Malaysian #donglemadness tour by Ahnal Husaini (twiceboss on Head-Fi)
#donglemadness Andy EF Thanks for lending me these worthy dongles, my fellow Malaysian audiophile. This is the time to reveal my impressions on these.Note that my own desktop dac is Matrix XSabre paired up with Heron 5, driving my HD800 which is very pricey and these dongles are from my honest perspective. Some of them are very good. Some of them don’t really wow me.Listening has been done through my computer. With few transducers; Tanchjim Oxygen, Darling.
ESS Sabre
Apogee Groove – Very good sabre implementation, strong dynamics with a very low hint of sabre pinna character, no sibilant whatsoever. Highs are great and staging is outstanding. The most spacious out of all
Hidizs S9 Pro – decent implementation but the sabre character is quite strong here where the pinna peak can be heard. Sounds more compressed than Apogee and less spread/balance. Probably my least favourite.
Asus Clavis – almost zero sabre pinna character. Most clean out of sabre dac I’ve ever heard. Less likely having a unique character as it is very clean sounding and balance. This one is impressively clean and very good.
E1DA 9038s Tube Mode – this one is on a dead neutral source with a smooth highs. Good at detailing and separation but quite intimate compare to other top tier like apogee.
Xnyocn Q2 – I don’t have much listening time with this as it doesn’t work on my computer. Has the least listening time with my iPod so I refuse to give my ideas on this.Cirrus Logic1. Sonata Pro HD* – vocal and mids master as it has the fullest mids without having bass bloat though it is quite intimate. Vocals appears to be the highlight which consist of impressive body. However, I would like if it has a tad more sparkle and air (not saying it lacks of them but I feel like these will make this a perfect dongle! at least to my taste and preference at this price range)2. Jcally jm10 – I believe this has been flashed to sonata and it sounds the same.
AKM
Ovidius B1 – astonishingly powerful that it needs impedance adapter (comes with it) for iems. Not sure what value the adapter given but still it just needs about 30% to 45% to reach very loud listening level. Without the adapter, any iems will hiss crazily (except some real unsensitive iems) but safely I could say any iems needs the adapter. The AKM house sound is pronounced in this dac and it is very well tuned. Subbass has very good extension and the overall dynamic is very good. The difference in dynamics between sonata and B1 is easily noticeable.
Realtek
Xumee – this is a neutral source. Even cleaner than the apple dongle usb C from (hearing comparison), so don’t quote me on measurement you (measurebators). Impressive from the lowest to top end. Though, from these all, it doesn’t really stand out to me.
VE Odyssey HD 2.5mm – Surprisingly great separation and layering. The dongle is capable to bring some great nuances to your listening session. I think this dongle surpasses my expectation and it deserves a free recommendation if you think you want something is a crystal clear source and has very good extension upper end.*worth the price**definite an easy rec. Most probably, I’m getting Odyssey HD for myself 
Edit: ordered one!
Original Post can be read here: FB Link
Back to #donglemadness
Andy.EF AudioVault 