Don't buy ANY other portable DAC under $500! EarMen Angel

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A review of the EarMen Angel portable DAC, pre-amp and headphone amp including comparisons with the Topping G5 and Chord Mojo 2. Also includes discussion of use with IEMs and difficult headphones.
My top recommended HEADPHONES (prices in USD)
HarmonicDyne Athena - $179 - bit.ly/3QvQdlq
Moondrop Para - $299 - bit.ly/3QvQdlq
Sivga SV023 - $449 - amzn.to/3UKXsZ5
Meze 109 Pro - $799 - amzn.to/3y6l6qi
ZMF Atrium - $2,499 - www.zmfheadphones.com/
Meze Elite - $4,000 - bit.ly/3UMIDWb
Focal Utopia (2022) - $4,999 - amzn.to/44xEHvx
My top recommended IEMS (prices in USD)
KZ ESX - $30 - amzn.to/4bpMyxC
Tangzu FUDU - $89 - amzn.to/3UvOrlk
Simgot EM6L - $129 - amzn.to/4a3SLy1
Thieaudio Elixir - $209 - amzn.to/3ULd9zr
7Hz Timeless - $220 - amzn.to/3QslVA8
Yanyin Canon II - $379 - bit.ly/YanCanII
Xenns Mangird Top - $530 - bit.ly/XENNSTopLin
Sennheiser IE600 - $700 - amzn.to/44AxcUQ
Sennheiser IE900 - $849 - amzn.to/4b66wxy
Westone Mach 70 - $1,400 - amzn.to/3ULUK5P
My top recommended TRANSPORTS (prices in USD)
WiiM Pro - $168 - amzn.to/4bpTDOw
SMSL PL200 CD - $669 - amzn.to/3Wsd0lJ
Eversolo DMP-A6 (Master Edition) - $1,299 - amzn.to/44sBMUR
Eversolo DMP-A8 - $1,980 - amzn.to/3QxRU1B
My top recommended DACS (prices in USD)
Topping E30 II - $149 - amzn.to/3JQyGkd
Topping E50 - $199 - amzn.to/3WucWSO
SMSL DO200 Mk2 - $469 - amzn.to/4a5Di0C
Topping D70 Pro OCTO - $599 - amzn.to/4a8bubZ
Geshelli J2S AK4499EX - $680 - bit.ly/J2SAKM
Schiit Bifrost 2/64 - $799 - www.schiit.com/products/bifro...
Gustard R26 - $1,650 - amzn.to/3QyZ0mB
Schiit Yggdrasil - $2,299 - www.schiit.com/products/yggdr...
Chord TT2 - $5,295 - chordelectronics.co.uk/produc...
My top recommended HEADPHONE AMPS (prices in USD)
Schiit Magni - $119 - www.schiit.com/products/magni...
xDuoo MT-604 - $169 - amzn.to/4bpNYrW
xDuoo TA-26S - $319 - amzn.to/3UJbfzx
Geshelli A3 Pro - $499 - bit.ly/GLA3Pro
Aune S17 Pro - $699 - amzn.to/4a75v7b
Schiit Mjolnir - $1199 - www.schiit.com/products/mjoln...
Burson Audio Voyager - $5,300+ - bit.ly/4a8Mwcq
My top recommended DONGLE DACS (prices in USD)
Moondrop Dawn Pro - $50 - amzn.to/3y2dd57
Simgot DEW4X - $80 - amzn.to/4b68rlK
Questyle M15i - $349 - amzn.to/4doMSyp
My top recommended WIRELESS 'PHONES (prices in USD)
Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe - $40 - amzn.to/3UIXQr4
Soundpeats Air4 Pro - $79 - amzn.to/3Wyj4tj
Edifier Neobuds Pro 2 - $130 - amzn.to/3WwMpEf
Sennheiser Momentum 4 - $379.95 - amzn.to/3WrEqZ0
HiFiMan Svanar Wireless - $499 - amzn.to/4amOhmx
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🌏 Aoshida: bit.ly/Aoshida
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00:00 Introduction
00:24 Sound quality
02:23 Balanced vs SE output
06:06 EarMen Angel vs Topping G5
08:28 EarMen Angel vs Chord Mojo 2
10:27 Device tour
15:14 Volume control & IEMs
16:05 Wrap-up
#audiophile #audioreview #portableaudio

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Опубликовано:

29 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 49

@gerardmalone8830 4 месяца назад

Battery life ?

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Oops! Sorry! Battery life is 6-7 hours depending on the load and how hard you're driving it. 🙂

@moonabhinav 4 месяца назад

I found for headphones like sundara or hd series it was giving 2-3 hours on high gain for me with volumes on orange color. With IEMs it was around 5 hours. The indicator for low battery pops up fairly quickly but I guess it starts at when 40% battery is left.

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Yes, without an exact percentage, a lighting system is a bit imprecise. Thanks for sharing your experiences. It sounds like you listen fairly loud so that will account for the shorter durations you were experiencing.

@moonabhinav 4 месяца назад

@@PassionforSound I live in noisy environment, so like to up the volume a bit than normal. But that just with Sundara and HD650 or Hd560s. Good part was they never sounded clinical on Angel for some reason, even mojo tend to sound bit clinical on high volume. Angel did warmed up on this level but never too warm. Other Focals I have they sit fine on yellow volume level. I wanted to get CH-Amp based on your review but it way of 100000 Rupees(1000$) and this was going for arround 600$ in India.

@corndog9482 4 месяца назад

Thanks for another great review/comparison. I am glad I was able to get a Mojo 2 back when it first released, but I am always keeping an eye out for improvements in this segment (portable DACs).

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

You've got the best of the best there, I think (for pure sound quality). Thanks for watching and commenting

@corndog9482 4 месяца назад

@@PassionforSound 😀

@sjqideez6626 4 месяца назад

Thanks for this, this hidden gem is a little neutral powerhouse of a wired transportable DAC/amp combo.

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

I agree. It's brilliant.

@gerardmalone8830 4 месяца назад

Thanks

@WillieBloom 4 месяца назад

I have and enjoy the iFi IDSD Signature. I was coming off of a Sony PHA-3 so I was due for an upgrade. I've been using the iDSD Signature for over two years now and it powers everything I throw at it - well. This includes the Hifi-Man HE6se v2. This little device bests other desktop headphone amps like the famous Drop THX AAA 789. IFi's implementation of xBass+ and 3D+ really is something and is very easy to get used to, especially the 3D+. When travelling the iDSD Signature is an excellent companion. I use it to boost the quality of in-flight entertainment, connecting my noise cancelling headphones via cable to the device. Then watching streaming on my iPad Pro the iDSD Signature provides very nice spacial sound. It's fun to keep up with the developments but it's going to take a lot for me to consider replacing the iDSD Signature.

@raphaelmeillat8527 4 месяца назад

I love ifi product as well. I agree with you, their bass boost and soundstage expansion features are fun and well executed! This Earmen product looks good too but my ifi Gryphon is all I need for now

@fiddlix 4 месяца назад

Try the new FiiO Q15 with the AKM ak4191+ak4499ex..those are AKMs top of there line chipset used in TOTL desktop dac/amps, truly desktop performance in a portable device. Highly recommended.

@DJ_BROBOT 4 месяца назад

You are not lying, I have owned so many Ifi IDSD dac-amps, plus many other portable ones...for the sound, capability and feature sets--nothing beats Ifi dac-amps...they over-engineer their products and tend to rival other top end dac-amps even years after they stopped production of certain dac-amps. Theyre that good --plus have high resale value too

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

I've owned iDSD units in the past as well. I don't currently of I would have definitely compared them with the Angel. Based on my past experiences, I'd say the iDSD and Angel are comparable (both excellent), but with slightly different tonal character (although this might be different from more recent iDSDs)

@MrGutterbunny 4 месяца назад

It must be worth mentioning that up until very recently this model was retaining for $799 and £599 uk. It is now an absolute no brainer at £379 uk. If it gels well with my Shure se846 i will certainly grab one...

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Yes, I actually wondered if it really was selling for that price before (as opposed to a fake markdown which is so common these days). I think it was overpriced at $799 because of competition like the Mojo 2 at that level, but I agree that it's a no brainer at the current pricing. It should be a perfect match with the SE846 because it's smooth, but not warm or thick.

@moonabhinav 4 месяца назад

Yeah they recently drops prices on they all Earmen Product. At this price they are definitely no Brianer if you don't have something of equivalent.

@aceofspades6667 4 месяца назад

I have an ifi hip Dac 3 on the way to compare against my ifi go blu. We shall see 🤞

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

I hope you enjoy it!

@MrRosscoz 4 месяца назад

At this price now it’s dropped that much is a bargain! I’ve got the Earmen Tr-amp as my holiday back up go to, which I liked more than the mojo OG. It just has a nice natural rich sound to it single ended only. This is a tempting upgrade!

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Yes. The TR-Amp was great. If you do decide to go for the Angel, I think you'll be very happy. 🙂

@moonabhinav 4 месяца назад

I still remember the bass of Tr-amp its was so good. Angel is comparatively neutral and more musical to say.

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Yes, the Angel definitely has a very neutral (but smooth) tonality.

@chronometa 4 месяца назад

Might be a goood solution for my Sony dap at work.

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Sounds like a great solution.

@matthewhilty4209 4 месяца назад

I like how it is NOT just a black cube. Blue seems friendlier.

@VirusForPrez 4 месяца назад

Black boxes rule bro !

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

I like the blue too!

@jw112mail 4 месяца назад

Funny, I was just thinking I wish it wasn't blue.

@user-ni5cr9or7g 4 месяца назад

Hi man! Thanks for your content. Could you advise some portable speaker under 250$?

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Hi. I'm glad you like the content! Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with portable speakers so I can't help there ☹️

@690yioghklbm 4 месяца назад

Will there be a review for the new KiwiEars Allegro DAC/Amp? It looks almost as if it’s to compete with the Dawn Pro.

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

I'm not sure yet. It will depend on what I can get my hands on

@prabinpaudel5572 4 месяца назад

Wish there was single ended only dac for 500 new. Wish schiit used og bifrost chip with rca only (as it was internally single ended) and galvanically isolated unison usb for 500. Even modi form factor with external power supply would be acceptable. 😍 Wish I could talk directly to Jason and he heard my request. 😂

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

SE vs balanced isn't going to be the cause of the extra cost because all of these chips can output a balanced signal natively and the cost of adding XLRs is pretty tiny AFAIK. Have you considered a secondhand Mojo?

@prabinpaudel5572 4 месяца назад

@@PassionforSound right. When they have xlr they focus on xlr. And even user also feel they aren't utilising dac to their fullest using rca only in balanced dac. There are so many class a and tube users who wish to have a high end single ended dac. But nothing except mojo and qutest are on the limelight. At that budget used mojo 2 is the only reasonable option. Or like bifrost 2 og if the makers say it's single ended and they added xlr for ease of use the user will feel happier using rca in that case. As I have asgard. I'll probably upgrade to og bf2. But headphones first. Xs or used arya if gotten for cheap enough.

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Having tested asany as I have, you'll rarely actually hear any difference between the SE and XLR outputs from quality DACs so I wouldn't worry about it.

@prabinpaudel5572 4 месяца назад

@@PassionforSound thanks. Will take care when buying.

@guybrushtwood 2 месяца назад

Damn, you got me excited. Then I checked the price in our Aussie dollaridoos and it’s not really available for less than $1k aud

@PassionforSound 2 месяца назад

Sorry about that! Have you looked at buying direct from overseas?

@guybrushtwood 2 месяца назад

@@PassionforSound you shouldn’t apologise, you don’t decide on Australian prices. Haven’t looked at the international market. Assumed that shipping would be enormous

@richardswatman4011 Месяц назад

Portable? It is massive!

@PassionforSound Месяц назад

True. It's not small, but I had the xDuoo XD-05 Pro here at the same time and it made the Angel seem tiny! 😁

@Prxyshj 17 дней назад

A few months later is this still your top portable DAC/amp recommendation under $500?

@PassionforSound 17 дней назад

Yes. Unless you can get a Chord Mojo 2 for less, this is my recommended portable below the Mojo 2. 🙂

@sleepyrhythms6668 4 месяца назад

Mmm I’d rather save for a ifi Micro Signature. Warm and spacious quad core burr brown dac and same power as Diablo 2 (2.3 watts). Plus it has 6.3mm out.

@PassionforSound 4 месяца назад

Yes, the iFi gear is great too and with a slightly different tonality