Introduction
Dunu is a very popular brand in the Chi-Fi industry, mostly thanks to their well-designed and good sounding IEMs that were praised by many people around the globe.
This time, I will be testing the DTC800, which is one of the new dongle DACs that joined their products’ portfolio.
Disclaimer: the Dunu DTC800 was sent to me by Dunu free of charge in order to write an honest review. This review represents my personal opinion and it is by no means a promotional or paid content.
At the time of the review, the Dunu DTC800 was on sale for about 99$ at HiFiGO.
Technical Specifications
- Size → 48mm * 24mm * 12mm (L x W x H)
- Net weight → 20g
- DAC Chipset → CS43198 * 2
- OPAMPs → SGM8262 * 2
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR):
- Single-Ended: 125 dB
- Balanced: 126 dB
- Dynamic Range (DNR):
- Single-Ended: 120 dB
- Balanced: 125 dB
- THD+N: 0.0002%
- Power Output:
- Single-Ended: 180mW @ 32Ω
- Balanced: 450mW @ 32Ω
- Decoding Capability:
- PCM: 32Bit / 384kHz
- DSD: DoP 128 / Native 256
- Input Interface: USB Type-C
- Output Interfaces:
- 3.5mm Single-Ended
- 4.4mm Balanced
Packaging
The box is very simple and small and it contains:
- The Dunu DTC800
- A cloth-sheathed Type-C to Type-C cable
- A Type-C to USB-A adapter
- User manual and warranty card
Design, Build Quality and Buttons
The Dunu DTC800 is like "Cyberpunk 2077 meets a coffin", which is… weirdly interesting. The build quality is superb and I have no complaints whatsoever.
There are two dedicated buttons for the volume control (and other functions), which are independent from the source volume (increasing the volume on the dongle doesn’t affect the source volume, so I just increase the source volume 100% and then adjust the volume directly on the dongle).
There’s also a LED which indicates the various functioning states of the dongle, including the used filter, even though there isn’t anything that differentiates a filter from each other so it’s pretty hard (especially because the sound differences are also negligible).
Performance
Power and temperatures
The DTC800 packs a good amount of power, and it’s able to power my HE400SE with no issues whatsoever (and basically every single IEM) from the 3.5mm unbalanced port. Activating the High Voltage mode, it’s possible to add even more juice although the power is already more than enough without activating the High Voltage mode through the 3.5mm output, so this small amount of added power won’t make the difference in most cases.
The balanced output is even more powerful, it easily drives my HE400SE and they become very loud without necessarily pushing the dongle to its limits.
When it comes to temperatures, the DTC800 doesn’t have particular issues: it becomes just a bit warm when using the Balanced output and/or the High Voltage mode and the power consumption slightly increases, but the shell never becomes “hot”.
Sound
The DTC800 delivers an uncolored response with very good transparency overall. There isn’t any hiss in the background even with very sensitive IEMs so it’s basically a well-implemented portable DAC/AMP that does its job with no frills or annoyance.
There isn’t any kind of smoothening out-of-the-box on either side of the spectrum and overall it's a very resolving dongle with a wide soundstage.
Some comparisons:
Dunu DTC800 vs DTC480
Is it worth jumping from the DTC480 to the DTC800? Well, kind-of.
The short answer would be “yes” because the DTC800 is objectively superior, especially when it comes to output power since they sound very similar, but the price of the DTC800 is also pretty high and almost double the price of the DTC480 so the choice should also be weighted considering other products from different brands on the market.
DTC800 vs Fosi DS2
The Fosi DS2 has a better value proposition imho: more lightweight, slightly more powerful and a much lower price. The sound is very hard to distinguish even though the DTC800 seem to play in a slightly bigger soundstage and with a bit more body in the low-end, whereas the Fosi DS2 sounds a touch leaner.
The DTC800 has a few filters (which I find honestly unrecognizable, even though those with finer ears or measuring units will maybe be able to distinguish), a slightly higher maximum sampling rate and UAC 1.0 support and consumes less power than the DS2.
Products like the Fosi DS2 still hold the value-for-money crown but that doesn’t mean that products which cost a bit more than expected are automatically bad. However, the DTC800 is listed for about 99$ while the Fosi DS2 retails for about 60$ so… I would still pick the DS2 because I am not a source guy so I just go for the better value for money, but I can really see reasons why one would prefer the DTC800.
Dunu DTC800 vs Truthear SHIO
The design and build quality of the DTC800 are definitely a step-up, it’s a more refined product overall but if you look for performance only, then the SHIO is still a notch above in terms of output power. I can’t hear noticeable sound differences.
One thing has to be said: the SHIO was half the price of the DTC800, and it was released back in January 2023, so the fact that it still punches way above its price nowadays is a good example of how long do great products last. Nowadays, it’s basically impossible to find one so it won’t be easy to get it instead of the DTC800, but if you have a chance to get your hands on a SHIO, then go for it.
Otherwise, the DTC800 have a few advantages, such as the lower power consumption, UAC 1.0 support and the presence of a few filters (that, again, I cannot distinguish).
Final Thoughts
The DTC800 is a very good product, and there are no doubts about this: there’s plenty of power for every IEM you can think of (except for rare exceptions) and also for some over-ear cans, the sound is neutral and detailed, the build quality is superb and Dunu’s reputation speaks for itself. There are some options that look more attractive, such as the Fosi DS2 which hasn’t been dethroned yet, but there are also products like the Simgot DEW4X that are usually sold for about the same price while also offering the same output power that you can find on the DTC480 (the right question would be: do you really need that much power?).
I am not saying that the DTC800 is the best bang for your buck (because there are some products with better value-for-money ratio) but it’s a well done product and the price is fair for the complete package and considering the specs.
