Audioengine HXL Dongle DAC AMP Review – SoundLine Song
Audioengine HXL is a $149 USD Portable Balanced Earphone Amplifier and HIFI DAC, with a 32-Bit resolution, and both 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm BAL Headphone outputs. Today we will review the HXL and also compare it with the market, to explore where it stands in the dongle DAC AMP market of today.
Introduction
Sometimes I feel I missed an opportunity when naming a review, but while there are portable DAC AMPs that are not dongles, HXL is most certainly a DAC AMP Dongle, the type that connects with a cable to your phone or PC then to your headphones and IEMS. Audioengine is not a new company for me, and I have reviewed quite a few of their products. I sometimes miss an upgrade for their speakers, the mighty A5+ Wireless, but I liked the Audioengine D1, yet I am hopeful that we will get to explore their S8 Subwoofer and HD6 Speakers in the future.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/44z9Xf2
Build Quality – Design
Audioengine HXL is a very simple and basic dongle DAC AMP on the outside, and it is one of the least interesting looking ones by a good margin. This is still a brilliant design though, as it allows the tiny dongle DAC AMP to be stealthy and versatile, ergonomic and clean, with rounded edges, no visible points of failure, a good Type-C port on one side, headphone outputs on the other side, and a tiny LED light on the front.
With a hard metallic case made of anodized aluminum, Audioengine HXL is powered by the smartphone or the pc it is connected to, has a 60-step digital volume control, and it supports data rate with PCM up to 32 Bit / 384 kHz, and DSD up to DSD256 Native, but DSD 64 and DSD128 via DoP.
Technically, HXL is built around a Dual CS43131 and one SA9312 chip, it has an output impedance of lower than 0.5 OHMs and a recommended headphone impedance between 10 and 600 OHMs. With a SNR of 132 dB for the BAL output and 125 dB for the SE output, and a THD of 0.0002%, it is technically quite capable, but there is no clear data on the output power.
USB DAC – Subjective Usage
To increase the volume of the Audioengine HXL, you have to individually press the volume key once or more times, and you cannot keep it pressed. On windows, android and all other platforms, it works without needing a driver. The DAC delay is not noticeable, likely below 25ms, and you can safely use the HXL for competitive gaming, watching movies, or music videos / live concerts, even with content up to 144 fps framerate.
HXL is lightweight, quite powerful, and has a ton of volume control. It has no audible background noise, and it simply works on all platforms without any issue. Subjective usage is top notch, with both headphones and IEMs. Quite pleasing, if you pause a song, HXL does a little fade out, and it has a very short, but nice fadein when you press play from a silent state.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired the Audioengine HXL DAC AMP with both IEMs and headphones, including Kiwi Ears x Z Serene, Sivga M300, AFUL Performer 5+2, ZiiGaat Crescent, Lily Audio Genesis One, Dita Prelude, ZiiGaat Horizon, Letshuoer S12 Ultra, Raptgo LEAF D01, Palma DHS-1, KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Erzetich Thalia, Erzetich Mania V2024, TinHIFI T7, FiiO FT13, NFAudio NE4, Sivga Peng, Moritz Dragon, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Sendy Audio AIVA 2, Tangzu TianPeng, Soundz Flame, YanYin Canon PRO, Dunu Vulkan 2, Letshuoer Mystic 8, and HIFIMAN Isvarna.
For a tiny dongle this small, it is quite capable, most likely runs in Class D, but has a longer time than usual to turn off and a short time to turn on, so you never notice class issues, it never cuts off the quiet parts of a song nor does it cause any issues. Max driving power is not spectacular, but it is great for a dongle this small, and I can safely say HIFIMAN Ananda Nano is driven well, and so is Sivga Peng. With IEMs like Moritz Audio Enzo, HXL has a good control, no audible noise, and a very nice sonic quality with no overdrive issues.
Overall Signature – Audioengine HXL sounds bright, sharp, detailed, but has a full and deep bass. It has no audible roll-off at either end and it is one of the most linear, most honest and most crisp sounding dongle DAC AMPs. Quite in line with Audioengine other products, it is the very definition of transparency and clarity with a very transparent presentation and very little coloration in the sound.
Bass – With a fairly punchy bass, HXL renders a fast and natural low-end. There’s plenty of power if your headphones or IEMS can render that, but it bears no color, just a transparent, neutral, linear bass. This works really well for all music and provides an insightful window into your music and headphones / IEMS.
Midrange – In the mids, Audioengine HXL is brilliant, beautiful, vocal with both male and female voices sounding vivid, real, rich and detailed. It is excellent for guitar solos, violins, makes all music stand out and colorful, vivid and punchy. I find HXL to be basically the best sounding entry-level DAC AMP for voices and just midrange in general. It is quite neutral and linear, fast-rich with very low distortion and extremely enjoyable presentation.
Treble – With a sharp, brilliant, crisp and detailed treble, Audioengine HXL is quite airy, sharp and revealing. This kind of signature works especially well for EDM, digital music, and more recent music. This is because HXL reveals and renders tons of details and information that recent music has, revealing bits that make music so much more enjoyable and fun.
Dynamics And Textures – Audioengine HXL has a more compressy dynamic range but makes sound punchy, vivid and it does not sound boring at all. This is because it reveals quiet details in a similar loudness to the main volume, giving music a really detailed presentation, but has a low distortion, and a fast yet rich texture. This creates a signature that is just generally organic and enjoyable.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – HXL sounds best from the lowest volume, it is a loud sounding dongle DAC AMP, similar to how other similarly priced dongle DAC AMPs are a bit loud, but it is not overdriven like most of the competition. So you can enjoy it at quiet levels, but due to the compressy sound as well as the overall implementation of the DAC AMP, it sounds quite loud and punchy.
Soundstage – Audioengine HXL is rather wide sounding, not very deep, especially as it has a linear signature, but it is plenty wide, has a holographic sound that pushes and plays with the bounds of your sound. You will notice instruments, voices, both foreground and background, expanding more than you’re used to, sounding more vivid and more fun than you’re used to with most other sources, in this price range.
Value and Conclusion
Considering that there are quite a lot of DAC AMPs with a lower price tag than HXL, it is worthy to mention that it offers some extras over them sonically, by having a lower noise, less class issues, better control and a lower distortion THD.
At the end of the day, Audioengine HXL is quite brilliant in sound, transparent, revealing and clean. It has no real cons, being a bit pricier relative to the market, but offering a performance without all the issues that typically appear in the entry-level price range. If you’re the type that would rather pay a few extra USD to have a better experience, HXL is still entry-level, but the best DAC AMP in the entry-level range.
PROs
- Ergonomic and fun, with a rounded design
- Volume buttons with an on-board volume control
- Mini LED that you’ll see red at all times since you’re unlikely to have other file types in a phone
- Good 4.4mm balanced output
- Very low noise, great for IEMS
- Fairly good driving power at max, enough for Ananda Nano and Ananada Unveiled
- Sharp and detailed sound with excellent resolution
- Stays cool and dandy
Cons
- Nothing really, it is a bit higher priced than the market but manages to not have any of the cons entry-level dongle DAC AMPs have.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/44z9Xf2
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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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