DAC Chip: Undisclosed Cirrus Logic DAC Chip (Single)
PCM Unspecified, SNR: Undisclosed, Power: 1 Vrms Adaptive, iOS Lightning, 3.5mm SE (Microphone: Unspecified), Metal Chassis & SPC Cable

Listening Equipment: Etymotic ER4SR, ER2XR, Shure KSE1500, TIN HiFi P1 & Monolith M565C

LISTENING EQUIPMENT USED IMPARTED HUGE INFLUENCE TO SOUND IMPRESSIONS & RATING

💚PROS

Clear crisp neutral flat timbre with uncolored tonality
Well controlled dynamics, full bodied with smooth airy presentation
Stellar, well nuanced Micro and Macro details, very transparent
Balanced Mids with detailed textures and definition, natural toned Male/Female vocals
Sparkly Treble with crisp decays, great extensions
Smooth Mid-Bass, tight, fast with crisp decays
Sub-Bass exhibited audible seismic response with mild decays.
Crisp and vivid guitars, piano, percussions (chimes, bells) and drums and taps
Well-rounded soundstage width with good depth and placement
Great holographic spatial imaging with sharp precise placement/layers
Amazing speed and dexterity on complex passages and transients
Super clean background, zero floor noises
Clean layers and well-defined separation lines
Drives Magnetic Planars and BA at 75/100 volume, full bodied and great dynamics
Excellent synergy with DD and BA

💔CONS

Driving power is just about enough for demanding IEMs/Headphones.
Not forgiving on Lo-Fi or poor-quality sources (being very transparent)
No volume adjuster

VERDICT

TANCHJIM STARGATE iOS. This Stargate is a very refined iOS only unit, offering clean and clear sound. The timbre is outright flat neutral and totally no hint of coloration. Tonality wise it is very natural sounding with great balance, with enough organic touch to it. It is also very resolving, detailed and transparent of which many times I am hearing recording artifacts present in the tracks tested – however this also depends on how competent the IEMs/Headphones being used. Technical scalability on this Stargate is great of which the likes of Etymotic ER series sounded amazing with all the presented details. This is the sort of resolution on par with Ovidius B1, iBasso DC03-04, Hidizs S9 Pro and A&K PEE51. The usage of this Stargate is best for non-heavyweights below 75 Ohm and with no less than 96db of sensitivity. With more demanding IEMs or Headphones like the Tin HiFi P1 or Monolith M565c, dynamics will be less vibrant despite being quite listenable.