ddHiFi TC44PRO M3 Mountain3 Review – T-Shaped Dongle DAC AMP With An Engaging Signature
ddHiFi TC44PRO M3 is a $89 USD dongle DAC / Headphone AMP with a T-Shaped design, balanced Dual DAC arrangement, and Dual CS43198 Flagship DAC chips at the core. Today we review the M3 Mountain 3 TC 44 PRO from DD HIFI and also compare it broadly with the market, exploring how good it is at driving speakers and headphones, and what it works best with.
Introduction
ddHIFI has been on a roll with their mini devices, so it is no surprise that a product like the TC44PRO M3 Mountain 3 has an enthusiastic fan base, as more and more people use a mobile smartphone source instead of the usual entry-level DAPs that were more popular in the past.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3JIWB8t
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_optuYHZ
Build Quality – Design
ddHIFI TC44 PRO is a rather advanced dongle DAC with a DUAL DAC solution at the core, running a Dual CS43198 Flagship Class DAC architecture, a rather popular solution in audiophile setups.
More surprising is the fact that this can be found in products with different sonic signatures, sometimes from vastly different price point, and exactly a dual CS43198 DAC combo can be found in TanchJim Luna, Hiby R3 PRO II, FiiO DM13, iBasso Nunchaku, FiiO JM21, FiiO KA15, Shanling Onix Alpha Xi1, Creative Sound Blaster X5, aune Yuki and iBasso DX160.
DD HIFI uses an integrated Dual output interface with both a 3.5mm and a 4.4mm output, and an Aluminium Alloy Construction, with a stripped textured surface. TC44PRO uses a Lossless Decoding indicator, and it comes with a delicate leather Lanyard.
For a more geeky info set, it has a SNR of 125dB, a DNR or Dynamic range of 120 dB, and a THD+N of 110 dB. PCM decoding goes as high as 32 Bit / 384 kHz and DSD decoding up to DSD256 Native Decoding. With an output power of 120 mW for the balanced 4.4mm headphone output and a 90mW for the single ended headphone output, and a low weight of just 11 grams, ddHIFI TC44PRO is an affordable express solution for those with a low budget.
USB DAC – Subjective Usage
DD HIFI Mountain 3 is balanced, so if you’re using the 4.4mm headphone output, you do get a much higher power output, and it features a low power consumption, adopting the surface shell process, which gives it that stripped look on the metallic casing.
It is easy to lose it, so the Lanyard should help, although I did manage to lose it once, it is really that tiny and lightweight. At the beginning it does not ghet very warm, but as you use it for a while, M3 gets rather warm during usage, especially if you’re using hard to drive headphones / IEMs or low impedance ones that place a stress on the chips inside.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired the tiny ddHIFI TC44 PRO Mountain 3 with a selection of earphones and headphones including KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, TanchJim Origin, NFAudio NE4, NfAudio NA2+, Rose Technics QT-X, Palma DHS-1, and RAPTGO LEAF D01. ddHIFI TC44 PRO M3 has a fuller volume saturation than the previous TC44 PRO, the new variant gets loud faster and tries to squeeze more driving power out of the mini size.
You can expect to drive all IEMS and portable headphones on the market, and a couple of easier to drive planar magnetic headphones, although M3 will struggle with some harder to drive headphones like HIFIMAN sundara or Arya Unveiled.
Overall Signature – I like the new M3 quite a lot, it is surprisingly dynamic, engaging and has a full, thumpy bass combined with a bright, airy treble, and a musical, organic midrange. It is detailed, lively and has a nicely layered soundstage considering the price point. You can compare the signature to a fairly ok midrange DAP, it is above what most entry-level DAPs offer.
Bass – Starting from the bottom, ddHIFI TC44 PRO delivers a rather full and thumpy bass with a strong contrast, good power and a warmer lower midrange tint thanks to the bigger than neutral bass. Despite its literally small size, it delivers a fairly big blow and impact, strong punch and a versatile bass that can keep up with faster music. It is not technical, but fast enough to work for both technical and romantic music alike.
Midrange – With a smoother and organic midrange, TC44PRO sounds rather clean, and has a similar emphasis for both male and female voices, lower and upper midrange. There’s a slight absence in the middle of the midrange, which keeps it away from sounding cuppy or nasal, and instead it can sound a tiny bit distant at times, but this is a very fine nuance that even I hardly notice unless I am looking for it.
Treble – With a smoother texture, I am happy to hear that the new TC44 PRO has a bit more treble bite and brilliance than the older TC44 PRO which was neutral-ish, but less airy. Treble extends up to 16 kHz with most headphones, above which it rolls off smoothly.
Dynamic Range And Textures – Happily, ddHIFI TC44PRO is quite dynamic and has a highly engaging sound, strong contrast and resolution, sounding really engaging and enjoyable. Most music sounds really open, playful and colorful. TC44PRO M3 has a uniquely dynamic sound for the price range, it has no audible compression, and this creates a sound that feels more high-end than the price range.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – you will hear a fairly natural texture from TC44PROM3, it sounds quite natural, does not compress the texture too much and instead it renders a natural texture edging on slightly organic and smooth rather than sharp and analytical.
Soundstage – TC44PRO has a natural soundstage, not too intimate but not wide either, but it has a really nice layering and instrument separation, as well as lateral separation and good imaging. It creates a sound that is highly detailed, not wide, but not narrow either, just enough spatially separated to be natural.
Value and Conclusion
Although you’ll mostly be driving IEMS and Entry-Level Headphones, ddHIFI TC44PRO M3 bears exceptional value, has an outstanding design, very well made, and it is cheap, easy to replace, but sounds vivid, revealing and fun. It is not the most
At the end of the day, ddHIFI TC 44 PRO Mountain 3 M3 is a nice dongle DAC AMP, it occupies little space but delivers a big blow, is relatively well controlled in temperature, but has a tight control for sound, has an ergonomic, nice shape and also a rather full, saturated, detailed sound with a strong instrument separation and layering.
PROs
- Very light and easy to carry around
- Saturated, detailed and engaging sound
- Smoother treble so it doesn’t get hot easily
- Thumpy / full bass
- Organic, smooth and natural midrange
- Great combo of qualities for the price paid
Cons
- Very easy to lose, need that lanyard so you can keep track of it
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3JIWB8t
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_optuYHZ
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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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