I've been looking for a small desktop source to use my Subtonic Storm with for casual listening when I'm not using my speakers. I asked @Chang from Subtonic for recommendations and he suggested the DITA Navigator so I went and purchased one to demo and below is my review of it. Big thanks to @MusicTeck for being a US retailer for it, I was able to purchase through them and I'd recommend you do so if the Navigator is something that is up your alley and you're in the market for one.

TL;Dr: Great dongle: big sounding, forgiving treble, and good power delivery.

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What is it?


The Navigator is an unique dongle dac/amp. The design reminds me of the things I'd see in the carryology EDC hobby, has this industrial and functional aesthetic to it. The built in phone stand is quite sturdy, it can support my iBasso DX320Max TI.


The navigator features a built in screwdriver that is secured with magnets as well which I find pretty cool since I'm into the EDC hobby myself. They include a PH0 bit, it won't fit the 1/4 inch standard bits that you'll find in screwdrivers/power drills, but it'll fit the smaller sized 4mm hex bits, for example any of the bits in this kit: https://www.ifixit.com/products/moray-driver-kit



The chassis for the Navigator feels sturdy, cool to the touch and feels cool even when in use.

The Navigator comes with two lanyards, one grey and one orange, I put the bright orange on my unit so I can quickly find it plus I like the color pop.



Random Facts about Navigator:
Weight: 64 grams
Dimensions: 2.75 in x 1.375 in x 0.625 in
Power Consumption at Idle: 0.454 W (4.98V and 0.090 A) This power draw is on the high side, it may draw your battery faster than normal if you're using this with a mobile device.
Comes with a USB C to C cable, If purchased through Musicteck they will provide an additional C to Lightning cable

The volume control is done on the Navigator itself, so you'll have to max out volume at your USB source. The volume is changed by the knurled + and - buttons. I counted about 28 steps from zero volume to max volume by using an oscilloscope. There is no gain setting on the Navigator, all you'll have to controls are the volume buttons.

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How does it sound?

All listening done on my Subtonic Storm + Nightjar Sovereign Symphony cable + Roon on my PC with the Navigator in WASAPI Exclusive mode.



Tone:
Bass: subbass boosted, midbass is neutral to my ears.
Mids: neutralish, I found the mids to sound "dry" after comparing vocals and strings to my DX320Max, but it could be that the DX320Max is just lush/wet sounding here.
Treble: either neutral or mild downwards tilted, does not add more treble than storm which I find a plus since I am treble sensitive. People who prefer some sparkle in this region may not like the Navigator.

Overall tone: Kind of L shaped (subbass boost perceived, with pretty much flat line on rest of the spectrum)

Techs:
This section will be made in comparison to the Hiby FC6 since I find it unfair to compare the Navigator to my iBasso DX320Max.

Dynamics: Good dynamics here especially for a dongle. Definitely more than FC6 as well. I do not feel unsatisfied here when I listen to Storm on the Navigator.
Leading Edge: Rounded, some may find this to be on the plasticky side.
Res: I like the res, I find it to be more textured than FC6.
Stage Depth / Width: fairly average for dongle, there's more depth than width here.
Image Size: big sounding here, large sound images which leaves a grand impression on the perception of music. In particular vocals like Take me Home, Country Roads by Lana Del Rey

Soundwise, I am impressed with the tonality and techs of the Navigator. It provides an engaging and non fatiguing listening session with Storm.

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Brief Comparisons to other dongles I've heard:
Hiby FC6: I find Hiby FC6 to have a warmer presentation with smoothed out treble. The power delivery on the FC6 I find to be ok/average compared the Navigator. I felt like the FC6 staged better than the Navigator, but I don't find that aspect as important for my listening preferences.

Questyle M15: M15 to my ears sound v-shaped compared the Navigator. The treble glare that the M15 has isn't appealing for me since I am sensitive in this area. My only comment on the tech differences (I no longer have the M15 with me to do a listening comparison though so take this with a grain of salt), I believe the Navigator has more dynamics than the M15.

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Navigator Cons:
- When I connect the Navigator + Storm to my iPhone 14 pro and I try to listen louder than I normally do, I can get the iPhone to turn off the Navigator. I believe this is because the Navigator is exceeding its power budget on the iPhone and the iPhone shuts off the port to protect itself. This doesn't happen to the Navigator when I'm using it with my PC.
- Dongle is big in size compared to FC6/M15. May be cumbersome if you try to use it on the go.
- There isn't really an user manual online

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Conclusion: I like the Navigator, I plan to keep it for the foreseeable future. It fits my sonic needs ; it sounds big, has solid dynamics, and it doesn't have treble glare. Functionally, it's simple to use and looks aesthetically pleasing as well. I'm impressed with DITA for dropping this product and hoping to see what other source gear they might release in the future.

Thanks for reading!
-tamtrum

I've heard some promising things about the HiSenior Mega5Est from a trustworthy friend of mine, so I decided to blind buy it with my own money and below are my thoughts on the $550 iem.



Tl;dr: A solid buy for $550 if you're looking for a great neutral with bass boost tonality with good techs.


Packaging and Accessories:






Accessories include: 2 baggies of silicon tips, 1 bag of foam tips, 1 bag of stickers, wipes, and a cable clip.


The stock 4.4mm cable with 2 pin flushed connectors that the Mega5EST comes with is rubber sleeved, I'm not usually a fan of cables with built in ear hooks. The loop of the cable was fortunately fine for me though, your mileage may vary.

The Shell:

I would describe it as kinda thick in the body, but the width and height are compact and easy to wear. The nozzle diameter is on the larger side but the length is short so it should be ok for most people who can fit the larger nozzle diameter. I can wear the Mega5EST for long periods of time especially since it's also vented as well.

Nozzle Diameter: 6.26 mm at the lip, 5.41mm after the lip.

Approximate Body Dimensions excluding the nozzle: 24mm wide x 13 mm x 17 mm

Mega5EST (left), Truthear Zero Red (middle), Truthear Hola (right)


Measurements:

Frequency Response Graph, Compensated to JM-1 Target, normalized at 500 Hz (more info on this target here: https://headphones.com/blogs/features/the-shape-of-iems-to-come#section-5-2)


If you wish to explore more of the FR of Mega5EST you can find my FR measurements of it and other IEMS in my collection here: https://listener.squig.link/tam/?share=JM-1_Target,Mega5est

Here's also an uncompensated Frequency Response plot off my clone 711 coupler from the SoundGoods store on Aliexpress. Take note that my 711 coupler makes transducers look darker than it really is (recession in 4KHz to 6KHz) unless it is compensated with a coupler specific target.



Overall you can see that the L/R channel matching is insanely impressive, almost zero differences in L or R transducers.

Sound:

All listening done with the stock cable and with Coreir Pentaconn Brass Tips (Size MS) with my iBasso 320MAX Ti as the source. I used the Coreir brass tips because for my ear canals, I was able to push out the upper treble peak that I otherwise would hear with other tips (JVC Spiraldots++, AET07, Eletech Baroques).

Tonality:
Overall, I'd describe Mega5Est as neutral with bass boost. Which kind of reminds me of my Subtonic Storm but with more bass and lower mids and less treble.

Bass (20 hz ~ 200 hz):
The bass shelf on the Mega5est extends to about 200 hz, which makes any bass elements in a track come forward. Great for electronic or pop music which is most of my general listening. The quantity of the bass is quite generous too. I don't notice any bleeding of bass into the vocals here so good job on HiSenior for blending the bass properly.

Mids (200hz ~ 4 Khz):
The pinna region is not as forward compared to similarly priced IEMs like Variations, so when I normalize volume while listening around 1 KHz, the Mega5EST has a vocal and string richness where on Variations certain vocals and string instruments sound thin. There's a pleasant warmth in the mids with the Mega5EST that most people will find enjoyable. If you find the 2019 IE Harman target or stuff like the IEF neutral target too pinna forward and thin, the mids on this IEM would be a solution to your needs.

Treble (4Khz ~ 20Khz):
Overall, linearly downsloped in a good way so most of the treble sounds quite pleasant and linear up until you reach the upper treble where there is one peak (maybe 11KHz?) that I was able to tip roll and push the peak out of my hearing range. That troublesome treble peak made cymbals decay too strongly so it can sound harsh at times but thankfully I was able to find the right tips to get rid of it. If you're used to IE-harman or IEF neutral tonality iems, Mega5EST may seem dark but I find the treble pretty smooth in a good way.


Technical Performance:

Dynamics: I'd say Mega5EST is above average given its price but it's not the most dynamics I've heard. Not going to outclass the dynamics of something like Symphonium Helios or Crimson that I've previously heard but definitely prefer it over other IEMs that I've heard like Variations.

Resolving ability: Does ok here. Helios still out-resolves the Mega5Est but that's not to say it's textureless.

Imaging: Average or so imaging and separation, not going to be crazy imaging like you would get with Helios, Crimson, or Storm for that matter. Sound images are an ok size with bass components feeling big which tracks with the tonality.

Staging: I'd say there's depth than width here for the Mega5Est. Staging for the Mega5EST for me is thrown forward instead of it being around me. I'd describe the shape as conic.

Transients: Slightly rounded leading edges

Comparisons to other IEMs I've heard:
I'd put Mega5EST over Thieaudio's Monarch Mk2 and somewhere on par with Thieaudio's Divinity V16. The Monarch Mk2 had treble issues that I was not a fan of, it wasn't that resolving and the only thing saving the Monarch Mk2 for me was the decent bass so for those reasons I would easily take Mega5EST over the Monarch Mk2. Compared to Variations, I feel there is no contest and the Mega5EST is an all around winner for my listening preferences.


Conclusion:

I don't usually touch too many iems between $150 and $1000. I typically find it a no mans land between budget stuff such as the Truthear Nova and stuff like the Symphonium Helios. I used to own Blessing 2 Dusk, then I upgraded to Moondrop Variations and I felt pretty whelmed. The move felt like a side grade with no real upgrade in performance other than a difference in tonality. Had I known about the Mega5EST when I was considering Variations, I would've jumped for that instead. For me, Mega5EST earns its rightful price for the outstanding tonality that makes any track easy listening and the dynamics so it makes the experience pleasant and engaging.

Thanks for reading!


Additional Notes:

-Thanks to the help of Griffin's help in making the squig website and helping me with developing a JM-1 compensation target for my clone coupler.

-For bass lovers with impedance adapters, if you have a 10 ohm adapter (or a 150 ohm adapter!) you can get a generous bass boost: