DAC Chip: Undisclosed TTGK Based DAC (Single)
PCM 24bit – 96khz, SNR: Undisclosed, Power: Undisclosed, Type-C Male, 3.5mm SE (Microphone: Yes), USB C PD Charging up to 27w

Listening Equipment: Etymotic ER4SR, FOSTEX T40RP MK3, TForce Yuan Li, SeeAudio Bravery, 7Hz Timeless, Xiaomi Redmi 10 & Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. HiBy Music Player (USB 2.0, USB Exclusive Mode)

LISTENING EQUIPMENT USED IMPARTED HUGE INFLUENCE TO SOUND IMPRESSIONS & RATING

💚PROS

Neutral crisp timbre, bright tuning
Moderate dynamics, moderately vibrant
Good clarity and transparency
Neutral Mids, crisp and clean vocals
Slightly bright Treble, moderate extension and textures
Mild Mid-Bass responses, short decay
Commendable details handling
Crisp guitar, piano, cello, and bass guitar tones
Usable speed and transients handling
Clean background with zero floor noises
Good battery draw on the host

💔CONS

No hardware volume adjuster
Boxed in soundstage, or spherical sense of space
Weak driving power for anything above 32 Ohm
Generally thin and dry sounding
Dynamics & imaging lacks depth and density
Sub-Bass almost non existent

VERDICT

PLEXTONE GS1 Mark II. This is a very unique #donglemadness contestant. Being the only one capable of providing on the fly PD charging to the host via an additional USB-C port – supporting up to 27w of Quick Charge. Which makes for the rationale to buy this especially for gamers

However I must admit GS1 fell short on sound quality and presentation. While it was able to drive my FOSTEX T40RP MK3 Magnetic Planar to acceptable listening experience, it is decidedly lean and dry sounding, with boxed in soundstage and dynamic range lacking density, depth and vibrancy. It also sounded slightly bright to my ears. This is even more evident when paired with Etymotic ER4SR where things gets a bit more metallic sounding. So not a Dongle to drive something which demands power especially.

With TForce Yuan Li, which is naturally and natively warmer, the GS1 fared better but the soundstage now sounded two dimensional. The rest of the sound spectrum while sounding clean and tidy, exhibited similar lack of density and depth. Otherwise for casual listening this GS1 is still usable. Identical results with SeeAudio Bravery.

Surprisingly, the best results were obtained with my 7Hz Timeless Magnetic Planar IEM. It actually sounded a lot more entertaining with good balance between Highs, Mids and Bass. While not exactly top notch, I was able to use it without much complain with the Timeless.