Views 4,395 Creative Sound Blaster X5 is a $299 USD high-quality Sound Card / DAC / AMP mainly aimed at gamers and audiophiles, or rather a hybrid of the two, with a 4.4mm balanced headphone output, RCA outputs, mic input, and with a selection of other features that may come …
Driving Power
Aune Yuki DAC / AMP – Beautiful Looking But Serious Sounding Dongle
Views 5,145 Aune Yuki is a $179 USD Dongle DAC AMP with a dual DAC inside, and with a 4 x 4 Transistors design. Today we will be reviewing the Yuki and comparing it to other dongles and similarly priced sources including Hiby R3 II (179 USD), Audioengine D1 (169 …
iBasso DX260 DAP – Epic Octa DAC Music Player
Views 12,933 iBasso DX260 is a $949 USD DAP / Digital Audio Player, with a an Octa DAC configuration, balanced headphone output, Qualcomm 660 SoC, Hi-Res Playback, FIR interpolation filter, and a dynamic range up to 134 dB. Today we will review it, every aspect of its usage, and compare …
Tronsmart Bang SE Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Less Bass, More Mids, Clear Sound
Views 12,554 Tronsmart Bang SE is a $69 USD Entry-Level Bluetooth speaker with IPX6 Waterproofing, a Detachable strap, 3 Lighting modes, and 24 Hours of quoted play time. Today we will dive in and review what the Bang SE is all about, how it sounds like, and whether it is …
JDS Labs Atom AMP 2 – All-Metal Headphone Amplifier With Octo-Buffers
Views 17,914 JDS Labs Atom AMP 2 is a $129 USD Headphone Amplifier which is an update to the ultra-popular JDS Labs Atom AMP+ and Atom AMP Hevi, this time coming with just 30 USD of increase in the price, but with a 4.4mm headphone output (intorduced at the request …
FiiO Q15 Portable DAC AMP – Sweet Sounding Dynamics Master
Views 26,900 FiiO Q15 is a $399 USD portable DAC or Digital To Analog Converter, and Headphone Amplifier, with two headphone outputs, a smartphone mode, and with a huge driving power, but low noise for IEMs. Today we will review it and compare the new high-performance FiiO unit to other …
Shanling UA4 DAC AMP – Smart Dongle United
Views 21,709 Shanling UA4 is a $99 USD DAC/AMP with a new ESS ES9069Q DAC, Strong Output Power, DSD512 and Hi-Res PCM support, up to 32 Bit and 768kHz, and with both a Balanced Headphone Output and a single ended one. Today we will be reviewing it, the sound it …
Keces S300+ Stereo HIFI Power Amplifier – Speaker Utopia Sound Master
Views 27,835 Keces S300+ is a $3499 USD high-end flagship Stereo HIFI Power Amplifier, with both Balanced and Unbalanced inputs, High and Low Bias modes, and with a power consumption of up to 1000W, able to use Loop Triggers, designed to drive the beefiest, most picky of speakers out there. …
FiiO K11 DAC Headphone Amplifier – Railgun Power Punch
Views 24,777 FiiO K11 is a $129 USD truly balanced headphone amplifier and DAC, with a balanced headphone amplifier, 1400mW of power, and with adjustable RGB Logo Lighting, which works without a Driver, and as a USB DAC, and is based on the CS43198 DAC. Today we will be reviewing …
HIDIZS S9 PRO Plus Balanced Dongle DAC – Martha HIFI Sound
Views 21,548 HIDIZS S9 PRO Plus Martha is a 89 USD Dongle DAC AMP from HIDIZS with a neat design, lots of angles and modern take on the dongle AMP, with two buttons, and with two headphone outputs, one in the 3.5mm SE format, and one in the 4.4mm Balanced …
FiiO BTR15 Bluetooth Receiver – Absolutely Wireless DAC/AMP
Views 29,111 FiiO BTR15 is a $119 USD / EURO Bluetooth DAC / AMP / Receiver, with a super light design, and an upgrade from the popular BTR5 model, with an improved design and overall abilities. Today we are putting it to test, diving into an in-depth review, and comparing …
HIFIMAN EF600 DAC / Headphone AMP – Towering R2R Music Excellence
Views 33,002 HIFIMAN EF600 is a $799 USD high-end desktop DAC / Headphone amplifier, with a vertical design, Himalaya Ladder DACs, and with a design to maximize desktop space. Today we will be reviewing it and comparing it to other high-end desktop DAC/AMPs, including Aune S9C PRO (699 USD), FiiO …
Shanling UA1 Plus Dongle DAC – Driving Power Figuratively Speaking
Views 25,296 Shanling UA1 Plus is a $49 USD Dongle DAC AMP with a Dual CS43131 DAC, and high resolution decoding abilities. Today we’re going to be reviewing it, and also compare it to Shanling UA2 Plus (89 USD), ddHIFI TC35C (49 USD), and iFi Go Link (59 USD). …
Drop + xDuoo TA-84 OTL Tube Amplifier / DAC – Clarity & Control Master
Views 30,416 Drop + xDuoo TA-84 is a $399 USD ($349 USD on Pre-Sale) OTL Tube Amplifier with Pre function, DAC function, and excellent build quality, currently sold on Drop, designed for desktop usage, which we will be reviewing today, and comparing to other high-quality DAC/AMPs, including FiiO K9 PRO …
SMSL AO300 DAC / HeadAMP / Integrated Stereo Amplifier – Class D Back In Game
Views 24,516 SMSL AO300 is a $289 USD DAC / Headphone Amplifier / Integrated Stereo Amplifier with a pre function, designed to run an entire speaker stereo system from just the amplifier, with everything else being a story of the past. This is literally the only unit you will ever …
Aune S17 PRO Headphone Amplifier / PRE – Symmetrical Class A Magic
Views 27,444 Aune S17 PRO is a $699 USD high-end Headphone Amplifier and Preamplifier, with a superb design, made to be paired with other Aune products such as the S9C PRO, with an incredibly high driving power, two gain stages, and a temperature probe that will remind you what’s happening …
Hiby R3 II (Gen 2) Music Player DAP – Even Better Integration, Even Better Sound
Views 27,016 Hiby R3 II is a $179 USD portable music player with HibyOS, a 4.4mm Balanced Headphone Output, a 3.5mm Jack Single Ended Headphone Output, USB DAC function, it works as a transport to send signal to an external USB DAC, with a 3.2″ touchscreen display, and a microSD …
SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers – Hifi Magic All Inclusive
Views 27,571 SVS Prime Wireless Pro is a $899 USD (internationally, without VAT), 4999 RON (Romania, AVstore, final price) pair of high-end speakers with a package that includes literally everything you may require, including the speakers, 200W Active Power (50W x 4 , 4 – Way stereo integrated amplifiers), Wireless …
FiiO K9 PRO ESS DAC / AMP – Sound Versatility Unbound
Views 30,304 FiiO K9 PRO ESS is a $849 USD DAC / Headphone Amplifier with a multitude of inputs and outputs, a bulky but cool design, and with enough driving power to deal with most headphones out there. Although the XLR port is covered in most photos, and in most …
JDS Labs Element III Mk2 Boosted DAC / H-AMP – Pure Music, Raw Power
Views 30,324 JDS Labs Element III MK2 is a $449 USD DAC/AMP designed for desktop and to power headphones, and to act as the DAC for your system and power other amplifiers, both for headphones and for speakers, or active speakers as well. The base version is priced at 449 …
Shanling H5 Portable DAC / AMP – Multi Tone Of Warmth
Views 30,656 Shanling H5 is a $369 USD DAC / AMP designed with portability in mind, offering a rich selection of inputs and outputs, a lower power than H7, but still enough for most planar magnetic headphones, with RCA, Balanced 4.4mm, and Single Ended 3.5mm Outputs. With a battery life …
SMSL DO400 Fully Balanced DAC / Headphone AMP – Power Delivery Unbound
Views 30,300 SMSL DO400 is a $499 USD DAC / Headphone Amplifier sold and fulfilled by Aoshida Store, with three headphone outputs, fully balanced XLR Line Outputs, RCA outputs, and those can work at the same time, with a handy display, and with Bluetooth receiving abilities. Today we will be …
Audioengine D1 24-Bit DAC / H-Amp – Fearless Premium Sound
Views 25,881 Audioengine D1 is a 169 USD 24-Bit DAC with a small form factor, ergonomic design, and with a 3.5mm single ended headphone output, and RCA outputs for an external headphone amplifier, stereo amplifier, or powered speakers. Today we will be reviewing it and comparing it with other entry-level …
iFi Audio Go Bar Dongle DAC – Mini Amplifier Maxi Powered
Views 29,486 iFi Audio Go Bar is a $329 USD Premium Ultra Portable USB DAC, with a balanced 4.4mm output, a single ended 3.5mm headphone output, and with iEMatch, along with digital filters, and sound enhancements support. It will be compared to other high-end dongle DACs, including Lotoo PAW S2, …
ddHIFI TC44A Type-C USB DAC – Single Ended Mini Kick
Views 30,514 ddHIFI TC44A is a $79 USD DAC / AMP with a CS43434 DAC wit a Type-C or Lightning port, and a 4.4mm Single Ended headphone output. Don’t mind too much the single ended part, it has all the poles for balanced cables and balanced headphones, but ddHIFI did …