My top pick in 2022 is the og Thieaudio Oracle, I actually don't have any dongle but I really enjoy Tri tk2...so I have to buy Tanchjim Zero (I have Tanchjim O2)...btw I wonder which place would be Dunu Talos on...?🙋♂️🥂
@@jaroslavfricek7772 Talos would be at around 7th out of 50 overall (the ones that I have listened to the entire 2022), and the highest placed Magnetic Planar in my book, Simgot EN1000 at 6th and Truthear HEXA at 8th
Happy New Year Andy. On my new year I spend 30 minutes watching your video. Thanks for the taking us on the journey. great detailed video as expected from Andy. Keep it up. And by the way, Yay! To iFi for making it to the top list. The brand that I got before even purchasing my first IEM. Apologies for late subscribe, been busy grinding work as usual ;)
👍 for 1:11. your 2nd video. Already impressed with disclosure. 🤯 Mind blown at Dongle list. Boy m i in for a ride? Respect. Quick Q: affordable ENTRY level BT DAC than fiio BTR3K for someone getting into audiophile community whose got a smartphone without a Headphone Jack? TYVM
@@donglemadness No Problemo. sub $50US suggestions would be great. Would rather put some bucks into good SE 3.5mm for entry IEM than with an extra BALANCED 2.5s/4.4s
@@donglemadness problem: No Bluetooth. FYI: Almost Nailed AK xb10 DAC. But BT is lower than 4.2 Greatful for suggestions just above AK xb10 or xb10 itself but with atleast Bluetooth 5.0. that would be perfect
@@cravatenoire3269 And there's the issue, I am almost clueless when it comes to BT DACs as I always prefer the wired ones. Have you considered Qudelix 5K? many seems to like it a lot
Andy, love your reviews. Would you consider a dongle to be good enough / suitable for home system (speakers, sub, tube amp and preamp) in s medium size room for s user who LOVES his records / turntable ? I am thinking: R2R such as: Cayin RU6 or Hiby FC6 as I have a wiim streamer with Ak4493 chip and a good, old Philips bitstream based DAC that is old school. So i have Delta sigma / bitstream sound signature covered. I'm looking for R3R ladder DAC for its reported more analog /vinyl sound signature - that's why I was thinking those two dongles. I read comments where people said they liked the RU6 better than their denafrips Aries II !?!?. It seems like the RU6 is almost 4 in 1 as you can use both outputs which people say sounds different and NOS or OS mode. Your input would be greatly appreciated. If this is not a great idea then I'm going to save up for an Aries II or a bifrost 2. What do you think of chord mojo 2? Compared to these options
Thanks!. Yes of course you can use dongles to feed Active Speakers or acting as Pre-Out to Power Amps that feed the speakers. Don't expect to drive passive speakers directly and you should be golden. RU7 with LO would be perfect for this otherwise other dongles can do the job as great too as long as you set them at above 75% vol. Cheers
@@Truthtalks86 B1 is a Class D amp and thus will emit floor noises the higher you crank the volume, keeping it at 75% help to dampen it especially if you must feed it to an AUX line in
Great video Andy..do you think the performer 5 is the best among the Harman tuned? I guess the first 4 are not exactly Harman tuned..lol..you have recommended some of the best in your posts.. already got the ve supernova with brainwavz pads - extremely good , cxs - can't stop praising it, performer 5 - the bass is really something, still getting used to it as I have received only yesterday. Awaiting Tanchjim zero - can't wait. Happy new year 2023 bro..cheers
Lol, yes among the ones that I have tested, P5 has the best Harman-ish tuning that I can like. And yes the other 4 are not Harman at all. Cheers 😁 and Happy 2023 to you too
Thanks. Have a look here at my primary site and you will see where S9 Pro stands. andyaudiovault.com/dongle-reviews/ In short, S9 Pro is still a great dongle
Great video Andy! Just bought the SeeAudio Bravery AE edition :) Do you have any dongle recommendation below 70$ for these iems? I'm currently between Abigail Pro, 7hz 71 or the DC03 Pro.
Hi,your reviews is very good. I want to buy iems for rock/metal. Someone told me the s12 pro will be best option for this. What you think about it? Maybe "Winter" will be better? I don't see s12 pro in your tops and it is weird
Thanks!. I listen a lot to Metal music everyday. Even Tanchjim ZERO sounds better than S12 and S12 Pro. And yes BQEYZ Winter is perfect for me. However there are many other suitable choices as well, like if you prefer richer Midbass responses, then consider TANGZU Zetian Wu or AFUL P5 (if you prefer lovely Subbass). In the budget segment, CCA CXS and KZ DQ6S are great too (aside from Tanchjim ZERO)
Wonderful review ! Which one do you think can beat BQEYZ, eg Moondrop Blessing 2 or variations ? I like airy /deeper soundstage so also would get a Cayin RU 6 , which one you would pair it with
To me BQEYZ Winter is superior than B2 and Variations Tuning wise Winter is more neutral and technically superior with spacious and holographic soundstage
Could you advise what exactly you like Centrance HD more than the Cayin RU6? I really like warm organic but spacious soundstage , l listen to blues jazz won’t vocal emphasis type
@@TC-bz8sm DACport HD offers the richness of dynamics body like no other dongles, It even outclassed some desktop DAC/Amps that I have tried. That analogue, organic yet neutral balance is something that DACport HD does better than any other dongles. At the same time, exceedingly technical and resolving. I don't see anything else coming up that could top this because DACport HD is one of the very rare dongles to forgo efficiency and goes all out for performances (DACport HD doesn't care about compatibility of host drain efficiency)
@@donglemadness thanks for the big stamp of approval will save some doughs to get one ! So it’s soundstage / airiness also as good as Cayin if not better I suppose
Good review. I like the ending very much. It really comes down to cost performance, bang for the buck. We all know these things don't last forever, then it's better to get something good for low price.
It's easy, Tanchjim ZERO if you prefer a more transparent and dynamic presentation, CCA CXS a bit of V tuned sound or KZ xHBB DQ6s if you want denser Bass responses. 🤘
now that you've ordered another one or two Zero's do you plan to mod a MMCX connector into them ? I am quite curious about how it sounds with SDIC cable
I am a hardcore user of foam tips and I would recommend something like Dekoni foams, or from Comply. You can also consider Misodiko MIX460. But if you prefer silicone tips, then try Spinfit CP100
Yes, as mentioned RU6 is my substitute for DACport HD when I need more mobility. I like S2 too but ultimately RU6 is something I like even more. This particular video is focused on items I reviewed in 2022 only, 2021 not included. Both are very neutral, the difference only on dynamic transients rendering where S2 may appear "warmer" as how many would describe it
I would say that between all three of them, soundstage width pretty much similar and fairly open sounding. Only the likes of DC04Pro, xDuoo Link2 BAL, iFi GO Link and SHIO would be wider (but not by much)
Hi Andy, which dac would be able to provide the most organic, analog and warmish "tube/vinyl" like sound with a budget of around rm300 and how does it compare to the expensive Cayin RU6? Or should one just bite the bullet and get the Cayin RU6 instead. Thank you.
Not many, you can consider Avani as warm and organic but the sound presentation is more modern than analogue. Unfortunately for the sort of analogue timbre like what you describe (which happen to be my preferences too), only the likes of RU6, Ovidius B1, DACport HD and Megatron can provide, also surprisingly the new Hidizs XO can be considered along that sort of tuning too, just a little less resolving than the top dogs. If you can find a used VE Odyssey, that would be a great option still
@@donglemadness Thank you for the reply. How about the Shanling UA2? How does it compare to the RU6? Is it worth the extra money in terms of sound reproduction. I am considering both.
Hi Andy, I see that the tanchjim space has the same configuration as the DC03PRO. So i suppose it can provide the same power output? I mean, can it power a planar headphone?
Yes both drives my full sized magnetic planars headphones of Fostex T40RP MK3 and HiFiMan HE400SE, both 91dB and not easy to drive, but DC03Pro and Space handles them really well on High Gain mode, running USB Exclusive mode from either UAPP or HiBy Music. Space actually has more power at 4 Vrms, but surprisingly the 2 Vrms DC03Pro sounded more dynamic to my ears
Under $50 then the option would be Abigail Pro which is neutral and natural, or if you can find the discontinued VE Odyssey. JCally JA21 is still a possible option too
DC03Pro is more technical and analytical than M12, it is also more energetic (but very well controlled). Feature wise, DC03Pro is probably the best dongle after iFi Go Bar
@@donglemadness i get it but it is kind of weird as it a big reference in the hobby and it can be used as a regular wired usb while being cheaper and smaller than some of the usb dongles you tested (you could test it in a first throw as a regular usb dongle dac ignoring it's eq and bt features and these could come as cherry on the cake only if it is interesting to consider sound wise )
Hi Andy or anybody, my new Shio (connected to S23 Ultra and Iem of choice) gives a faint pop sound on the left ear every 3 secs on both Spotify and RU-vid. Do DACs do this sometimes? How best to trouble shoot? ( is it the cable or unit etc) I don't get the pop sound when I use a basic no brand dongle.
Do you get the pop sound when using USB Exclusive mode in HiBy Music app? That's an indication of irregular power feed hence the pop. Not normal. And S23 is one of the few Android phones that has strong USB 900mA USB 3.0. I never heard the pops from my SHIO even when running RU-vid music in non exclusive mode on either my Xiaomi Mi9t (USB 2.0) or Sony Xperia 1 iV (USB 3.0). Try running it on other phones or PC to isolate the issue, and then you would have better idea where the issue could be from
@@danielpalomino3299 Just check on Venture Electronics shop and you will find it, Abigail Pro is not listed with the "Pro" suffix. But you can immediately tell it is Pro from the different look (the old Abigail is all dark grey and Pro is in silver color theme)
With too many IEMs flooding in, it is easy to be unnoticed. Such is the case with CXS. But I really am impressed with the quality it offered. No small feat to attain No.2 overall in my ranking list
Hi @@donglemadness i just got my cxs here... i never regret to sell my t3 + and buy the cxs based on your iem recomendation. This cxs is what i need... Thank you so much 🙏🫶
@@donglemadness one more question, do you recommend buying DC03 pro if I already have Paw S1? are they vastly different in sound terms and is DC03 pro a sidegrade or an upgrade? Great video as always, thanks a lot man!
@@longminh2759 Yes very different sound characteristics. S1 is neutral and DC03Pro is boosted/mildly colored. S1 has less energy with dynamics. I think it's quite evident I prefer DC03Pro more over S1 because I personally think it is also superior technically
Hello. Can you please tell me the best USB c to Aux 3.5 input dongle for my Huawei p30 pro and my cars 3.5 jack input stereo. I bought one today but very poor sound quality it's very static sounding and distorts and higher volumes. Thanks!
@@donglemadness thanks for quick reply! It's called Earldom type c to 3.5mm adapter model ET-AUX41. I bought by accident male aux output I need dongle for female aux in. I have tinnitus myself and prefer more warm sounding, I do not like a lot of highs/bright. I have been looking at the Abigail pro and the Avani dongles from your videos I think these two may be good but what would work better with car system and speakers. Maybe you can recommend me the best for my situation. I listen to mostly rap music, r&b, blues and general radio hits. Thanks!
@@ShitHappenzz Then I would recommend Avani. But I have no experience with using dongles in car audio system myself, simply because I don't have a car, lol. You will need to experiment that bit
@@donglemadness haha thanks 😂 I'll do the experimenting then and get an avani ordered! I am just hoping I don't have to turn up the radio to almost half way to hear it good and when I do it doesn't distort or crackle like this piece of junk I currently have now! Is the Avani still good in this day an age as I know the Abigail pro is a newer model right? Is it also a newer chip?... If the Avani is still the best sounding and warmer of the two then I will go with that. Thanks
