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DAC Chip: BES3002 DAC (Single)
PCM 24bit – 96khz, SNR: -100dB, Power: 62mW 32Ω Adaptive , USB Type-C Male, 3.5mm SE (Microphone: Unspecified), 90mm, 18g, Aluminum Chassis, OFC Cable

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Listening Equipment: Etymotic ER4SR, ER2XR, Shure KSE1500, TIN HiFi P1, HZSOUND Heart Mirror

LISTENING EQUIPMENT USED IMPARTED HUGE INFLUENCE TO SOUND IMPRESSIONS & RATING

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💚PROS

• Clean organic neutral timbre with balanced tonality
• Well controlled dynamics, with smooth presentation
• Surprisingly well nuanced Micro and Macro details
• Balanced Mids with great textures and definition, natural toned Male/Female vocals
• Smooth sparkly Treble with crisp decays, great extensions
• Fast, impactful Mid-Bass with equally fast decays
• Sub-Bass offers audible seismic response with mild decays.
• Smooth guitars, piano, percussions (chimes, bells) and drums and taps
• Well-rounded soundstage size with good depth and placement
• Good holographic spatial imaging with proper placement
• Clean background, zero floor noises
• Great for modern and pop music
• Commendable driving power for magnetic planars at 80/100 (good listening level)
• Sounds fantastic with HZSOUND Heart Mirror

💔CONS

• Driving power could be a bit more.
• Speed and transients may suffer congestion on complex songs, somewhat erratic performance
• Layers a bit tightly spaced and can sound cramped depending on complexities.
• Being organic sounding, it may be perceived as not technically adept (depends on IEM type)
• No volume adjuster

VERDICT

UGREEN Type-C (AV161). Another great example of great sound does not necessarily be expensive. This AV161 is a spartan unit with just 24bit-96Khz resolution, No MQA, No DSD. However, it delivers great sound that is well balanced. Not too bright and not too bassy, well-spaced Mids. It drives my 66mm Monolith M565c magnetic planar at 80/100 volume without any issue, meaty and smooth enough to be enjoyable. Yes, transparency could be better, the silver lining of this – it will sound good on any quality of sources be it Lo-Fi or even bad recordings. The use of this UGREEN AV161 will be best served for anything below 60Ω and no lower than 100db of sensitivity.

⭐⭐⭐ ($6.50)

Best Pairing: Flexible IEMs/Headphones (60Ω max)

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