Alpha & Delta D6

ALPHA & DELTA D6 (late) REVIEW :



The magnificent looking Alpha & Delta D6 intrigue me since lot of time, especially because of the marvelous 8 cores cable it have but as well because of sound engineering hide in the housing. I would have like to know exact compenent of 10mm drivers but this is still top secret, but the dual air chamber technology still is something quite rare in IEM world at this price range. Such a serious approach for an acessible price make the budget audiophile in me became obsess to try these and now the day is come and even with long fermented expectation that became surely overly utopic, i’m far from being disapointed by the end result, quite the opposite in fact.



DISCLAIMER :
After reading conflictual reviews and feedback about the D6 -some praising them other being very disapointed by bass performance- I decide to contact directly Alpha & Delta to offer them to write a review in exchange of a discount. In all independance, I choose this model and the AD01 and in no way the nice staffs ask me to compromise my opinion. To stay independant, you have to make your own choice and do not receive dicey reviews sample to promote them. I have no sugar dady above me to tell me what to do and it will stay like this forever.



CONSTRUCTION, ACCESSORIES & DESIGN :



Unboxing experience is very pleasant and generous, we have multiple eartips including silicone and foams tips. We have a ear hook and a cable clip. As well, an extra nice leather case. I don,t think we can ask more, i feel spoiled here.



Construction surpass my expectation even if I see numerous excellent pictures (do reviewers have fancy professional photograph team?), its just supremely amazing for the price and no details was forget, having this type of quality for 100$ is extremely rare because it isn’t crafted just to be a looker, ALL compenents are really high grade! Housing is thick polished metal with 2 vented hole, L jack have a tension release spring to avoid pulling damage, housing cableconnecting have as well rubber protection...well, if I became intensely severe...I will begin to find problem with nozzle mesh I guess wich is not metal but this as well is surely thinked for proper minimal sound filtering. And. I. Don’t. Even.Talk. About this incredible 8 cores SPC cable!!!!!!!!!!! I will tell you a secret : I like to sensuously touch it, like, it give me goosebump and have a stress releive effect on me while listening in the subway etc....yeah, its so sexy it give me an hard on, no wonder I have no girlfriend! Who need one with such a hottie cable! (Okay shut up Nymphono, its embarassing)



(Above is comparaison of A&D 8cores SPC vs some random 4cores SPC cable)

Design is well thinked for sound, durability etc, perhaps a little less for comfort and practicality for 2 reasons : One being that the housing is quite big and long but at least its not heavy, but still, it can perhaps be problematic for small ear or when cable is pull it tend to easily fall. Two is that this oh-so-seductive cable can cause microphonic quite easily, argh why!? But there an easy way to fix BOTH issues : wear it over ear and voila, no microphonic, no falling du to cable pulling.


SOUND :




Overall impressions :
The D6 are something special, and to be honnest, it wasn’t a big WOW first listen first love story, because this isn’t thinked to be over colored in sound rendering and easily entertain your ears and make smile the little immature audio kid in you with a V shape sound and over pushed microdetails. Nope, this is rather serious earphones so it take me a big FIVE big minutes to became utterly passionate by this sumptuously musical master class. I cannot call this brain burn in but more a new respectfull way to concentrate on music and enjoy it with sacred contemplation. The D6 are very accurate and have excellent impact-decay rendering as well as an immersive around your head soundstage with good deep, all this with incredible level of clarity and natural texture that help achieve a superbly realist imaging. Highs are sharp without sibilance and offer good brilliance that do not echo too much as some would be afraid with such a double chamber big housing, here we have serious sound engineering that merit admirative applause because Alpha & Delta have create an affordable audiophile IEM that will stand test of time….wich perhaps explain there 3 years guarantee?



SOUNDSTAGE is like being in an excellent acoustic recording room, not an immense hall, its circular and realist and have excellent deep and above average height. This is clean and the air can flow, but will not expend to the point of saturation.



SOUNDSIGNATURE is difficult to describe because its just slightly colored in all frequencies mids sections in a very subtle way, we have a little bump in mid bass, little bump in mid vocal, and another bump in the highs, I think we can class them in neutral-analytical with ultra extended treble category without being too flat or boring. Even if slightly bright, its not grainy or hissy at all, just sparkly, so I don,t think people that are treble sensitive should be afraid of the D6.



AMPING isn’t a must, but D6 aren’t ultra sensitive IEM either so they perform very good with my Ibasso DX90, Xduoo X20 or DAC-AMP Xduoo XD-05, and will not achieve full potential with Xduoo X3 or my LG G6 (but phone are for audio phonies aren’t they?).



ABOUT EAR TIPS, now, this is something EXTREMELY important and as stated by Twister6 headfier, it can be use to change soundsignature in a more V shaped way and a good one! In fact, when I listen to beat driven electro, i just push my KZ starline eartips and voilà! I can enjoy a more impactfull and bodied bass response with a more fowards energic sound presentation wich is not far from sounding like another IEM. I don’t know if Alpha & Delta think about this aspect creating their D6 because its not explain in there product description, but one thing sure, other iem company should take note of this design approach wich is better than changeable nozzle filter IMO and way more easy to tweak. We often see audiophile playing with vented hole and covering it for extra bass but the fact the venting hole is at the base of nozzle is a game changer in term of easy tweak, for me, its pure genius and a big plus for versatility in soundsignature. Most of time I do not cover venting hole because I prefer a more vast around your head soundstage, but for electro its a must.


SPECIFIC IMPRESSIONS:
(to note, follow sound impressions are with eartips wear the normal way)


(this is the official D6 frequencies response graphic)

BASS is realist and extend deep without lot of rumble but a good amount of punch and lower end extension. It is an agile tigh type of bass that can be very good for rock as well as jazz, because it is able to give fast well textured punch as well as having great extension for acoustic bass note that will neither sound dry or too thick. Listening last Jacob Bro ‘’Returning’’ jazz quartet album is pure delight, it is really as being in the middle of musician and Thomas Morgan upright bass line are to die for, in fact, they kind of steal the show even if percussion, saxo and guitar sound superb too. So, yeah, D6 have a special relationship with acoustic music but at the same time are very versatile. We can feel the fingers of bass player pulling the string and making note impact that extend in vast soundstage naturally, this album rarely or never shine so beautifully than with the D6 to be honnest.



MIDS too are extremely impressive and will became magical with some instruments like violin or saxophone, piano strangely is not as good but still sound above average and very clear. The mids are greatly textured and have nice transparency, wich is how it should be in reality. Taking same ‘,Returning’’ album the saxophone is in front row when the musician is in its solo and will go background when needed, sound expend widely in an airy way, have good textured that do not sound saturated at all, instruments placement around the sax is ultra-realist too. No, even if the frequencies response graph kind of show a big bump in mids, it never feel too fowards or agressive, but it sure aren’t recessed at all, vocal even if greatly textured too will not sound too thick and are just slightly bright with extra presence and intimate presentation that isn’t the widest but shine in the middle of soundstage. Just very rarely we will have some upper mids peak that can give to much resolution to voice microdetails, but some will find this fascinating as it do not create sibilance whatsoever.



HIGHS are very sparkly and nicely sharpened up, the treble extension of D6 is the star of the show and masterfully tweaked for a sub-100$ iem, it remind me of topology drivers find in TOTL earphones like the Hifiman RE-800 but comparatively to the 800 the soundstage is bigger and feel less fowards (yep, I sincerly prefer the 100$ D6 over the 600$ RE-800). Percussion, whatever the number or type used, sound marvellous with controled brilliance and ultimate clarity as well as spot on placement that never feel artificial or too bright. Better is your recording quality more impressive will be the result, well mastered complex eletronic full of sound information will be jaw dropping, as I discover with artist such as Ametsub, Shuta Hasunuma, Objekt or ADR, making this type of bassy but details crowded music incredibly enjoyable. Everytime I hear new details from an IEM I think there nothing more but yeah, D6 proof the contrary and make me say the cliché sentence : I hear new details I never heard before (wich is even more joyfully disturbing with Ibasso DX90). You know, when you listen to your music and got strangely absorb to the point of feel being litteraly swallowed by your earphones or feeling as if you have some type of astral travel experience? D6 do this to me lot of time, its hard to explain, but its a precious mystical experience that i’m sure audiophile crave for.





COMPARAISONS :

VS ALPHA & DELTA AD01 (100$) :

Soundstage of AD01 is wider and slightly taller but not as deep and more frontal than D6. AD01 is way more V shape and bassy, not too say slightly boomy, impact in sub region is hardcore compared to the clearer better extended D6 bass with tigher punch that feel way more realist and have better details without drowning the mids as the AD01 do to some extend. Mids of AD01 have less details and are more shouty and can have bass rumble covering it when a track is too bassy, D6 is in another level with more details and better presence as well as more realist separation from rest of music instrument. Treble of D6 is more extended giving more details and texture but feel less harsh than AD01 wich lack finess and microdetails and is on the overall warm side even if not truely bad in this department (problem being the mids). Construction of D6 is from another level even if do not have detachable cable. Price value is better with D6 wich can compete with higher priced IEM where the AD01 feel slightly too pricy with today budget iem competition.


VS TIN AUDIO T2 (50$) :

Oh, no! The big budget killer come in the ring watch out! Should we be afraid? Nope.

D6 bass is way more realist, dig deeper in a linear way, have more texture as well and more punch wich lack in T2 and make electronic sound quite strange and unbalanced. Still, the very capable T2 have thicker sub and will give more body to cello and make it better sounding. Another time D6 is slightly more intimate with soundstage but have more deep and around your head feel where the T2 is wider and airier but less clear too. Mids of the T2 are wider and have more body but can be a little bright too in upper mids and create very rare sibilance with female vocal where the D6 is more details, clear and transparent without harsh peak. Treble is quite similar with both as they extend alot, but the D6 is better controled and will give a little more micro details and sparkle. About layering and imaging, both are very capable but T2 have more air between instrument, still, as the D6 have more clarity it will deal better with more complex track where the T2 can have too much mixed up decay. Construction of D6 is nicer with its 8 cores SPC cable but its not detachable….even if the 4 cores SPC cable include with T2 turn green after a week. All in all, D6 sound more realist, clear and controled where the T2 sound wider, more mid centric and airier.



VS NiceHCK M6 (110$) :

So now, that’s something very different in term of drivers implementation : the M6 have a dual dynamic+4balanced while the D6 having only one small 10mm dynamic drivers….could it be really a fair fight? Well, yes, because of incredible D6 dynamic driver! But, still, its like making a battle between one incredible fighter against 5 good ones and I will not lie telling its kind of a bizarre fight. M6 is warmer and more V shape, but it could be its force too here. The D6 linear bass feel less excapting but especially less impactfull and physically separated from rest of sound spectrum, the M6 layering and transient response being excellent, bass have more body and thicness without drowning anything in its passage while the D6 feel thin with more texture and details that are harder to hear because it’s low end stay in back stage. Mids in another hand are more present and detailed with D6 and even if brighter than M6 do not have this strange mix of warmnest plus hint of upper range hissing that can occur with M6, vocal are more enjoyable with D6 even if treble is more present. The M6 aren’t really recessed in mid range, just not as resolved as the D6 but the separation is better with M6 and have more space between instrument. Treble is more extended with D6 and highs have more sparkle as well, we can find micro details more easily but M6 have all of them too in the well separated layers of sound present in its vast soundstage. For solo instrument I prefer D6 as it feel it can deal better with faster instrument like Bach solo violin sonata, but M6 have excellent transient response, just less grip and presence in overall technicity of specific intrument. All in all, M6 offer a richer sound experience for tracks with lot of instrument, bassy music or pop while D6 is better for singersongwriter, folk and solo or duo instrumental, both excell in there style and cannot really find a winner here.



CONCLUSION:

I sincerly applause Alpha & Delta audio engineer as well as construction designer here because this type of serious sounding and TOTL looking earphones a rarely seen in 100$ price range and even in sub-200$ one. A&D make a long way in sound maturity from the more tactless AD01 and I can't imagine what they hide for the futur, but have heard a new universal micro drivers iem is on the go. The Alpha & Delta D6 is an extremely well balanced sounding earphones where nothing feel too pushing fowards, it have sumptuous texture in all range and great imaging that do not feel forced or artificial, its really audiophile target but without compromising too much on bass performance and even make it incredible for acoustic bass as well as lower extension. The fact we can tweak soundsignature a little pushing eartips above vented hole is a big plus that make them even more versatile. If you searching for a budget earphones with unbeatable construction and a neutral approach that do as well for critical listener than average music lover with multiple music genre taste, the D6 is an exceptional achievment that will offer you a clear, vivid well layered sound experience that do not forget about musicality importance. If it wasn't for microphonic, I would have give the D6 a 5 stars, but a 100$ I need to be ultra severe even if sound is extremely near to perfection here.

Alpha & Delta is an audio company that started producing their first IEM (The AD01) back in May, 2015, steadily building up their products till their most recent release with the D6 in November, 2017. "Based in Singapore, Alpha & Delta is a work of love by a group of audiophiles with experience in the earphones retail industry. Being avid audiophiles ourselves, we understand what audiophiles want and we strive to produce quality products at an affordable price." - a direct quote from their website and it shows their dedication to that vision with the D6, having 2 goals of excellent sound and durability for it.

I would like to thank Alpha & Delta for providing me with a review sample in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. You can buy the Alpha & Delta D6 at Lend Me UR ears or locally if your retailer has them in stock.



Specification:
Driver unit: 10mm dynamic driver
Impedance: 16 ohm
Rated power: 1mW
Frequency Response: 10 Hz- 40 Khz
Speaker Sensitivity: 105 +/- db/ mW
Cord Length: 1.2m silver plated copper cable (each core contains 22X 0.05 silver plated copper wires)
Plug: 3.5 mm

The 16Ω and 105db sensitivity of the D6 does translate into real world good volume and ease of driveability for even the most modest of sources. Aside from the standard specs, there are two technologies of note with the D6 that makes it a very interesting IEM, "The dual chamber acoustic design redirects reflected sound waves into a uniquely designed second chamber which absorbs these sound waves. This reduces distortion and improves the clarity and soundstage of the earphones" and HDSS or High Definition Sound Standard tech (more details can be found at the HDSS site) and that "Both technologies serves to reduce distortion in earphones, improving clarity and soundstage." Things that are note worthy and what I'll look for in the sound section more deeply.



Unboxing: The Alpha & Delta D6 comes in a simple box with a clear plastic cover displaying the IEMs and branding. It's may not be the most efficient in terms of space saving, the contents will actually surprise you after you open it.



The D6's accessories are pretty generous, there are 9 pairs of silicone tips with various bores and shapes, 1 pair of foam tips, 1 pair of ear wire guide, a shirt wire clip, a leather cable organizer and a beautiful leather pouch. The manual and the IEMs make up the rest of the contents.



Cable: The D6 cable is an eight core silver plated copper (SPC) cable that "allows greater signal transmission, ensuring great clarity." This cable is beautiful to behold, functional, flexible, has softness and has (for me) the perfect mix of smoothness and tactile grip along with a reinforced Y-split with the company branding on the metal housing, it looks high class.





The D6 plug is made of hard plastic, reinforced by a metal sheath and protected by a metal spring at the wire exit of the plug, this helps it absorb impacts and acts a strain relief to help the cable withstand abuse.



Build/Design: In the D6 thumps the diaphragm of a 10mm dynamic that's designed to work with the dual chamber and HDSS system and tuned by Alpha & Delta themselves. Designed like a 'bullet' and machined smooth with no sharp or angular edges, this IEM design translates to a quick insert and removal, and a simple universal fit design. The size and shape of the D6 will very likely protrude from shallower ears and definitely is not the best to wear when you want to sleep while listening to music. And though the provided tips give a good seal music wise, they do not block out external noises well. Like without music playing through it, I could hear the soft hum of the air conditioner as well as most keyboards clicks.



There are 2 outlet holes on the D6, one near the bottom stem of the nozzle and one on top of the shell (has a metal mesh screen), the one near the nozzle helps avoid driver flex and the one on top is part of the dual chamber design and HDSS. There is a very small L and R at the strain relief in the same direction as the nozzle which incidentally is covered by a very fine mesh that will likely protect the insides from small dust particles as well as the occasional ear wax pieces. As a whole, the D6 feels solid and gives you the comfortable feeling of durability.



Sound Analysis: When I first listened to the Alpha & Delta D6, I knew it was good, there was all the things I wanted, good bass, great mids and highs, ample layering prowess and stage with a fun sound signature overall. But I also knew there was more to it than that, the tech involved was relatively new to my ears and my own sound signature bias played a role at first, but slowly, the picture of how the D6 sounds revealed itself the longer I listened to it. And now after 200+ hours of music, I'd like to present my findings.

Bass: The D6 sounds near neutral in the bass department but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. With minimal boosting of the bass, the sub-bass of the D6 sounds natural with it's rather deep extension but average quantity, this translates to the sub-bass reaching deep with a more upbeat rumble. Bass hits with a natural weighted impact, Get Lucky's bass beats will be felt in an unobtrusive but palpable way, I daresay, just the way it was meant to sound and feel without overwhelming the listener. The bass decay is a bit quick and controlled with enough warmth that gives the listener an overall clean yet smooth experience.

Mids: Being a lover of mids and vocals, the D6 gives me a satisfying musical experience as the general middle frequency is slightly forward with very good levels of detail and natural timbre. Vocals sound clean and clear, from a Foggy Day to Photograph, male vocals sound crisp and distinct while female vocals share those traits blended with a more forward position, this allows songs like Do What You Have to Do, to shine with emotive prowess.



Treble: The highs are well extended, defined and controlled, though you won't call the treble smooth, the D6 is neither harsh or sibilant. Listening to Who Will Save Your Soul's acoustic guitar strings floating into your ear with gentle abandon, above and apart from the vocals and other instruments will show how much natural airiness and crispness the D6 has to offer. Details here (applies to all frequencies to some degree really) shine due to the clarity, stage and layering provided by the D6's dual chamber design and HDSS.

Soundstage: The D6, thanks to the two techs designed into it, have a great amount of depth and width in it's soundstage, with sounds and vocals coming more from outside your ear and depending on the track, can extend to a few inches outward in all directions. Positioning is pretty accurate and overall sounds natural, specially for live or acoustic recordings. The separation, layering and detail retrieval is quite good and helps the D6's overall sound to be clean, clear and delicate (ie. very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality - as per dictionary meaning).



Comparison: Ibasso IT01 vs Alpha & Delta D6
Bass: The IT01 has a harder bass impact and a slower more emphasized rumble than the D6 but both have nearly the same depth of extension with the D6 having clearer resolution of bass notes.

Mids: The IT01 has a bit of a V shape to its signature and the mids are a little bit recessed because of it compared to the more forward mids of the D6 in both male and female vocals. The IT01 has a bit more thickness than the more natural tonality of the D6, this gives the perception that the D6 is clearer in comparison and the IT01 smoother.

Treble: The IT01 and D6 have similar tonalities, though the IT01 comes a bit ahead having a little bit more sparkle and the D6 with a little bit more clarity and upward reach in the upper treble area. Control of harshness and sibilance is effective and similar with both the D6 and IT01, but the IT01 sounds a little tight with regards to cymbal crashes where the bloom of the reverberating crash is shorter and sounds a little less natural.

Soundstage: The horizontal stage width of the IT01 is wider than the D6 by a small margin though they share the same height and depth. Detail air, retrieval, separation and layering are again similar overall with a little bit of an advantage towards the D6.



Conclusion: The Alpha & Delta D6 is an excellent sounding balanced IEM with a bit of an emphasis on the mids and vocals, where it's a near perfect blend of natural tone, layering and clarity. Coupled with goodly responsive bass, crisp airy treble, a no fuss beautiful 8-core cable, solid tank like build and amazingly generous accessories backed by a 3 year warranty, the musical D6 is a strong contender for you money in this price bracket. I'd recommend this for daily usage when you just want to leave your TOTL IEMs at home and still have something really good to listen to on your travels or if you like very good mids while having a near natural and balanced sounding IEM with good details, staging and durability.

Pros: Near neutral and responsive bass, clear and detailed mids, spacious and natural highs, good staging and layering, solid build, excellent 8-core cable, amazing accessories, 3 year warranty.

Cons: Non replaceable cable, visual indicator of L and R not easily seen (a Blue/Red color band anywhere near the strain relief and shell could have fixed that)



Sound testing was done using a Sony WM1a (Primarily), a Hiby R6 and Zishan Z1(for comparison) and a phone (for checking driveability) volume matched to 90.X db of max volume for safe hearing below 8 hours of use and calibrated using a 1kh tone on a dedicated DB Meter, all sources patched through a switcher. More information will be available on the About Me page (once I find the time to write it up.)

Alpha Delta D6 - Light Airy Snappy

We just reviewed Alpha Delta D3 a few weeks ago, and we promised we'd return with a review on D6. Costing a little more than D3, we're quite intrigued to see what what Alpha Delta has in store for us at a higher price point.






Introduction

It is safe to say we had a great experience with D3, and while they clearly weren't the most typical IEMs in terms of pure signature and tuning, they surely offered an excellent price and build quality, and most people who own them are having a lot of fun with their purchase, so it would be unfair to speak ill of them. Alpha Delta, an upcoming company from Singapore, is quite friendly, and easy to rely on. We're sure that they will answer all fan and customer mail and that they will be helpful to help you solve any kind of issues, if any are to arise. The fact that their products are built so well is a really nice thing, especially considering the price point those are sold at, but the signature and tuning of D6 won't be the most typical out there either.

It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Alpha Delta, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. This review is not sponsored nor has been paid for by Alpha Delta or anyone else. I'd like to thank Alpha Delta for providing the sample for this review. The sample was provided along with Alpha Delta's request for an honest and unbiased review. This review will be as objective as it is humanly possible, and it reflects my personal experience with Alpha Delta D6. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in Alpha Delta D6 find their next music companion.



About me

https://audiophile-heaven.blogspot.ro/p/about.html



Packaging

First things first, let's get the packaging out of the way:















The package is fairly similar to that of D3, and while not much has changed, not much did have to change. The biggest difference is the fact that now the face of the main package is transparent and one can take a look at D6 before they open the package.

The package is as all-inclusive as ever, Alpha Delta being quite the champs when it comes to including a lot of accessories with their products. There is a carrying case included with D6, which, just like that included with D3, feels more leathery and higher quality than most leather products, probably because of their softness and nice texture of their case.

The other interesting aspect when it comes to the package of their products is that Alpha Delta seems to have a taste for including interesting, although not always quite that useful extras with their IEMs, like those ear hooks.

All in all, with D6 you are receiving a carrying case, three types of silicone tips, each of them in 3 sizes, a shirt clip, and a cable holder.

There's not much we could have asked for from Alpha Delta, and especially not at this price point, the package content is pretty much a golden thingy to have, considering that D6 costs around 100 USD.



What to look in when purchasing an entry-level In-Ear Monitor


https://audiophile-heaven.blogspot.ro/p/what-to-lookl.html



Technical Specifications

Driver unit: 10mm dynamic driver
Impedance: 16 ohm
Rated power: 1mW
Frequency Response: 10 Hz- 40 Khz
Speaker Sensitivity: 105 +/- db/ mW
Cord Length: 1.2m silver plated copper cable (each core contains 22X 0.05 silver plated copper wires)
Plug: 3.5 mm



Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort

The build quality of D6 is excellent, they are build like a tank, they are made out of metal, and their cable is quite thick, slightly soft, so it doesn't prove to be an issue while using them portably, and the IEM body has a pretty ergonomic barrel-type shape, which means that you can wear them both straight-down and over-the-ear.







This might be a little elephant in the room, but there is a huge stress strain relief on the cable, next to their 3.5mm connector. This one is made from what seems to be a spring, and it is quite long, considerably longer than most stress strain reliefs found on other IEMs. This gives D6 a sense of an Industrial-look, and might protect the cable for those who tend to be a little more rough when it comes to the jack and cable of their IEMs.

The overall IEM has one foot in the industrial type of design, while the other foot is placed in the more edgy type of design. The thicker white cable, along with the large stress strain reliefs, and the overall IEM shape feels pretty industrial and will surely appeal to those looking for this kind of IEM, while the metallic surface, along with D6 being very reflective makes them stand out when it comes to their edgy side.

The fit is fairly good, but the IEMs are on the larger size, being shallower in fit when compared to D3, and being harder to fit than their little brothers. The isolation is also much lower, D3 being quite good-isolating, while D6 isn't quite that good in isolation, as they have two vent ports on each IEM, resulting in a pretty airy and open IEM, but sacrificing some isolation along the way. They tend to feel a bit large regardless of how they are worn, so if you have really small ears, D3 or other IEMs might make a better fit, but this isn't very bad, just something we felt we should mention when it comes to D6.

The overall IEM feels really well build and put together, all parts combine well, and everything feels as part of the same IEM, thing which makes us pretty happy, as for this price point, they really feel like solid value right now, especially when it comes to their build quality.



Sound Quality

The signature of D6 is also a pretty odd one. If you haven't read our review on Alpha Delta D3, we invite you to, because a lot of things will make more sense. It seems that Alpha Delta prefers to create more unique tunings for their IEMs, thing which will be quite good for those looking for a more colored signature, but it also means that you should give them a listen before purchasing.



The baseline signature feels natural, light, tight, airy, really well expanded, thin, really well extended in the treble, while the bass is pretty well extended, but the amount gets lower especially once you drop lower than 50 Hz. Basically, they sound like a pretty good midrange pair of bookshelf speakers would sound like in general, with a really large soundstage, clear airy musical note rendering, but with a bass that is less in amount than the midrange and the treble. The midrange is mostly quite natural, voices, and especially female voices feeling natural and well presented, while male voices feel a tad thin at times, especially when you're listening to death metal.

Starting with the bass, the bass is tight, and extends pretty low, but it is considerably lower in amount when compared to the midrange and the treble. This makes it also pretty light and fast, but it doesn't have a lot of impact, most of the impact in D6 being found in their midrange and treble. This also means that one will be able to distinguish fine nuances in the bass pretty well, especially for the price point of D6, but ultimately, if you're a basshead, D6 won't provide the deep and rattling type of bass bassheads are searching for.

The midrange is open, clear and pretty darn sweet. The midrange doesn't have a significant dip or peak in its range, but it is a little forward when compared to the bass, and it is pretty much at the same level as the treble. The tonality is natural, to slightly thin, thing which works very well with gentle female vocals, but doesn't work as well with male vocals, especially if the male vocals are supposed to be deep and strong, like those in death metal music, but music that's supposed to be more calm works really well, especially Pop, Jazz, and classical Rock or Heavy Metal.

The treble is well extended and airy, it has a good amount of sparkle and energy to it, but it is on the smoother side texture-wise being more the non-fatiguing type rather than the busy and grainy type. There's fun in every song, and everything sounds exciting and interesting, without becoming too hot. There's not much of a peak or a dip here either, the treble being extended until 9 - 11 kHz, after which is falls down very slowly, resulting in an extended and airy sound.



Now, one thing we didn't really mention, but other reviewers did start with, is that you can get another kind of signature from D6. In short, there is a vent port on the bore / the tube that enters the ear, which you can cover with the silicone tip. We generally advise against this because it leads to issues with the comfort, since if you do this, D6 has driver flex, and isn't nearly as comfortable as when the silicone tip is seated normally, but covering that port basically recovers the bass to a normal to bass-head levels, thickens the sound, all while keeping the PRaT and ADSR characteristics intact, along with D6's airy and well extended sound. Actually, if the comfort could be better with that port covered, this would be a true champ in this price range, but as things are, we can't say this is the best solution, more like a compromise you might want to look into, if you want one of the most interesting V-shaped signatures.



Soundstage

The soundstage of Alpha Delta D6 is extremely wide, precise, with a really amazing instrument separation and a great overall imaging. There's literally only good to speak about their soundstage, and it is much much more extended than we'd have expected or assumed it would be before listening to them, but the main downside is that it comes at the cost of bass. With the frontal vent covered, this soundstage is affected a little, but still is amazingly large, while with the front port open, the sound is really well extended without any issues. If you're looking for a really airy sound, with a large soundstage and outstanding instrument separation, especially for 100 USD, then D6 surely will not disappoint.



ADSR / PRaT

The ADSR and PRaT (Texturization) is natural to quick, guitars and other instruments having excellent overall textures. There isn't quite that much to talk about since they still are within the revealing abilities of 100USD IEMs, but the overall sound is revealing and slightly analytical, having a great amount of juicy detail and textures in guitars, and most instruments not feeling smooth or liquid, but neither too textury or revealing.



Portable Usage

The portable usage is, in one word, good.

Alpha Delta D6 is very easy to drive from most portable sources, so that will not be an issue for anyone who's planning on taking them on a walk, and they are quite comfortable, their cables being the right type of cables to have on a IEM to want on a IEM you take on a walk with you, but where they lose in portability is in their isolation, which, is not quite that good in the end.





There is no driver flex, no microphonics, no issue we can note. They aren't especially prone to hiss, there being almost no hiss with Hiby R6, and you can pair them with most smartphones and still get great results, so there's no issue with using them portably.

Since they are pretty comfortable, they won't cause issues like the IEMs falling out of the ears while walking, or even jogging, and there is a wide selection of tips included in the package when you purchase D6, but if you plan on walking through an area with large amounts of noise, you might wish for a bit more isolation. Covering the frontal vent port does help with the isolation, but only so much, so in the end you might want to take a look at something slightly more isolating, like even Alpha Delta D3, if you are a really quiet listener who goes through high-noise areas with your IEMs, although D6 will do just fine if you walk through a park and listen at moderate or higher volumes.

All in all, their portability remains good, but if you're looking for something to always have on you while walking, there are slightly better options out there, even Alpha Delta's own D3 being slightly better in this aspect.



Comparisons

All the IEMs D6 is compared to are from a similar price range, but with different tunings and signatures.



Alpha Delta D6 vs Westone UM1 - Starting with the build quality and the package, the most interesting aspect is that the two are similar in most aspects, just not the fact that UM1 comes in plastic, with a full plastic shell, and has a thinner cable, while D6 comes in a metallic shell, and has a thick and reliable cable. On the other hand, of the two, UM1 has detachable cables, while D6 does not. The isolation is much stronger on UM1, which is small and closed, has a really deep fit which will cut you out from the outside noise, while D6 is pretty open in its nature. The tuning is extremely different, with UM1 being dynamic, impactful, thick, bassy, warm, dark, smooth and slightly intimate, D6 being, by comparison, extremely open, light, dynamic, quick, revealing, airy, and brighter. If you're looking at the comfort, UM1 tends to have a smaller shell and be more comfortable, while D6 has a larger overall body, but not by a large margin. For a more versatile IEM, with more detail, we recommend D6, while if you're looking for a really thick and warm IEM with a relaxing overall signature, UM1 sure is still amazing.

Alpha Delta D6 vs FiiO F9 - FiiO F9 comes with a more advanced package, and although their carrying box isn't half as soft to the touch as that of D6, it is much more useful, as F9's Peli-kind of carrying box will ensure the safety of your IEMs, even if it falls out onto the pavement, or if you step on it, while the carrying box of D6 will not protect them against pressure as well, being a soft-carrying pouch. The cables are detachable on F9, and the version we tested also came with two cables, one of which is Balanced, so there's a little plus in value there, but the single cable on D6 is thicker in size and looks a bit more pro-like in direct comparison. The cables of F9 being a bit thinner might also be a plus for their portability. The isolation is much stronger on F9, which is a really well-isolating IEM, especially when compared to D6, which is pretty open in its nature. The comfort is similar between the two, although F9 has a smaller body, but F9 can only be worn over-the-ear, while D6 can be worn straight-down as well. The tuning is a little different, with F9 having a bit more bass, slower overall transient response (so a smoother overall texture rendering), a bit of a peak in the hot area of the treble (6-9kHz), and a bit more emphasis on emotion. The D6 quickly makes itself remarked with a lighter and a quicker sound (so more texture revealing abilities), more emphasis on air and soundstage size, with its soundstage being larger, with more instrument separation, with a slightly thinner midrange, and with less bass amounts. The overall feeling is that F9 is a bit more intimate, but a bit more even and more natural, while D6 is lighter, more revealing, but with less impact in the bass compared to F9, although it does have a larger soundstage.

Alpha Delta D6 vs Kinera H3 - Kinera H3 is an interesting IEM to compare D6 to, because most people might feel that the two are similar, especially if not paying utmost attention to some details in the sonic descriptions of the two IEMs, but starting with the build quality, although H3 has detachable cables, and comes with a good, hard carrying case, it has a larger IEM body, it suffers from Driver Flex, and it has plastic bodies, while D6 has metallic bodies, has no driver flex if the tips are positioned in the normal position, so not covering the vent port, and D6 has a nicer (thicker and more reliable) cable, which is less prone to tangle by default. The comfort can become affected by driver flex on D6 as well, if you cover the frontal vent port. The noise isolation on H3 is much better, since they are both closed, and larger in size, blocking more noise passively. The sonic character of the two IEMs is quite different, especially in the midrange. The bass presentation is quite different as well, with H3 having a deeper bass, with more emphasis on the bass impact, although it has a similarly tight and quick bass like D6, where D6 has less bass in amount in the general sense. The midrange is where the largest difference is, with D6 being much more forward in the midrange, while H3 is much more recessed in the midrange, H3 having almost 20 dB of midrange recession compared to their treble, while D6 barely has any. This results in a distant midrange for H3, while it also results in a slightly forward one for D6, especially by direct comparison. The treble, on the other hand, is quite enhanced on Kinera H3. D6 has its treble in line with the midrange, while H3 has its treble boosted by about 20 dB when compared to its midrange, leading to a really V-shaped sound that can be a bit too much, especially with certain music styles. In direct comparison, D6 feels more even, with only the bass being a bit lower than one might ideally want for most music styles, and a bit tighter as well, but with the PRaT and ADSR being really good and the soundstage being really open, while H3 feels a bit more detailed, but with a much more uneven signature, which is aggressively V-shaped and aggressively bright, with a really analytical side to it, which will reveal details more, and with a more intimate soundstage. Both IEMs do extremely well in terms of instrument separation. At the end of the day, D6 is the more universal IEM here, but H3 is a magical, unique IEM which still has a special place in our hearts. We'd recommend D6 for someone who is looking for a light and open-sounding IEM with a vast soundstage, and H3 to those looking for a more V-shaped experience, with more bass, and with more isolation from the noise.



Recommended Pairings

Alpha Delta D6 reponds fairly well to being paired with a higher-end source, but this doesn't seem to be absolutely essential, and they will work just as well with a less expensive source, like the average smartphone.



Alpha Delta D6 + Cayin N5ii - N5ii is still a favorite source for us, since Cayin managed to not only give it a good price, but two microSD slots, a beautiful design, streaming abilities, and Android firmware, so the abilities of this one are practically endless. The sound is slightly warmer and thicker than with most sources, thing which is great for D6, since they were a bit on the thinner side and had a light bass. You can also apply a bit of EQ to D6, leading to a thicker and stronger sound, since N5ii has this ability hassle-free.

Alpha Delta D6 + FiiO M7 - FiiO M7 is another favorite ultra-portable, which is able to give a lot of life to D6. Although D6 isn't wireless, so you aren't taking advantage of M7's strongest point, M7 has a great neutral sound, and it has support for EQ profiles from FiiO's app, so you can always give D6 a thicker sound by increasing the first 3 sliders of that EQ with a few dB's. If you're planning to get M7 soon, FiiO also has a little sale for it, where they include FiiO F9 SE with it, so together with D6, you'd have two different signatures to enjoy and switch between when you want to try something new.

Alpha Delta D6 + Burson Play - Since we considered the pairing with M7 and N5ii, we should also try D6 with a true desktop-class device, like Burson Play, which is an amazing DAC/AMP for desktop. Compared to most sources, it seems to have a better extension both ways, and a more energetic overall sound. Textures seem slightly enhanced, and the impulse response time seems a tad quicker, while the overall sound just feels more vivid and open. Since we're talking about a DAC/AMP which can also run from Windows, you have the might of Roon and other high-end software at your fingertips, including high-quality DSPs like EQ profiles to change the tuning of D6 and add more bass to them.



Value and Conclusion

Listening to Alpha Delta D6 has been a lot of fun, and with the tuning Alpha Delta gave to it, it will be a lot of fun for other listeners as well.





Starting with their price, they are priced at roughly 100 USD, which places them in a pretty heated market segment, where a lot of IEMs pop up, but only the strong survive for a little longer.

They are up against many, but Alpha Delta has taken the right steps by giving D6 a great build quality, and a great package. In fact, they are made out of metal, while their cable is one of the thickest and most serious-looking on a IEM at this price, with the only serious downside being the fact that the cable is not detachable, so you'll need to send them to Alpha Delta if any problem is to arise. On the other hand, they have taken some great steps in making sure that the cable will last for a long while, having included a very serious stress strain relief on the cable, along with a high build quality for the whole IEM.

The package comes with more tips than you could wish for, and the carrying box, while not exactly protective, is one of the finest coming with a IEM, if we're talking about the aesthetics and the softness to the touch. There are ear hooks, and a shirt clip in the package as well, and while we feel most users will not require any of those, they sure are nice to have in a package for those who will require them.

The sound quality, and the tuning, ultimately, are something unique. D6 doesn't focus on the bass, instead focusing on the midrange and the treble, and giving music a tight, light, quick, and airy feeling, just like a pair of bookshelf speakers would usually do. You have access to all the might of your favorite music, along with the soundstage of a much more open listening setup. The sound is generally dynamic and vivid, with good detail and with a playful approach, while the treble is smooth, but well extended. What should drive your decision is whether you prefer a tighter or a larger bass, although even that can be fixed either via EQ, or via strapping the silicone tips over the front vent, resulting in even more usage scenarios for your D6.



If you're looking for a fun, light, open-sounding, accessible, and well-build In-Ear Monitor, then Alpha Delta D6 is surely worth looking into, and if you're the type who prefers a lighter and a tighter bass, a more airy sound, with a larger soundstage, and with an amazing amount of detail and textures, then you should really add them to your shortlist, because those will surely bring you a lot of fun if you decide to get them.



I hope my review is helpful to you!



Stay safe and remember to always have fun while listening to music!



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