Audirect Atom 2 MQA Portable Amp-DAC
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Disclaimer:
I received the Audirect Atom 2 as part of a review tour in my country organized by Hifigo.com. I am not associated with either Hifigo or Audirect in any way and have no incentive whatsoever to write anything positive or negative about the unit. The Audirect Atom 2 can be purchased from Hifigo.com using the following link:
https://hifigo.com/products/audirect-atom2-mqa-hifi-portable-usb-dac-amplifier
Introduction:
Portable dacamps are more of a necessity these days as smartphone manufacturers have ditched the 3.5mm port. Let’s see how well the Audirect Atom 2 stands amidst the plethora of options available in the market. At 80 USD, the Atom 2 is definitely not on the cheaper side. I’m assuming the MQA certification, is one of the likely reasons for the somewhat high price tag.
The Atom 2 however, does look and feel like it's worth the money. The steel body with a splash of red feels premium and inspires confidence in terms of build quality. Given the shape, it seems to be more durable than the ddHifi TC35b, which in my opinion is a huge plus point. The Atom 2 is based on an ESS DAC chip, namely ES9281AC, and supports full MQA decoding. The Atom 2 has an LED indicator to indicate the type of file being played. The indicators are:
Red: 44.1/48kHz PCM
Blue: 88kHz – 384 kHz PCM
Green: 705 – 768kHz PCM
Yellow: DoP
White: DSD Native
Magenta: MQA
Gear:
I used the Atom 2 primarily with a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus and just for the heck of it, connected it with my DAP, Sony NW-ZX507. Gear used was mostly IEMs, although I did use it with a Shure SRH1540 as well. In terms of power, the Atom 2 was able to drive my IEMs easily though it did seem to lack the power to drive the SRH1540 to its potential. In terms of battery drain, the drain wasn’t too much, though the unit did heat up quite a bit after using it for an hour or so.
Sound Quality:
The Atom 2 has a good presence in the sub-bass and mid-bass regions. There is good rumble and depth to the bass, with the bass thankfully not bleeding into the mids or overpowering the midrange. The bass is smooth and has a good texture with sufficient emphasis on the mid-bass, without making it sound too hollow or shallow. The midrange was great with vocals sounding lush. The good thing is that the mids aren’t overemphasized, thereby resulting in a good tonal balance and sounding coherent for the most part. The Timbre of the Atom 2 was especially smooth and evokes a sense of warmth that is usually not found on ESS chips. The overall sound, however, is not warm but more towards the neutral side. Those who complain of ESS sounding too bright should give the Atom 2 a try. The good thing about the Atom 2 is that it maintains the crispiness in the treble that one would expect from an ESS DAC, yet it doesn’t sound too bright or piercing. The treble is overall smooth and well extended. The Atom 2 is quite an analytical DAC that reproduces the tracks faithfully and will expose flaws in the source. If you have a poorly mastered track, it will sound bad on the Atom 2. However, a well-mastered track (especially MQA) will sound phenomenal on the Atom 2 (provided that the IEM is capable).
In terms of resolution, the Atom 2 is very capable and is capable of revealing details, though it does show its limitation in busy tracks, especially when compared to the internal DAC of the NW-ZX507. Atom 2 has a wide soundstage and the imaging is excellent. The Atom 2 has somewhat of a holographic presentation akin to the AM3D module on FiiO Q5s, with deep hitting bass and high precision in terms of details.
Conclusion:
Given the compact form factor, the excellent build quality, and the sonic performance, the Atom 2 is an excellent option as a portable DAC. It may not be very musical but it has excellent detail retrieval and a well-balanced sound signature. Perhaps, my only gripe is that in spite of being 3.5mm only, it doesn’t support an inline mic. Thus, making it less practical for someone like me who keeps switching between music and calls on my phone. Else, I’d definitely recommend the Atom 2 for anyone who’s looking for a portable DAC with excellent detail retrieval and a neutral sound signature.
I received the Audirect Atom 2 as part of a review tour in my country organized by Hifigo.com. I am not associated with either Hifigo or Audirect in any way and have no incentive whatsoever to write anything positive or negative about the unit. The Audirect Atom 2 can be purchased from Hifigo.com using the following link:
https://hifigo.com/products/audirect-atom2-mqa-hifi-portable-usb-dac-amplifier
Introduction:
Portable dacamps are more of a necessity these days as smartphone manufacturers have ditched the 3.5mm port. Let’s see how well the Audirect Atom 2 stands amidst the plethora of options available in the market. At 80 USD, the Atom 2 is definitely not on the cheaper side. I’m assuming the MQA certification, is one of the likely reasons for the somewhat high price tag.
The Atom 2 however, does look and feel like it's worth the money. The steel body with a splash of red feels premium and inspires confidence in terms of build quality. Given the shape, it seems to be more durable than the ddHifi TC35b, which in my opinion is a huge plus point. The Atom 2 is based on an ESS DAC chip, namely ES9281AC, and supports full MQA decoding. The Atom 2 has an LED indicator to indicate the type of file being played. The indicators are:
Red: 44.1/48kHz PCM
Blue: 88kHz – 384 kHz PCM
Green: 705 – 768kHz PCM
Yellow: DoP
White: DSD Native
Magenta: MQA
Gear:
I used the Atom 2 primarily with a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus and just for the heck of it, connected it with my DAP, Sony NW-ZX507. Gear used was mostly IEMs, although I did use it with a Shure SRH1540 as well. In terms of power, the Atom 2 was able to drive my IEMs easily though it did seem to lack the power to drive the SRH1540 to its potential. In terms of battery drain, the drain wasn’t too much, though the unit did heat up quite a bit after using it for an hour or so.
Sound Quality:
The Atom 2 has a good presence in the sub-bass and mid-bass regions. There is good rumble and depth to the bass, with the bass thankfully not bleeding into the mids or overpowering the midrange. The bass is smooth and has a good texture with sufficient emphasis on the mid-bass, without making it sound too hollow or shallow. The midrange was great with vocals sounding lush. The good thing is that the mids aren’t overemphasized, thereby resulting in a good tonal balance and sounding coherent for the most part. The Timbre of the Atom 2 was especially smooth and evokes a sense of warmth that is usually not found on ESS chips. The overall sound, however, is not warm but more towards the neutral side. Those who complain of ESS sounding too bright should give the Atom 2 a try. The good thing about the Atom 2 is that it maintains the crispiness in the treble that one would expect from an ESS DAC, yet it doesn’t sound too bright or piercing. The treble is overall smooth and well extended. The Atom 2 is quite an analytical DAC that reproduces the tracks faithfully and will expose flaws in the source. If you have a poorly mastered track, it will sound bad on the Atom 2. However, a well-mastered track (especially MQA) will sound phenomenal on the Atom 2 (provided that the IEM is capable).
In terms of resolution, the Atom 2 is very capable and is capable of revealing details, though it does show its limitation in busy tracks, especially when compared to the internal DAC of the NW-ZX507. Atom 2 has a wide soundstage and the imaging is excellent. The Atom 2 has somewhat of a holographic presentation akin to the AM3D module on FiiO Q5s, with deep hitting bass and high precision in terms of details.
Conclusion:
Given the compact form factor, the excellent build quality, and the sonic performance, the Atom 2 is an excellent option as a portable DAC. It may not be very musical but it has excellent detail retrieval and a well-balanced sound signature. Perhaps, my only gripe is that in spite of being 3.5mm only, it doesn’t support an inline mic. Thus, making it less practical for someone like me who keeps switching between music and calls on my phone. Else, I’d definitely recommend the Atom 2 for anyone who’s looking for a portable DAC with excellent detail retrieval and a neutral sound signature.
Disclaimer:
The unit was provided was provided by HiFiGo in exchange for my honest opinions. This is not a Paid review. You can buy the same by clicking here.
Technical Specifications:
Build:
One Word for the Build…Excellent! The Body is made of steel and there is an attractive red coat on it makes it a fingerprint magnet as well. Rest…All is good.
Chain used:
Samsung Galaxy S10>UAPP/Neutron Player>Kinera Skuld/Kinera Norn/T3 Plus/Yuan Li and a few more.
Power:
Needless to say that all of these IEMs were relatively easy to drive and I have not tested any HP on Atom 2. I faced no issues while driving these IEMs.
Sound Impressions:
Bass:
The Bass is in great shape. Atom 2 adds Depth and Quality to the Bass response of the IEMs. The mid-bass is given a textured presence and also the bass doesn’t overpower the mids at all. So, there is that. Sub-bass became tighter as well. The rumbles were strong enough for me.
Mids:
The Mids are in balanced mode as well. Since there is no bass bleed, the vocals come out cleanly. The busy tracks were handled with ease and there was no congestion whatsoever. The separation was on point as well and the was sufficient air as well. Overall…Atom 2 has tight control over mIds as well.
Highs:
The Treble extension is handled diligently by Atom 2. This also depends on the chain that you are using but for all the IEMs that I used I felt that treble was well extended and non-fatiguing as well. So, a smooth presentation on the higher end.
Imaging and Technicalities:
As mentioned earlier, the imaging is great, the staging is wide, and the imaging is on-point.
Conclusion:
In the jungle of so many dongle dacs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a separate identity. Atom 2 has managed to do that with an extremely compact design and enough zing to drive most of the IEMs. You can go for Atom 2 if you are looking for:
The unit was provided was provided by HiFiGo in exchange for my honest opinions. This is not a Paid review. You can buy the same by clicking here.
Technical Specifications:
- Premium ES9281AC DAC Chip.
- Full MQA decoding.
- PCM up to 32-Bit/768kHz decoding.
- DSD512 decoding.
- Premium Crystal Oscillator.
- Compact and lightweight.
- Multi-color LED notification.
- THD+N: 0.0004%.
- Frequency response: 20Hz-40kHz.
- SNR: 118dB.
- Output type: 3.5mm single-ended.
- Output power: ≥30mW(16Ω), ≥62mW(32Ω), ≥7mW(600Ω).
- Red: 44.1/48kHz PCM
- Blue: 88kHz – 384 kHz PCM
- Green: 705 – 768kHz PCM
- Yellow: DoP
- White: DSD Native
- Magenta: MQA
Build:
One Word for the Build…Excellent! The Body is made of steel and there is an attractive red coat on it makes it a fingerprint magnet as well. Rest…All is good.
Chain used:
Samsung Galaxy S10>UAPP/Neutron Player>Kinera Skuld/Kinera Norn/T3 Plus/Yuan Li and a few more.
Power:
Needless to say that all of these IEMs were relatively easy to drive and I have not tested any HP on Atom 2. I faced no issues while driving these IEMs.
Sound Impressions:
Bass:
The Bass is in great shape. Atom 2 adds Depth and Quality to the Bass response of the IEMs. The mid-bass is given a textured presence and also the bass doesn’t overpower the mids at all. So, there is that. Sub-bass became tighter as well. The rumbles were strong enough for me.
Mids:
The Mids are in balanced mode as well. Since there is no bass bleed, the vocals come out cleanly. The busy tracks were handled with ease and there was no congestion whatsoever. The separation was on point as well and the was sufficient air as well. Overall…Atom 2 has tight control over mIds as well.
Highs:
The Treble extension is handled diligently by Atom 2. This also depends on the chain that you are using but for all the IEMs that I used I felt that treble was well extended and non-fatiguing as well. So, a smooth presentation on the higher end.
Imaging and Technicalities:
As mentioned earlier, the imaging is great, the staging is wide, and the imaging is on-point.
Conclusion:
In the jungle of so many dongle dacs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a separate identity. Atom 2 has managed to do that with an extremely compact design and enough zing to drive most of the IEMs. You can go for Atom 2 if you are looking for:
- Good addition in Bass.
- Clean Mids.
- Smooth Treble.
- MQA.
- DSD512
The Audirect Atom 2 is a compact digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and amplifier combination unit which connects to the transport device via USB-C. The Atom 2 was provided to me for review by ShenzhenAudio, where it is available for purchase for $79.99.
HEADPHONES:
I have used the Audirect Atom 2 with the following headphones:
- Moondrop S8
- Moondrop Variations
- Moondrop Quarks
- SeeAudio Yume
- Nicehck ME80
MUSIC:
I have tested these headphones with local FLAC and Spotify Premium. Visit my last.fm page to get an idea of what I listen to:XenosBroodLord’s Library | Last.fm
I did not use the Atom 2 to play any Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) files in my evaluation and will not address MQA in my review other than to say this: I am strongly opposed to MQA and view its inclusion on any device as superfluous if not an outright negative. It is an anti-consumer, objectively inferior medium to lossless Pulse-Code Modulation. Please refer to Archimago’s review of the controversies surrounding MQA or GoldenSound’s video on MQA for deeper dives on the topic.
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:
The Audirect Atom 2 comes in a rectangular deep blue box. The lid of the box is embossed with the Audirect logo, and technical specifications for the Atom 2, as well as Audirect’s corporate contact information, are provided on the rear of the box. The adapter is held in a foam mounting sheet inside the box. In addition to the Atom 2 itself, the box contains a user manual with appropriately brief instructions as well as a reference guide for the Atom 2’s indicator light.
The Atom 2 also comes with a USB-C female to USB-A male adapter. This adapter breaks USB specifications and does not have active circuitry to prevent backpower. I do not recommend using this adapter. If you must use an adapter like this with the Atom 2 or any other USB-C dongle DAC/AMP, I recommend the ones from CableCreation, which does have this important safety feature.
DESIGN, BUILD QUALITY, AND AESTHETICS:
The Audirect Atom 2 has an ultra-compact block-like design. The body of the device is a polished slab of copper-zinc alloy with a chrome red faceplate. The Audirect logo and “ATOM 2” printed in white on the faceplate. The USB-C male connector protrudes straight out of the back of the device, and the single-ended 3.5mm jack is set into one of the side faces. There is an indicator light on the top face of the Atom 2 which displays different colors depending on the sample rate and format of the material being played back. “AUDIRECT CO., LTD.” is etched below the USB-C connector on the transport-facing side of the Atom 2, and the MQA logo appears off to the side of the connector.
The biggest problem with the Atom 2’s design is that its finish is a fingerprint magnet. In addition, the seam between the body and the faceplate accumulated a small amount of grime over the course of my evaluation. One final nitpick I have with the Atom 2 is the inconsistent font choices for different bits of text on the device. The faceplate logo, device name, and company name all use different fonts. It would have been more consistent to use the same font used in the logo for all the text on the device.
POWER DELIVERY:
The Audirect Atom 2 is powerful enough to drive just about any in-ear monitor. I reach my typical listening volume with my phone’s system volume set to 58% with the hardish-to-drive Moondrop S8. On Windows, I reach the same volume at a system volume setting of 40/100.
POWER CONSUMPTION AND HEAT MANAGEMENT:
The following power consumption measurements were taken while the Audirect Atom 2 was in use:
Audirect Atom 2 (In-Use)
The Audirect Atom 2’s power consumption while in use is roughly comparable to the Hiby FC3 and Meizu HiFi Pro. The power draw is higher than that of the gold standard for USB-C audio devices, the Apple dongle:
Apple Dongle (In-Use)
The Atom 2 does have a standby mode that kicks in when the device is plugged in without a connected headphone:
Audirect Atom 2 (Standby)
While heat management is adequate for a typical multi-hour listening session, the Atom 2 can get very hot if left playing overnight. It does cool off quickly once playback is discontinued in this scenario.
STANDARDS COMPLIANCE AND FUNCTIONALITY:
The Audirect Atom 2 correctly implements Android’s headset button standards. This means that the Atom 2 registers button presses on the attached analog headset and correctly triggers the appropriate behavior (play/pause, volume-up, volume-down, and voice assistant).
The Atom 2 also correctly sends connector status to the host device. When connected to a USB-C port but not connected to a headset, the Atom 2 is not accessible as an output device. The Atom 2 becomes the active output only when connected to a headset. Disconnecting the headset but leaving the Atom 2 connected to the USB-C port returns audio playback to the previously used audio output.
Both of the Atom 2’s connectors fit snugly and I did not have any issues with playback being discontinued by jostling the connectors in the pocket or otherwise disturbing the transport device.
SOUND:
While the Audirect Atom 2’s sound quality is adequate for portable use, over the course of my evaluation I could not shake the sense that it was slightly inferior in terms of resolution and detail retrieval to my favorite source device, the Hidizs S9. I routinely felt that transient delivery was slightly blunted in comparison. In a volume-matched(<.1 dB), sighted, non-instantaneous switching (1–3 second delay) comparison of the Atom 2 and the S9, this impression held true. There seemed to be slightly less definition to notes and less space around them, and transient delivery seemed slightly less precise. The difference is very small and only evident to me in a quiet home environment with the Moondrop S8, which is by nearly all accounts an incredibly resolving monitor. I discovered in my review of the E1DA 9038S that I could hear the differences between digital filters, and I suspect that is the reason for my perception.
CLOSING WORDS:
The Audirect Atom 2’s primary differentiating factors are its extremely compact form factor and its laudable standards compliance. In most other respects, it is adequate but not exceptional.
The Audirect Atom 2 can be purchased below:
Audirect Atom2 MQA ES9281AC Chip Support DSD512 32bit/768kHz HiFi Por (shenzhenaudio.com)
If you enjoyed this review, please consider checking out my blog at: https://medium.com/bedrock-reviews
AUDIRECT ATOM 2 REVIEW
TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
VERSATILITY: 8.5/10
AMPING POWER: 8/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 8/10
INTRO
I follow Audirect company since its first BEAM release, which doesn't impress me much. So, it's just lately that I become quite an Audirect fanboi due to their incredible BEAM 2 dac-amp: an ultra-portable dongle with SE and (true) balanced jacks, a crazy power output of 240mw@32ohm balanced way, independent dual OPamp section and a highly dynamic sound with full-bodied tonality.
This explains why I was intrigued by the Atom2 even if it can't be an upgrade of the BEAM2, i was very curious to hear the sound difference between a dongle that use stock ES9281C DAC against one that use it with independent dual OPamp like the BEAM2. Will it sound THAT inferior? Well, spoil alert: no, it isn't. Its just less powerful and a bit less energic in dynamic range. Let's see why in this review.
CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN&FONCTINALITY
(this is the packaging, nothing to write about apart that you got a USB-C to USB adapter)
''There is no genius where there is not simplicity''
-Leo Tolstoy
Simplicity can unlock practicality potential, and this is what the Atom2 achieves with it's all-metal T-shaped body. It's small, feels invincibly sturdy and once it's connected it embraces the body of your phone so you can forget about it. The fact the jack is at the side of it's body makes it even more portable and less prompt to unwanted disconnection. If i search devils in detail, i would say the jack is a bit cheaply embedded into the metal body, and it's made of plastic, but it doesn't seem to affect overall durability.
Plug and play, it get recognize by my phone automatically. For window, it seems Atom driver got automatically installed as well. Tidal too recognizes it and I can use exclusive mode to unlock it's full potential as well as listen to MQA music if I feel like it.
It must be noted that the Atom2 power on only if you plug a cable into it, so don't panic if it's not recognize before you do so.
As stated, the Atom2 decodes up to 384khz/32bit, to achieve this, don't forget to go in window sound setting or choose Bitperfect mode on your music player app like UAPP.
POWER OUTPUT
It's VERY important to understand that the stock ES9281C DAC has ''impedance adaptative power output'', and I feel lot of reviews out there don't know you can BYPASS it using a 3.5male to female adapter cable. This way, you have FULL 2vrms power output whatever you plug a 16ohm IEM with high sensitivity or 32ohm IEM with low sensitivity.
I barely always bypass low gain because even at low volume I do feel the soundstage is more open and the dynamic more weighty and impactful. Only with very sensitive IEM i will use it's lower output power because indeed, the Atom2 can deliver big power for it's size!
Simply put, the Atom2 is 2 times more powerful than Apple and Samsung Dongles (about 31mw@33ohm and 1vrms instead of 2vrms). It will not drive your Planar headphones properly, neither your 150ohm earbuds but will do well for anything under 64ohm.
For example, I don't consider the 64ohm Koss Porta pro as being the easiest to drive portable headphones and the Atom2 can make them explode of loudness if you feel like it. No distortion, clean and open with hefty punchy dynamic is the result of this nice pairing.
Now that you know you can unlock high gain for your low sensitivity IEM and Headphones, don't be afraid to lack power for anything that is meant to be portable and doesn't need a power amp to feed. 64mw@32ohm is plenty of power buuuuut it's nothing impressive for a portable DAC-AMP. In fact, my LG V30+ delivers 2vrms too, making it as powerful (on sheet) and well, supposedly canceling the need of using an Atom2 as well! But it's not that simple and the Atom2 still can deliver slightly louder sound at max volume, as well, amping isn't everything but I will do a proper comparison of those 2 anyway later.
POWER CONSUMPTION
I do a serious battery consumption test with my phone at 100%, playing music non-stop at high volume with my Koss Porta pro hooked to the Atom2. I must admit the result surprises me a lot! After 6 hours my phone was at 50%, and after 10H it was at 10%. So depending of your phone stock battery life and the apps that you use etc, you can forget about the Atom2 power demand, which is surely inferior in consumption to using your own phone audio output.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
(using Final A8000, UM 3DT, HZsound Hearth Mirror, Audiosense T800 and Koss PortaPro)
TONALITY is what I would call lush neutral with slight bass and low-mid treble boost. Natural as whole, hefty in macro-dynamic, it's a compromise between fun and mature tuning and I think it nails it very well. This is a versatile tonality that doesn't over-boost any section, it isn't cold nor analytical and doesn't try to force micro-details to pop up in your face. Treble isn't the most extended and airy but neither lacking or dark. Low, mids and highs sound full and well-sculpted in dynamic range. The bass is very well delivered, avoiding this common sub-bass roll-off that stole your precious rumble extension, it gives extra dynamic fun to the sound as well as warmth to male and female body.
RESOLUTION is very good, especially in terms of sound layers extraction which are well articulated and emphasized. The Atom2 didn't expose lot of secrets micro-details and perhaps have some sort of ''Slow linear PCM filter'' that smooth ultra highs and stole some sparkle and highs decay as well. What helps the sens of clarity is the nice transparency of sound layers as well as clean enough background.
TIMBRE is smooth, gently textured, just a hint fuzzy bright, so this isn't the type of DAC-AMP that will boost upper mids sibilance of aggressively bright IEM.
IMAGING is good but not ultra-crisp and revealing and it will show it's limit with very busy tracks. It's better in layers separation than complex spatiality positioning.
NOISE FLOOR is sure better than a phone but not perfect black. Silence isn't 100% pure, more like 95%.
MUSICALITY is very well done and do not overemphasize the technical aspect of the sound, it avoids a plain neutral approach to add dynamic weight to it's tonality. It's both accessible and versatile, with nothing distracting like uneven tone or timbre, overly bright-edgy treble boost or overly boomy bass boost. Lush, full-bodied, thumpy in dynamic, and smooth in the treble, the Atom2 takes full advantage of stock ES9281C DAC by keeping it real to its nature. Both bass and vocal (mids) lovers will enjoy its tonality, only perhaps the die-hard treble-analytical audiophile will find it not enough sharp and detailed.
COMPARISON
VS LG V30+(ES9218P DAC/125$ used price)
In terms of power output they deliver both 2vrms but the Atom2 can achieve slightly louder sound and notably more powerfull dynamic heft.
TONALITY of ES9218P DAC tuned by LG team is more organic and warmer, as well as flatter in the bass department and less treble extension-presence. Darker than Atom2 we can say. Both bass and treble extend in a fuller and more natural way with the Atom2.
TIMBRE is smoother, darker, less textured and less transparent.
RESOLUTION is notably inferior in detail retrieval, clarity of micro-definition, their no air or silence within the sound space so it feel hollow compared to Atom2 which extracts more sound info.
IMAGING is very flat in layers, lacking precision and space between instruments. Atom2 is more open, holographic, precise and deep.
NOISE FLOOR is higher with the V30+ and makes it sound way less clean than Atom2.
MUSICALITY lack dynamic weight and impact as well as bass extension-rumble, making the V30+ sound dull and overly laid back in dynamic and compressed in sound layers. Atom is just a hint brighter because V30+ is overly dark in the treble section, it's sound presentation is livelier, more open in imaging-soundstage and immersive.
VS TEMPOTEC BHD (Dual CS43131 DAC/70$)
Firstly, the BHD has a 2.5mm balanced output and delivers near 2 times more amping power than the ATOM2.
It has as well volume control buttons. In terms of design, it's less compact than the Atom.
TONALITY is more vivid neutral compared to warmer and bassier Atom2. The sub-bass of BHD feel more rolled off as well as overall bass impact and weight lighter. BHD is colder and more analytical, the treble is notably cleaner and sharper.
TIMBRE is thinner a bit more artificial with the BHD, but more transparent and less grainy than Atom2.
RESOLUTION is crisper, more transparent and detailed. Cleaner, with airier treble, but less natural and lush than Atom2.
IMAGING is more precise and spacious, making the Atom2 feel compressed in layers and lacking deepness.
NOISE FLOOR is cleaner with the BHD, so we can feel better ''silence'' between instruments.
MUSICALITY is less appealing to my ears with the BHD, due to cold tonality and thin timbre as well as lean light bass.
VS AUDIRECT BEAM 2 (Dual OPamp+ES9281C DAC/140$)
OK, this is my favorite do-it-all-on-the-go dongle, especially when used balanced way, but it cost 60$ more than Atom2 so it's not really a fair fight. Though they both use a single ES9281C DAC, the BEAM2 bypass implemented amping DAC chip with Dual OPamp for true balanced output.
Both balanced and single-ended output deliver higher amping power, 110mw@32ohm for SE and 240mw@32ohm for balanced compared vs 64mw@32ohm for the Atom2.
TONALITY is very similar, more balanced and less warm and boosted in mid-bass than Atom2.
TIMBRE is more transparent and nuanced in texture, cleaner softer. Hint thinner due to less bass warmth.
RESOLUTION is notably better, making the BEAM2 sound more open and revealing.
IMAGING is from another league here, with more precision and accuracy in instrument placement as well as clean space to dig in.
NOISE FLOOR is very similar, not completely black but micro harmonic distortion seems to stole more silence with the Atom2.
MUSICALITY is more open and immersive as well as holographic and revealing with the BEAM2, without sacrificing bass impact nor sounding cold or analytical. It's the best of both worlds, like mixing Atom2 and BHD.
CONCLUSION
With a very practical design, the Atom2 becomes a siamese brother to your phone and makes you forget about it's presence. With it's sturdy metal built, it promises long durability.
Though priced at 90$ it might not be very competitive in sound value and hard to justify to buy to those owning audiophile phones like the LG V30+, V50, V60, the Atom2 compensates what it lacks in TOTL technicalities with a lush immersive and very dynamic and well-articulated musicality.
For those that we're afraid it's Sabre DAC will deliver a cold crisp sound in the vein of ES9018Q2M and ES9038Q2M DACS, be reassured, the Atom2 aim for naturalness instead of clinical rendering.
All in all, the Audirect Atom2 is a great DAC-AMP with a very versatile sound and decent power output, but if you need more than 64mw@32ohm, you might wanna go Audirect BEAM SE that has 2 times more power output for 10$ more.
---------
PS: I wanna thanks again and again HIFIGO for sending me this review sample. As always, i'm 100% independent of mind.
You can buy the Atom2 for 90$ here:https://hifigo.com/products/audirect-atom2-mqa-hifi-portable-usb-dac-amplifier
TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
VERSATILITY: 8.5/10
AMPING POWER: 8/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 8/10
INTRO
I follow Audirect company since its first BEAM release, which doesn't impress me much. So, it's just lately that I become quite an Audirect fanboi due to their incredible BEAM 2 dac-amp: an ultra-portable dongle with SE and (true) balanced jacks, a crazy power output of 240mw@32ohm balanced way, independent dual OPamp section and a highly dynamic sound with full-bodied tonality.
This explains why I was intrigued by the Atom2 even if it can't be an upgrade of the BEAM2, i was very curious to hear the sound difference between a dongle that use stock ES9281C DAC against one that use it with independent dual OPamp like the BEAM2. Will it sound THAT inferior? Well, spoil alert: no, it isn't. Its just less powerful and a bit less energic in dynamic range. Let's see why in this review.
CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN&FONCTINALITY
(this is the packaging, nothing to write about apart that you got a USB-C to USB adapter)
''There is no genius where there is not simplicity''
-Leo Tolstoy
Simplicity can unlock practicality potential, and this is what the Atom2 achieves with it's all-metal T-shaped body. It's small, feels invincibly sturdy and once it's connected it embraces the body of your phone so you can forget about it. The fact the jack is at the side of it's body makes it even more portable and less prompt to unwanted disconnection. If i search devils in detail, i would say the jack is a bit cheaply embedded into the metal body, and it's made of plastic, but it doesn't seem to affect overall durability.
Plug and play, it get recognize by my phone automatically. For window, it seems Atom driver got automatically installed as well. Tidal too recognizes it and I can use exclusive mode to unlock it's full potential as well as listen to MQA music if I feel like it.
It must be noted that the Atom2 power on only if you plug a cable into it, so don't panic if it's not recognize before you do so.
As stated, the Atom2 decodes up to 384khz/32bit, to achieve this, don't forget to go in window sound setting or choose Bitperfect mode on your music player app like UAPP.
POWER OUTPUT
It's VERY important to understand that the stock ES9281C DAC has ''impedance adaptative power output'', and I feel lot of reviews out there don't know you can BYPASS it using a 3.5male to female adapter cable. This way, you have FULL 2vrms power output whatever you plug a 16ohm IEM with high sensitivity or 32ohm IEM with low sensitivity.
I barely always bypass low gain because even at low volume I do feel the soundstage is more open and the dynamic more weighty and impactful. Only with very sensitive IEM i will use it's lower output power because indeed, the Atom2 can deliver big power for it's size!
Simply put, the Atom2 is 2 times more powerful than Apple and Samsung Dongles (about 31mw@33ohm and 1vrms instead of 2vrms). It will not drive your Planar headphones properly, neither your 150ohm earbuds but will do well for anything under 64ohm.
For example, I don't consider the 64ohm Koss Porta pro as being the easiest to drive portable headphones and the Atom2 can make them explode of loudness if you feel like it. No distortion, clean and open with hefty punchy dynamic is the result of this nice pairing.
Now that you know you can unlock high gain for your low sensitivity IEM and Headphones, don't be afraid to lack power for anything that is meant to be portable and doesn't need a power amp to feed. 64mw@32ohm is plenty of power buuuuut it's nothing impressive for a portable DAC-AMP. In fact, my LG V30+ delivers 2vrms too, making it as powerful (on sheet) and well, supposedly canceling the need of using an Atom2 as well! But it's not that simple and the Atom2 still can deliver slightly louder sound at max volume, as well, amping isn't everything but I will do a proper comparison of those 2 anyway later.
POWER CONSUMPTION
I do a serious battery consumption test with my phone at 100%, playing music non-stop at high volume with my Koss Porta pro hooked to the Atom2. I must admit the result surprises me a lot! After 6 hours my phone was at 50%, and after 10H it was at 10%. So depending of your phone stock battery life and the apps that you use etc, you can forget about the Atom2 power demand, which is surely inferior in consumption to using your own phone audio output.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
(using Final A8000, UM 3DT, HZsound Hearth Mirror, Audiosense T800 and Koss PortaPro)
TONALITY is what I would call lush neutral with slight bass and low-mid treble boost. Natural as whole, hefty in macro-dynamic, it's a compromise between fun and mature tuning and I think it nails it very well. This is a versatile tonality that doesn't over-boost any section, it isn't cold nor analytical and doesn't try to force micro-details to pop up in your face. Treble isn't the most extended and airy but neither lacking or dark. Low, mids and highs sound full and well-sculpted in dynamic range. The bass is very well delivered, avoiding this common sub-bass roll-off that stole your precious rumble extension, it gives extra dynamic fun to the sound as well as warmth to male and female body.
RESOLUTION is very good, especially in terms of sound layers extraction which are well articulated and emphasized. The Atom2 didn't expose lot of secrets micro-details and perhaps have some sort of ''Slow linear PCM filter'' that smooth ultra highs and stole some sparkle and highs decay as well. What helps the sens of clarity is the nice transparency of sound layers as well as clean enough background.
TIMBRE is smooth, gently textured, just a hint fuzzy bright, so this isn't the type of DAC-AMP that will boost upper mids sibilance of aggressively bright IEM.
IMAGING is good but not ultra-crisp and revealing and it will show it's limit with very busy tracks. It's better in layers separation than complex spatiality positioning.
NOISE FLOOR is sure better than a phone but not perfect black. Silence isn't 100% pure, more like 95%.
MUSICALITY is very well done and do not overemphasize the technical aspect of the sound, it avoids a plain neutral approach to add dynamic weight to it's tonality. It's both accessible and versatile, with nothing distracting like uneven tone or timbre, overly bright-edgy treble boost or overly boomy bass boost. Lush, full-bodied, thumpy in dynamic, and smooth in the treble, the Atom2 takes full advantage of stock ES9281C DAC by keeping it real to its nature. Both bass and vocal (mids) lovers will enjoy its tonality, only perhaps the die-hard treble-analytical audiophile will find it not enough sharp and detailed.
COMPARISON
VS LG V30+(ES9218P DAC/125$ used price)
In terms of power output they deliver both 2vrms but the Atom2 can achieve slightly louder sound and notably more powerfull dynamic heft.
TONALITY of ES9218P DAC tuned by LG team is more organic and warmer, as well as flatter in the bass department and less treble extension-presence. Darker than Atom2 we can say. Both bass and treble extend in a fuller and more natural way with the Atom2.
TIMBRE is smoother, darker, less textured and less transparent.
RESOLUTION is notably inferior in detail retrieval, clarity of micro-definition, their no air or silence within the sound space so it feel hollow compared to Atom2 which extracts more sound info.
IMAGING is very flat in layers, lacking precision and space between instruments. Atom2 is more open, holographic, precise and deep.
NOISE FLOOR is higher with the V30+ and makes it sound way less clean than Atom2.
MUSICALITY lack dynamic weight and impact as well as bass extension-rumble, making the V30+ sound dull and overly laid back in dynamic and compressed in sound layers. Atom is just a hint brighter because V30+ is overly dark in the treble section, it's sound presentation is livelier, more open in imaging-soundstage and immersive.
VS TEMPOTEC BHD (Dual CS43131 DAC/70$)
Firstly, the BHD has a 2.5mm balanced output and delivers near 2 times more amping power than the ATOM2.
It has as well volume control buttons. In terms of design, it's less compact than the Atom.
TONALITY is more vivid neutral compared to warmer and bassier Atom2. The sub-bass of BHD feel more rolled off as well as overall bass impact and weight lighter. BHD is colder and more analytical, the treble is notably cleaner and sharper.
TIMBRE is thinner a bit more artificial with the BHD, but more transparent and less grainy than Atom2.
RESOLUTION is crisper, more transparent and detailed. Cleaner, with airier treble, but less natural and lush than Atom2.
IMAGING is more precise and spacious, making the Atom2 feel compressed in layers and lacking deepness.
NOISE FLOOR is cleaner with the BHD, so we can feel better ''silence'' between instruments.
MUSICALITY is less appealing to my ears with the BHD, due to cold tonality and thin timbre as well as lean light bass.
VS AUDIRECT BEAM 2 (Dual OPamp+ES9281C DAC/140$)
OK, this is my favorite do-it-all-on-the-go dongle, especially when used balanced way, but it cost 60$ more than Atom2 so it's not really a fair fight. Though they both use a single ES9281C DAC, the BEAM2 bypass implemented amping DAC chip with Dual OPamp for true balanced output.
Both balanced and single-ended output deliver higher amping power, 110mw@32ohm for SE and 240mw@32ohm for balanced compared vs 64mw@32ohm for the Atom2.
TONALITY is very similar, more balanced and less warm and boosted in mid-bass than Atom2.
TIMBRE is more transparent and nuanced in texture, cleaner softer. Hint thinner due to less bass warmth.
RESOLUTION is notably better, making the BEAM2 sound more open and revealing.
IMAGING is from another league here, with more precision and accuracy in instrument placement as well as clean space to dig in.
NOISE FLOOR is very similar, not completely black but micro harmonic distortion seems to stole more silence with the Atom2.
MUSICALITY is more open and immersive as well as holographic and revealing with the BEAM2, without sacrificing bass impact nor sounding cold or analytical. It's the best of both worlds, like mixing Atom2 and BHD.
CONCLUSION
With a very practical design, the Atom2 becomes a siamese brother to your phone and makes you forget about it's presence. With it's sturdy metal built, it promises long durability.
Though priced at 90$ it might not be very competitive in sound value and hard to justify to buy to those owning audiophile phones like the LG V30+, V50, V60, the Atom2 compensates what it lacks in TOTL technicalities with a lush immersive and very dynamic and well-articulated musicality.
For those that we're afraid it's Sabre DAC will deliver a cold crisp sound in the vein of ES9018Q2M and ES9038Q2M DACS, be reassured, the Atom2 aim for naturalness instead of clinical rendering.
All in all, the Audirect Atom2 is a great DAC-AMP with a very versatile sound and decent power output, but if you need more than 64mw@32ohm, you might wanna go Audirect BEAM SE that has 2 times more power output for 10$ more.
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PS: I wanna thanks again and again HIFIGO for sending me this review sample. As always, i'm 100% independent of mind.
You can buy the Atom2 for 90$ here:https://hifigo.com/products/audirect-atom2-mqa-hifi-portable-usb-dac-amplifier
Hilidac or Audirect are the chinese audio manufacturers producing a wide range of DAC AMP and they haven’t been releasing any products for some time and now they awake and released the Atom 2 single ended 3.mm DAC with MQA decoding, DSD native and 32 bit768kHz. In this review lets see is this new product relevant in today’s market with a lot of budget options already prevailing.
DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review cricle organised by HiFiGo. I thank the team for organising this circle and giving this nice opportunity to test out the audio gears. I have not been influenced by any means to manipulate this review and hence the views are completely mine and it may vary to your observations since the source and preference changes from user to user.
>Full MQA decoding.
>PCM up to 32-Bit/768kHz decoding.
>DSD512 decoding.
>Premium Crystal Oscillator.
>Compact and lightweight.
>Multi-color LED notification.
>THD+N: 0.0004%.
>Frequency response: 20Hz-40kHz.
>SNR: 118dB.
>Output type: 3.5mm single-ended.
>Output power: ≥30mW(16Ω), ≥62mW(32Ω), ≥7mW(600Ω)
Specifications Credits: HiFigo
The branding is done nicely in the bottom portion with a red background and the type c connector on the top portion. The led is situated in the below portion and lights up very brighter when the room lights are switched off which is quite disturbing. The 3.5mm jack is situated on the side of the DAC and is easily accessible when the DAC is connected.
The USB A connector is also encased in the aluminium casing which looked quite sturdier. There is also a USB A to Type C cable which I haven’t received since I got this as a review unit from my review circle.
The Atom 2 has only the single unbalanced output
The overall sound output is very clean and smooth. The low end is present evidently even though they have the ESS Sabre DAC which has that typical ESS sound signature which is pretty neutral to bright. The power output is however on the lower side where they are quite efficient for high sensitive iem but for power demanding headphones or the planar earphones like the Tin P2.
The noise floor of the Atom 2 is pretty neat and I have tried all the iem and have noticed no hiss in the background which is pretty nice.
The sub bass is very nice here. It’s tight, punchy and has a nice rumble. The mid bass has a nice overall body and weight to the tone. Overall I loved the low end performance here despite the use of ESS dac since they are very balanced to neutral bright.
The mid range seems slightly on the thin side which also adds that clarity and detail in the mid section but I would have loved some more warmth and weight in the vocals. The female vocals especially need some weight eg: Taylor Swift Vocals. The clean power can be felt here in the midrange producing a lot of details and separation. Despite having the thin vocals especially female i like the midrange here due to that clean and nice separation.
The Imaging is pretty nice here where you can easily point out the instruments and the vocals even in the busy tracks. The precise positioning of the instruments can be done very well here due to those nice thin notes in the midrange which eventually helped in the clean sound output in the midrange.
The overall separation and the resolution is pretty nice here which created that nice sense of big soundstage and precise instruments positioning.
>30mW – 16 ohms
>62mW – 32 ohms
>7mW – 600 ohms
The power output is pretty average and hence if you are using this to drive some power hungry cans or even some earphones then this might not suffice you. Even while using the in-ear monitors with nominal sensitivity I need to keep the volume at 60 percent to hear in a normal environment which makes you raise the volume in the noisier surroundings.
One other advantage of this Atom 2 is that they don’t draw power from the source if the earphones are not connected, which is a pretty nice implementation to see.
APP: The Atom 2 uses the UAPP support to utilise the high bit rate file playback and Apple users can enjoy the direct clean output.
LIGHT INDICATOR:
The device has a light indicator to show the playback rate. The following are the indications:
Red: 44.1/48kHz PCM
Blue: 88kHz – 384 kHz PCM
Green: 705 – 768kHz PCM
Yellow: DoP
White: DSD Native
Magenta: MQA
DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review cricle organised by HiFiGo. I thank the team for organising this circle and giving this nice opportunity to test out the audio gears. I have not been influenced by any means to manipulate this review and hence the views are completely mine and it may vary to your observations since the source and preference changes from user to user.
SPECIFICATIONS:
>Premium ES9281AC DAC Chip.>Full MQA decoding.
>PCM up to 32-Bit/768kHz decoding.
>DSD512 decoding.
>Premium Crystal Oscillator.
>Compact and lightweight.
>Multi-color LED notification.
>THD+N: 0.0004%.
>Frequency response: 20Hz-40kHz.
>SNR: 118dB.
>Output type: 3.5mm single-ended.
>Output power: ≥30mW(16Ω), ≥62mW(32Ω), ≥7mW(600Ω)
Specifications Credits: HiFigo
DESIGN AND BUILD:
The design of the Atom 2 is pretty minimalistic and simple. In other words i love the design language of the Atom 2 , they did it neatly and precisely. The build is made of steel and looks very premium in the hand and has some nice weight. The weight seems to be around 18 gms and gave that premium weight factor to the overall build. There are two versions available namely the Type C and the Lightning one for apple users.The branding is done nicely in the bottom portion with a red background and the type c connector on the top portion. The led is situated in the below portion and lights up very brighter when the room lights are switched off which is quite disturbing. The 3.5mm jack is situated on the side of the DAC and is easily accessible when the DAC is connected.
The USB A connector is also encased in the aluminium casing which looked quite sturdier. There is also a USB A to Type C cable which I haven’t received since I got this as a review unit from my review circle.
SOUND:
This Atom 2 doesn’t support the Windows 7 and lower version which is pretty disappointing which just made me test out this DAC only via my iPhone.The Atom 2 has only the single unbalanced output
The overall sound output is very clean and smooth. The low end is present evidently even though they have the ESS Sabre DAC which has that typical ESS sound signature which is pretty neutral to bright. The power output is however on the lower side where they are quite efficient for high sensitive iem but for power demanding headphones or the planar earphones like the Tin P2.
The noise floor of the Atom 2 is pretty neat and I have tried all the iem and have noticed no hiss in the background which is pretty nice.
LOW END:
The low end is the surprising factor here. They have nice bodied bass and impactful bass in the atom 2. The overall low is nicely textured, resolved and has nice separation. If you are having any nice warm sounding pair of iem then this will be a nice treat to you, where the bass separation and the texture got improved a lotThe sub bass is very nice here. It’s tight, punchy and has a nice rumble. The mid bass has a nice overall body and weight to the tone. Overall I loved the low end performance here despite the use of ESS dac since they are very balanced to neutral bright.
MID SECTION:
The Mid Section is the other sweet aspect here. The midrange is neither too forward or laid back, it just hits the right spot for me. The instruments have nice air and separation. Both the lower and upper mids are balanced pretty well and no harshness or sibilance is seen.The mid range seems slightly on the thin side which also adds that clarity and detail in the mid section but I would have loved some more warmth and weight in the vocals. The female vocals especially need some weight eg: Taylor Swift Vocals. The clean power can be felt here in the midrange producing a lot of details and separation. Despite having the thin vocals especially female i like the midrange here due to that clean and nice separation.
TREBLE:
The treble is the compromised part here. They sound pretty smooth and harsh. They have nice separation and air in between the instruments but the extension in the upper end is what is lacking. They extend average and also it depends on the capacity of the iem too. Overall the extension is average but the separation and the liveliness is presented well here. If you like more extended treble then this might disappoint you but when it comes to clean, fatigue free, smooth treble yet maintaining nice separation and air then this can be your best bet to get.SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING:
Since the bass is nice and impactful the soundstage headroom is very nice and wide. The sweet sub bass in this Atom 2 helped a lot in this expansive soundstage creating a nice overall headroom. The good amount of air and separation in between the instruments does a great job in creating that nice wide soundstage.The Imaging is pretty nice here where you can easily point out the instruments and the vocals even in the busy tracks. The precise positioning of the instruments can be done very well here due to those nice thin notes in the midrange which eventually helped in the clean sound output in the midrange.
The overall separation and the resolution is pretty nice here which created that nice sense of big soundstage and precise instruments positioning.
POWER:
The power is the next compromising factor here since this has very nominal power output at 32 ohms.>30mW – 16 ohms
>62mW – 32 ohms
>7mW – 600 ohms
The power output is pretty average and hence if you are using this to drive some power hungry cans or even some earphones then this might not suffice you. Even while using the in-ear monitors with nominal sensitivity I need to keep the volume at 60 percent to hear in a normal environment which makes you raise the volume in the noisier surroundings.
One other advantage of this Atom 2 is that they don’t draw power from the source if the earphones are not connected, which is a pretty nice implementation to see.
NOTE:
MQA: This Atom 2 supports the final fold of MQA but i haven’t tested it out since i still can’t find a big difference between the FLAC and MQAAPP: The Atom 2 uses the UAPP support to utilise the high bit rate file playback and Apple users can enjoy the direct clean output.
LIGHT INDICATOR:
The device has a light indicator to show the playback rate. The following are the indications:
Red: 44.1/48kHz PCM
Blue: 88kHz – 384 kHz PCM
Green: 705 – 768kHz PCM
Yellow: DoP
White: DSD Native
Magenta: MQA
VERDICT:
Atom 2, the latest dongle DAC option from the Audirect brand is a pretty nice and recommendable one. The Atom 2 has one of the clean and smooth sounding dac available in the market yet without compromising on the other technicalities. The DAC itself is made robust and neat. The design of the Atom 2 is very nice and functional where they don’t dangle, instead they look fixed and neatly attached to the device’s port. The power draw is minimal and heating is very much negligible in my testing. The bass response and the soundstage is what I liked a lot in this despite the use of the ESS dac and that sub bass tightness is nicely done here. Overall I liked this product a lot and if you want some clean, warm and smooth sounding dac with minimal and functional looking then this is the DAC you need.
Hillidac’s Audirect Atom 2 Lightning Jack Review
Intro
For those who are not familiar with Hilidac, their name is an abbreviation of HiFi(H) Improved(I) Lossless(L) Incredible(I) DAC. They have been doing portable DAC for quite some time and Atom 2 is their most recent portable DAC. Let’s find out if Atom 2 is able to make a stand for itself among the crowded portable DAC market.
Specifications
DAC Chip: ES9281AC
Headphone port: 3.5mm Single-end
Plug: Type-C/Lightning optional
Frequency response: 0.032dB@20Hz-40kHz
Output Power:
≥30mW (16Ω)
≥62mW (32Ω)
≥7mW (600Ω)
S/N Ratio: -118dB
THD+N: 0.0004%
Sampling Rate: Supports up to 32bit/768kHz
DSD Supported: Up to DSD512
Weight: 18G
Dimension: 28* 14*11mm
*Image taken from Shenzen Audio’s Atom2 Product Page site
Source
Iphone 11 - Apple Music/Tidal -> Atom2 -> Audiosense’s DT200
Build/Design
The design on Atom2 is very minimal in the sense it doesn’t have any cables dangling around, it looks more like an adapter rather than a DAC/AMP in my opinion. The whole device feels solid and it has got a hefty feel to it and it definitely does not look cheap. For people who prefer to have this form factor, Atom2 is the way to go. Personally I prefer Atom2’s form factor due to the fact that it doesn’t have any cable and it works by plugging it into my phone’s lightning port. However, one has to be extra cautious to not accidentally knock on it or risk damaging the lighting port/connector. Not an issue for me because my phone will be on the table when I'm having my listening session and I don't use dongles on the go.
Sound
Atom 2 is smooth and organic to my ears. Upon first listen, I am greeted with a dark background and there’s no hiss even on my sensitive IEM. Despite being a ESS powered DAC ES9281AC, it does not employ the usual ESS’s clean and neutral-ish tuning. Atom 2 is slight warm overall.
Pair it with a warm IEM and the notes will thicken and the low end will sound thicker and the high will kind of be smooth out a little. The vocal rendered by Atom 2 takes on a forward presentation instead of a more intimate presentation. Female’s vocal in tracks like Yuki no Hana by Mika Nakashima sounded full, at the same time, details rendered by Atom 2 are average and there is nothing to shout out about, good enough for the price point i would say.
Treble extension is one of the areas where Atom 2 is lacking in my opinion. If it is slightly boosted it will probably be better. However, it’s not a total let down as it does not exhibit any sibilant, it is smooth throughout the spectrum and it feels very organic and comfortable to listen to.
Atom 2 will be able to power most of the efficient IEM easily, i did tried with my headphone which is quite efficient rated at 32 ohms, Sivga’s Phoenix. It does not offer the same kind of experience as my desktop setup in the sense of,it is lacking in the low end region and they sounded loose and less controlled. I believe Atom 2 is designed for efficient IEM and also for people who like to listen to music on the go. I mean, who would wanna go around on a Sennheiser 650 or even Hifiman’s Sundara or Ananda?
I have also tested it with Tidal to see if the LED will change when it’s rendering MQA. It does change to magenta when it’s playing back MQA titles. However i do not know how many times of unfolding it perform as i couldn't find any information about this on the product page. Thus i’m unable to confirm the number of times on MQA unfolding.
Battery Drain
I did not perform a thorough test for battery drain when Atom 2 is being used on my iPhone.
This is just a rough estimation based on my listening session and checking on the battery%.
-Volume is at 70% approximately
-Averaging one song to 4 minutes +-
-Not using the phone when music is being played (of course if you are using the phone at the same time when Atom 2 is being used, it will definitely drain the battery faster)
App used - Tidal (MQA/HiFi),Apple Music (Lossless and High Res Lossless)
Battery Drain % per 5 songs - 2% Equivalent to approximately 20 minutes of playtime, this is quite good and the power draw is quite similar to Apple’s 3.5 to Lightning Dongle despite being the inferior one in terms of sonic performance.
Overall the power draw is alright given the performance that Atom 2 offers. It does get a lil warm after some time but that is to be expected.
Final Thoughts
Is this a step up from Apple’s 3.5 to Lightning Dongle? Yes it is. If you are in the lookout for a lightning jack’s dongle, look no further as Atom 2 is definitely a step up in terms of sonic performance and also the durability. If you owned Apple’s Lightning Dongle you probably know how easy it is for it to break. For the price you are paying, you get a solid performer, durable dongle without the need to constantly worry about when the cable will break, MQA renderer if you’re into it, and it can basically decode and playback today’s highest sampling rate if you’re into numbers as well.
*The unit is sent to me by Cloris from ShenzenAudio in exchange of my unbiased opinion.
If you are interested in purchasing the DAC you may head to their website at the link below:
ShenzhenAudio
ShenzenAudio's Ali Express Store
Intro
For those who are not familiar with Hilidac, their name is an abbreviation of HiFi(H) Improved(I) Lossless(L) Incredible(I) DAC. They have been doing portable DAC for quite some time and Atom 2 is their most recent portable DAC. Let’s find out if Atom 2 is able to make a stand for itself among the crowded portable DAC market.
Specifications
DAC Chip: ES9281AC
Headphone port: 3.5mm Single-end
Plug: Type-C/Lightning optional
Frequency response: 0.032dB@20Hz-40kHz
Output Power:
≥30mW (16Ω)
≥62mW (32Ω)
≥7mW (600Ω)
S/N Ratio: -118dB
THD+N: 0.0004%
Sampling Rate: Supports up to 32bit/768kHz
DSD Supported: Up to DSD512
Weight: 18G
Dimension: 28* 14*11mm
*Image taken from Shenzen Audio’s Atom2 Product Page site
Source
Iphone 11 - Apple Music/Tidal -> Atom2 -> Audiosense’s DT200
Build/Design
The design on Atom2 is very minimal in the sense it doesn’t have any cables dangling around, it looks more like an adapter rather than a DAC/AMP in my opinion. The whole device feels solid and it has got a hefty feel to it and it definitely does not look cheap. For people who prefer to have this form factor, Atom2 is the way to go. Personally I prefer Atom2’s form factor due to the fact that it doesn’t have any cable and it works by plugging it into my phone’s lightning port. However, one has to be extra cautious to not accidentally knock on it or risk damaging the lighting port/connector. Not an issue for me because my phone will be on the table when I'm having my listening session and I don't use dongles on the go.
Sound
Atom 2 is smooth and organic to my ears. Upon first listen, I am greeted with a dark background and there’s no hiss even on my sensitive IEM. Despite being a ESS powered DAC ES9281AC, it does not employ the usual ESS’s clean and neutral-ish tuning. Atom 2 is slight warm overall.
Pair it with a warm IEM and the notes will thicken and the low end will sound thicker and the high will kind of be smooth out a little. The vocal rendered by Atom 2 takes on a forward presentation instead of a more intimate presentation. Female’s vocal in tracks like Yuki no Hana by Mika Nakashima sounded full, at the same time, details rendered by Atom 2 are average and there is nothing to shout out about, good enough for the price point i would say.
Treble extension is one of the areas where Atom 2 is lacking in my opinion. If it is slightly boosted it will probably be better. However, it’s not a total let down as it does not exhibit any sibilant, it is smooth throughout the spectrum and it feels very organic and comfortable to listen to.
Atom 2 will be able to power most of the efficient IEM easily, i did tried with my headphone which is quite efficient rated at 32 ohms, Sivga’s Phoenix. It does not offer the same kind of experience as my desktop setup in the sense of,it is lacking in the low end region and they sounded loose and less controlled. I believe Atom 2 is designed for efficient IEM and also for people who like to listen to music on the go. I mean, who would wanna go around on a Sennheiser 650 or even Hifiman’s Sundara or Ananda?
I have also tested it with Tidal to see if the LED will change when it’s rendering MQA. It does change to magenta when it’s playing back MQA titles. However i do not know how many times of unfolding it perform as i couldn't find any information about this on the product page. Thus i’m unable to confirm the number of times on MQA unfolding.
Battery Drain
I did not perform a thorough test for battery drain when Atom 2 is being used on my iPhone.
This is just a rough estimation based on my listening session and checking on the battery%.
-Volume is at 70% approximately
-Averaging one song to 4 minutes +-
-Not using the phone when music is being played (of course if you are using the phone at the same time when Atom 2 is being used, it will definitely drain the battery faster)
App used - Tidal (MQA/HiFi),Apple Music (Lossless and High Res Lossless)
Battery Drain % per 5 songs - 2% Equivalent to approximately 20 minutes of playtime, this is quite good and the power draw is quite similar to Apple’s 3.5 to Lightning Dongle despite being the inferior one in terms of sonic performance.
Overall the power draw is alright given the performance that Atom 2 offers. It does get a lil warm after some time but that is to be expected.
Final Thoughts
Is this a step up from Apple’s 3.5 to Lightning Dongle? Yes it is. If you are in the lookout for a lightning jack’s dongle, look no further as Atom 2 is definitely a step up in terms of sonic performance and also the durability. If you owned Apple’s Lightning Dongle you probably know how easy it is for it to break. For the price you are paying, you get a solid performer, durable dongle without the need to constantly worry about when the cable will break, MQA renderer if you’re into it, and it can basically decode and playback today’s highest sampling rate if you’re into numbers as well.
*The unit is sent to me by Cloris from ShenzenAudio in exchange of my unbiased opinion.
If you are interested in purchasing the DAC you may head to their website at the link below:
ShenzhenAudio
ShenzenAudio's Ali Express Store
shenzhenaudio
Thanks a ton for sharing. 
ywheng89
You're welcome 
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as part of a review tour. But all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can buy the Atom 2 here.
Build Quality
Atom 2 is built like a tank. It is literally a chunk of solid metal and the heft is felt the moment you pick it up. The machining on the product is stellar and the high gloss somehow makes it look not chintzy but very high quality (also attracts a lot of fingerprints). Atom 2 is glossier than what appears from the photos. Overall build is solid for the price (quite literally).
Functionality
The main reason you are interested in the Atom 2 must be due to its minimal form factor. No more dongle dangle! and this is one of the very few dongles that can be plugged into your phone and pocketed without a mess. The entire affair is quite unobtrusive and elegant and realistically anyone can be out and about with it. There is an LED indicator that distinguishes between DSD, MQA and DoP. Atom 2 is very gentle on the battery life of your phone, so don't be looking at the battery percentage often. Atom 2 is also plug and play on Windows 10 along with Android. There is a lightning version for the iOS folks.
Sound Quality
Neutral & sweet. That's how one can sum up the sound in. The Atom 2 utilizes a high quality crystal oscillator which is always good to have. The Atom 2 is a perfect example of an ESS chip well implemented. People judging the sound quality based on dac chips really need to dig themselves a hole to die in.
On first hearing the listener is welcomed with a dark background and the pristine, gentle sound quality. There is balance and control in the entire sound spectrum, all hint of sibilance and roughness have been banished from the treble region. Everything sounds natural and organic. It has the distinctive power of getting out of the way yet improving the final result in every way. Some would find the sound to be "soft". Soundstage feels natural, not artificially wide or narrow and the same goes for instrument separation. However the imaging is a bit fuzzy, you lose the last percentage of precision when it comes to pinpointing the instruments in the stage.
When it comes to power output, it delivers at least 62mW at 32 ohms. Now that is enough for regular IEMs out in the market, but not enough to drive demanding IEMs and Headphones. Planar IEMs are also out of the question. But hey, you can only fit so much potential in such a small chassis. Most IEMs are efficient, and the Atom 2 will drive them to their full potential.
Conclusion
The dongle market is already overcrowded, but Atom 2 easily and confidently stands out among the others due to its unique form factor. The unobtrusive form factor is reason enough for a big chunk of people to choose the Atom 2 over the other dongles in the market.
Moving beyond form factor, the sound quality is also very commendable. Just like the form factor, it gets out of the way. A highly recommended product overall.
Build Quality
Atom 2 is built like a tank. It is literally a chunk of solid metal and the heft is felt the moment you pick it up. The machining on the product is stellar and the high gloss somehow makes it look not chintzy but very high quality (also attracts a lot of fingerprints). Atom 2 is glossier than what appears from the photos. Overall build is solid for the price (quite literally).
Functionality
The main reason you are interested in the Atom 2 must be due to its minimal form factor. No more dongle dangle! and this is one of the very few dongles that can be plugged into your phone and pocketed without a mess. The entire affair is quite unobtrusive and elegant and realistically anyone can be out and about with it. There is an LED indicator that distinguishes between DSD, MQA and DoP. Atom 2 is very gentle on the battery life of your phone, so don't be looking at the battery percentage often. Atom 2 is also plug and play on Windows 10 along with Android. There is a lightning version for the iOS folks.
Sound Quality
Neutral & sweet. That's how one can sum up the sound in. The Atom 2 utilizes a high quality crystal oscillator which is always good to have. The Atom 2 is a perfect example of an ESS chip well implemented. People judging the sound quality based on dac chips really need to dig themselves a hole to die in.
On first hearing the listener is welcomed with a dark background and the pristine, gentle sound quality. There is balance and control in the entire sound spectrum, all hint of sibilance and roughness have been banished from the treble region. Everything sounds natural and organic. It has the distinctive power of getting out of the way yet improving the final result in every way. Some would find the sound to be "soft". Soundstage feels natural, not artificially wide or narrow and the same goes for instrument separation. However the imaging is a bit fuzzy, you lose the last percentage of precision when it comes to pinpointing the instruments in the stage.
When it comes to power output, it delivers at least 62mW at 32 ohms. Now that is enough for regular IEMs out in the market, but not enough to drive demanding IEMs and Headphones. Planar IEMs are also out of the question. But hey, you can only fit so much potential in such a small chassis. Most IEMs are efficient, and the Atom 2 will drive them to their full potential.
Conclusion
The dongle market is already overcrowded, but Atom 2 easily and confidently stands out among the others due to its unique form factor. The unobtrusive form factor is reason enough for a big chunk of people to choose the Atom 2 over the other dongles in the market.
Moving beyond form factor, the sound quality is also very commendable. Just like the form factor, it gets out of the way. A highly recommended product overall.
AUDIRECT/HILIDAC ATOM 2
Audirect aka Hilidac has been on this game for quite a long time and given now that the 3.5mm jack cancel is happening on most phones, it becomes apparently noticeable that companies like to change to provide us dongles (small DAC-AMP creatures that provide us better power and sound quality than a phone’s 3.5mm jack in a small package). Now I did not know about audirect that much and it just popped on radar when a friend of mine asked me if I want to review it. So, searching a bit I found out that the site is this, not Audirect. Com or something - it’s the parent company called Audirect LTD.co Haha!!!
DISCLAIMER- The AUDIRECT ATOM 2 is provided by the courtesy of HIFIGO as part of review tour in INDIA. But this subjective review of mine are my own thoughts and I am not being paid anything to say positive or negative about this item. That said I want to thank HIFIGO and a close friend of mine, for giving me an opportunity to hear it!!! You can find the store link here (not affiliated, of course LOL
)
UNBOXING EXPERIENCE
Now it comes in a full foam loaded small grey cardboard box with the name Audirect (LOL I though hilidac would be written) written over it. Opening it you should see the dongle unless I vanished it LOL . After this I didn’t pry further but when I tried to find the manual for it, I saw that removing the foam there’s another compartment, WHATTTTTT!!!! Inside it was a USB C female to USB A MALE (usb 3.0 I felt like) connector. Now there’s also an USB C to USB C cable that apparently comes with it but I kinda didn’t see it just the sarcophagus of it, LOL (MUMMY WILL RETURN!!)
SPECS
BUILD
DONGLE- Its hefty, dense little dongle. I never checked the weight (I know I am sorry haha !!!) but supposedly 18g (seemed familiar that’s why yeah IKKO OH10 that I tried 16g iems wew!!
) Mine came with a USB C connector but you can also get a lightning connector for those half apple users 
. This is made of complete steel I belive with red coating over the top written Audirect atom 2 over it. The only complaint I have is its shiny steel so be ready to clean it a thousand times all together with your nasty fingerprints LOL
ADAPTER- The USB C female to USB A male connector seemed good too, not having the same stainless-steel chassis but a plastic one and seemed a bit on a cheaper side but it still didn’t feel too plasticky. It will survive a few crashes I hope!!!
NOTE-
Here are a few examples-
1)WHITE
2) BLUE
3)RED
4) MAGENTA- HOPEFULLY THEY FIX THE MAGENTA COLOUR
LETS start with POWAHHHH-
It ran everyone of the above iems and headphones but notably the iems are not that difficult unless it’s a TIN P1 or something crazy like it haha!!
Now for iems it was an easy task for this tiny guy, requiring 30-40% of my phone volume and Penon fan needed a bit more power at 45-55% volume.
But what I found using HD600 was, it didn’t have that dynamic nature that I found on my BTR5 which is a bit more powerful (80mw) but also has balanced out 2.5mm which has more power(240mw). Plus, my phones volume had to be cranked up to 90% for atom 2 to fully use it with my HD600
So, with a small package like this don’t expect it to blow your HPs away with power but iems it can handle good (TnC- crazy insensitive iems are not included since I don’t have any
)
NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND
BASS-
Now this has a punchy bass, it adds a bit of control and depth to the bass too. The mid bass is punchy here and has an added texture and given this has a good wide soundstage this helps. The midbass doesn’t overpower the mids or the subass having that exquisite balance to it. The bass body though is a bit decreased compared to BTR5 but its not that much to really find it different.
SUBBASS-
The subbass is tighter here. It has reaches deep with every iem I have tried and has good control. The subbass is rumbly here at least, it did add that a tiny amount to my neutral bass iem TINT2 haha!!! Mammoth though just aced the whole iem tree with its very nice rumbly nature.
MIDS-
This has balanced mids with vocals neither too intimate nor too far. It felt a little lean compared to BTR5 but the added clarity and notes cleanliness just overshadowed the slight leanness. The separation of the instruments was awesome and they had an added space around them too. The notes are cleaner, separated till the very end and not a hint of them mixing up except in the ambience. I really loved the mids presentation here!!!
TREBLE-
The treble definition is pretty good; it does have a good bit of extension but it’s limited by the iems or headphones capacity. Focal clear had a good pairing here but this widens the stage more and adds more air on the upper treble region which was really good on this Focal. The Lower treble with guitars and other instruments like trumpets loved the extra refinement and air here!!! The energy on the treble region seemed a bit lacking but this provided a smooth experience rather than an energetic experience.
HEADSTAGE, IMAGING, SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION-
Now this has a wide staging with more air but at the cost of little lean nature. It has more separation and also better note definition. The imaging is excellent with real great portrayal of the instruments general direction but the placement was a bit diffuse in nature. The resolution is really good too, with little subtleties coming through pretty nicely!!! This does add a tiny bit of real depth, but not like N6ii with T01 does but its not bad to have SOME rather than have NONE.
COMPARISON WITH BTR5
PROS OF ATOM 2
SUMMARY
Its a great little device with MQA and its sound quality made me think twice of selling my BTR5... If I didn't already have an DAP for streaming and everything , this would be my no1 choice at this price range. A recommendation from my side for sure...
Audirect aka Hilidac has been on this game for quite a long time and given now that the 3.5mm jack cancel is happening on most phones, it becomes apparently noticeable that companies like to change to provide us dongles (small DAC-AMP creatures that provide us better power and sound quality than a phone’s 3.5mm jack in a small package). Now I did not know about audirect that much and it just popped on radar when a friend of mine asked me if I want to review it. So, searching a bit I found out that the site is this, not Audirect. Com or something - it’s the parent company called Audirect LTD.co Haha!!!
DISCLAIMER- The AUDIRECT ATOM 2 is provided by the courtesy of HIFIGO as part of review tour in INDIA. But this subjective review of mine are my own thoughts and I am not being paid anything to say positive or negative about this item. That said I want to thank HIFIGO and a close friend of mine, for giving me an opportunity to hear it!!! You can find the store link here (not affiliated, of course LOL
)UNBOXING EXPERIENCE
Now it comes in a full foam loaded small grey cardboard box with the name Audirect (LOL I though hilidac would be written) written over it. Opening it you should see the dongle unless I vanished it LOL . After this I didn’t pry further but when I tried to find the manual for it, I saw that removing the foam there’s another compartment, WHATTTTTT!!!! Inside it was a USB C female to USB A MALE (usb 3.0 I felt like) connector. Now there’s also an USB C to USB C cable that apparently comes with it but I kinda didn’t see it just the sarcophagus of it, LOL (MUMMY WILL RETURN!!)
SPECS
| Output Power | ≥30mW (16Ω） ≥62mW (32Ω） ≥7mW (600Ω） |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz-40kHz (-0.032dB） |
| THD+N | 0.0004% |
| SNR | ≥118dB SNR |
| Sampling Rate | PCM/DXD 16-32bit, 32kHz-768kHz |
| DSD Support | Up to DSD512 |
| I.R. | <1Ω |
| Voice Call | for android or PC |
| MQA | Performs MQA Rendering which delivers the final unfold of the MQA file. |
| Input port | Type-C |
| Output Port | 3.5mm |
| Dimensions | L28*W14*H11mm |
| Weight | 18g |
BUILD
DONGLE- Its hefty, dense little dongle. I never checked the weight (I know I am sorry haha !!!) but supposedly 18g (seemed familiar that’s why yeah IKKO OH10 that I tried 16g iems wew!!
) Mine came with a USB C connector but you can also get a lightning connector for those half apple users . This is made of complete steel I belive with red coating over the top written Audirect atom 2 over it. The only complaint I have is its shiny steel so be ready to clean it a thousand times all together with your nasty fingerprints LOL
ADAPTER- The USB C female to USB A male connector seemed good too, not having the same stainless-steel chassis but a plastic one and seemed a bit on a cheaper side but it still didn’t feel too plasticky. It will survive a few crashes I hope!!!
NOTE-
Phones used – LG G8x, ONE PLUS NORD, SAMSUNG S10 lite (didn’t work with this for some reason press F for Samsung’s stupid proprietaries)
for Samsung’s stupid proprietaries)And a windows 10 Running PC (REMEMBER YOU ALL OLD WINDOWS 7 USERS ITS NOT SUPPORTED FOR YOU GUYS )
)
MQA- Now this is beyond my review whether it’s better or not but hey this supports the final unfold of MQA.
SOFTWARE used- UAPP using both stored files and TIDAL support there and TIDAL APP (but tidal kept on crashing so could not use it at all).
IEMS USED- CAMFIRE AUDIO MAMMOTH, BLON 03, KANAS PRO, PENON FAN, TIN T2 PLUS AND TIN T2 (EASY TO RUN IEMS ALL)
HEADPHONES- SENNHEISER HD600, FOCAL CLEAR, SENNHEISER HD558
ONE QUIRK I FOUND- IT DIDN’T WORK UNLESS I PLUG IN AN IEM OR HEADPHONE TO IT HAHA!!! REALLY GOOD!!!
ONE COMPLAINT- The dongle has a real bright led and it gets annoying at night haha, a way to use this is using it upside down so the Leds don’t face you haha!!! Plus, the magenta colour is a mixture of blue and red somehow it doesn’t pop up as magenta haha !! its easier to notice it at night and you have to see at a particular angle to see the colour Magenta, other colours came up pretty nicely!!!
Here are a few examples-
1)WHITE
2) BLUE
3)RED
4) MAGENTA- HOPEFULLY THEY FIX THE MAGENTA COLOUR
LETS start with POWAHHHH-
It ran everyone of the above iems and headphones but notably the iems are not that difficult unless it’s a TIN P1 or something crazy like it haha!!
Now for iems it was an easy task for this tiny guy, requiring 30-40% of my phone volume and Penon fan needed a bit more power at 45-55% volume.
But what I found using HD600 was, it didn’t have that dynamic nature that I found on my BTR5 which is a bit more powerful (80mw) but also has balanced out 2.5mm which has more power(240mw). Plus, my phones volume had to be cranked up to 90% for atom 2 to fully use it with my HD600
So, with a small package like this don’t expect it to blow your HPs away with power but iems it can handle good (TnC- crazy insensitive iems are not included since I don’t have any
)NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND
BASS-
Now this has a punchy bass, it adds a bit of control and depth to the bass too. The mid bass is punchy here and has an added texture and given this has a good wide soundstage this helps. The midbass doesn’t overpower the mids or the subass having that exquisite balance to it. The bass body though is a bit decreased compared to BTR5 but its not that much to really find it different.
SUBBASS-
The subbass is tighter here. It has reaches deep with every iem I have tried and has good control. The subbass is rumbly here at least, it did add that a tiny amount to my neutral bass iem TINT2 haha!!! Mammoth though just aced the whole iem tree with its very nice rumbly nature.
MIDS-
This has balanced mids with vocals neither too intimate nor too far. It felt a little lean compared to BTR5 but the added clarity and notes cleanliness just overshadowed the slight leanness. The separation of the instruments was awesome and they had an added space around them too. The notes are cleaner, separated till the very end and not a hint of them mixing up except in the ambience. I really loved the mids presentation here!!!
TREBLE-
The treble definition is pretty good; it does have a good bit of extension but it’s limited by the iems or headphones capacity. Focal clear had a good pairing here but this widens the stage more and adds more air on the upper treble region which was really good on this Focal. The Lower treble with guitars and other instruments like trumpets loved the extra refinement and air here!!! The energy on the treble region seemed a bit lacking but this provided a smooth experience rather than an energetic experience.
HEADSTAGE, IMAGING, SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION-
Now this has a wide staging with more air but at the cost of little lean nature. It has more separation and also better note definition. The imaging is excellent with real great portrayal of the instruments general direction but the placement was a bit diffuse in nature. The resolution is really good too, with little subtleties coming through pretty nicely!!! This does add a tiny bit of real depth, but not like N6ii with T01 does but its not bad to have SOME rather than have NONE.
COMPARISON WITH BTR5
PROS OF ATOM 2
- Wider and Taller and Deeper (both in stage and – y axis) soundstage
- More Separation
- More balanced signature
- More cleaner notes
- Bass goes deep and is punchier
- Subbass is better
- MQA is there for final unfolding
- Bass is thicker
- More energy in treble
- More intimate overall
- Power and balanced out too
- BT make its easy to use with phone somewhere else
- Display
SUMMARY
Its a great little device with MQA and its sound quality made me think twice of selling my BTR5... If I didn't already have an DAP for streaming and everything , this would be my no1 choice at this price range. A recommendation from my side for sure...
