The #1Dongle Dilemma – Power Vs. Compatiblity
Not all dongles are equal – and not all are equally useful for the consumer. This note discusses the applicability of the different kinds for everybody’s unique needs.
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Music For The Masses
DAC/AMP
All our reviews of “digital analog converters” (dac) and “amplifiers” (amp).
1001 Critical Facts About Dongles (Source-Powered Portable DAC/Amps)
Lots of clarifications on dongles given in this article.
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Conexant (CX-Pro) CX31993 USB-C Amp/DAC Review – Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
This $13 dongle caught my eye after reading some effusive praise on the Head-fi forums.
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AudioQuest DragonFly Red USB DAC + Preamp + Headphone Amp Review – Still Lord Of The Flies?
Two main questions arise and will be addressed in this review. First, how do the DragonFlys Red and Cobalt compare? Second, is the 2016 DragonFly Red still current or have the competitors overtaken Gordon Rankin’s innovation?
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EarMen Eagle Review – Most Affordable Premium Sound
I would draw a line in the sand and claim that the Eagle is the lowest-priced dongle with true premium sound. This is, of course, subjective.
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Hidizs S9 PRO Balanced And Single-Ended Mini HiFi DAC & Amp Review – Power Hour
The $109 Hidizs S9 Pro is a very powerful, linear, and good sounding portable headphone DAC & amp that features single-ended and balanced circuits.
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Audirect Atom 2 Amp/DAC Review – Hot Sauce For Head-Fi Habitues
Overall, the Atom 2 is something like auditory Tabasco—it enlivens dull-sounding IEMs…
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HELM DB12 AAAMP Portable Headphone Amplifier Review – The Sky’s Your Limit
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…
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Tempotec Sonata HD II vs. Tempotec Sonata E35 – Excitement for Your Pocket
I think they are both great devices to have.
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iFi Audio Neo iDSD Review – Breaking The Mould
The iFi Audio Neo iDSD is a far better DAC than an amp, basically that’s my takeaway after using it for over a month.
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A Simplified Personal Guide To Small Portable Headphone DAC/Amps ($100-300) v0.9
This writeup is foremost a small encyclopedia for my own comparison purposes and will always be work in progress. Feel free to bookmark it.
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Shanling UA2 Portable USB DAC/Amp Review – Crazy For You
The $85 Shanling UA2 is a $200 dongle with a thinner midrange. Probably hard to beat in its class.
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Hilidac Audirect Beam 2SE Review – New Contender
The Audirect Beam 2SE is fairly competitive in terms of sound, and the MQA rendering feature might sway potential buyers. However, I can’t call it outstanding in terms of sonic performance.
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