Dethonray Prelude DTR1

This review is coming from a music lover, straight from the heart, without being too analytical. I am not a seasoned reviewer, so please ignore any mistakes.

This is my own unit, purchased in the month of December. No free unit for an unbiased review, no discount, nothing. This hobby is thus making me poor day by day. But in the end, I am happy.

For technical details of DTR1, you can refer to this link: HIFIGO

The question is - why do you buy a dap? Every now and then we have new daps coming in the market. The makers are heard boasting about the fancy UI, streaming capacity, high memory, and many other features. The chips are evolving, the engineering is evolving and so is increasing the user demand. But amidst all these factors, the maker of Dethonray DTR1 chose just the sound quality as the major feature and boy did he succeed in touching the perfection. DTR1 needs no introduction. There is nothing to talk about this dap than the sound quality. When they say that fancy chipsets don't make any sense unless there is a good implementation, they say it right. In worlds of AKM 4499, the DTR1 can be said to implement an archaic chipset (AK 4490 EQ) but the implementation has kicked all those fancy daps out of the room. And there goes the answer to the million-dollar question - why should you buy this dap? DTR1 has exceptional sound quality, so great that you do not want anything else. Forget the slickness of the UI of fancy daps and the fast scrolling of the music folders there, the rawness in this dap is going to make you surrender.

Let's talk about sound quality.

Bass:

The bass is punchy, just strong enough for you to like it. DTR1 has a nice detailed and very controlled bass. It's certainly not bass heavy but just enough quantity. The bass does not dominate other frequencies. Overall, it is very firm and controlled.

Mids:

Mids are where DTR1 shines a lot. There is a beautiful resolution with a lot of details and clarity. Vocals, though slightly laid back, but are really amazing. There is a good separation between instruments and vocal.

Treble:

The treble is little bright with DTR1 but there is no harshness, no piercing, no peakiness, and no sibilance whatsoever. It has a well extended, smooth and highly detailed treble.

Soundstage:

I would say soundstage is pretty wide and deep. There is enough air. The instrument separation and transparency is just outstanding. The resolution in the different frequencies is very well maintained which adds to the overall soundstage.

Power:

The DTR1 is powerful enough to drive most of the iems to their full capacity. It is too powerful for its small size, I tell you. Those power-hungry iems and headphones can be very easily driven by DTR1. I mostly keep it on a medium gain because high gain sometimes seems too powerful for the iems.


Pairing:

With Campfire Audio Andromeda:

A DD iem is a good pair for DTR1. But BA only iems, with a neutral tuning, are prone to hiss and do not pair well with DTR1. Andromeda, by default, is not a good pair with DTR1. There is noticeable hiss and a lot of sensitivity. So, what do you do? There comes in picture the savior - IFI IEMatch. It tames the hiss and brightness of the Andro and I swear to god, this becomes such a deadly combination. Ahh, the greatness of the Andromeda and the power of the DTR1 and those mids and highs and the controlled bass. I cannot get out of this stack for a very very long time.


With Meze Rai Penta:

I was lucky enough to audition the great Rai Penta with DTR1, thanks to one of my friends. The Penta-DTR1 is a match made in heaven. Penta is a great iem. To me, DTR1 being very little warm goes well with Penta which sounds a bit dark and not exactly neutral. DTR1's powerful output makes Penta shine a lot. That bass !!! Penta becomes a different beast with DTR1. Such lovely mids, very well extended treble and a very good balanced sound is what the Penta delivers. Though Penta has a narrower soundstage than Andromeda, nevertheless it is an easy pairing with DTR1. The Penta sounded better on DTR1 than on Cayin N6ii.


With DUNU 3001-Pro:

Again, a loaner unit from my friend. Dunu 3001pro is a very very balanced iem. Frankly, what the iems delivers is nothing less than greatness. With DTR1 it is a great pairing again. It has a dynamic driver which produces a great bass response with the DTR1. Lush and very natural mids and very well extended treble response is what I found on the 3001pro. Overall, a very enjoyable pairing.



Comparison:

I do not want to go for an apple to orange comparison here and talk about the things which DTR1 has and others do not and vice-versa. One common thing where the daps can fight is sound quality. I had owned N6ii before I got a DTR1 and to me, it does not sound any less than N6ii. Well, the pairing can be better for some iems on N6ii but that does mean N6ii is better in terms of sound quality. I would say they both compete for the neck to neck.

Hiby R6, Fiio M11, Sony ZX300 all these daps are costlier than DTR1 and they sound nothing in comparison to it, with the Hiby sounding the worst. I am not sure how does the R6 Pro compares but from what I have heard, DTR1 sounds better than R6 Pro, but I do not want to comment on that. I am very sure the DTR1 sounds better than many other daps in a higher price segment.


Lastly:

I do not want to talk about the other aspects at all. The sound quality of DTR1 is so heavenly that most of the other things are very insignificant. It is a very very user-friendly dap with enough features. One of the features where you can set the shutdown timer is really good. You have good decent battery life on DTR1. It charges to its full capacity in 2-2.5 hours. I do not miss the balanced output much. The dap can support a 1-TB sd card (as confirmed by Anson). It is very very portable and can be easily carried in the pockets (Do not talk about the bulkiness of N6ii).

What else?? Let's get back to sound quality. This is what matters the most for a dap. There is no exaggeration in saying that DTR1 sounds better than many expensive daps in the market priced more than two times its price. To me, DTR1 has given a new dimension to how I listen to my songs. It is such a lovely little thing that I am falling in love more and more, day by day.

UPDATE (Dethonray HPAMP HA-2 impressions):

Stack: DTR1 + HPAMP + Andromeda == Mind blown. Now I understand why people go for stacking. I was not even aware of such a clean sound.

God bless you, Anson.

Here are the impressions.

1. Andromeda is a different monster. Unimaginable sound reproduction. It has a better staging with the amp. No hiss at all. I am still using the Iematch with it(totally out of the habit of using it with DTR1), but the amp's sound reproduction is too clean. So Iematch is not required in it.

2. There is an elevated bass for sure. Not much though, but since DTR1 is more of a neutral-sounding dap (read: no elevated bass), I can feel the increased bass. The lows are a lot punchier without compromising the other frequencies. Treble is totally sorted. No peaks, nothing at all. Each instrument sounds so proper, so properly distinguishable.

3. Andromeda is bright iem and way too sensitive, which is why I have to using Iematch with DTR1. But with the amp, the brightness and sensitivity are very very controlled which is why Andro is much more enjoyable.

4. The synergy of this amp is amazing with the DTR1. It's like the amp is totally complementing the dap. Made for each other pair.

5. With my Macbook Pro (15inch), the sound reproduction through the amp is great, well, but not as great as it is with the DTR1.

6. This is my first amp experience. I had never imagined the Imagine album could sound so unimaginable. No hiss (at least none recognizable in a silent setting), so much clarity, such detailing, I was almost in tears. Mind you, I am no seasoned audiophile, no reviewer, just an avid music lover talking straight from the heart.

180 grams. This is what a Dethonray DTR1 Prelude Digital Audio Player weighs. Exactly as much as a premium pressed vinyl. The comparison ends here, but 180 seems to be a good number, at least for me.

Please skip to the "sound" section if you just care about the product

Gears used and music listened for this review:

- Final E5000
- Fibae Black
- Blon BL-03
- Sony N3
- BQEYZ Spring 1
- Audeze LCD-X
- Dethonray HA-2 (amp)
- Calyx M (DAP)

Music
I am listening to almost everything since more than 30 years. Pop, Classic Rock, Dub, Tech, Electronic, Drone, Ambient, Trip-Hop, Hip-hop, Classical, OST, Jazz, Vocals... it's difficult, because I like music a lot and I am open to almost everything (Country, « Religion » music and Brass are no-go, still).

Some favorites tracks (in no specific order):
Everything properly recorded and mastered, from MP3 320kps to AIFF/ALAC/FLAC

- The Sight Below: Staggered (track)
- Johnny Cash: Hurt (track)
- Roxy Music / Bryan Ferry: Avalon, More Than This, Jealous Guy (tracks)
- Amos Lee: His acoustic/live stuff
- Bruce Springsteen: Everything from him…
- Joy Division: Love will tear us apart (track)
- Björk: Homogenic (album)
- Kate Bush: Watching you without me (track) -> I love that woman, literally....
- Mulholland Drive: OST (album)
- Heat: OST (album)
- Gladiator: OST (album)
- Blade Runner: OST (album)
- Madonna: Something To Remember (album)
- Dire Straits: On Every Street (album)
- Mark Knopfler: Long Cool Girl (track)
- Massive Attack: Mezzanine (album)
- Alain Bashung -> Bleu Pétrole, Fantaisie Militaire, Osez Joséphine (albums)
- Francis Cabrel -> from « 1982 » to « Des Roses Et Des Orties »(200X)

... and a lot more. For the electronic/drone/synthwave/extreme stuff, please check my Bandcamp profile (F700)

Personal Background

What follows will be my long overdue and as short as possible review of this amazing music player. Sorry for my English, it is not my mother tongue. I have done my best.

I am not a technician or any earphone/headphone/DAP guru of any kind, just a guy loving music and intensively listening to it in every way and sort since 1987. From there, it was point of no return, meaning buying records, rave & concert, open air festivals, mixing own mix tapes, loving a music genre, hating another one (and rewind), getting married, getting kids, going crazy with USD 50K stereo home system, selling (almost) everything, taking the desktop setup road back in 2010 and today enjoying portable audio devices with IEMs, something that I never could have imagined 3 years ago, before I decided to "try" a FiiO X5III with a pair of on-ear Meze Classics 99.

Today, I still am listening to music every evening, even just for 10 minutes, ideally 1 hour at least, with a good setup. I need it in my life. You too, aren't you?

After having sold the X5III, I got the Sony ZX300 running in 4.4mm and the Cowon Plenue M2, almost at the same time. Two different DAPs with different sound signatures and features. I tried a lot of other DAPs from there, i.e DX200, WM1A, AK300, AK240, SP1000M, SP1000, KANN, Opus 2, Plenue P1, Plenue L and FiiO X7II. I might have forgotten one or two. All of these DAPs had their strengths and weaknesses. The best in my list remain the SP1000M and the WM1A, both surpassing ZX300 and the Cowon Plenue M2 soundwise. Still, in my opinion, having two soldiers at hand was better than a sole lieutenant. Until the Dethonray DTR1 Prelude came to my knowledge via « Penon Audio » (I have no affiliation with Penon Audio and never got any free sample or reduction from that webshop), I was happy with my existent setup and I am sure I still would be with it now. Still, I read the early pages in the dedicated thread, which led me to spend the USD 530.- to get the DTR1. I sold my 2 above-mentioned DAPs and the FiiO Q5 to finance the DTR1 and some IEMs (which I sold afterwards). It was mid-May 2019. An eternity in this hobby, isn't it? And now we are.

A musical and "affordable" setup for less than USD 800.- / DTR1 and Final E5000


Personal sound signature and musical genres

I like a slightly warm and darkish sound signature since more than 30 years. Call it analog if you want, bass has to be solid and tight, not too bloated but present anyway. Mids are everything, don't take away my mids, there are like my kids, ok? The treble embodies a love and hate relationship. I like mine smooths but detailed. Not overly sharp or sizzled, but the top end needs some sparkle. Sometimes, the source takes care of it, sometimes the drivers. I prefer when the source does this job, because the drivers tend to get too hot when the intended sound signature was meant to be a bright/revealing one. With IEMs, soundstage remains within head range. Maybe a bit larger, but I don't think that anyone going the IEM's route awaits a real out-of-your-head sound presentation.

Dethonray & Anson (CEO)

After the purchase, some Head-Fiers (incl. myself) came in contact with Anson in order to get FW updates, which happened in most of the cases. Anson, an engineer who decided to manufacture his own device(s) and has implemented the tech he wanted in those after having duly served other's companies' agendas, is a trustworthy person, always ready to help/answer/assist DTR1's owners, and with a touch of humour s'il vous plaît. Anson, if you read this, I thank you for everything, the support, the good and constructive discussions. You have brought big sound in a small device, not being afraid of taking the old school way, maybe the most cost-effective also for the time being and you were right I think. You seem to have a plan, you know what you are doing obviously. You are a music lover too and we need someone like you in this hobby today and in the future.

Ps: I have no affiliation with Dethonray and/or with Anson. I never got free stuff or anything like that from the company. I paid for my gears.

Sound:
How much do you to like (your) Music? How much do you need It in your everyday life? The answer is not very important at the end of the day, because if you end trying/getting interest/buying a DTR1 it means you care about « your » sound. That's all. The DTR1 sports a 3.5mm HO only. No balanced output here. I say it once for all, that's my conviction after having had several 4.4mm DAP/IEMs combos, the power counts. That's all. And the DTR1 has lots of clean and clear power in store. Don't regret the missing 2.5mm or 4.4mm outputs here. You will forget about that after you have started to listen to the DTR1.

I will pass the technical datas exercice if you don't mind. If you mind, the dedicated website or even HF will help you get the figures you are looking after. Here are some, for me at least, key information:

Output: 3.5mm
Battery: 8 to 10 hours with 16/44 lossless files
LO: 3.5mm, an excellent and clean LO with FiiO A5 and Dethonray HA-2 portable amps.
Charging time: 2.5 - 3 hours
Case: Optional. Get one, it's cheap and almost mandatory IMO, because the player is prone to fingertips and easily can get damaged.
DAC Chip: AK4490, which is very well implemented. Filters hardly make a difference IMO, especially in this DAP configuration.
SD-Card: 1 slot, needs to be FAT32-formatted. Otherwise, the FW updates won’t be installed. I have no problem running a 400GB SD-Card.

The amp section and the digital one are fed separately. You know it, you hear it. If you don't know it, maybe you won't notice it.

BASS
The bass is firm and controlled. Even IEMs like Final E5000 or Sony N3 will get their bass being tamed a bit. A big plus for me, who needs the bass, but not the one that overshadows mediums. It could seem to be a dark signature if you aren't not used to it or if you don't like it, but the DTR1 does a nice job at retaining bass punch while improving it and rubbing out the bloating edges slightly. The inexpensive Blon BL-03 sounds great with the DTR1. Neutral bass lovers will be served with the DTR1. BA-only IEMs with a neutral tuning and prone-to-hiss are not a good pairing, or only if you prefer a (very) bright and revealing combo. My now sold « Fearless S8F » hissed quite a bit. BA IEMs with tuned armatures in the bass segment will likely give you the "oomph" you need as long as the noise floor is tamed to a minimum. I am not a basshead, but I cannot live with a so-called light "reference" bass. Bass needs weight and impact, no need to debate about it in my musical universe. You can get it perfectly mastered with the DTR1, but choose your drivers wisely, considering the fact that the DTR is neutral sounding.

MIDS
Mids are neutral as it can gets, meaning that your drivers will bring them into play as they are meant to be presented. It is simple as that. For example, my Fibae Black, a musical darkish mid-centric IEM, licks every bits of power delivered from the DTR1 in order to expose what it's capable of. Great pairing actually. A set like the BQEYZ Spring 1, whose mids are recessed in favor of the bass and treble, takes the clarity and power from the DTR1 in its face. A nice, clear and detailed pairing, but we need to like the treble being pushed forward. The vocals with the Final E5000 are just amazing. Meaty, wide and clear presented at the same time. The DTR1/E5000 combo brings depth at a very good level here.

TREBLE
The treble is clear and detailed. This is where a combination with IEMs can become too bright for some. As already mentioned before, choose your drivers wisely. The BQEYZ Spring 1 is my brightest IEM and it’s a pleasure to get such an airy treble, packed with details and layers in the music. On the other hand, warmer and darker sets like the E5000, BL-03 or Fibae Black see their treble being pushed higher, reducing the darker tone. I would say that the treble is perfectly presented for my taste.

DETAIL RETRIEVAL
Compared to my precedent DAPs and the ones I tried or got on loan, the DTR1 is one of the stronger competitor in that segment, while keeping a pleasant neutral signature. You will hear everything your records have to offer. It's an impressive performance, indeed.

POWER
The DTR1 can drive any IEMs to very loud levels. Even full-sized headphones will be driven with authority. The Audeze LCD-X is going very loud with the DTR1, but lacks just a bit of the dynamics that are to be found via desktop amplification. Still, the DTR1 is excellent in that regard.

PAIRING/UPGRADE
Please consider that the DTR1 might present some noise floor with BA-only IEMs. It was the case with the Fearless S8F. With my current drivers, absolutely no problem of that kind. The best pairing remains for me the DTR1 with Final E5000 or Fibae Black. The Blon Bl-03 also benefits from the available power and neutral signature from the DAP.

If you want more power reserve, a slightly wider soundstage with even better layering and a tad smoother treble, then you might want to try/to get the new portable amp from Dethonray, the HA-2 (USD 199.-). The HA-2 was clearly developed to match the DTR1. This purchase is not mandatory, because the DTR1 is a fantastic standalone device. In my opinion, the HA-2 allows to extract the last 5% from the DAP, by adding small refinements in the sound presentation as stated above. If you want to drive power-hungry headphones, then I think that the portable HA-2 is a smart investment.



COMPARISON WITH CALYX M-XBATT COMBO / SOUND ONLY
My 2nd DAP of choice is the Calyx M. It is a hardcore player from 2014, which has a lot of caveats (battery, UI, folder system, features), but that sounds fantastic. The DTR1 has a clearer and more "reference" sound than the Calyx M. The Calyx M has a Class A amplification and a gorgeous OLED screen that drain the battery like there is no tomorrow. Still, the warm, analog sounding Calyx M will enchant you with its great tonality. There are no better sounding device than the Calyx M for me, but the DTR1 offers better portability and longer playback time. Stacked with the HA-2, the DTR1 sounds as good as the Calyx M in terms of pure enjoyment, because both sound signatures are different and complement themselves. There is no winner here. The DTR1 is a more user-friendly and allrounder DAP, the Calyx M a beautiful device with analog sound. I need and love both.



End words:
I am no reviewer, just a music lover with some good working ears in its 40. I have tried and listened some high-end stuff in the past 15 years, especially in the desktop setup area. Musicality tends to be forgotten in the favor of technicalities and specs. Don't forget why you have come here, not reading this review, but on this platform. It's about music and emotions. Find your way and trust your ears. We don't have the same ears, music tastes and sound signatures. Maybe we have. Who knows? Now talking from my ears and heart, I tell you something: if you don't mind a slight dark signature, boss bass, mediums to kiss-on-the-mouth for, elegant treble, fantastic detail retrieval and amazing comfort, please consider the following setup:

- DETHONRAY DTR1 (USD 549)
- DETHONRAY CASE (USD 22)
- DETHONRAY HA-2 (USD 199)
- FINAL E5000 (USD 279) or FIBAE BLACK (USD 500)
-----------
USD 1 - 1.3K (and you are musically speaking set)



Thanks for reading.

As the owner of the dtr1 for over 6 months, i am still happy with how clean, tone natural and transparent is the sound. And this player has a really powerful headphone out, i tried many iem and headphone with the dtr1, it can even run hungry beast like the hd600 to a satisfactory level. However, i usually only put it on low gain and run my pair of hum Dolores for daily use.
The passion and the knowledge of the designer is unparalleled as the team is willing to listen and improve the player throughout firmware update and take users feedback for future product development, which becomes rare nowadays.
The UI of the dtr1 is really simple, smooth, but nothing fancy like those new dap with Android UI.
i would say that the firmware seems quite stable and its quite snappy without much lag.
Which is a big well done considering that the player uses a custom Linux OS
However, the screen is a little small for my liking.
it would be better if they use touch screen instead and make the screen bigger.
One thing I kinda need to complain about is the lack of balance option such as 2.5 or 4.4 output, which is quite common nowadays, but i am enjoying the dtr1 more than those balance player and this product dtr1 has proven to me that balance doesn't mean superior performance.