well defined lines with a good depth – and no overpixelation.

Comparisons

Go bar, Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt, and Questyle M15 have one thing in common: lots of proprietary engineering that elevates them from the mass of dongles. All of these are very good but have different purposes and different features. A direct comparison is difficult as all of them, being without battery, are a compromise.

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt

This is actually an unfair comparison – unfair to both. The Cobalt is designed for low current draw to work with iPhone, and it is therefore of limited power. It therefore lacks the “greedy” balanced circuit. The Go bar will not work well with iPhone but delivers much more power on the computer than the Cobalt.

Even before it comes to sound quality, the user will distinguish the two based on their different purposes. Both are no real competitors but complementary. In the limited overlap both have (for example 32 ohm earphones), the Cobalt is probably unbeatable, sonically, with its rich, textured, detailed sound. The Go bar is more composed but a bit more analytical, the Cobalt is more “musical”.

Questyle M15

The M15 is a more fitting competitor. It also features 3.5 mm single-ended and 4.4 mm balanced circuits. It cannot reach the Go bar in terms of its superb build and haptic, or in the quality of the included cables. In terms of design, the M15 features 2 standard ESS SoCs with two of Questyle’s own Current Mode Amplification modules.

The M15 has its tonal emphasis in the midrange, the Go bar more in the lower frequencies. I’d assign the Go Bar a marginally better articulation/accentuation, and the M15 a more organic presentation, although both come really close in terms of sound quality.

The biggest difference between the two are the features: Go Bar has XBass, Space, and selectable digital filters – but the M15 has a more effective power management (less battery drain) and works better with iPhone. Also different is the operation: the Go bar bypasses the phone/computers internal volume control completely…it is handled entirely by its buttons.

Both Go bar and M15 are less portable than the DragonFly Cobalt. Alberto also threw the Apogee Groove into the mix, which only works with single dynamic drivers and essentially not with phones. So it is of very limited use. But it offers an unbeatable spatial reconstruction – and no features whatsoever.

In summary, the Go bar may be the most polished and accentuated sounding of the lot, but, as always, it comes down to personal taste, which to choose.

Concluding Remarks

The ifi Audio Go bar is the equivalent of a comprehensive no-hassle package. Everything is of very high quality: the build including the button mechanism, the included adapter and cables, the functionality (including IEMatch, XBass and XSpace), the power, and, of course, the sound.

It is one of these rare things you can buy blind. Just I did with its older brother, the iDSD nano BL. Oh, in the meantime the Go bar has caught up to his older brother in terms of awards.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The ifi Audio Go bar was supplied by the company for my review – and I thank them for that. You find more information on the Go bar’s product page.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post ifi Audio GO bar Review (2) – Comprehensive No-Hassle Package appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Die ifi Audio Go-Bar wurde mir von der Firma für meinen Test zur Verfügung gestellt – dafür danke ich ihnen. Mehr Informationen finden Sie auf der Produktseite.

Der Author diese Artikels ist in Deutschland geboren und aufgewachsen, hat aber mehr als die Hälfte seines Lebens in Kanada verbracht. Ihm ging das geschwollene Gelaber der meisten deutschen Rezenten auf den Geist. Daher dieser Versuch: ist immer noch etwas hölzern, da aus dem Englischen übersetzt. Die Original Artikel findet man hier.

Einführung

Mein erster tragbarer DAC/Verstärker war (und ist immer noch) der ifi Audio iDSD nano Black Label (den ich in meiner hip-dac-Rezension behandelt habe). Es war ein sicherer Kauf, da er einige Preise gewonnen hatte – und er ist immer noch erhältlich. Der nano BL ist ein Mikrokosmos dessen, wofür ifi Audio steht: klassische Form, integriertes IE Match, Hausklang. Er ist immer noch mein Standard für Kopfhörermessungen. 

Der nano BL ist ein eher klobiges Gerät mit begrenzter Tragbarkeit, er ist mehr transportabel als alles andere. Er ist aber recht leistungsstark und kann Kopfhörer bis 300 Ohm problemlos ansteuern. 

Im Gegensatz dazu ist der Go bar ein kleines Gerät, da er keine Batterie enthält. Er bezieht seinen Strom aus seinem Quellgerät, also einem Telefon/Tablet oder einem Computer. Das hat seine Vor- und Nachteile, wie wir weiter unten besprechen werden. 

Co-blogger Alberto hat die technischen und funktionellen Aspekte des Go bar bereits sehr detailliert auseinandergenommen. Ich möchte daher meine 5 Cents hinzufügen und sagen, wo wir uns unterscheiden – und möglicherweise einige Details vereinfachen. Schließlich ist jede Bewertung zu einem großen Teil subjektiv.

Das Wichtigste für mich ist die Funktionalität, gerade bei Miniaturgeräten. Wie schlägt sich der Go bar in dem weiten Feld der Anwendungen, für die ich ihn einsetzen möchte?

Technische Daten des Go bar

Physische Dinge und Benutzerfreundlichkeit

Der Go bar erhielt seinen Namen wahrscheinlich von einem Wortspiel zwischen seiner Tragbarkeit (“Go”) und seinem Formfaktor (“Goldbarren”). Und er hat die Abmessungen eines Bounty Schokoriegels.

In der Schachtel befinden sich der Go bar mit einer schicken Ledertasche, 2 OTG (“On The Go”) Kabel mit Adapter und der Papierkram. Das ist alles, was Sie brauchen, um den Go bar an jeden Computer, jedes Android-Gerät und sogar an iOS-Geräte anzuschließen. Es ist kein weiteres Zubehör erforderlich. 

Die Verarbeitungsqualität, Haptik und Mechanik aller Teile sind hervorragend. Das Gehäuse ist aus einer Legierung gefertigt, die Verarbeitung ist tadellos, die Tastenmechanismen sind präzise. Das Gleiche gilt für Kabel und USB-Adapter, die sich hochwertig anfühlen. Physisch ist der Go Bar High-End.

Funktionsweise und Betrieb

Zu den “Standards” des Go bar: er verfügt über zwei Schaltkreise, einen “single-ended” asymmetrischen 3.5-mm Schaltkreis und den immer beliebter werdenden “balanced” symmetrischen Schaltkreis mit 4.4-mm Anschluss. Obwohl der 3.5-mm-Schaltkreis “S-balanced” ist, hat der 4.4 mm Schaltkreis allgemein bessere Spezifikationen und ist leistungsfähiger. Versuchen Sie, hauptsächlich diesen zu verwenden, denn darin liegt der Wert des Go bar. 

Der Go bar verfügt über einen 16-Kern-XMOS-Mikrocontroller mit proprietärer Firmware zur Optimierung der analogen Ausgangsqualität durch Synergie mit dem Cirrus DAC. Er verfügt über einen Präzisionstakt, um Jitter zu minimieren. 

Es stehen 4 verschiedene digitale Filteroptionen zur Verfügung, um unerwünschte klangliche Artefakte zu minimieren:

• BP’ (Cyan): Bit-Perfect: no digital filtering, no pre or post ringing
• ‘STD’ (Red): Standard, modest filtering, modest pre and post ringing
• ‘MIN’ (Yellow): Minimum phase, slow roll-off, minimum pre and post ringing
• ‘GTO’ (White): Gibbs Transient-Optimised: upsampled to 352/384kHz, minimum filtering, no pre ringing, minimum post ringing

Beim “Ringing” handelt es sich um einen unerwünschten Echoeffekt vor (pre-) und nach (post-) einem Ton. Nachklingeln ist eigentlich ein normales Artefakt des menschlichen Gehörs, Vorklingeln nicht. Viele behaupten, Vorklingeln sei nicht hörbar. Dies ist ein heikles Thema und Sie sollten sich auf Ihre Ohren verlassen.

In mancher Hinsicht ist der Go bar der vollständigste Dongle auf dem Markt, da er über Funktionen verfügt, die kein Mitbewerber bietet: IEMatch, S-balanced, XBass und XSpace.

IEMatch ist ein äußerst nützliches Werkzeug für niederohmige Verstärker, da es die Ausgangsimpedanz durch Widerstände erhöht, die den Verstärker dämpfen. Es entfernt das Rauschen von sehr empfindlichen Kopfhörern, z.B. dem 16 Ohm Dunu Zen. Sehen Sie sich Albertos detaillierte Beschreibung von IEMatch in seinem Go bar Artikel sowie seinen Artikel zu diesem technischen Feature an.

XBass hebt die Frequenzen in der Nähe des Subbasses an und fügt einen trockenen Kick hinzu, der sehr angenehm sein kann. Das Unternehmen nennt es “eine analoge Bassverstärkung, um verloren gegangene Basswiedergabe für eine genauere Reproduktion des Originals ‘zurückzugeben’.”

XSpace fügt, wie Sie sich vorstellen können, Headroom hinzu. Es ist, in ihren eigenen Worten, “ein holografisches Klangfeld, das Ihre Musik öffnet und Ihnen die Räumlichkeit eines Live-Konzerts gibt.”

S-balanced (Single-Ended Compatible Balanced) bedeutet, dass der Hörer die Vorteile einer symmetrischen Schaltung (2 Verstärker) mit einem normalen 3,5 mm TRS-Stecker (auch mit 3,5 mm TRRS) erhält.

Turbo ist ifi Audios schicke Bezeichnung für High Gain: Es fügt dem Signal 6 dB hinzu. Das ist ziemlich beeindruckend, wenn man bedenkt, dass der nur-Verstärker (ohne DAC) Helm dB12 maximal 12 dB hinzufügt.

Zu guter letzt ist die Firmware der Go Bar vom Benutzer aktualisierbar. Sie kann hier heruntergeladen werden.

Verstärkung und Strom Management

Das Strommanagement ist nicht sehr effizient. Der Go bar zieht mehr als doppelt so viel Strom wie der AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt und 50 % mehr als der vergleichbare Questyle M15. Die meisten iPhones erlauben nur eine Stromaufnahme von 100 mA, was unter den 140 mA der Go Bar liegt. Mein iPhone SE (1. Generation) funktioniert mit dem Go-Bar, wenn auch mit stark reduzierter Leistung. 

Auf jeden Fall sind Handys nicht der ideale Partner für den Go Bar. Jeder Dongle ohne Akku kann nur ein Kompromiss sein: Dongles mit geringer Stromaufnahme (AudioQuest DragonFlys) schonen zwar den Akku des Handys, können aber möglicherweise nicht gut mit niederohmigen/ineffizienten Kopfhörern umgehen. Stromfresser wie der Go Bar sind zwar leistungsfähiger, leeren aber den Akku des Quellgeräts schnell oder funktionieren überhaupt nicht damit.

Das Beste aus beiden Welten ist der Questyle M15, der sowohl eine akzeptable Stromaufnahme als auch viel Leistung hat. ifi Audios nächster Schritt sollte sein, den Energieverbrauch des Go bar zu reduzieren, möglicherweise sogar mit einem Firmware-Update.

Was die Verstärkungsleistung betrifft, so liefert der Go bar 475mW@32Ω und 7.2V@600Ω in seinem symmetrischen Schaltkreis und 300mW@32Ω; 3.8V@600Ω in seinem asymmetrischen Schaltkreis. Ignoriert man letzteren (er sollte nur in Notfällen verwendet werden), treibt der überlegene balanced Schaltkreis niederohmige/ineffiziente Hörer wie meine Final E5000 und Final A3000 Kopfhörer sehr gut an, und er bewältigt auch den 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600 mit Leichtigkeit.

Ich habe keine anspruchsvolleren Hörer getestet, aber ich hätte meine Zweifel, dass Go bar den leistungshungrigen planar-magnetischen Kopfhörern gerecht wird.

Sound

Der Go bar folgt der Tradition früherer ifi DAC/Verstärker, indem er eine neutrale Signatur mit einem leichten Hauch von Wärme aufweist. Nennen Sie es “lauwarm”. Er ist weniger warm, neutraler, knackiger und flotter als der nano BL. Mehr wie der ausgezeichnete hip-dac. Ich habe mir Zeit zum testen gelassen: >4 Monate (Entschuldigung an ifi Audio)…”gut Ding braucht Weil.”

Die Töne des Go bar sind wie sein Aufbau: akzentuiert, artikuliert, kontrolliert, komponiert, zusammenhängend, detailliert, sauber. Der Klang ist aus einem Guss. Das Klangbild ist von guter Klarheit und Detailtreue. Die Erweiterung an beiden Enden ist gut, aber subtil, niemals überwältigend oder aufdringlich. Die Höhen sind “sweet”. Der “balanced/symmetrische” Klang ist wesentlich besser als auf dem single-ended/asymmetrischen Schaltkreis. Vergleicht man das Klangbild mit einem Foto, so erkennt man klare, gut definierte Linien mit einer guten Tiefe – und keine Überpixelierung.

Vergleiche

Go bar, Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt und Questyle M15 haben eines gemeinsam: viel eigene Qualitätstechnik, die sie von der Masse der “Dongles” abhebt. Alle diese Geräte sind sehr gut, haben aber unterschiedliche Zwecke und Funktionen. Ein direkter Vergleich ist schwierig, da sie alle (ohne Batterie!) einen Kompromiss darstellen.

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt

Dies ist eigentlich ein unfairer Vergleich – für beide. Der Cobalt ist für eine geringe Stromaufnahme ausgelegt, um mit dem iPhone zu arbeiten, und hat daher eine begrenzte Leistung. Ihm fehlt daher ein “balanced/asymmetrischer” Schaltkreis. Der Go Bar funktioniert nicht gut mit dem iPhone, liefert aber viel mehr Leistung auf dem Computer. 

Noch bevor es um die Klangqualität geht, wird der Benutzer die beiden aufgrund ihrer unterschiedlichen Zwecke unterscheiden. Sie sind keine echten Konkurrenten, sondern ergänzen sich. In der begrenzten Überlappung, die beide haben (z. B. 32 ohm-Kopfhörer), ist der Cobalt mit seinem vollen, strukturierten und detaillierten Klang wahrscheinlich unschlagbar. Der Go bar ist ruhiger, aber etwas analytischer, der Cobalt ist “musikalischer”.

Questyle M15

Der M15 ist ein passenderer Konkurrent. Er verfügt ebenfalls über 3,5 mm single-ended- und 4,4 mm balanced Schaltkreise. Er kommt nicht an den Go Bar heran, was seine hervorragende Verarbeitung und Haptik oder die Qualität der mitgelieferten Kabel angeht. Konstruktiv verfügt der M15 über 2 Standard-ESS-SoCs mit zwei Questyle-eigenen Current-Mode-Verstärkungsmodulen.

Der M15 hat seinen klanglichen Schwerpunkt in den Mitten, der Go Bar eher in den unteren Frequenzen. Ich würde dem Go Bar eine geringfügig bessere Artikulation/Akzentuierung zuschreiben, obwohl beide in Bezug auf die Klangqualität sehr nahe beieinander liegen.

Der größte Unterschied zwischen den beiden sind die Funktionen: Der Go Bar hat XBass, Space und wählbare Digitalfilter – aber der M15 hat ein effektiveres Energiemanagement (weniger Batterieverbrauch) und funktioniert besser mit dem iPhone. Ein weiterer Unterschied ist die Bedienung: Die Go Bar umgeht die interne Lautstärkeregelung des Telefons/Computers komplett… sie wird vollständig über die Tasten gesteuert.

Sowohl Go bar als auch M15 sind weniger tragbar als der DragonFly Cobalt. Alberto warf auch den Apogee Groove in die Runde, der nur mit einzelnen dynamischen Treibern funktioniert und grundsätzlich nicht mit Handys. Es ist also nur sehr begrenzt einsetzbar. Aber es bietet eine unschlagbare räumliche Rekonstruktion – und überhaupt keine Features.

Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass die Go-Bar vielleicht der ausgefeilteste und akzentuierteste Klang von allen ist.

Abschliessende Bemerkungen

Der ifi Audio Go bar ist das Äquivalent eines Rundum-Sorglos-Pakets. Alles ist von sehr hoher Qualität: der Aufbau einschließlich des Tastenmechanismus, der mitgelieferte Adapter und die Kabel, die Funktionalität (einschließlich IEMatch, XBass und XSpace), die Leistung und natürlich der Klang. 

Es ist eines dieser seltenen Dinge, die man blind kaufen kann. So wie ich es mit seinem älteren Bruder, dem iDSD nano BL, getan habe. Oh, in der Zwischenzeit hat der Go bar seinen älteren Bruder in Sachen Auszeichnungen eingeholt.

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Disclaimer

Der ifi Audio Go Barwurde von der Firma für meine Analyse zur Verfügung gestellt – und ich danke ihnen dafür. Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Produktseite der Go Bar. 

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post ifi Audio GO bar Test – Rundum-Sorglos Paket appeared first on Music For The Masses.

A device gets attached to this Wall of Excellence when based on our private and of course subjective experience it performs so well within its technical and price category as to even discourage considering homologous alternatives.

If it ain’t here, WE don’t want it!

Please note that our WoE will not be limited to devices we actually published a review of. Nonetheless, all WoE devices have for long time been or still are part of our operative gear.

We start small and plan to expand our wall according to merit.

This Site is being consistently updated…please bookmark it and keep checking back!

LATEST ADDITIONS: Qudelix-5K, Questyle M15, E1DA 9038SG3.

In-Ear Monitors

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Headphones

Digital Audio Players (“DAPs”)

Desktop Amplifiers

Desktop DACs

Desktop Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

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Portable Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

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Dongles are little DAC/amps without battery that are powered by their source device.

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

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The post Wall Of Excellence DRAFT appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Questyle CMA FIfteen lacks balanced/XLR line-in
– Sparse accessories
– Gain switches hard to reach
– Not the best pairing with very bright headphones

INTRODUCTION

Questyle has slowly become one of the most consistent manufacturers around. Nearly all of their releases are either excellent, or extremely competitive at their respective price-tier.

I have been using the Questyle CMA-400i for the past two years, using it as a reference desktop source. The Questyle CMA Twelve, meanwhile, has managed a place at our Wall of Excellence as one of the best TOTL DAC-Amps around.

Naturally the CMA Fifteen has to bear the weight of high expectations. Anything short of excellence in terms of sonic performance is a letdown. Let’s see if Questyle can maintain the track record with their latest flagship.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Questyle was kind enough to send me the CMA Fifteen as part of the Review Tour. The unit was sent to the next reviewer afterwards.

Headphones and IEMs used: Final Sonorous III, Sennheiser HD650/HD820/HD560S, HiFiMAN HE-6se V2/HE-400i/Deva Pro, Meze 99 Classics, Dunu Zen, Earsonics Onyx
Price, while reviewed: $2400. Can be bought from HiFiGo.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Questyle does not provide a lot in terms of accessories. A remote, a power cord, the CMA Fifteen itself, and that’s about it. The remote is pretty handy esp for volume adjustment and muting, but many of the buttons do not really work (since this is a universal remote for all Questyle products).

BUILD QUALITY

In one word: excellent. The machined aluminium chassis has a solid, dense feeling. The top panel can be unscrewed by removing the 8 screws (do note the differing lengths of the screws at corners). There’s an option to replace the top aluminium panel with a plexiglass panel but I recommend against it since heat dissipation becomes worse that way.

The front of the unit is full of knobs and lights. Some might find it too busy, and I agree. Having four different logos/trademarks do not help either. Questyle does a far better job with the CMA-400i front panel (where additional logos are shifted to the top panel) so I wonder why they did not choose so here.

Most of the controls on the front panel are self-explanatory. The “Function” button switches between using the CMA Fifteen as a DAC-Amp or a DAC-Preamp. This is a very useful function as with a flip of a switch I can go from my headphones to my powered speakers, for example.

The “bias control” switch meanwhile turns the High Bias mode on or off. More on this later. Also note that all three of the front panel outputs are active at the same time, so I’d advise against keeping sensitive IEMs or headphones plugged in alongside hard-to-drive ones (as once you push the volume for the inefficient ones, the efficient ones will get progressively louder as well).

The volume knob has a cool trick: it rotates accordingly when changing the volume via the remote. The feel and quality of the volume knob is also improved over the previous Questyle DAC/AMps e.g. my Quesytle CMA-400i knob got loose over time. I could fix it by tightening the screw inside again, but it needed some fiddling.

Looking at the back of the device, you have all the expected inputs and outputs. Questyle has a type-C and regular USB type-B input to keep up with modern standards. The USB inputs get the highest priority, but of course you can switch to other inputs with the switch at the front.

The surprising (for Questyle) inclusion is the RCA input. Previous Questyle all-in-ones lacked an analogue input and this made it impossible to use the amp section alone. That’s not the case anymore with the CMA Fifteen, though I’d have preferred an XLR input as well (though space constraint could’ve been a reason for excluding that).

Then we find the stereo outputs and this time XLR-out is available. The line-out can have fixed or variable voltage, and the line-out level can also be adjusted between 14dBu and 20dBu. Lastly, we find the BT module (with LDAC support), a button to pair the DAC-Amp with a BT device, a voltage switch (110V or 220V), and the power input with a fuse underneath.

My only gripe: the gain switch at the bottom. There are four separate DIP switches and you have to individually switch them to the desired gain level. The procedure is annoying as it’s not easy to switch gain on the fly for sensitive stuff. You have to flip the entire unit to gain access. Given that vertical mount does not work here like CMA-400i, you have to fiddle with the unit at times if you intend to use sensitive IEMs and power-hungry planars.

TECH INSIDE THE CMA FIFTEEN

Questyle is known for their clean PCB design and the use of high quality components, and the CMA Fifteen is no exception. The space on the PCB is well-utilized with the DAC, Amp, and PSU components having their separate “grouping”. The components themselves are sourced from reputed brands, e.g. WIMA film caps, Nichicon Fine Gold series caps, DALE resistors, Plitron/Noratel toroidal transformer etc.

The USB controller sits on top the motherboard on a separate “daughterboard” and is connected to the main PCB via a ribbon interface. It’s an XMOS controller, as is the norm nowadays (apart from Schiit who make their own controller).

Another interesting inclusion is the Linear PSU within the unit itself. The CMA-400i lacked this while the CMA Twelve/Twelve Master included a linear PSU as well (though smaller in size). As a result, you won’t have to shell out extra money on external PSUs or “noise filtering” devices.

Finally, let’s have a look at the discrete four-channel current-mode amp section. The voltage-rail caps are on the right whereas the individual amp channels have the DIP switches directly coupled with them at the bottom. This is why you have to switch four different switches just to go from low to high gain, or vice-versa. On the left, you see the ES9038Pro DAC chip, which is the highest performing Sabre chip on the market right now. To learn more about Current-mode amplification, have a look here.

Speaking of the DAC chip, Questyle picked the ES9038Pro since it’s a current-mode DAC chip, and coupled with Questyle’s Current-mode Amp topology, this system can negate the need of IV conversion between the DAC and the Amp, resulting in a more direct signal path. Does this improve the sound quality? Well, that’s hard to gauge, but this is cool from an engineering perspective anyway.

Finally, a list of the technical spec, taken straight out of Questyle’s CMA Fifteen page:

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

Listening setup: Questyle CMA Fifteen connected directly to a desktop gaming PC and alternatively an Apple Macbook Pro (M1 Max). The Macbook Pro ran on battery during listening test. There was no noticeable difference between sound or noise level between these systems, proving that the noise filtering on the CMA Fifteen is doing a good job.

To describe the tonality in one word: Super-transparent. I’ll describe some general traits here, and then move on to pairing with several headphones/IEMs since when talking about sources, pairings are the only way to judge them properly.

The mids are intoxicating, every slight nuance of vocal delivery or guitar strumming being vividly portrayed. The highs are very resolving without a hint of edginess or grain. Notes are slightly rounded but not overly so.

Soundstage is engulfing and stage depth is exemplary. Imaging is precise and differs slightly from most DACs in terms of panning from center to left or right. It’s hard to describe but center imaging is better on the CMA Fifteen than most solid-state DAC-Amps I’ve tried in the TOTL space.

Bass is not as spectacular as the rest of the stuff, given the uncolored, neutral presentation on that front. That being said, even on headphones with relatively “poor” bass e.g. HD650 the mid-bass punch and note delivery was spot-on. Bass is mostly focused on the dexterity of the delivery rather than having a rich, dense bass response.

This highly resolving signature comes at the cost of one detriment: CMA Fifteen is unforgiving to poor mastering or recording flaws. Moreover, peaks and dips in the frequency response of IEMs and headphones are laid bare to the listener. If you want your source to be on the forgiving side, CMA Fifteen ain’t it.

MQA hardware decoding works, and MQA tracks sounded somewhat better with the HW decoding turned on than off (in the desktop Tidal app). Make of that what you will, but I did a blind A/B and it was that.

PAIRING NOTES

Let’s address the noise level first. There is very faint hiss with the likes of Andromeda or Final FI-BA-SS. Most IEMs are hiss-free and has excellent dynamics. Generally, the CMA Fifteen pairs especially well with planars and high-impedance dynamic drivers (with high bias on). Note that the high bias mode ensures a longer operation in pure class-A mode.

with Sennheiser HD650

One potential issue I found was that the HD650 would sound slightly shouty in Standard bias mode. Turning on high bias solved that for me (and I did a blind A/B testing just to be sure it’s not a placebo). This was the only time when high bias mode made a very noticeable difference, so I think other high impedance headphones might benefit from this mode as well.

Other than that: exceptionally balanced sound from the HD650. The mids were intoxicating in high bias mode, and the treble was extended without being too subdued or up-front. The bass roll-off isn’t addressed, and bass is the weakest link here (to fix that you really need an OTL amp with the HD650). As far as solid-state pairings go, CMA Fifteen drive and pair with the HD650 as well as anything out there.

with Final Sonorous III

The Final Sonorous III are quite susceptible to source changes, and also very efficient to drive so it’s easy to “over-drive” them on a source that’s just all about grunt and little about “finesse”. The CMA Fifteen handles low impedance loads very well, Sonorous III did not have any edginess in the treble (which appears on subpar sources or when being over-driven). As an aside: Meze 99 Classics also paired extremely well with the CMA Fifteen with the bass being less bloomy and bloated than out of an iFi Zen Can, for example.

with HiFiMAN HE-6se V2

The HiFiMAN HE-6se V2 are notoriously difficult to drive with a sensitivity of only 83dB/mW. People are often using speaker amps to drive them (at times in a monoblock config which is nuts) so the CMA Fifteen are up for a challenge.

And fortunately, they pass that challenge with aplomb. The bass slams hard, with the treble being bright and sparkly but not grainy or super-aggressive (which is the case when the HE-6se V2 are underpowered). Staging was improved noticeably over my CMA-400i and the SMSL SP-400. All of this without having to go past the 12 o’clock position in the volume knob (which is very loud for me).

If you own planar magnetic headphones, very few DAC-Amps will perform as well as the CMA Fifteen.

with Dunu Zen

Dunu Zen is a single dynamic driver IEM that’s very susceptible to background hiss/high noise-floor on the source side. Fortunately, CMA Fifteen has a mostly quiet background, with subtle “hum” being evident when no music is playing. Once the music starts playing even that fades away.

In terms of sound, the Zen had excellent dynamics and also benefitted from the midrange transparency that the CMA Fifteen offers. I do find the pairing with Cayin C9 to be even better when it comes to Zen, but that is a different class of device altogether.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Questyle CMA-400i

Being my daily driver, I am fairly accustomed to the CMA-400i sound signature. To summarize, the CMA-400i is less resolving, with the mids being not as engaging. The staging is less expansive as well, though imaging is largely similar.

The bass has slightly more weight on the CMA-400i though faster bass sections are better rendered on the CMA Fifteen. Output power is also noticeably higher on the CMA Fifteen with nearly double the current. CMA-400i also has more background hiss with sensitive IEMs.

Overall, the CMA Fifteen is an upgrade over the CMA-400i, though the 3x increase in price make the CMA-400i an even better value-for-money.

vs Questyle CMA Twelve

In terms of feature-set and output power, these two DAC-Amps are largely similar. The CMA Fifteen have analog input which is a plus.

As for sound, CMA Twelve has slightly more warmth and less expansive stage, and the treble is a bit more rounded. The bass has more weight and slam on the CMA Twelve, but the CMA Fifteen can give the sensation of better “separation” between notes. Mids are also more engaging on the CMA Twelve with even better transparency.

In essence, the CMA Twelve is not too far off the performance of the Fifteen. It’s mostly the stage size and the space between instruments that are larger, grander on the CMA Fifteen, and the bass being more nimble than weighty.

vs iFi Pro iDSD SIgnature

The iFi Pro iDSD Signature has more tuning options and better output selection but it sounds less resolving with a more intimate presentation. Separation of instruments are also not as outlined as the CMA Fifteen. Moreover, planars fared better with the CMA Fifteen, with the HE-6 having more slam on the CMA Fifteen while sounding somewhat anemic on the Pro iDSD Signature in default configuration (no bass boost engaged).

That being said, with the right pairing e.g. bright headphones, the Pro iDSD can sound magnificent. Also the bass boost and tube modes are really well-implemented, so if you are into tweaking the sound of your headphones, Pro iDSD Signature has more to offer there.

CONCLUSION

Questyle CMA Fifteen is a solid all-rounder. It sounds great with almost any headphones and IEMs out there, and it sounds exceptional with planar magnetic headphones. The build is very good, the output power is more than enough for almost any headphones, and the size of the unit is petite enough to be put on the desk alongside your PC and powered monitors.

The only complaint I have is the crowded front-panel, a lack of XLR input, and perhaps a way to apply analog tone-control, something iFi Pro iDSD Signature offers. Other than that – nothing, really.

It’s rare that I come across a device so complete, and something that may stop you from purchasing further gears because it does everything so well. The Questyle CMA Fifteen earns my highest recommendation, and also gets a place in our Wall of Excellence, replacing the previous CMA Twelve Master.

Job well done, Questyle!

MY VERDICT

4.75/5

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PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Questyle CMA Fifteen Review – The Great Sequel appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — The Gryphon can feel unwieldy when paired with large phones
– Not powerful enough to drive planars
– Slight hiss with extremely sensitive IEMs (without IEMatch)
– Not the best battery life when driving power-hungry cans
– High recharge times

INTRODUCTION

iFi Audio has been hard at work lately as they are continually refreshing their existing models whereas throwing in a new model or two to further flesh out their lineup.

The iFi xDSD Gryphon is their latest portable DAC-Amp and in terms of pricing it sits below the venerable micro iDSD Signature. In terms of features and use-case though, the Gryphon seem to be an evolved xCAN. Moreover, the circuitry has similarities with the desktop all-in-one iFi Neo iDSD (reviewed here).

So, the Gryphon appears to be a mish-mash of several past and present iFi products and seem to have taken the best bits from them, at least on paper. Let’s see if the real-world performance stacks up accordingly.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. iFi Audio was kind enough to send me the xDSD Gryphon as a loaner via WOD Audio.

Earphones/Headphones used: Dunu Zen, Earsonics ONYX, Campfire Audio Holocene, Sennheiser HD650, ZMF Atrium, Final Sonorous III.
Firmware versions: 1.45
Price, while reviewed: 600 euros. Can be bought from WOD Audio.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

iFi Audio went for a minimalist package with the Gryphon. You get the essentials: a USB type-C to type-C cable (for connecting to phones), a USB type-C to lightning cable (for connecting with iPhones), and a type-C to USB type-A cable for charging. Alongside, you also get a felt carrying pouch.

BUILD QUALITY

Build quality of the xDSD Gryphon is excellent. The housing is sandblasted aluminum with a wavy pattern on top. The volume pot is also color-matched and has distinct “steps” when rotated.

There are two buttons on the right side of the volume pot (xBass II/xSpace switch, and input selector respectively) and two headphone outputs on the left side (4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended). The volume pot has good feedback when rotated but the press feedback is a bit mushy.

The bottom of the device is extremely busy. From the left, first up is the XBass II adjusting switch. You can tweak the sound of the bass boost or the stage expansion here. Then, there are two type-C ports, one for charging and another for connecting to external devices. Underneath the charging port is a charge indicator LED.

Next to that is the coaxial/optical input, which is rare to find in device of such class nowadays. Finally, there are the 4.4mm and 3.5mm analog input/line-output. It is a variable line-out, which means voltage needs to be adjusted via the volume pot. You can use the Gryphon as a standalone DAC and pre-amp if needed.

The volume pot also acts as a power button and has an LED on top to indicate a range of SPLs (Sound Pressure Level). Another LED on the side also shows the current sample rate and file format. The following image shows all the colors and their corresponding sample rate or format.

Engaging either xBass II or PowerMatch lights up the tiny white LEDs beside the button. At the bottom there is the IEMatch switch that can select between the single-ended or balanced output. Finally, at the top faceplate resides the SilentLine OLED display which can be used to modify settings and cycle between inputs etc.

Overall, excellent build quality with no noticeable room for improvement.

HANDLING

The xDSD Gryphon, at 215 g, is not too substantial in terms of weight. However, due to the 75mm width can be awkward to hold in hand. This becomes more noticeable when you’re stacking the DAC/Amp with a large phone (most modern phones are large anyway).

As a result, I preferred to use the Gryphon with my laptop in wired mode, and while on-the-go, I paired via Bluetooth with my phone. Fortunately, the aluminium chassis provides decent amount of grip, so stacking is possible.

BATTERY LIFE

Clocking at around 8hrs of playback time, the battery life on the Gryphon is decent if unremarkable. This figure goes down further if you drive high impedance dynamics or use it over BT for long periods.

The 3600mAh battery pack could have been increased for higher playback times, but then the device would become thicker. Recharging takes about 5 hours on a typical phone charger, which is extremely high. I wish iFi employed a fast charging circuit because this recharge time means you can’t just quickly top it off once the battery empties.

INTERNAL HARDWARE

iFi Audio are most comfortable with using the BurrBrown chipset and here it appears again on the xDSD Gryphon. This is the same DAC chip that appears in the flagship Pro iDSD Signature (albeit in a quad-DAC config). The BB DSD1793 chipset offers native DSD encoding and with the updated XMOS controller can now decode MQA files at a hardware level. This feature, admittedly, is of little use to non-TIdal HiFi users but it doesn’t hurt to have an extra feature.

The potentiometer is fully analog, thus not facing some of the limitations that digital potentiometers may have. However, being analog in nature, it may degrade over time. The switches used are all from ALPS, . The amp sections remains unchanged on paper, with quad JFET OV4627 op-amps (customized for iFi Audio). The amp circuit also uses a dual-mono design for the balanced output.

Other extras include the xBass feature which is an analog EQ and mostly aims to “fix” the sub-bass roll-off issue on open-back headphones. In reality, many open-back headphones suffer from distortion in those regions and applying an EQ might cause further distortion and clipping. The other feature is the iEMatch switch that adds additional resistance to the signal path for highly sensitive IEMs, blocking hiss in the process.

As for the xSpace, it adds a sense of space to the sound that doesn’t sound artificial or overdone. I found the implementation to be tasteful with IEMs especially so give that one a try. The BT5.1 is one of the highlights of the product and has LDAC support. iFi also uses a new proprietary PureWave topology where they go for a dual-mono setup with shorter signal paths than their previous designs.

Speaking of power outputs, the xDSD Gryphon outputs 1W @ 32ohms from the balanced out and 320mW @ 32ohms from the single-ended output (which also supports their proprietary S-balanced tech). The voltage swing can go as high as 6.7Vrms from the balanced out (with a 600ohm load) and this comes handy when driving high impedance dynamic driver headphones. Output impedance is lower than 1ohm on both (with IEMatch turned off).

The internal components are all high quality as expected. TDK/Murata/Panasonic/Kemet caps, and FET-based switching to mute those annoying “pops” you encounter on some DAC/Amps. The PCB design is excellent and the components are high quality so I have no qualms about the internals of the Gryphon.

XDSD GRYPHON TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The general sound of the iFi xDSD Gryphon can be summarized as warm-neutral. It has the characteristic iFi Audio warmth with smooth treble and an engaging, transparent midrange. The bass is mostly neutral but can be pushed higher with the xBass switch. Depending on the xBass mode, the bass can sound atmospheric (with slight bloom and reverb) or mostly focus on increasing punch and slam.

Staging and imaging is excellent on the xDSD Gryphon. No, they won’t rival their desk counterparts, but given the portability it is better than most DAPs in this range. Treble also doesn’t exhibit the rather common “glare” you find in many dongles these days. There is a sense of naturalness to the signature that can be addicting. Despite this slight laid-back delivery, the Gryphon is very resolving, bringing out subtle nuances from tracks and doing justice to flagship IEMs with their detail retrieval capacity.

One thing to note is that changing the firmware can bring subtle changes to the sound due to changes in reconstruction filter. I used both the GTO and non-GTO firmwares. The latter had a more laid-back treble and had a slightly wider stage, while the former had slightly more up-front mids and more macrodynamic punch. Biggest difference happens with MQA files on the GTO firmware, so if you are using Tidal, this is the recommended one.

Overall transparency and resolution was very good, with no noticeable roll-off in the upper-treble frequencies. Separation was very good as well, though the likes of Chord Mojo2 does that better. The background hiss with sensitive IEMs is also not distracting, as once the music starts playing you don’t even notice it. Moreover, there is IEMatch to take care of hiss, though that tends to modify the frequency response of some multi-BA IEMs so keep that in mind.

PAIRING NOTES

Sennheiser HD650

The Sennheiser HD650 is one of the few headphones that scale according to the source quality. On paper, the xDSD Gryphon has the required voltage swing to power it, and it does sound good. The HD650 got loud from the balanced out and had some of the dynamics it can display on a more powerful amp. Separation was good as well.

However, you still don’t quite get the “magic” that happens when you connect the HD650 to OTL amps like Feliks Euforia. Granted, that thing is a behemoth and costs over 3 grands. For the size and price, I think the Gryphon did a good job with the HD650, but those headphones can scale higher.

Final Sonorous III

Final Sonorous III is a closed back pair of headphones and are very efficient. Despite the efficiency they are quite transparent to source quality. The Gryphon drove them excellently with no loss in dynamics and the bass was quite pleasant. The mids were transparent, with no evident peaks in the upper mids that tends to creep up on some sources.

I would call the xDSD Gryphon an excellent pairing for efficient dynamic driver headphones.

ZMF Atrium

The ZMF Atrium is a similarly high impedance dynamic driver as the HD650. Their pairing with the Gryphon was surprisingly good. I got great separation, the bass was not loose and had good amount of punch, and the staging was excellent.

The Atrium can scale much higher (with the aforementioned Feliks Euforia for example) but for portable use, the Gryphon are absolutely adequate. Just make sure you use the balanced out.

Hifiman HE-6se V2

On the planar magnetic side, we have the Hifiman HE-6se V2. With 82dB @ 50 ohms efficiency, these are one of the hardest to drive headphones in the entire planet. The Gryphon failed to get them loud enough to be enjoyable, even from the balanced output. These headphones are notorious for bringing amps to their knees and sadly xDSD Gryphon isn’t designed for such workloads.

Dunu Zen and Dunu Zen Pro

The Dunu Zen and Zen Pro both exhibited slight hiss from the balanced out of the xDSD Gryphon. However, the overall sound was quite pleasant. The pairing was very resolving without being “on-your-face”. I especially liked how the Gryphon took some edge off of the OG Zen, which can be a bit peaky near the upper-mids.

In general, the xDSD Gryphon pairs really well with most if not all IEMs. The warm-neutral yet transparent signature complements somewhat analytical headphones and even works well with warmer sounding gear. On the other hand, I would not recommend it for power-hungry planar magnetic headphones, or very high impedance dynamic driver headphones due to the relatively lower voltage swing.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs iFi micro iDSD Signature

The micro iDSD Signature (reviewed here by Alberto) is priced slightly higher than the xDSD Gryphon, but has a much more powerful amp section and a Dual-DAC implementation.

In terms of physical appearance and handling, the iDSD Signature is noticeably larger and heavier. It’s also more of a transportable DAC-Amp than a portable one. The xBass implementation on the Gryphon is better and offers more fine-tuning. The display is also handy.

Meanwhile, the micro iDSD can replace some desktop amps with the incredible 4W @ 16ohms output. This one is meant to drive full-size cans and apart from the likes of Hifiman HE-6se V2 and Abyss 1266TC, it can drive most headphones including some planars.

On the other hand, the Gryphon offers more flexible connectivity and pairs better with IEMs, which are easily over-driven by the micro iDSD Signature. Background hiss was also comparatively lower on the xDSD Gryphon. Soundwise, the micro iDSD Signature goes for a meatier, denser presentation, whereas Gryphon has better clarity and somewhat laid-back signature.

In short: if your primary use-case is IEMs, then go for the Gryphon. It’s more portable, easier to pair with phones, and there is lower chance of over-driving the earphones. For headphone usage the micro iDSD will be a better fit.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The iFi xDSD Gryphon offers a lot of bells and whistles, and in a sense is more versatile than their desktop DAC-Amp, the Neo iDSD. iFi managed to miniaturize the circuitry in a pocket form, while offering the same output power. That’s remarkable indeed. I wish the Gryphon offered a fixed-voltage line-out but that’s a minor nitpick.

The biggest gripe, for me, would be the slow recharge time. For such a moderate-capacity battery I expected lower recharge time. I had to charge the Gryphon every 3 days during review, and if I forgot to charge it overnight then I couldn’t take it out during commute. Bummer.

Nonetheless, those looking for a battery-powered DAC/Amp for all-purpose use via BT or USB, the xDSD Gryphon is pretty much one of the best under $1000. You do not get absolute output power for headphones, but you get excellent transparency in the sound and fantastic pairing with IEMs irrespective of tuning of driver config. Recommended.

MY VERDICT

4.5/5

One of the best portable DAC-Amps in its price-class for powering IEMs and moderately efficient headphones.

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At-a-glance Card

Features and description

Externals

The Go Blu is a minuscle device, approximately the size of a 9V battery but much lighter in weight (just 26g).

It carries an on-off button, an options button, and a volume knob which also has a button as its central part.

Phone outs, and a status LED are on the top side of the device. On the bottom there is the USB-C port, the microphone hole, the power LED, and a futher pin hole for hard reset.

The accessories package is quite limited: GO Blu comes with just a short USB-A/USB-C cable and a soft carry pouch. No USB-C/USB-C cable, let alone Apple cable are included, nor – oddly enough – a shirt clip is bundled inside the box.

Internals

Unlike so many competitive alternatives on the market, GO Blu is not designed around one of those “single chip does it all” items, but is rather a fully articulated dac-amp device, with separate communication, dac and amp sections, just “miniaturised” to fit an extremely small and lightweight footprint.

Connectivity is assigned to Qualcomm’s QCC5100 chip, the latest or one of the latest releases in its class by the wireless techology leader. The DAC section is centered on a 32-bit Cirrus CS43131 chip, sided by a separate hi quality precision clock. The amp section follows a full dual-mono design, and exploits some iFi proprietary technology called “Direct Drive” whereby they avoid using output coupling capacitors to get an even cleaner result on even other conditions.

Input specs are quite limited in terms of accepted formats: just PCM and only until 24bit / 96KHz. No higher res PCM. No native DSD. No MQA. The meta-message by iFi is quite evident here: focus on doing less, at higher quality.

Output specs (find them all here) are quite impressive: up to 5.6V @ 600ohm load on balanced output (half of that on single ended) and a promising 245mW @ 32ohm load on the opposite end (always on BE). Output impedance is below 1 ohm on both ports.

There’s a 6dB gain which is applied “automatically” as volume goes up – read more under Volume Control, here below.

The on-board battery while small features 450mAh capacity, and offered me – based on my typically low-ish playback volume, and always top-rank digital resolution – around 9-10 hours of operation.

Input

GO Blu is mainly conceived as a BT DAC-AMP device, and BT performance is in facts ace both in terms of features and results. The pairing process is straightforward and I had no problem with any of my owned devices (phones, computers).

GO Blu supports BT 5.1, and a whopping array of different codecs including AAC, AptX (Adaptive, HD and Low Latency), LDAC and LHDC/HWA. The LDAC/96 implementation in particular is very solid and – when paired to another known-good-LDAC capable device – I was able to get at least 10 meters away on open path, or 7-8 meters with 2 walls in the middle, with zero dropouts.

The USB-C port on the bottom of GO Blu main body can be also used as a digital input. Again, connectivity proved straightforward both when attached to my PC (directly, and via the Nano iUSB) or to my Android devices – on which I use 3rd party sw players e.g. UAPP and Roon.

Didn’t try Apple ecosystem devices, which are declared as fully supported nonetheless.

Existing connectivity type will take priority: if GO Blu is connected somewhere via BT, a subsequently established USB connection will “not to work” – and similarly, if I have GO Blu on BT pairing mode, but not yet BT-connected to anything, plugging it into a USB data source will kill the BT pairing process, which will not resume for as long as the USB link stays on.

Finally, GO Blu has a very good working microphone on its bottom, which is straightforwardly used for calls and phone assistant interaction. The mic quality is above average at the very least, and Qualcomm’s built-in ANC works a charm: I could use it as an office tool for a while with great satisfaction.

When using GO Blu as a bi-way communication device, short-pressing once on the volume knob’s central button answers the incoming call. Long-pressing ends the call, or activates the phone assistant.

Output

GO Blu comes with two phone output alternatives: a Balanced 4.4mm option and a 3.5mm Single Ended (S-Balanced, actually). The former is by all means the one to go for whenever possible – more on this later.

Neither is configurable as a pure Line Out.

Volume and gain control

The volume knob is apparently well designed and feels solid and precise. iFi is particularly proud on the Swiss tech they added on that, I got no competence to confirm or dismiss but a fact is I couldnt appreciate any audible volume unbalance above 2% or something, and I did witness supersmooth and cracklefree operation for my entire (long!) assessment period.

On the GO Blu iFi chose to integrate gain control within the volume knob excursion – they call it “automatic gain”. In a nutshell, GO Blu is offering low gain until 60% volume level, then it quickly applies a +6dB gain from there on.

In general, I’m not a high gain fan to say the least: the higher the gain, the higher the compression especially on budget (read: sub-multibuck) class devices. High gain to me can and should be used with high impedance loads only, and that’s why I don’t particularly mind having a classical separate “gain switch” for that.

On the other hand I do see the point iFi designers are making on seamlessly integrating gain and volume controls, clinging at non-specialistic users who will simply not want to care on learning why and how they should or should not engage High Gain, and just want a device that “does it right, automatically”.

What makes the equation solve correctly in GO Blu case is that that little device delivers a whopping high level of current already at low volume marks. Which means that most if not all mid & low impedance devices I connected to GO Blu went nicely loud and dynamic (!) already at moderate (way sub 50%) volume levels, thus never needing to engage the High Gain mode. Plugging my HD600 required a deeper volume knob excursion, and -correctly- ended up into +6dB gain territory. Good job!

Other features

Software and Firmware

Like all iFi devices GO Blu allows for easy user-operated firmware flashing. In this specific case, operations can exclusively carried out from an Anroid host though, so be aware!

There’s currently only one GO Blu firmware version available, released last January 2022 – which must be flashed in should the device come with an earlier version as previous one(s) were, frankly, buggy as hell.

On the other hand, iFi offers no host software to remote-control / remote-configure GO Blu. Nothing in the line of what E1DA does for 9038x, or Fiio for BTRx, etc is available. Too bad.

Alternative reconstruction filters

GO Blu firmware includes a sort of “easter-egg”, allowing the user to switch onto an alternative DAC reconstruction filter by following an undocumented button-pressing sequence.

To access such feature one needs to turn on and connect Go Blu (BT or wired, doesn’t matter), then triple-short-press the Power Button. At this point, single short-pressing the Options button (the one below the Volume knob) will toggle between two DAC filter alternatives:

• Minimum phase filter (upper LED turns Purple)
• Standard filter (upper LED turns Green)

The setting is saved, and will resist powering the GO Blu down.

XBASS and XSPACE

On the GO Blu too iFi added two of their most appreciated “extras”, namely XBASS and XSPACE.

Both implemented on the time domain – i.e. on the already calculated analog output coming off the DAC – for superior quality results, XBASS is a bass/sub-bass enhancer, i.e. a filter enhancing all bass frequencies without impacting on the rest of the presentation, while XSPACE is a crossfeed filter, i.e. a system whereby, vulgarly speaking, “a bit” of the left channel sound will be hearable on your right channel too, and viceversa, which brings the headphone/earphone listening experience closer to that of full size speakers of course.

Both are great to have – especially on such a modest budget device – and being a late-50ies / 60ies acoustic jazz lover I’m especially fond of XSPACE, which “magically” compensates on many of those early stereo hard-panned masters with John Coltrane “fully stuck to the left”, for example, making them even more enjoyable.

To activate XBASS and/or XSPACE all it takes is to cycle-press the options button on the right side of the device, just below the volume knob. 1 press = XBASS, 2 presses = XSPACE, 3 presses = both, 4 presses = reset to none. The options led on top, near the 4.4 port, will light of a different color accordingly.

Sound

GO Blu sounds seriously well.

The presentation range is very well extended both down low and up high, notes have very good body accross the board, and a particular mention is deserved by bass being very controlled. Highmids come accross a tad too evident, on the other end. Trebles are way airier than one may expect from such a small – therefore necessarily hw-limited – device. Perhaps most importantly, instrument separation and microdynamics are nothing short of outstanding.

Comparing by memory (I sold my unit quite some months ago) with an overall similar-featured device, GO Blu sounds significantly better than Fiio BTR5 for example : definitely cleaner, more extended, more macro and micro-dynamical.

Comparing instead with a different-featured but similarly priced device by the same manufacturer, GO Blu’s presentation is not the same as Hip-Dac – the latter is warmer down low, and less hot up high – although the “general sound quality” impression I can get from either is definitely on the same league.

As for probably 95% of sub-1K$ devices I auditioned to date, on Go Blu too single-ended output delivers much lesser quality than the balanced option next to it.  Simply put, I would recommend Go Blu for Balanced only – and skip it if your main drivers are all single-ended and you don’t want to (or can!) plan on swapping cables.

Some caveats now.

One: In spite of a quite low output impedance (below 1 ohm), GO Blu’s Balanced output produces significant hiss on very low impedance + high sensitivity loads (Andromeda and such).

Two: GO Blu’s USB connection does and will charge the battery while playing, when connected to a host providing power on the VBUS wire. As a consequence, USB-connecting GO Blu directly to my PC produces audibly worse (closer, more compressed, less dynamical) output compared to connecting it through my Nano iUSB3, or to a battery-powered pure transport (eg a Tempotec V1).

Some educational pairings

Final E3000

I would call this an unreal pair in terms of amping authority, if it weren’t for the fact that E3000’s fixed cabling forces me into the Single Ended option on the GO Blu, and sadly it shows. With that being said, GO Blu’s amping module makes E3000 open up and sing quite well, so much as to make the pair an incredibly good “compromise option” e.g. when adopting GO Blu as a BT device and mid-fi digital sources e.g Spotify or similar.

Final E5000

Not the best pair in the world at all for those but waaaay better than so many alternatives. E5000 is the empyric proof, if one is ever needed, of how vivid current GO Blu outputs already at very low volume positions, making E5000’s bass not “melting” into a too dark presentation as on most other lowcost stuff I heard it on. Very well done here.

Sennheiser HD600

GO Blu drives HD600 with great authority powerwise, even from the single ended out which is the sole I could test as I don’t care putting a balanced cable on my HD600, Groove pair being endgame for those at my place. GO Blu’s “automatic gain” works greatly here.

Considerations & conclusions

The main thing about GO Blu is that, quite simply, it sounds surprisingly good – especially so via its Balanced Ended output, which is the part I would recommend it for anytime really.

This little kid impressed me quite a lot for its very good DAC reconstruction quality, its more than decently clean amping stage, its capacity to drive low impedance and high impedance loads equally well, and the incredible life it delivers to most of my drivers.

Weren’t this enough add supersolid BT 5.1 (!) connectivity, XBASS and (to me, especially) XSPACE, and great performance for office calls, too.

What else can one want? The man on the road would probably, and justly, respond “nothing, just take my money now”.

I’m an old grumpy fellow so I always go around looking for flipsides, and GO Blu does have a few of course too:  Single Ended output quality is rather unimpressive for one; output power although good is not enough for planars and such; Balanced output hisses off on very low impedance loads; well… that’s it really.

Also due to some unwanted external interferences I got in the past months, I took my sweet time assessing this device and I feel I need to particularly thank iFi Audio for the patience they had after supplying my loaner review unit back last december already!

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The post iFi GO Blu Review – Sorprendentemente Bene appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Featuring a single dynamic driver and a $219,99 price point Falcon Pro compete on a quite interesting market segment, populated – as usual – by a lot of underwhelming (or downright garbage) competing products alongside a few very solid longstanders.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Apogee Groove / Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Ifi hip-dac2 / Cowon Plenue 2 – final E clear eartips – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Some critical comparisons

vs Tanchjim Oxygen ($260)

The comparison is pertinent on the “similar” pricing and technology (1DD) standpoints, although it must be noted that Tanchjim Oxygen are by designed tuned towards a “lean harman”, neutral organic target, Falcon Pro towards a V shaped warm one, which of course should set different apriori expectations from either product.

With that being said, Tanchjim Oxygen’s midbass is way faster, more controlled and articulated. Mid bass, down to sub bass notes are much more textured and technical on Oxygen compared to the bloomier ones issued by Falcon Pro.

Although not a detail monster by design, Oxygen also retrieve significantly more subtleties both from highmids/trebles and bass. Note weight is leaner on Oxygen accross the spectrum – maximally so on midbass, but on mids and trebles too. Oxygen are better at layering and separation.

Overall, Oxygen are obviously preferrable on acoustic music (classic, jazz), Falcon Pro’s “meatier” personality may be preferrable on folk, progrock & such.

vs final E4000 ($149)

Oppositely from the previous case, there is quite some common ground between Falcon Pro and E4000 in terms of intended tuning as both are clearly designed aiming at a warm-colored tonality.

With that being said, E4000’s tonality is evidently more balanced, with a much less invasive, color-imposing, slow bidbass, a bit, but definitely, clearer highmids and trebles.

On a more technical level, Falcon Pro deliver more solid note weight in the trebles, but less definition on trebles and everywhere, really. Falcon Pro offer a somewhat more extended stage size (both on width and depth), E4000 are way better in terms of layering and instrument separation.

Falcon Pro are easier to bias, E4000 require more current to properly open up.

Considerations & conclusions

Dunu Falcon Pro are honest, well executed single-DD IEMs, exuding design and construction quality from all the angles you can watch them from. Their tuning is very sided, so to say, towards a warm, laidback, intimate presentation which clearly aims at pampering the user more on the overall musical experience then at stunning on technicalities.

Their features do not coincide with my personal preferences neither from the audio nor from the musical standpoints, but that’s of course totally personal.

I received a sample unit kindly provided by co-blogger Kazi.

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The new version of iFi’s recently discontinued hip-dac, amongst the few low cost mobile dac-amps featured of our Wall of Excellence, is marketed at a very similar price (€ 189,00) compared to its precedessor.

At the end of the day, my opinion about hip-dac2 could be condensed in a simple one-liner: as good as Hip Dac, so very good for this price point, with the addition of a higher MQA reconstruction quality.

As I never published an article about original hip-dac I will take this opportunity to deliver an extended article on the “hip-dac franchise”, so to call it. I will clearly mark the differences between hip-dac2 and hip-dac within the text. Let’s go through it.

At-a-glance Card

Product analysis

Key features and general description

hip-dac2 (like its precedessor hip-dac) is a battery-equipped slim-bodied easily pocketable USB DAC-AMP.

Size-, weight- and shape-wise it’s just wonderful. The full metal shell is sturdy, greatly pocketable, and at the same time superbly stylish from the shape and finishing points of view. It “pairs” very well with an average smartphone when used in conjunction with that.

Sole audio input is the USB data port.  The input connector is the “usual” iFi USB-A recessed male plug. A USB-A(f) to USB-C and a USB-A(f) to USB-A(m) short cables are supplied free. No UBS-A(f) to micro-USB nor USB-A(f) to Apple Lightning are offered in the package.

No coax, optical nor analog input available. hip-dac2 (or hip-dac) can’t be used as a pure amplifier.

Two phone outputs are available: single ended (S-balanced, actually – more on this below) 3.5mm and balanced 4.4 mm.

No line-out analog output is available, which means that hip-dac2 (or hip-dac) can’t be used as a “pure DAC”, plugged into a downstream amp device. It still can be further amplified but the internal amp section will anyhow be involved as a “pre-amp”.

The internal battery cannot be charged via the digital input USB port. A separate charge-only USB-C port is dedicated to charging (a short USB-A to USB-C cable is included in the package). This is good as it cuts on much of the source-incoming noise typically carried by an active VBUS line. On the other hand it means that even when USB-connected to (say) a laptop the hip-dac2 / hip-dac will always only take power from its internal battery, and will eventually run out of juice.

Battery autonomy as always depends on usage (highres files and high volume listening consume more of course) but you can count on some good 6-7 hours of “common spec” listening. A full recharge takes like 3 hours.

When referring to similarly priced portable DAC-AMP devices, hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s power specifications are nominally impressively high vs high impedance loads (6.2V vs 600 ohm, just wow!) and a good step above average vs mid impedance loads (400mW vs 32 ohm).

iFi doesn’t table specs vs low impedance loads (< 16ohm) though, nor hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s output impedance on either of its phone out ports is declared.

Similar to what happens for most if not all of their devices, iFi offers a selection of easily user-installable firmware alternatives for Hip Dac 2 – ultimately yielding into alternative choices in terms of digital reconstruction filters.

Lastly, the device offers a manual High Gain button (labelled “Power Match”) and an XBass+ button. More on these later.

How does it sound: DAC performance

Considering hip-dac2 / hip-dac lack a proper Line Out, DAC performances are only partially assessable as some will be influenced by the integrated amp stage.

It is nevertheless quite evident that hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s voicing is very good when looking at pretty much any other similar portable DAC-AMP on this level of budget. Auditioned from its Balanced output port (more on why later) range is very well extended both towards the bass and the highs. Bass notes are well bodied, not particularly enhanced. Treble is smooth while more than nicely airy, and mids are quite evidently the best developed section.

There’s a quite evident warm tonality – difficult if not impossible to say which section (DAC and/or AMP) contributes to that most. But it’s there. If I have to compare with my experience with other iFi devices offering Line Out options (Nano iDSD Black Label, Micro iDSD Signature) I am ready to bet this is mostly AMP-related but again… it’s a guess.

Good DAC performance doesn’t come by chance. iFi adopts high-standard components even inside their budget products like hip-dac2 / hip-dac, and this is surely one good first step – but this often happens on many chi-fi devices, which on even or very similar “internal stuff list” condition in the end sound apparently much worse. The real key is engineering competence, really – and that can’t be so easily “cloned”.

One aspect: a fundamental requisite to obtain good performances from a DAC device is avoiding interferences on the incoming digital data. Not talking about human-audible interferences, of course. You might want to read this other article of mine to get a flavour of what I’m talking about. As already mentioned above, hip-dac2 / hip-dac don’t take power from the USB data cable, this way apriori cutting a lot in terms of noise “collection”.

Another aspect: unlike the overwhelming majority of the other budget mobile devices, hip-dac2 / hip-dac offer an analog volume control, not a digital one. The reason why this is way better for DAC performances is quite technical (check here for a good, reasonabe vulgarly-explained article) but putting it very simply: digital volume controls act upon the digital stream before it reaches the DAC, and deliver a “integral” digital data to the DAC only at their end-scale position (so at “100% volume” position); intermediate volume levels are realized by applying attenuatin to the digital data which de facto corresponds to reducing their digital resolution.

An analog-volume device like hip-dac2 / hip-dac always feeds its DAC chip at full digital resolution, and attenuates the analog output aposteriori only. Why not every device has this ? Quite simply because analogue volume controls are more expensive to implement and more complicated to design

Firmware options

Like most if not all other iFi DAC devices, hip-dac2 / hip-dac can run a range of firmware variants, each offering different features or optimisations. Firmware packages and the apps required to flash them are freely available on iFi’s web site, here.  The flashing process is really easy and straightforward, at least on Windows platform.

The 3 significant versions to choose from for hip-dac2 are:

For the original hip-dac a very similar option is available although it may be interesting to note here that there have been two hip-dac sub-versions, one tagged with serial numbers beginning with 54010 and the other with serial numbers beginning with 54040. The latter generation accepts the same 7-generation firmware packages as hip-dac2 (labelled respectively 7.2, 7.2c and 7.2b), while the former older generation accepts older versions of the same packages ( labelled respectively 5.3, 5.3c and 5.2).

DSD is a very interesting standard but I don’t de facto currently own nor plan to own music files sampled above DSD 256, so the two options which get my attention are 7.3 and 7.3c.

Their fundamental difference is one only but a significant one at that: with 7.3c iFi’s own GTO (Gibbs Transient Optimised) filter replaces Burr Brown’s native reconstruction filters.

I strongly recommend you read iFi’s whitepaper about why and how this may be technically desireable, or not.

The paper focuses on throughly illustrating GTO’s output features while leaving another important aspect in the background: with 7.3c hip-dac2 will systematically upsample all digital input coming from the USB port up to 32 bit / 384KHz resolution prior to feeding the DAC chips. For what I seem to have understood this is fundamentally required for the GTO filter itself to work as intended.

I already experienced iFi’s GTO implementation in conjunction with Micro iDSD Signature and Nano iDSD Black Label. Simply put: on Nano iDSD BL the GTO option “sounds worse” than the native ones – for my tastes at least. Oppositely, GTO performance on Micro iDSD Signature is very significant, offering important analog reconstruction improvements on redbook-standard (16bit / 44.1KHz) tracks compared to the non-GTO firmware option.

Very similar is my experience on hip-dac2 / hip-dac, and this is one of the few notable differences between the two generations.

hip-dac2 GTO implementation (fw 7.3c) offers a very good alternative option compared to non-GTO (fw 7.3).

Oppositely, when I tested this on a first-version (ser# 54010xxxxx) original hip-dac I got a very similar result as the one I got with the Nano iDSD BL: GTO firmware is basically not worth for me. I didn’t have an opportunity to test a latter-generation hip-dac (ser# 54040xxxxx).

MQA

This is quite evidently the most important aspect about which hip-dac2 represents a significant upgrade from hip-dac: MQA reconstruction performance is evidently better.

MQA royalties and consulting fees apart, as one may easily imagine different enabling hardware makes a big difference on such a computing intensive process as MQA unfolding. Newer generation iFi models (hip-dac2, Diablo, ZEN DAC v2 etc) carry a 16 core XMOS chip with a much higher capacity and computing power (2X the clock speed, 4X the internal memory, latest USB standards compliance) so – simply put – it can “do more at the same time” than the predecessor model.

The improvement in the audible result is quite evident, and totally in line with theory. When applied to MQA-authenticated tracks hip-dac2 reconstructs a much airier, defined and detailed sound compared to the job done by hip-dac as mere Renderer on the very same tracks.

On the other hand, though, I think it’s worthwhile here to remember that – like it or not – MQA is not any sort of magical way to make a DAC sound better then it technically could when applied to a non-MQA, full resolution version of the same track.

A very easy comparison example for me is with Apogee Groove. While of course hip-dac2 will reconstruct/reproduce an MQA-master track at a higher level of audible detail and resolution compared to what Groove will do when connected as a non-MQA DAC on the same track, on the other hand Groove’s range extension, dynamic range, bass and treble control stay on a superior level even in such an “handicap-started” race. Even more evident is the DAC reconstruction quality difference of course when applying hip-dac2 to a given MQA-authenticated track, and Groove to a high-res non-MQA version of the very same track.

Long story short, I guess it all boils down to a quite trivial conclusion: MQA is no magic wand, it’s got no “hardware upgrade power”. Of course.

How does it sound: AMP performance

Based on experience I stopped expecting that low budget devices offer similar amping quality results from both their single and balanced ended outputs. It fundamentally never happens.

The fact is that in these cases balanced amping architecture is primarily adopted as an inexpensive, easy-implementable way for many manufacturers to offer a decent or above-decent output quality (cleanness, transparency, dynamic range) off of apriori difficult situations such as small / ultrasmall and low price tier pocketable devices.

Clean amping is mostly dependent on high quality power management, and in a small and/or relatively inexpensive “box” there is little “room” (physical and virtual) to fit appropriate power management circuitry. Clean power is a challange on amps of any size, and a very steep one the smaller the form factor and the budget get.

As size & cost go up it starts to be possible to encounter devices e.g. the Micro iDSD Signature whereon Single Ended and Balanced phone outs present a power difference, but negligible quality differences. Below that size and budget, I just encountered white flys. Groove, to name one, which Single Ended output is a few times over cleaner, more transparent and dynamic-extended than any other Balanced-equipped device below $300 I happened to hear. Another good case is Sony NW-A55. I have a serious hard time naming a third.

From this point of view, hip-dac2 / hip-dac follow the mainstream. Do not expect wonders from their Single Ended outputs, as in facts you won’t get any. The other way around is rather true: hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s Single Ended output is unimpressive – dull, compressed, closed-in. This, in spite of the good deeds of their S-Balanced tech.

Different story for the Balanced Ended 4.4mm output, which comes accross evidently airier, better bilaterally extended, with a very good level of control on bass and smooth trebles, and most of all a quite nice dynamic range and good microdynamic rendering. In a word, the solid impression is that on hip-dac2 / hip-dac BE out is the sole one with enough cleanness and transparency as to offer some justice to the preceding DAC stage.

As I already mentioned above, there’s a distinct warm coloration. Is this coming from the DAC or the AMP? Difficult to determine as hip-dac2 / hip-dac don’t offer a pure Line Out option, and thus a chance to use a third-party amp like it happens on other iFi models like Nano iDSD BL or Micro iDSD Signature is precluded.

A small difference can also be identified between hip-dac2 and hip-dac’s overall output quality, namely the former being a bit more sparkly in the highs, and just a whiff less intimate as far as soundstage goes.

I didn’t mention soundstage yet, which is definitely not a shiny aspect for hip-dac2 nor hip-dac. Quite narrow, really. Is this due to scarce spatial reconstruction skills at the DAC level or due to unclean AMPing? Again, impossible to say due to the lack of a Line Out option – and after all useless to know either, as it’s not something the user can do anything about.

Lastly, I think it’s worth noting that some hiss is picked by very sensitive loads (CA Andromeda, anyone? ). While definitely an imperfection taken per se, I guess it should be conceded to hip-dac2 / hip-dac that it’s a very common one, almost irregardlessly of the device budget.

Extra features

There are two toggle-buttons beside hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s volume knob, named Power Match and XBass.

Power Match is nice attempt at a layman-friendly naming for a Gain switch. Activating Power Match puts hip-dac2 / hip-dac in High Gain mode, which is of course recommended (only) when a low-sensitivity driver is connected. Attention though: on low-sensitivity and low-impedance devices the suggestion is flipped – Low Gain is typically a much better option.

XBass behaves like what an EQ expert would call a low shelf positive filter. By ear it pushes lows up by 2dB-ish from 100Hz down. Might occasionally turn out to be handy to help some bass-shy drivers, or as a compromise to compensate for some drivers requiring a higher level of current delivery than what hip-dac2 / hip-dac can deliver to express their best on their bass lines.

Notable pairings

You find some significant pairing impressions reported in Kazi’s article, which I already mentioned above.

I find myself totally in line with what Kazi wrote when referring to final Sonorous-III and Dunu ZEN / ZEN Pro which I also had a chance to directly test with hip-dac2 and hip-dac. Ditto for my experience with a pair of high-impedance cans, which is HD600 in my case – ultimately showing that hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s nominal 6V @ 600ohm spec is less effective than it may seem when put to the real work.

Let me just add a few other experiences here.

final E3000

Biasing-wise the pair is technically good, insofar as hip-dac2 and hip-dac both definitely deliver enough current to E3000 to open them up properly, keeping their bass transients controlled and delivering a good sense of space. The unavoidable down side is that due to E3000’s fixed cable it’s impossible to exploit hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s best amping output (the Balanced one) so the forced-single-ended pair is bound to unavoidably suffer from some dullness and lack of dynamics.

final E5000

Even when paired on the Balanced output hip-dac2 and hip-dac don’t seem to deliver enough current soon enough to brighten-up E5000’s bass line. The result is an overly thick presentation which is what very commonly one gets on E5000 from budget-tier sources.

Ikko OH-1S and Tanchjim Oxygen

Although different, the two IEMs react very similarly to hip-dac2 / hip-dac pair. Both get turned on very nicely by the balanced output, delivering much of their competence in terms of technicality. Both get “warmed up” by hip-dac2 / hip-dac’s coloration, which may be a welcome variation to many in comparison to their otherwise slightly-bright/neutral tonality. Hip-dac2 pushes both’s highmids up, luckily without passing the glare limit. Nice ones.

final Sonorous-II

Similarly to what happens on Sonorous-III, the pair has lights and shadows. Good is bass (a case where the XBass switch delivers a pleasant alternative at the user’s fingertip), and microdynamics. Less good is high-mids which get a bit too hot.

Shure SRH-1840

This is a really good pair. Power available on Low Gain is already more than enough to make SRH-1840 sing pretty well, and there’s no overdoing on the high-mids. Some treble extension is lacking. General warmth may be considered bearable in this case due to the fundamental pure neutrality of the phones taken on their own. Too bad for the narrow stage, but at this price level I’ve yet to find a better pair for SRH-1840 if I exclude Groove.

Notable comparisons

Again, some notable comparisons are already mentioned on Kazi’s article, which I once again encourage you to read. I do share his opinion about hip-dac2 vs hip-dac entirely.

vs Apogee Groove

The comparison is apriori dishomogeneous as Groove is a high-power-demanding dongle with a unique, not-general-purpose amping architecture while hip-dac2 and hip-dac are designed with full-horizontal applicability in mind. Performance differences found between the two devices should be put in the correct perspective.

That said, Groove’s DAC and AMP refinements, where applicable, are significantly better compared to hip-dac2 / hip-dac.

Hip-dac2’s DAC reconstruction prowess does challenge Groove’s resolving power exclusively when applied to MQA-authenticated tracks. On such very tracks, hip-dac2’s Full Decoder capabilities deliver superior resolution and air, while on the other hand still falling short vs Groove on range extension, bass control and treble vividness. On non-MQA material there’s no game instead.

vs Hidizs S9 Pro

Another dishomogeneous therefore “unfair” comparison, which I’m mentioning basically only due to S9 Pro’s popularity. Similarly to Groove, Hidizs S9 Pro is a battery-less dongle featuring a high host-power demand. Different from Groove, it carries a general-purpose amping architecture free from apriori pairing limitations.

Like hip-dac2 / hip-dac, S9 Pro also comes with dual phone outputs (Single Ended and Balanced Ended), and again similarly in both cases the Single Ended option, well, might also be omitted, for how underwhelming they are compared to their Balanced Ended alternatives.

That said, the sound quality difference between the two devices is nothing short of dramatic. Hip-dac2 / hip-dac are better resolving, have better estension, better dynamics and better features. Last but not least, when connected to a “noisy” host (e.g a laptop) S9 Pro degrades its cleanness and spatial reconstruction performance quite evidently, and benefits of a noise filter adoption (e.g. an iFi iSilencer or an AudioQuest Jitter Bug), while hip-dac2 / hip-dac is much more resilient off the bat.

S9 Pro costs 35% less than hip-dac2, that must be noted, too.

vs iFi Nano iDSD Black Label

Similarly priced and after all not so differently-sized, the two devices do behave similarly.

Overall, hip-dac2 comes out ahead when used as a complete (DAC+AMP) system, even more so if applied to MQA material as Nano iDSD Black label is a mere Renderer not a Full Decoder. On the flip side, Nano iDSD Black Label offers a pure Line Out option which is the big “missing bit” from hip-dac2 / hip-dac, which allows the user to “upgrade” the device with an external amp – possibly a desktop one? – and fully exploit the really nice quality of its internal DAC.

Considerations & conclusions

Hip-dac2 is an outstanding device, quite evidently the best sub-200$ battery powered pocketable DAC-AMP on the market today. It delivers very good DAC reconstruction capabilities, significant amping power, and remarkable cleannes, dynamics and air from its Balanced Ended headphone output.

Compared to its preceding version, hip-dac2 offers MQA Full Decoding which represent a solid further improvement for Tidal fans. Apart from that, its features are identical and its sound quality are so close to the preceding version that a current hip-dac owner may safely hold on to his existing investment in case Tidal Master is not his streaming service of choice.

Disclaimer

As always, a big thank you to iFi for the continued opportunity they offer me to keep assessing their products.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post iFi hip-dac2 Review (2) – Still The Best appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Apogee Groove / Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Ifi HipDac / Cowon Plenue 2 – donut foam covers – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

vs K’s Earphone Bell-LBs (€59,00 street price)

By design K300 indeed offer a different tuning compared to Bell-LBs: warm and V-shaped vs neutral. K300’s sub bass is very audible and delivers nice rumble, on par with quite a few IEMs actually, and unlike Bell-LBs where it is just hinted. Mid bass is more elevated, bloomier, denser on K300 vs Bell-LBs’ leaner, faster, punchier one.

Mids are obviously recessed and also leaner on K300, vs unrecessed bodied and organic on Bell-LBs. Highmids and trebles are similarly elevated on both, but obvsiouly cleaner, sparklier, airier on Bell-LBs, and brushed, warmed and inoffensive on K300.

Soundstage casting is very similar, in both cases absolutely holographic, a further bit more extended on K300. Imaging and separation are evidently much better on Bell-LBs as a direct consequence of much faster transiets all over the spectrum. K300 is somewhat harder to drive due to its 300 ohm impedance, and less expensive.

Considerations & conclusions

K300 are another definite hit by K’s Earphone, the same makers of BELL-LBs. They deliver a very well calibrated warm-bass tonality and a stunning holographic very extended stage, offering a really pleasing, relaxing musical experience.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post K’s Earphone K300 Review – Warm Relaxing Pleasure appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Here’s my analysis of K’s Earphone “Bell-LBs” model, which I recently personally purchased for € 59,00

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Apogee Groove / Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Ifi HipDac / Cowon Plenue 2 – full foam and donut foam covers – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

vs Rose Mojito (was $ 259,00 – now discountinued)

Both are designed for with a neutral presentation in mind, but when directly compared Bell-LBs comes out “flatter-neutral” while Mojito sounds a bit more “balanced”.

Mojito delivers more sub-bass and a modest rumble vs just a hint of that on Bell-LBs. Midbass are similar in note body, Mojito offering a bit more elevation. Mids and vocals are equivalently refined and organic, very difficult to tell which is better. On both, male are “just good”, female are “wonderful”.

Neither driver ever scants into sibilance, but Bell-LBs do occasionally concede to shoutyness, which Mojito is totally free of. Stage casting is similar, Bell-LBs being just a bit deeper.

Imaging and separation are surely better on Mojito mainly thanks to the absence of treble shoutiness. Bell-LBs are way easier to drive and pair.

vs Rose Masya (was $ 129,00 – now discountinued)

Masya offer a bright-accented presentation vs a virtually pure-neutral coming out of Bell-LBs. Both buds deliver a just hinted sub-bass, with barely audible rumble. Midbass are similar, with Masya showing a bit more elevation.

Mids are better tuned on Bell_LBs which deliver thicker tone body and higher organicity. Vocals are hands-down better on Bell-LBs, female even more than male. Both drivers present a tendence to (occasional) shoutyness on trebles on some tracks, Masya more than Bell-LBs.

Technicalities are also very similar, with Bell-LBs showing just a bit more stage depth in comparison. Bell-LBs are much easier to drive and pair.

vs K’s Earphone K300 (€58,14 list, € 29,10 street price)

By design K300 indeed offer a different tuning compared to Bell-LBs: warm and V-shaped vs neutral. K300’s sub bass is very audible and delivers nice rumble, on par with quite a few IEMs actually, and unlike Bell-LBs where it is just hinted.

Mid bass is more elevated, bloomier, denser on K300 vs Bell-LBs’ leaner, faster, punchier one. Mids are obviously recessed and also leaner on K300, vs unrecessed bodied and organic on Bell-LBs.

High mids and trebles are similarly elevated on both, but obvsiouly cleaner, sparklier, airier on Bell-LBs, and brushed, warmed and inoffensive on K300.

Soundstage casting is very similar, in both cases absolutely holographic, a further bit more extended on K300. Imaging and separation are evidently much better on Bell-LBs as a direct consequence of much faster transiets all over the spectrum.

K300 is somewhat harder to drive due to its 300 ohm impedance, and less expensive.

vs VE Monk SM (Slim Metal) (€ 22,39)

Monk SM tonality is bright-neutral vs Bell-LBs being almost pure neutral. Both have just hinted sub-bass. Mid-bass is similar on both, a bit more elevated and organic on Bell-LBs.

Mids and especially vocals are monumentally better on Bell-LBs, whereas Monk SM sound deeply artificial, in addition to lean and untextured.

High mids and trebles are also arguably much more organic on Bell-LBs, shouty and fatiguing on Monk SM. Monk SM cast a deeper but narrower stage.

Detail retrieval on Monk SM is not as bad as their high mids and treble lack of refinement might imply, but Bell-LBs keep the lead with good margin. Microdynamics are also evidently better on Bell-LBs.

Both drivers are quite easy to bias power-wise, but Monk SM is way more capricious in terms of pairing (some sources excite their highmids making them sound like a portable transistor radio from the ’70ies).

Considerations & conclusions

K’s Earphone BELL-LBs are a pair a earbuds that acoustic and vocal music lovers may easily fall in love with.

They tick so many boxes at once: neutral tonality, spot-on timbre, comfortable fit, high resolving power, holographic stage casting and good technicalities, all paired with decent driveability and an affordable price.

Sure there is better at higher budget levels, but I couldn’t find anything remotely close in terms of sound quality on an almost purely neutral tonality at such a modest cost.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post K’s Earphone Bell-LBs Review – Budget Neutral Reference appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Hip-DAC2 can feel unwieldy when paired with large phones
– Narrow staging
– Somewhat colored tonality won’t suit neutrality seekers
– Single-ended output is underwhelming
– A proper line-out would be perfect

INTRODUCTION

iFi Audio hit the homerun with the original Hip-DAC. It had excellent build, the design was unique, and the sound was different to most in the market with a warm, rich tuning that could power most reasonable headphones and IEMs.

The release of the Hip-DAC2 came as a surprise to me as I didn’t think the Hip-DAC was being outperformed by its peers. In fact, the Hip-DAC is still on of the best portable DAC/Amps under $250. On paper it appears that the Hip-DAC2 is mostly geared towards Tidal enthusiasts, having a major improvement in MQA decoding capabilities.

Let’s see if the Hip-DAC2 can prove itself to be just as good as its predecessor.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. iFi Audio was kind enough to send me the Hip-DAC2 as a loaner.

Earphones/Headphones used: Dunu Zen, Dunu Zen Pro, Final FI-BA-SS, Campfire Andromeda 2020, Sennheiser HD650, Sennheiser HD560S, Final Sonorous III.
Firmware versions: 7.30, 7.3b
Price, while reviewed: 190 euros. Can be bought from WOD Audio.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

iFi Audio went for a minimalist package with the Hip-DAC2. You get the essentials: a type-C to USB type-A female cable (for connecting to phones), a USB type-A male to female cable (for connecting with the PC), and a type-C to USB type-A male cable for charging.

There is an optional case that you can buy but it cost 29 euros extra.

BUILD QUALITY

Build quality of the Hip-DAC2 mimics that of the original Hip-DAC and it is excellent. The housing is sandblasted aluminium with a Sunset Orange color scheme (vs Petrol Blue on the original). The volume pot has a silver-gray finish this time around whereas the OG had a golden knob.

There are two buttons on the left side of the volume pot (xBass and PowerMatch respectively) and two headphone outputs on the right side (4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended). The bottom of the device houses a USB type-A male port for connecting to devices, and a type-C port for charging.

The volume pot also acts as a power button and has two LEDs on both sides to indicate remaining charge (white for >75%, green for >25%, and red for >10% capacity). These LEDs also show the current sample rate and file format. The following image shows all the colors and their corresponding sample rate or format.

Engaging either xBass or PowerMatch lights up the tiny white LEDs underneath the buttons. Overall, excellent build quality with no noticeable room for improvement.
5/5

HANDLING

The Hip-DAC2 is fairly lightweight at 125gm, but due to the 70mm width can be awkward to hold in hand. This becomes more noticeable when you’re stacking the DAC/Amp with a large phone (most modern phones are large anyway). As a result, I preferred to use the Hip-DAC2 with my laptop rather than on-the-go with my phone. Also, the aluminium shell is quite slippery, so not the best experience when using as a portable device.
3.5/5

BATTERY LIFE

Clocking at around 8hrs of playback time, the battery life on the Hip-DAC2 is decent if unremarkable. The 2200mAh battery pack could have been upgraded over the original but that would increase weight and thickness so it’s a compromise iFi has to make. Recharging takes about 3 hours on a typical phone charger.
3.5/5

INTERNAL HARDWARE

iFi Audio are most comfortable with using the BurrBrown chipset and here it appears again. The BB DSD1793 chipset offers native DSD encoding and with the updated XMOS controller can now decode MQA files at a hardware level. This feature, admittedly, is of little use to non-TIdal HiFi users but it doesn’t hurt to have an extra feature.

The potentiometer is fully analog, thus not facing some of the limitations that digital potentiometers may have. However, being analog in nature, it may degrade over time. The Global Master Timing clock has been upgraded here over the original Hip-DAC. The amp sections remains unchanged on paper, with quad JFET OV4627 op-amps (customized for iFi Audio). The amp circuit also uses a dual-mono design for the balanced output.

Other extras include the xBass feature which is an analog EQ and mostly aims to “fix” the sub-bass roll-off issue on open-back headphones. In reality, many open-back headphones suffer from distortion in those regions and applying an EQ might cause further distortion and clipping. The other feature is the PowerMatch button that acts as a gain switch for headphones (iFi advises keeping it off for sensitive IEMs).

Speaking of power outputs, the Hip-DAC2 outputs 0.4W @ 32ohms from the balanced out and 280mW @ 32ohms from the single-ended output (which also supports their proprietary S-balanced tech). The voltage swing can go as high as 6.3Vrms from the balanced out and this comes handy when driving high impedance dynamic driver headphones.

The PCB design is excellent and the components are high quality so I have no qualms about the internals of the Hip-DAC2. I would have loved it even more had it had a true line-out with fixed voltage output. Pairing the Hip-DAC with external amps could make it a great desktop solution. Maybe something for the Hip-DAC3.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The general sound of the iFi Hip-DAC2 can be summarized as warm-neutral. It has the characteristic iFi Audio warmth with smooth treble and an engaging midrange. The bass is mostly neutral but can be pushed higher with the xBass switch.

One area where the Hip-DAC2 falls short of its peers is the soundstage width. You won’t have the stage width of some of the ESS chipset-based DACs in the price range. On the plus side, the imaging was precise for the most part, provided you have headphones/IEMs with good imaging. Treble also doesn’t exhibit the rather common “glare” you find in many dongles these days.

One thing to note is that changing the firmware can bring subtle changes to the sound due to changes in reconstruction filter. I used both the default 7.30 firmware and the 7.3b firmware. The former had a more laid-back treble and had a slightly wider stage, while the latter had sharper treble with more up-front upper-mids. Do note that these are subtle changes and won’t drastically alter the sound.

Overall transparency and resolution was good for the price point, though again I could hear some roll-off in the upper-treble frequencies and separation was nothing exceptional. Moreover, the background hiss is noticeable with sensitive IEMs, so if you want a very dark background the Hip-DAC2 will disappoint.

PAIRING NOTES

Sennheiser HD650

The Sennheiser HD650 is one of the few headphones that scale according to the source quality. On paper, the Hip-DAC2 has the required voltage swing to power it, but reality is a mixed bag. The HD650 got loud from the balanced out but lacked the dynamics it can display on a more powerful amp. Separation was not the best either. I would not recommend the Hip-DAC2 for such high impedance dynamic drivers if you want to maximize their potential.

Final Sonorous III

Final Sonorous III is a closed back pair of headphones and are very efficient. Despite the efficiency they are quite transparent to source quality. The Hip-DAC2 drove them excellently with no loss in dynamics and the bass was quite pleasant. The upper-mids had more glare than usual, though, and the treble extension was lacking somewhat. Nonetheless, I would call the Hip-DAC2 a good pairing for efficient dynamic driver headphones.

Hifiman Sundara

On the planar magnetic side, we have the Hifiman Sundara. With a 94dB @ 37ohms efficiency, these are not the easiest headphones to drive. The Hip-DAC2 did get them loud with good enough dynamics. Moreover, the xBass switch was handy to add some slam and physicality to Sundara’s otherwise flat, dry bass. I would call these two a good pairing, though Sundara can do better when paired with high end amps.

Dunu Zen and Dunu Zen Pro

The Dunu Zen and Zen Pro both exhibited hiss from the balanced out of the Hip-DAC. However, the overall sound was quite pleasant. The Hip-DAC2 was not as resolving as the Questyle CMA-400i or Lotoo PAW 6000 with the Dunu Zen and Zen Pro, but none of its $200 peers sound any better with these IEMs so there’s that.

In general, the Hip-DAC2 pairs well with moderately efficient IEMs and some inefficient ones. The warm signature complements somewhat analytical headphones and IEMs. On the other hand, I would not recommend it for power-hungry planar magnetic headphones and IEMs, or very high impedance dynamic driver headphones. Headphones and IEMs with a warm tonality might not be the best pairing as well, e.g. Final E5000.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs iFi Hip-DAC

There is little to externally differentiate between the original Hip-DAC and the Hip-DAC2 other than the different paintjob. In terms of sound, the changes are mostly minor. The Hip-DAC2 has more transparency in the upper-mids (OG Hip-DAC sounded smoothed out in that region) and slightly wider stage. The imaging also seems somewhat more precise though I’m not too convinced about this improvement.

Most noticeable difference will be for those who believe in MQA. I am not an MQA user and these supposed improvements were thus untested. I mostly stuck with DSD and PCM files and for those, the OG iFi Hip-DAC is nearly as good as the newer version.

vs Apogee Groove

Apogee Groove has a very different amp architecture and is not really smartphone-friendly due to its higher power-draw and lack of internal battery. The amp architecture is also very different and has a very high output-impedance that messes with most multi-driver IEMs.

I found the Groove to pair really well with high impedance dynamic driver headphones, esp the HD650 and the likes. Some inefficient single-dynamic IEMs like the Final E5000 also pair excellently with the Groove. Unfortunately, the Groove is abysmal with low-impedance low-sensitivity planar magnetic headphones. They are also not as intuitive to operate as the Hip-DAC and lacks the xBass/PowerMatch features.

Overall, the Hip-DAC2 is more universal whereas the Groove is superb with a select few headphones and IEMs but below-par with the rest.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Holistically, the iFi Hip-DAC2 is a minor improvement over the original. I don’t think existing Hip-DAC owners need to upgrade to the Hip-DAC2 unless they are fully into the Tidal ecosystem and appreciates hardware MQA decoding.

That being said, those who are looking for a battery-powered DAC/Amp for desktop or laptop use and occasional phone pairing, the Hip-DAC2 is pretty much one of the best under $200. The original Hip-DAC is still available at Amazon Germany and costs $20 less, but I think you can just get the newer version since the price increase is marginal.

The Hip-DAC2 remains one of the best portable DAC/Amps under $200 and rightly earns my recommendation for using with desktops and laptops. Sadly, it is still not a good pairing for sensitive IEMs and leaves room for improvement when powering planar magnetic headphones. Something’s gotta give, after all.

MY VERDICT

4/5

A minor upgrade to an otherwise great portable DAC/Amp.

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from WOD Audio.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post iFi Audio Hip-DAC2 Review (1) – Subtle Improvements appeared first on Music For The Masses.

My impressions are purely based on the “best” set of audio analyzer I own, which is my pair of ears. Before I dive into the US$290 TRI TK-2, a bit of background story. I knew KB EAR /TRI Audio was planning a dongle DAC/Amp device back in Spring 2020. That time their idea was very vague but their owner did ask my opinion on a possible dongle DAC/Amp solution.

At that time, I wasn’t too keen on their proposal since most dongle DACs I have tried are either quite weak or sounded mediocre. The idea of sharing battery power with the source (the phone) is unappealing to me. I told him I will explore his plans further but I didn’t actually do so… At least not until this year when the donglemadness movement exploded.

Few months ago, I saw a series of photos on Weibo showing KB EAR show booth at an audio event in Mainland China. On the table was a portable device with a TRI logo on it. I knew immediately that was it! That’s the DAC/Amp device which KB EAR had been planning all this time.

Today we know this device turned out to be a collaboration between TRI Audio and KAEI. But who is KAEI? This brand is relatively unknown to those of us outside of Mainland China. Also known as 小林KAEI, they started business producing DIY amps before moving to portable DAPs. Today, the company produces a TOTL iOS-based audiophile digital audio player called DAP-3.

Just imagine a souped-up version of iPod with dual ESS Sabre ES9038Pro DACs and a powerful amp section… That’s how I would describe it. This is the first collaboration between the two brands to bring new variety to the already saturated DAC/Amp market. The innards of TRI TK-2 are largely based on the now discontinued KAEI HP-100.Let’s take a look if the TK-2 can live up to the hype to become one of the mainstream products like the Chord Mojo or the iFi Hip-DAC.

DISCLAIMER: The TRI TK-2 was sent to me “partially” free-of-charge (I paid for the FedEx International Priority shipping) as a review unit; however, this won’t affect my overall impressions.

HITS 

Neutral and balance sound signature with a hint of warmth. Pleasant and linear tuning that is neither too harsh nor too smooth. A wide dynamic range that is both accurate and coherent. Good note weight that is engaging and musical. Great extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum. Transients and attacks are fast with good energy and control that is able to handle even the most complex and demanding music tracks. Textured, open and weighty bass notes. Good midrange presence that is neither forward or recess. There is a hint of softness in the midrange texture and quality, giving each note a refined, luscious and sophisticated presentation.

Nonetheless, the sense of clarity in macro and micro details are still very much preserved. Vocal is positioned at the right depth, which is both inviting and pleasing to listen for hours. Treble is neither bright, grainy nor sibilant. Top-end is open, airy, slightly reverberated that really helps to portray a sense of space. As a result, soundstage has good dimensions in both height and depth.

Placement has a reliable distinction between each and every instrument and singer with ambient details such as echoes and sound reverbs, allowing them to excel and shine. Imaging and layering capabilities are exceptional as well. The TK-2 has a sustaining transients and decay that gives a natural and clean timbre to instruments such as acoustic guitar and violin.

Equally-distributed power of 1,250mW@32Ω to all 3.5mm single-ended, 4.4mm and 2.5mm balanced outputs! (a rarity in budget amps) Class AB amplifier able to churn out lots of clean power with minimum distortion.

When the volume knob turns past 60% or at around 2 o’clock, that is where the magic begins. TK-2 emits a soft “click” and kicks into Turbo mode or high gain. In Turbo mode, TK-2 becomes a Class A amplifier that is able to drive planar headphones such as HifiMan Sundara. You can hear the differences not just in volume gain but the richness in tonality immediately.

Supports Line Out (LO) function. Supports both USB Type-C PD (Power Delivery) and QC3.0 fast charging. Recessed volume knob to prevent accidental movement. No low-volume channel imbalance (on my unit), unlike some iFi products. The L-shaped USB Type-C data cable and Apple Lightning adapter are very thoughtful inclusion. Unlike many DAC/Amps today, TK-2 radiates very little heat even in Turbo Mode (Class A). It feels slightly warm to the touch even with more than 2 hours of continuous usage driving the 300Ω Sennheiser HD600 headphone.

MISSES

No MQA support…. (Frankly I don’t care about the format). Look and feel “chonky” due to its 24mm (1-inch) thickness, which makes it less portable than some DAPs or even a phone with dongle. The silver finishing a fingerprint magnet according to feedback (I have the black version).

No Bluetooth or Line In function. No battery power indicator. No bass boost or tonal selection. Clean but not ultra-clean noise floor with sensitive IEMs such as Campfire Andromeda. Average battery life lasted 8 hours powering just IEMs. Volume knob feels loose and sensitive to the slightest touch; just be careful.

Sound-wise, sub-bass doesn’t go as deep as some other portable amps such as Chord Mojo. Treble can sound a tad bit bright on some tracks. Armed with dual ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M DACs, I expected the soundstage, imaging and layering to be even better but hey, I am just nitpicking here. No dedicated phone app to tweak DAC settings and EQ.

Is this thing firmware-upgradeable? (there is no information from KB EAR) To be honest, it is kind of pricey at US$290 when there are much lower-priced DAC/Amp with better features and future-proof firmware support.

CONCLUSION 

The TRI TK-2 is very hard to dislike. It sounds impressively musical, natural, smooth and pleasing to the ears. As a neutral source, TK-2 is able to pair well with any transducer and is ideal for both testing and evaluation. It has more than enough power capable of driving just about every load; from IEMs to headphones.

Technicalities are stellar for the price especially in terms of tonality, transient, dynamics, resolution, soundstage, imaging, instrument separation and layering. However, lack of useful features such as dedicated app support, MQA support, aptX-HD Bluetooth and Line In function, average battery life and questionable firmware upgradeability can be a deal-breaker to some folks, especially when compared to the competitors at similar or lower price range. Nevertheless, TRI Audio and KAEI have done a fantastic job producing this desktop-caliber powerhouse.

Nice “TRI” guys!

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All Our 291 Earphone and Earbud Reviews (with Links)

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post TRI TK-2 DAC/Amp Review– NICE “TRI”! appeared first on Music For The Masses.

A device gets attached to this Wall of Excellence when based on our private and of course subjective experience it performs so well within its technical and price category as to even discourage considering homologous alternatives.

If it ain’t here, WE don’t want it!

Please note that our WoE will not be limited to devices we actually published a review of. Nonetheless, all WoE devices have for long time been or still are part of our operative gear.

We start small and plan to expand our wall according to merit.

This Site is being consistently updated…please bookmark it and keep checking back!

LATEST ADDITIONS: Oladance OWS Pro wearables | Sennheiser IE 900.

In-Ear Monitors, Earbuds & Wearables

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Headphones

Digital Audio Players (“DAPs”)

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Desktop Amplifiers

Desktop DACs

Desktop Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

Portable Headphone Amplifiers

Portable Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Headphone DAC/AMP “Dongles”

Dongles are little DAC/amps without battery that are powered by their source device.

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Accessories

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What Is…

“Dongle” is the casual term for a tiny portable USB DAC/amp that is sourced by its host device (phone/tablet, dap, computer). It is derived from software keys of this kind of shape.

Early Steps

The idea of a small, portable DAC/amp in the shape of a USB “thumb drive” goes back to a conversation between some industry reps and consulting audio engineer Gordon Rankin at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2010. Gordon had been designing DACs since the early 2000s and had lots of experience with asynchronous code, needed to minimize timing errors (“jitter”) that compromise an USB-audio signal. You find details of the dongle inception in my AudioQuest Dragonfly Red review.

The device was designed for larger headphones and with iPhone portability in mind – but iPhone limits the current draw to 100 mA to protect battery life. One of the challenges was therefore to minimize current draw, which, unfortunately, limits performance as we will see below.

In 2015, Apogee released their famous “Groove“, a very powerful and large device that draws 340 mA, and it has an output impedance of 20 Ω. This is not a dongle sensu stricto as it only works with computers and mainly with high-impedance headphones (with some exceptions).

It took until 2016 until the first USB devices had a current draw small enough to work with iPhone: AudioQuest’s DragonFly Black v.1.5 and DragonFly Red. Timing was right as Apple removed the headphone jack in the same year, as of iPhone 7. And most Android phones followed suit.

Apple offers a decent low-priced dongle of their own that is good value but is limited in power. My review of the “Apple Audio Adapter” is one of the evergreens of our blog.

The DragonFlys have an output impedance of <1 Ω, which makes them work well with headphones and iems alike. They do not have any physical controls and are operated through their host devices.

DragonFlys Black and Red still lead the pack in terms of low-current drain (if exempting the Apple Audio Adapter). You find drain comparisons between some models here.

Most dongles need a Windows driver, but all of them are plug’n’play with phones , tablets, and Apple computers.

From Thumb Drive to Dongle

The very first external iPhone DAC/amp, the Apple Audio Adapter, was physically a true dongle, and a seamless headphone/earphone cable extension.

The first non-Apple devices (the AudioQuest DragonFlys) had/have a USB-A plug and resemble a thumb drive. The USB-A pug works seamlessly with the Apple camera adapter and any computer. Android phones had no preference with developers as they had no standardized socket at the time and still do not produce music bit perfect (they resample a 44.1 kHz signal to 48 kHz).

Most of the Android devices had micro-USB ports until the USB-C port (finalized in 2014) was slowly spreading starting in 2015. Today, there are more than 100 dongles on the market, most of them featuring a USB-C port. And so do the latest Macs.

DAC/amp and music/power source are connected by a short USB-C to USB-C cable, most of them coming with an additional USB-A adapter. None of these has a USB-C plug, probably for the purpose of stability (the USB-C plug could break off easily). But the need for this additional cable turned the original thumb-drive into a true “dongle”.

Some devices have a fixed USB-C cable, and iPhone users are horrified by the snakes they produce when connected to the Apple camera adapter. Third-party USB-C to lightning cables may come in handy, but their MFI chip draws “healthy” additional current.

Technology – What makes a Dongle’s Sound?

There are many variables that contribute to the sound, such as the dac implementation which includes software coding and filtering, the analog output stage, and the amp design and implementation.

Therefore, same dac chip does not mean same sound in different devices. In my case, The Khadas Tone2 Pro, EarMen TR-amp, Hizids S9 Pro, Shanling UA2, and DragonFly Cobalt feature the ESS ES9038Q2M dac chip – and they do not sound even remotely close.

So it does not surprise that some high-end dacs and some budget dongles have the same dac chip, which are a relatively cheap ingredient. Some high-end manufacturers therefore do not disclose the dac-chip used in their specifications.

Characteristic Chip Sound?

Since buyers cannot audition dongles in most cases, many buying decisions are based on chip brand and model. Descriptions of characteristic sonic signatures based on chips by certain manufacturers echo through the blogosphere. Co-audioreviewer KopiOkaya summarizes them for us:

1. ESS Sabre (US/China) – neutral to neutral-cool, analytical, detailed, fast punchy bass, great dynamics, impressive soundstage and separation. Modern sound. “ESS glare”.

2. AKM (Japan) – neutral to neutral-warm, vocal-centric, laid-back/mellow, bodied. Can sound forward on some models. Some dislike the “AKM Velvet Sound” claiming that it sounds flat and lifeless. Modern sound with a classic twist.

3. Burr Brown/Texas Instruments (US): Natural tone with very good music texture. Generally sound neutral to neutral-warm. Their earlier multibit models (for example: PCM1704UK, PCM63P, etc.) sound extremely musical and dynamic at the same time. Can sound forward with average soundstage on some models. Traditional analog “solid-state” sound.

4. Cirrus-Logic/Wolfson (US/India/UK) – A staple of Apple products since their first generation iPod. Natural tone with warmth and body. Vocal-centric with good dynamics and music texture. Earlier Wolfson DACs can sound wooly and lacks resolution. Traditional analog “tube” sound.

As KopiOkaya points out to me, this does not consider the jitter-reduction and error-correction clock, LPF/IV stages, and power supply.

DragonFly creator (and therefore “dongle inventor”) Gordon Rankin told me that these four points are “totally off“, and “you could not classify these brands that way. There is too many factors to pigeon hole a sound for any DAC: power, filters, analog design, digital design, software etc.”. And that’s what I experienced with my devices featuring the ESS ES9038Q2M dac chip.

According to Gordon, “the difference [for example] between DragonFly Red and Cobalt is more than the dac chip. Power, filtering and new controller make up a big part of the difference in sound. More so than the dac chip itself“.

So, maybe the four points above apply to poorly implement dac chips?

Technical Limitations and Realistic Expectations

The dongle DAC/amps are limited by their (portable) source – and by Ohm’s law. Transducers are moved by current. Such devices that are optimized for low current drain/little battery consumption do not work well with low impedance/low sensitivity iems/headphones, as such require a lot of current.

Dongles optimized for low-current draw lack certain features: for example high-speed USB and balanced circuits that would add to the current draw.

If the required current cannot be provided, the iems/headphones start distorting, which first becomes evident at the low end as it needs the most current. The right pairing is therefore important and I am surprised that some experienced testers ignore this.

It’s the current, stupid (and not the power)!

Such dongles that draw lots of current from the host device may provide more amplification power and less distortion (and balanced outputs etc.), but they will drain your phone’s battery in no time – or don’t work with some phones at all.

Examples of popular powerful dongles are the Shanling UA2 and Hidizs S9 Pro, that consume twice as much battery as the DragonFly Red – which defies the idea of portability. You find a power drain comparison between selected models here.

The real current hogs are limited to operation with a computer, but what is the point of a small form factor for stationary use?

Not every small device is portable!

Decoding Acrobatics

Most dongles decode MQA, which is apparently a useless format. And even the cheaper models manage sample rates up to PCM 32-bit 384 kHz and DSD128 (DoP), as offered by some streaming services.

This may be interesting for $$$$ desktop DAC/amps, but why does anybody need such sample rates in a $50-100 device with limited sound quality to begin with – while forking out that monthly subscription fee? Sounds like a “gimmick” to me.

Most renowned reviewers such as Steve Guttenberg are perfectly happy with CD quality, even on their $$$$ devices. Works for me, too.

Rigour in Dongle Evaluations

Dongles underlie the same standard evaluation criteria as self-powered DAC/amps when it comes to sound quality, but there are some special considerations adherent to their lack of battery. As they were designed to drive headphones from smartphones on the go, portability is the main criterium. And portability is defined by size/weight and synergy with the host device. Not every small device is portable.

There are compromises between:

• small size and performance
• source’s battery consumption and dongle performance

The small form factor limits the size of the logic board and therefore the space for electrical components – which requires shortcuts that take away from performance (but add to the price).

The other compromise comes from the aforementioned current limitation that restricts technical features, amplification power, and headphone pairing.

Such devices that are not designed with energy conservation (and hence portability) in mind do not work well or not at all with phones. They are not (very) portable and essentially restricted to computers.

In this case, their small form factor is pointless and even disadvantageous, as these dongles have to stand comparison with self-powered, larger DAC/amps that offer better performance at similar prices – and therefore better value.

Since dongles have limited power, much of their value lies in the sound quality.

In summary, when evaluating dongles, the analyst must have a good understanding of what these devices are supposed to do and how they achieve it.

Consumer Choices

As elaborated on above, the user has choices: either low-battery drain or high power and additional features – but not both. Many popular powerful dongles with lots of features are rather useless with a phone, and many low-current dongles are problematic with current-hungry transducers.

The choice is yours, but my dongles have to be as portable as possible.

Concluding Remarks

OK, “1001 Facts” may be an exaggeration, but now you probably have a better idea what dongles are about. I personally use a phone with dongle as I do not want to carry a dap, and because the small DAC/amp can be swapped between my current and future devices.

Over time, my dongles may have a higher life expectancy than my phone and also battery-operated DAC-amps such as the hip-dac or ifi Nano BL.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

My knowledge of these devices benefitted greatly from discussions with the USB-audio pioneer Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio Ltd., co-bloggers Alberto Pittaluga & KopiOkaya & Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir & Biodegraded, and Chiqui Vásquez from hiendportable.com. AudioQuest’s Stephen Mejias provided the historical details. I thank them all.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post 1001 Critical Facts About Dongles (Source-Powered Portable DAC/Amps) appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — No automatic power off; bass boost at too low a frequency to be effective; fixed cables; sound relies to a large extent on source dac; non-serviceable battery (planned obsolescence).

Executive Summary

The Helm DB12 is a powerful portable, battery-operated inline headphone amplifier that serves the sole purpose of adding 12 dB of linear gain to your audio signal (plus an optional independent 6 dB linear bass boost) in numerous applications.

Introduction

Helm Audio are a British-American company established in 2017. Their Helm DB12 amp was introduced at CES Las Vegas in 2020. At a time where integrated headphone dac/amps (“dongles”) flood the market, the Helm DB12 is a bit of an oddball device: old school connectivity paired with the latest THX amplification technology.

Helm are cooperating on the DB12 with THX, a company established by George Lucas in 1983 to make his Star Wars movies sound better. THX is currently owned by Razer, a Hong Kong manufacturer focusing on devices for gamers,

The rather light Helm DB12 lamp looks a bit rudimentary with its oversized buttons and it is similar in size and shape to a Bounty chocolate bar. Audio enthusiasts slaved to their desktop stacks may roll their eyes….but never judge a book by its cover. Bottom line: it works, and it does so very well.

The Helm DB12 is marketed primarily as a mobile device, to be used with your phone or tablet. And this this works very well, there are so many other uses one could think of. Stay tuned.

Specifications

Physical Things

Physicals according to the Manufacturer

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In the box are the amplifier unit with fixed cables, a USB-C charge cable, a roomy carrying bag, and the usual paperwork. The body is made of brushed aluminium, the inline-remote buttons and the on-off-bass slider are made of plastic. The unit is rather light and sits well in my hand. The large buttons make operation easy.

Functionality and Operation

What It does

• connects to the 3.5 mm audio socket of your phone/tablet or computer…actually of any device. Also works with OTG/Apple lightning adapter
• 3.5 mm sockets include airplane entertainment system, car stereo, gaming consols, dap, iPod, discman, walkman, radio…
• is purely analog: operates independently on software and drivers…picks up any signal and adds a linear gain of 12 dB and, if desired, and independent 6 dB of bass boost
• works plug’n’play, no drivers needed
• allows for phone signal to pass through its TRRS connectors and adds volume to your phone calls
• conserves phone battery
• saves iPhone users from buying the pricey Apple camera adapter
• creates space on the go: no bulky device strapped onto the phone with rubber bands
• has no dropouts as with dongles (when moving around in one’s pocket)

What It does not

• no digital to analog signal conversion
• cannot be connected to a USB port

The Helm DB12 is essentially a self-powered headphone cable extension that amplifies and upgrades your source device. You could also say it is an oversized inline remote with integrated amp that reminds me of the control panel of my wife’s heating blanket. And it works like a regular inline remote that is part of many Sennheiser and AKG headphone/earphone cables.

When the Helm DB12 is switched off or out of battery, your headphone and source device still work as it it was not connected at all, thanks to the TRRS connector. This is very useful for A/B-ing. TRRS also comes in handy for phone calls, which do not work with USB dongles.

The Helm DB12 has two main purposes: to amplify your source’s analog signal and to make it sound better. As a side effect, it preserves/conserves your phone’s battery.

The Helm DB12 has an on/off switch that, if moved one step further, activates a bass boost. Of the large three buttons on top of the device (ergonomically useful as easily usable inside your pocket), the middle one is start/stop/forth/back and the two outer ones are volume up/down (just like the Apple remotes). When increasing/decreasing volume with these buttons, the slider on my iPhone moves up/down accordingly.

And that’s it. Or not. The Helm DB12 is meant to be connected to your phone/table or computer via their 3.5 mm socket – the simplest plug-n-ply possible. iPhone users will save their money on the Apple camera adapter.

But that’s still not where it stops. The fact that there is no dac, the Helm DB12 has distinct advantages: you can connect it to essentially any device with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, be it an iPod Classic, a walkman/discman, even a normal FM radio or a car stereo, or an airline entertainment system. The options are unlimited to combine the latest THX amplification technology even with your vintage devices – anything with a 3.5 mm socket.

You can also use the Helm DB12 in combination with in-line with portable headphone amps like the Helm Bolt. A/B-ing is easy: just switch the Helm DB12 on and off.

The remote buttons only worked properly when connected directly to my iPhone’s 3.5 mm socket of the Apple Audio Adapter. When putting a portable dac/amp between phone and Helm DB12, the volume will have to be controlled from the phone. The DB12 amp still adds a constant 12 dB linear gain.

When connected to my Mac’s headphone jack, the 3-button remote is not fully functional. Both middle and “+” button only work for start/stop/forward/back functions. The “-” is disabled.

Limitations of the Inline Control Buttons according to Helm

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Practical mobile Use

The Helm DB12 is marketed as a mobile headphone amplifier so I primarily tested it with my phone on the road. The device essentially works as a three-button remote on steroids. It is practically more and add-on to the headphone than to the source device. It is like lowering the output impedance and increasing the sensitivity of power-hungry headphones.

Whenever you plug the Helm DB12 in, it works – no software needed. The large buttons are extremely handy for adjusting volume and and forwarding tracks in my pocket. No need to fiddle with the phone’s screen and no need to strap a portable amp onto it with rubber rings…which has been awkward at best of times.

Operating the volume buttons moves the iPhone’s volume slider up and down, too. The Helm DB12 essentially just adds a constant power of 12 dB and relegates the iPhone’s amp to pre-amp, in analogy to a power amplifier in your home stereo.

I could add a dongle such as the Helm Bolt between phone and Helm DB12 to use as dac/pre-amp, but this would block the phone’s signal. This combination drives power-hungry full-sized earphones of 300-600 Ω impedance well.

But while this scenario is rather unrealistic in mobile use, it is good practice when working with computers to improve on their built-in poor-quality dacs. To give you an idea of the unlimited use of the Helm DB12, please watch my video.

Amplification

The Helm DB12 received its name from the 12 dB of linear volume again it adds to any audio signal. This is rather strong considering that perceived volume doubles every 10 dB, if I have not snoozed in physics completely.

Independently, a 6 dB bass boos can be added, too. THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier technology stands for almost zero distortion.

Battery Life

The Helm DB12 contains a non-serviceable lithium-ion battery with a 6-8 hrs of battery life. This is beneficial on the road as it conserves battery life of the device “phone” it is connected to.

And if the battery runs empty, the Helm DB12 just acts as cable extension without any adverse effect on the operation. It can be fast-charged in 2.5 hrs via USB-C with any 5V charger.

Unfortunately, the Helm DB12 will have to be disposed of once the battery has been consumed.

Sound

The sound obviously depends on the source dac and the DB12 combined. It therefore varies across devices it is connected to. But the intended use is with a phone (or similar) – and I tested the Helm with my iPhone SE (1st generation), connected weather via the Apple Audio Adapter or directly plugged into the headphone jack – made no sonic difference.

I used it with some 60-70 Ω headphones such as the Koss HPH30i, Koss Porta Pro and Sennheiser HD 25, all mid-sized headphones that are realistically used on the road in real life, and that are exceeding the 50 Ω recommended max. impedance manageable by phones.

The Helm DB12 adds life to the comparatively brittle Apple-only sound – and a lot of it. Everything becomes wider, bigger, swifter, air and a sense of ease are added, soundstage and headroom are greatly enlarged, space is added between instruments, and the sound becomes clearer and sparklier.

It is as if you transferred your live concert from a smokey bar into a big stadium (around your head). Sound is/remains natural, not analytical or sterile.

This effect also works with <50 Ω earphones (average impedance is 32 Ω), so the Helm adds to the sound even when its strong power is not needed upon, just by downgrading the Apple’s amp to a pre-amp.

But this “stretching” and added “fluffiness” of the musical image also means sacrificing some heft/punch, density/note weight, depth, and intimacy. The amplification is essentially distortion free, hiss-free, and it is linear. There is no bass boost or metallic upper edge, the whole experience is rather smooth.

The situation is different when plugging the Helm DB12 into my MacBook Air with its limited-quality built-in dac. According to the motto “garbage in, garbage out”, the DB12 simply amplifies the Mac’s dull sound – and therefore needs the support of a dongle’s better-quality dac in series with the DB12.

Helm offer the Bolt portable dac-amp (which I don’t have) so I mainly used the AudioQuest DragonFly Red to take over the signal decoding from my MacBook. This worked well even with full-sized headphones used preferably at home such as the 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600. And since essentially any dongle above $80 drives a 300 Ω headphone, the Helm brings this up to 600 Ω.

The basic sound signature could be varied using different dongles (e.g. EarMen Sparrow or Eagle, Shanling UA2, Earstudio HUD 100, AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt, AudioQuest DragonFly Red) but the principal underlying effects as described with the iPhone remained.

A word on the bass boost: switching it on adds an independent 6 dB bass gain. This did not do it for me as the gain is at a frequency too low to add an effective punch to the low end for my taste. No comparison to the zippy Xbass in the ifi Audio hip-dac.

Concluding Remarks

The Helm DB12 is a versatile amp for on the road improving the sound of my phone, particularly with less sensitive headphones and iems, while being easy to operate in my pocket.

At home, it upgrades the dongles on my computer for driving particularly power-hungry headphones up to 600 Ω. But as the Helm DB12 amplifies any device with a 3.5 mm headphone socket, its applicability knows no limits.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The Helm DB12 war provided by Helm Audio for my review – and I thank them for that. You find the product page here.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

Gallery

The post HELM DB12 AAAMP Portable Headphone Amplifier Review – The Sky’s Your Limit appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Introducing the Contenders

Following the epic 2019 cage match between the NiceHCK NX7 and the TRN V90, our second fight is between two highly appreciated single dynamic-driver earphones: the challenger is the Sennheiser $349 IE 400 PRO taking on the $250 defender of the title, the Japanese JVC HA-FDX1.

The two contenders were chosen for different reasons. First, the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO is a relatively unknown model sandwiched between their budget IE 40 PRO and their flagship IE 500 PRO. Only recently did the IE 400 PRO surface as the winner of our internal Sennheiser competition. The company’s lates model, the Sennheiser IE 300, is very similar in terms of tuning and sound to the IE 300 (same frequency responses).

The JVC HA-FDX1 evolved from the screamy JVC HA-FD1 with the help of some Super Best Audio Friends, one of which suggested tuning filters to JVC. The resulting product was picked up and distributed by drop.com.

Let’s introduce the two fighters one by one:

Round 1: Packaging

Entirely unimportant for the build, haptic, or sound of any earphone, only good for marketing. As George Foreman said: “Never judge a fighter by his locker room“…replied notorious Casanova: “Never judge a book by its cover”. Got it?

In this case, the comparison would be unfair anyway as the drop-issued JVC HA-FDX1 came in a small, plain, unlabelled beige cardboard box (to minimize cost as it is not sold in stores) whereas the Sennheiser IE-400 was embedded in an oversized glossy package aiming to wave at the customer in an electronics store.

Round 2: Accessories, Build & Features

Both fighters are rather lean on accessories – and pretty much on par in terms of eartips selection and carrying case. The JVC HA-FDX1 offers three pairs of attachable nozzles for different sound signatures and the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO a cleaning tool.

In terms of build, the JVC HA-FDX1 are made of metal and the Sennheisers of some – I speculate – medical grade resin. The Sennheiser IE 400 PRO appear haptically less spectacular but are likely as rugged as it gets.

The JVC HA-FDX1 have a heavy quality cable that is attached by notoriously unreliable MMCX connectors – but one can therefore attach aftermarket cables. The Sennheiser IE 400 PRO have a a rugged proprietary connector and only Sennheiser cables can be connected. This section has no clear winner.

Round 3: Size, Fit, Ergonomics, Isolation

This one goes clearly to the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO: the shells are light, small, flat, and they sit flush held by a comfortable deformable/flexible memory wire. They are as comfortable as it gets and of maximum isolation.

The JVC HA-FDX’s metal shells are bulky and heavy. A least you can rotate the nozzles to wear the cable over-ear or under-ear. But the shells can become uncomfortable when wearing them for extended periods.

Round 4: Drivability

Even Steven. Both are not only driven easily by my iPhone, they also sound good without amplification. If amplified, the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO like a more neutral amp such as the Earstudio HUD100 whereas the JVC HA-FDX1 sound with with a warm amp such as the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt, ifi Audio hip-dac or nano BL.

Round 5: Tonality and Technicalities

There is no doubt that the neutrally tuned JVC HA-FDX1 are technically and tonally superior over the warmer Sennheiser IE 400 PRO. They have a tighter bass, better midrange clarity and resolution, and better treble energy.

BUT: the warm Senns have better cohesion, they don’t have that glaring midrange sometime bordering on shoutiness, and the sound does not break up when playing them really loud.

The Sennheiser IE 400 PRO are more agreeable sounding and less fatiguing in the long run and they would probably still get the listener’s choice award over the JVC HA-FDX1.

Round 6: Practical Everyday Use

At home, the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO, considering their flatter shells, are more comfortable in bed (when rolling on the side).

On the road, the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO are also favourable because of their elevated bass and better seal both counteracting ambient environmental noise. They also fit better tighter with their memory wire and are overall more comfortable.

The JVC HA-FDX1 are best for serious music listening in an armchair at home. People will probably use the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO more often out of convenience.

Round 7: The Grand Finale

After a hard fight there is no real winner. Each of the contenders has their pros and cons. The JVC HA-FDX1 is a more technical earphone for living room use and the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO is more quality soul food for the road. Both are complementary. In the end, we keep both contenders in the cage until further notice.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Cage Match: JVC HA-FDX1 vs. Sennheiser IE 400 PRO appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — No gain switch; rather big; non-serviceable battery.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The EarMen TR-Amp is a powerful neutral but not sterile of generic sounding integrated headphone amp (dac/pre-amp) that drives headphones up to 300 Ω) with ease. Made in Europe.

INTRODUCTION

EarMen recently appeared big on our radar out of nowhere, with their two models the TR-Amp (“transportable amp”) and the Sparrow dongle. The company is a subdivision of premium manufacturer  Auris Audio. Earmen is registered in the US, where most of its stakeholders are from. The new Chicago warehouse has its focus on the North American market. The production is currently in Krusavec, Serbia [video of production facilities]. EarMen is “Made in Europe”.

I have used the EarMen TR-amp for 4-5 months, mainly with the 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. This worked so well and the TR-amp so so easy to operate that I had real problems writing an actual review other than telling you that it “works well and is really good”.

I apologize to EarMen that it took me so long to write this article.

SPECIFICATIONS

ES9038Q2M SABRE dac chip

Inputs: USB C (DATA & charge)
Outputs: 6.3 mm/3.5mm (stereo)

Headphone Amp with Texas Instruments TPA6120 chip:
THD+N: (2.7V, 32R) <0.005% SNR: >114dB
Dynamic Range: >107 dB
Power: >2.5V/400 mW (16 Ω); >3.4V/350 mW (32 Ω)

Output Impedance: <1 Ω

Manual: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0250/1758/1634/files/TR-Amp_1_2_3_4.pdf?v=1593165092

Tested at: $249

Product page: https://earmen-shop.com/products/tr-amp

PHYSICAL THINGS

In the box are:

• TR-amp
• USB-C to USB-A cable, 1 m
• rubber ring (for strapping TR-amp to phone)
• storage meshbag
• manual/warranty card

The case is of sturdy aluminum, knob and switch are metal, there is nothing plastic. Rubber feet on the bottom prevent the metal chassis from being scratched/scratching the underlying surface such as a smartphone. The build is so sturdy that you can probably use it in self-defence – and it will still work thereafter.

The EarMen TR-amp features the TOTL ES9038Q2M SABRE dac chip and the Texas Instruments TPA6120 headphone amplifier chip. 

FUNCTIONALITY

The EarMen TR-amp connects to smartphones vial plug ‘n’ play, it needs a driver for Windows (download) and none for the Mac.

WHAT IT DOES

• Can be connected to phone or Windows/Mac computers or Android/iOS sources
• Works as a pre-amplifier or dac when connected to a dedicated headphone amplifier
• Plays two earphones/headphones simultaneously through its two outputs (3.5 mm/6.3 mm)
• Drives small loudspeakers through its RCA outputs
• Plays and charges simultaneously through its two USB-C ports (5V power supply/charger)
• …Or runs on its built-in 3700 mAh battery
• Handles even power-hungry headphones well, imo up to 300 Ω

WHAT IT DOES NOT

• There is no choice of different digital filters
• It has no gain switch
• The output impedance is fixed
• Cannot be used as an amp only as it has no analog inputs

The EarMen TR-amp is a rather large for use on the road – I’d store it in my pocket rather than strapping it onto my phone. I like using it in bed with my phone, where size does not matter…at least amp size does not.

OPERATION

Operation is straight forward. “The music plays” – as they say – in the front and back panels…

Front Panel

The front panel of the EarMen TR-Amp features 2 outputs: a 3.5 mm and a 6.3 mm, which points to its particular suitability for full-sized headphones. The “On-Off/Volume” is nicely protruding out and therefore convenient to handle. That little LED serves mainly as an audio format indicator, and less so than a battery indicator: EarMen TR-amp is on (“white”), connected/PCM (“green”), MQA (“magenta”), DSD (cyan), charging (“flashing blue”), and low battery (“flashing red”). It is well visible while inconspicuous.

Rear Panel

The back panel sports two USB-C ports, a Pre Out/Direct switch, and RCA outputs.

One of the UBS-C outputs is used for charging, the other for data transfer. Both can be deployed simultaneously. When the EarMen TR-amp is connected to a computer, it is running on battery by default. You have to connect the other USB-C port to a USB-charger or external battery pack for charging.

The EarMen TR-amp’s amplifier function can be bypassed when connecting it to a (more powerful desktop) amplifier through the 2 RCA outputs. The switch serves the purpose of specifying the volume control. in the “Direct” position, the EarMen TR-amp’s volume knob is being disabled and the full-strength signal is being transferred through the”Line Out” into the external amp, which requires its own volume control. In the “Pre Out” position, the TR-amp’s volume control is activated.

Independent of the switch position both headphone outputs are always operative and two people can listen simultaneously.

AMPLIFICATION

The EarMen TR-amp works well with the Sennheiser HD 300 Ω impedance headphone (and therefore most on the market), but its 350 mW into 32 Ω would probably not drive more exotic 600 Ω headphones well. Power details in the specs above.

POWER CONSUMPTION/PLAY TIME

Ear Men claims up to 10 hrs of play time but does not give you specifics on the setup. I tested with the power-hungry Sennheiser HD 600 and iPhone 5S at a “normal” but pretty healthy volume level. After 6 h and 15 minutes, the indicator light started blinking, which means the the battery level and dropped below 20%. This points to 7-8 h playtime with this setting.

I value this as being in line with the manufacturer’s claims.

SOUND

My tonal preference and testing practice

My test tracks explained

Equipment used: EarMen TR-amp; Macbook Air, iPhone SE 1st gen.; Apple camera adapter, ddHifi TC28i adapter; Schiit Magni 2U headphone amplifier with Audioquest Forest and Snake Oil Taipan RCA interconnects; 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600 headphone, 16 Ω Sennheiser IE 300 earphone.

The “ingredients” of the EarMen TR-amp are top notch, but how good is the “cooked meal”? Such a device works well with your phone on the go (if you like strapping it around it), but it can also be deployed as a desktop amp, and it can also be used as pre-amp or dac, when connected to a “bigger” dedicated headphone amplifier.

I tested the TR-amp in these scenarios:

1. …as dac-amp with MacBook plus headphones/earphones
2. …as dac-amp with phone
3. …as dac AND pre-amp with Schiit Magni 2 Uber, sourced by MacBook

The EarMen TR-amp, just like the Sparrow, produces a neutral sound with a tinge of warmth added to spare us from a clinical, lifeless, or overwhelming sonic reproduction. Straddling that thin line, it allows for harmonizing with both, neutral and warm headphones/earphones.

Extension towards both ends is very good and so are headroom, sense of space, and dynamics. The punch is natural and works with electronic, rock, and acoustic music such as symphony or jazz. The image has a good volume and body, it does neither sound lean or syrupy thick. The TR-amp preserves the music’s midrange clarity and brings vocals out intimately.

I also could never hear any noticeable hiss, not even with the sensitive 16 Ω Sennheiser IE 300. But it brought out the bassy side of these naturally bassy iems without muddying or congesting the sound.

It is really boring to report the sound of an amp that does not alter music and reproduces it as should be. The EarMen TR-amp simply works and has been for quite some time for me.

Using the EarMen TR-amp with as a pre-amp (“Pre-Out”) and dac (“Direct”) with the warmer Schiit amp adds a bit of colour and results in added power and heft. This is only valid for this particular setup . Sonic results will vary with different amps connected.

What I’d like to see is a gain switch for easier volume fine adjustments with sensitive earphones.

EARMEN TR-AMP COMPARED

I can only offer the $199 British nano iDSD Black Label (“BL”), which is a bit smaller and less powerful (285 mW vs. 350 mW @ 32Ω) – both feature a 3700 mAh battery. The BL does not drive the Sennheiser HD 600 as well as the TR-amp, but it has two 3.5 mm outputs, one of which (“IE Match“) offers increased output impedance for sensitive iems. The more powerful TR-amp is rather designed towards full-sized cans with its 6.3 mm output – whereas the BL caters more to the less power hungry peripherals…although both play both well.

The BL is warmer sounding and therefore more limited to the more neutral headphones/earphones, it may sound muffled with warm earphones/headphones. The EarMen TR-amp is more versatile in this respect. The BL has the choice of two audio filters, the TR-Amp does not. And the BL has a pseudo 3.5 mm balanced circuit.

In terms of connectivity, the EarMen TR-amp has a L and R line out, the BL has a single 3.5 mm line out. Both can be used as dacs, and only the EarMen as pre-amp. The TR-amp, with its separate UBC-C ports for charging and data can be charged while playing, the BL with its USB-A port can draw power from the source (“computer”) or run on battery, but it cannot play and charge simultaneously.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Earmen TR-amp has been playing everything I threw at it in the last few months, from sensitive iems to the 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600. And it played them all very well. It is a robust classic design that feels and sounds good, that is powerful enough for almost anything, and that is reasonably priced. It simply works for me and don’t want to miss it.

What else can I say?

Until next time…keep on listening!

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DISCLAIMER

The Earmen TR-amp was provided by Earmen upon my request. I thank them and also the Audiofool who had established the contact. The Audiofool has reviewed the Earmen TR-amp here.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

GALLERY

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