Short, Transparent And Effective 2 – TanchJim Stargate II DAC AMP
TanchJim StarGate II is a $38 USD Doggle USB DAC / Headphone AMP with a 4.3 grams lightweight construction, support for an inline microphone, 3.5mm headphone output, and with DSP and 8-Band PEQ Function, that we will review today and broadly compare to the market.
Introduction
TanchJim did their best to convince me that their Stargate II is worthy of reviewing and exploring for music lovers despite the ultra low price, so I decided to give it a go and check where the market currently is for those who cannot spend a high price on a new DAC AMP.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge Thanks to TanchJim for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3ZcX5bO
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_op5V4Fi
Build Quality/Aesthetics
TanchJim Stargate II is a new portable DAC / AMP with a Type-C USB port at one end, and a headphone output in the 3.5mm single ended format at the other end. It uses a CS43131 DAC at the core, the same DAC AMP used in FiiO Ka11, FiiO JM21, iBasso Jr Macaron, Shanling M1 Plus, Shanling EC Smart, Shanling UA6 and FiiO KA15.
You simply cannot imagine how lightweight Stargate II can be, being just 4.3 grams. This is much lighter than most single shells of an earphone / IEM. It supports DSP and a simple but effective 8-Band PEQ Equalizer. There is a TanchJim app available that you can download and use, and this one dongle promises an almost 0 noise floor, a clean output with a low crosstalk, and in theory it supports decoding of PCM signals up to 32 Bit / 384 kHz and Native DSD256 signals.
TanchJim boasts a high SNR of 127 dB and a high DNR or Dynamic Range of 127.5 dB. Although in the marketing material the output is named powerful, Stargate II has a modest power output, at 82 mW for a 16 OHM impedance and 75 mW for a 32 OHM impedance. The most direct competitors include ddHiFi TC35CM2, iBasso Macaron, ddHifi TC35 PRO M2, and FiiO Ka11 by Jade Audio.
Subjectively, Stargate II is extremely light, very flexible, the cable it uses feels flexible and ergonomic, convenient. The metallic jacket of the plug of most earphones is much thicker than the 3.5mm output of the TanchJim Stargate II. As far as I can tell on Android, it is capable of real-time playback. It gets quite hot during usage, especially the Type-C part that goes inside of your smartphone.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the TanchJim Stargate II, I have paired it with a collection of IEMs including Simgot EM10, Letshuoer Cadenza 12, RAPTGO Leaf D01, NF Audio NE4, Rose Technics QTX, Moritz Dragon, Campfire Moon Rover, ZiiGaat Arcadia, HarmonicDyne Devil, HeartField Blanc, Soundz Flame and TinHiFi P1 Max II. . Driving power is plenty of IEMs, and it can even handle some easier to drive headphones including Crosszone CZ-10, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Palma DHS-1, and Audeze MM-100.
Overall Signature – TanchJim Stargate II sounds fairly crisp, dynamic, punchy and revealing, it has a natural midrange, fairly strong and warm bass, a slightly slow speed in the bass and overall sound, long decay to each musical note, but a beautiful and lush midrange. It is able to render both male and female voices nicely, although it seems to be on the smoother end, with lower treble energy than what I would consider neutral. There’s far more emphasis placed on the lower than the upper treble, giving music a happy tonality, almost always major chord, with lower energy for minor chords.
If anything, it is a slightly warm, slightly bloomy sounding dongle DAC AMP with a punchy, dynamic and engaging, but fatigue-free sound. There’s a clear tendency for Stargat II to give music more body and substance than it would have by default, it makes most IEMS more laid-back and relaxed. Stargate II creates a rather big soundstage, with natural separation between layers and instruments.
PRaT / Textures – A big part of the way it handles sound, is thanks to a slightly slower sound, with a slower and longer decay, but still a fairly snappy attack. This means that you hear most textures, but they feel a bit sleazy and sloppy, creating a really satisfying presentation that gives the listener a sense of joy and fulfillment. This results in a slightly larger and longer bass, more presence for all instruments and more body for all instruments.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – I wanted to point out that despite the rather low driving power, at least on paper, Stargate II has a perfect loudness saturation gradient, it has plenty of power, kick and punch, can totally drive IEMS really well, and while music is playing on muted I cannot hear the noise floor with any IEMS. It is fairly good, and for portable earphones might be your safest bet for a really affordable dongle DAC AMP.
Value and Conclusion
TanchJim Stargate II does not even qualify for us to make a review, being so affordable. It has such a meager price at USD and I avoid writing about products below 50 USD nowadays, but it delivers a really nice presentation and for the price it is much better than the apple dongle, or dongles included in the package of smartphones.
At the end of the day, if you need portable, warm, fun, big, wide, but with a full body, TanchJim Stargate II will do that really well, and on a really tight budget, being totally worth checking out for a really affordable dongle DAC AMP option.
PROs
- Superb Performance
- Low Price
- Strong maximum volume
- Nice design
- Lighter than most IEMs, at less than 5 grams
Cons
- Seems fragile, thin and might break with heavy usage
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3ZcX5bO
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_op5V4Fi
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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