iBasso Macchiato DAC AMP Review – Tasteful Sip Of Music Euphoria
iBasso Macchiato is a $90 USD dongle DAC AMP designed for portability, part of the iBasso Junior or Jr sub brand, based on Dual CS43131 DAC chips, and the star of our review today. As part of iBasso’s affordable arsenal, Macchiato will be judged for efficiency, performance and will broadly be compared to the entry-level market of today.
Introduction
iBasso Jr or Junior is a sub part of the big iBasso, but so far they produced killer products that have taken the market by surprise, delivering performance far higher than the price point would’ve suggested. It feels like I have to focus more on what’s happening in the entry-level market because products like the Macchiato we’re reviewing today are perfect sources even for high-end top of the line flagship IEMs like iBasso’s own Epitome.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/429zl9q
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3emKNsd
Build Quality – Design
With an OLED display and support for microphones, along with dual 4.4mm and 3.5mm headphone outputs, Macchiato feels quite nice in build, it does come light, at a weight of 22 grams. Max power output is quite high at 580 mW + 580 mW for the 4.4mm balanced output, but it is much lower at 195 mW + 195 mW for the SE output.
iBasso Jr Macchiato is built around a dual DAC setup, using a Dual CS43131 DAC combo, and it can come in multiple colors. For some reason, I am unable to find the official shop while writing this review, but I found 3 shops in Romania selling it. Technically, Macchiato supports data rates up to 32 Bit / 384 kHz and DSD256.
USB DAC – Subjective Usage
Macchiato is a very simple but fun to use mini dongle DAC AMP, with a rounded screen, two headphone outputs, and one type-c USB input. It has a mini display that shows the current input, volume and current data rate. It has the three buttons on the side, but they are not inherited by the system it is connected to, so the on off button only affects it, to turn on the display, and it always has its internal volume active for the plus and minus buttons, and they do not affect the windows volume. In fact, Macchiato ignores windows and Android volume in general and plays with digital assumed at max, allowing you to control the volume from itself.
At its core, Macchiato has a wide range of volume control, but it has a fairly low volume, perfect for IEMs. It does get a bit warm in usage, and it feels ergonomic, but does draw quite a bit of power from the source, around 10w per hour if my understand of the reading tool is correct, as it can deliver a 580mW + 580mW of power per 32 OHM impedance at max.
USB DAC usage is subjectively perfect, it has no USB DAC delay, it is perfect for playing music, videos, video games, all software recognizes it instantly, and Macchiato is a wonderful DAC AMP for actual usability. It does pair well with both IEMS and Headphones, although the max power output is a bit low for very hard to drive headphones. It is ideal for earphones and portables though.
Sound Quality
Pairings – Given its design, I have tested iBasso Jr. Macchiato with multiple IEMs and Headphones including Lily Audio Genesis One, Raptgo LEAF D01, Palma DHS-1, KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Erzetich Thalia, TinHIFI T7, NFAudio NE4, Sivga Peng, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Tangzu TianPeng, Soundz Flame, YanYin Canon PRO, Dunu Vulkan 2, Letshuoer Mystic 8, Moritz Aura, HarmonicDyne Romantic, Hiby Digital Yume, HIFIAN HE600, HIFIMAN Audivina LE, HIFIMAN Ananda Unveiled, Westne Mach 80, BQEYZ Winter II, Fosi Audio IM4, Aune AC55, Oriveti Bleqk PureCaster and Noble Knight.
At maximum volume, it has a perfect control and the voltage / power loading is excellent, but Macchiato is a bit limited in max volume for very hard to drive headphones, being ideal for earphones like iBasso Epitome instead of iBasso SR3. It will handle most headphones very well though, as long as they are not extremely hard to drive, so HIFIMAN Ananda Nano, or Sivga SV021 will be driven just fine out of the Macchiato, while Grell OAE2 and iBasso SR3 would need a source with more juice.
Overall Signature – Macchiato has a sweet, rounded signature that is musical, engaging and fun. It renders a rounded and full bass, a relaxed and smoother treble, but high resolution combined with a wide, rounded soundstage. It is quite top to be paired with aggressive, entry-level earphones, headphones and it sounds generally pleasing, having the kind of tuning that works well with basically everything. Macchiato has zero noise even with Campfire IEMS, it is perfect if you fear noise and if you want utmost control and precision regardless of what IEMs you’re driving.
Bass – Bottom is rounded, bouncy and solid, but not exceptionally uplifted. In fact, Macchiato is quite controlled, it has zero distortion, and delivers a fairly nice punch, which feels more like a bounce with rebound, rather than a powerful subbass hit. It is quite impressive for rock, metal, but especially nice with RAP and EDM. Bass extends down to the lowest registers, but what I find nice is that it handles that bass well with flagship earphones and feels very controlled.
Midrange – I feel like Macchiato excels in the midrange, it has a sweet, rounded vocal range that emphasizes both male and female voices, it renders a strongly layered sound. With the right earphones and IEMs, like iBasso Epitome, Macchiato is one of the most balanced dongle DAC AMPs, it sounds ever so slightly sweet, playful, it delivers an enjoyable overall presentation, works really nicely for reggae and music I typically don’t touch, but feels intoxicatingly enjoyable.
Treble – Top end is smooth, subdued, less present and less evident, less energetic than the midrange and the bass, and it can tame even the most aggressive pair of IEMs. While Epitome is not such an example, as it is already quite musical, Macchiato can tame Andromeda 10 or Final A8000, it can make virtually any pair of IEMS smooth, musical, full sounding and enjoyable. It takes away all edge, and replaces it with a sweet, wide air.
Dynamics And Textures – Macchiato has a rounded texture, with no hard edges, but a strong resolution and detail revealing abilities. It is great for rendering rap, edm and bouncy music, it does not render harshness and it is a musical, euphonic type of DAC AMP. I would generally recommend using Macchiato with aggressive and overly detailed earphones, to limit how harsh and crisp they are, it would do wonders with the likes of KZ and even flagship earphones like Moritz Audio Enzo.
Soundstage – Macchiato is wide, rounded and has a similar depth relative to the width. It renders a bouncy, fairly natural and balanced image. Layering is very good, especially for the price point, and Macchiato is a top performer for narrow music, because it enlarges it a bit, gives music a strong stereo separation and imaging, and finally creates a pleasing presentation.
Value and Conclusion
If you are mainly using earphones or easy to drive headphones, iBasso Macchiato is one of the best to use DAC AMPs with one of the highest values, as it has a top power and control, no noise for those, with a superb sound. This being said, at its price range, it has competition also from iBasso, with Macaron and DC04PRO being close enough in price to be a competitor to Macchiato.
Overall, for a sweet sounding dongle DAC AMP, Macchiato is one of the best choices you can make in the entry-level range and it is one of my personal favorites. It does come with a nice cable, and although it will mostly stay hidden next to a laptop or connected to a smartphone, you can purchase it in multiple colors, perfect if you want your converter to have a bit of personality.
PROs
- Top sonic performance with a sweet and musical sound
- Ergonomic with a nice rounded display
- Isolation between its own volume and windows volume
- No USB DAC delay, perfect for gaming and watching movies
- Top control and dynamic, a very engaging performer
- Wide and rounded soundstage
- Price performance ratio is excellent
- Very high driving power at max for the balanced output, perfect for all IEMS and portable headphones
- Dual DAC for a very low price
Cons
- Gets quite warm
- Consumes a bit of power in total
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/429zl9q
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3emKNsd
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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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