DAC Chip: ESS Sabre ES9270 (Single)
PCM 32bit – 384khz, SNR: -116dB, Power: 70 mW 32Ω 2 Vrms Adaptable , USB Type-C Male, 3.5mm SE (Microphone: YES), 6g, Aluminum Chassis, SPC Cable

Listening Equipment: Etymotic ER4SR, HZSOUND Heart Mirror, TIN HiFi P1. Source: USB 3.2 Samsung S20 (Deezer)

LISTENING EQUIPMENT USED IMPARTED HUGE INFLUENCE TO SOUND IMPRESSIONS & RATING

💚PROS

Sparkly clean and clear neutral timbre
Crisp natural tonality
Balanced energetic dynamics, vibrant
Fast Mid-Bass vibe with rich textured body, fast decays
Intimate Mids with good textured and smoothness
Audible Sub-Bass with mild seismic feedback
Crisp nuanced and smooth details retrieval, transparent
Natural toned guitars, cello, percussions, and piano
Good driving power, 75/100 volume to drive Tin HiFi P1 to proper listening levels
Very conservative on battery drain

💔CONS

Narrow soundstage with clustered in placement
Spatial imaging heavily focused on Left/Right and Top
Poor speed handling that resulted in congestion and compression
Treble extensions audibly rolled off
Grainy treble edges
No hardware volume adjuster

VERDICT

TempoTec Sonata HD II. Honestly, I am disappointed with what I am hearing. One big element that broke this for me is how oddly spaced the soundstage is with too much emphasis on Left/Right spatial staging. For example, while listening to Morrissey, I swear I heard Morrisey singing standing on top of my head while the instruments are left and right focused. Sometimes I heard him singing behind my back!

Speed was underwhelming with audible compression and congestion on complex passages which I believe due to things being spaced too close together. And not forgetting the sporadic coarseness in Treble edges

I tried hard to be merciful on this one but unfortunately the results were consistent across three IEMs I used it on. With the ER4SR, Tin HiFi P1 and even the usually forgiving HZSOUND Heart Mirror, the pattern was consistent.

However, I will not deny that this Sonata HD II does exhibited great clarity and fast punchy bass performance. But I it is hard to enjoy it to the fullest due to the Cons as stated above.