DD Electronics TC 35

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Introduction:
The DDHifi TC35 is a Type C to 3.5 mm dongle DAC by DDHifi which retails for 21 USD. It is among the cheapest dongle DACs in the market made by a company that caters to the audiophiles.

Specification:

• 7N SILVER-PLATED OCC LITZ EARPHONE CABLE.
• DECODES UP TO 192 KHZ/24 BIT SAMPLING RATE.
• 114 DB SNR AND -98 DB DISTORTION.
• USB TYPE C & USB2.0 HIGH SPEED.
• SUPPORTS UAC1.0/2.0/3.0 PROTOCOL.
• SUPPORTS PARTS OF THE IN-LINE REMOTE CONTROL (CTIA) (VARIES WITH PHONE)
• DETECTS EARPHONE AUTOMATICALLY

Unboxing:
The TC35 comes in a slim cardboard box inside which is a transparent plastic case housing the TC35 and a Type C to USB A adapter.






Reference Tracks / Remarks:
The Knife by Genesis
The bass lines in the second half of the song are pushed out prominently which is a remarkable feat as it is almost lost in the mix. The transition into the second half of the song is chaotic in nature, but in this case it doesn't fall flat like in many other budget DACs.

The Voice by Alan Parsons Project
The wonderful layering of instruments and depth in soundstage is not portrayed here as much as I'd have liked. It only presents a wall of sound.

Rock and a Hard Place by Rolling Stones
This song can sound a bit thin and harsh sometimes when put through a DAC. In the case of the TC35, the harshness does indeed manifest in the electric guitars making it sound overly crunchy.

Concentrate by Brendon Moeller
The bass thumps throughout the song are clean and quick and doesn't bleed into the other frequencies. When the cymbals pan left and right, it is evident that the imaging is emphasized left-centre-right. It is a bit hazy when it comes to diagonally in front.

Flight to LAPD, Blade Runner 2049 OST
The sub-bass rumble in this track is visceral, the TC35 reproduces it well and doesn't turn into a hodgepodge of distorted mess.

Silverado by Fourplay
Mastered to perfection already, instrument separation is key to this song. And listening to this song through the TC35 is an enjoyable experience.











Conclusion:
A strong recommendation for a beginner audio-enthusiast who wants to step up from the average phone or iPad . At 21$ this unit is a plug, play and forget solution that sounds better than the standard phone and iPad.

The TC35 makes the phone and iPad sound like mush with no proper instrument separation, which also distorts pathetically on higher volumes. A very good price/performance ratio at its price.




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*All ratings are accurate as of date of publication. Changes in price, newer models may affect Project A3's views on the performance and value of the reviewed product.

Introduction
Thanos sacrificed Gamora for Soul stone, we sacrificed Headphone jack for the sake of slim flagship smart phones with type C port. Now what’s next? The obvious answer is wireless audio. So throw away all your existing IEMs, headphones or get an inexpensive and average sounding USB C to 3.5mm DAC+AMP. Now a newbie may ask what the heck a DAC,AMP is? So in short a DAC is responsible for converting your digital music data into analog signal and an AMP boost that analog signal so that your headphone, earphone can run. A DAC,AMP combo can be priced 1$ or even more than 1000$ and you may surprised to know that those free type C to 3.5mm dongles provided by Oneplus, Huawei, Apple (lightning to 3.5 mm- not free any more) are actually cheap USB DAC+ AMPs. Now someone can spend thousands of dollars for a portable great sounding DAC,AMP combo to enjoy his music on the go, but most of casual users may end up with using such free cheap horrible sounding type C to 3.mm adapters. Following this trend of type C audio, few really good & inexpensive after market DAC dongles are also available right now, today for review I got DD TC 35 and after using it one thing I can say it’s one of the best among such type C dongle DACs.

Disclaimer - This unit is provided to me free of cost by the manufacturer for this review, other than that i haven't received any compensation for this review.

Specifications
Model Number - TC35,
Structure – Aluminum,
OTG Plugs – Type C USB 2.0,
Analog Output – 3.5 mm (CTIA Compatible),
Cable – 105 Core 7N Single crystal Silver plated OCC Litz cable,
USB Protocol – UAC1.0/ 2.0/ 3.0,
MAX Decoding – 192 KHZ/24 bit,
SNR – 114 dB with -98dB distortion,
Compatibility – Windows, Mac OS, Android, IOS (I pad pro with Type C).

What’s in the Box
TC35 Type C DAC dongle,
USB A (3.0) to type C converter, Warranty card.

Window Driver - Here
Apple OS doesn't need a driver. Windows 10 users first need to disable driver signature before installing this driver. If you use FiiO Player or FiiO Music APP you need to first find the USB output in the settings of APP and then turn this function off.

Tested Sources – Windows 10 PC, Poco F1, Oneplus 6T.
Tested Gears – Anew U1, LZ Z04A, Fiio Fh5, HE 150 Pro Earbud, Audio Technica M50x, Sennheiser HD58X.
Tested Apps - Foobar (PC), Fiio music App, Hiby music App (Android).

Buying Link - Here

Presentation, Design & Build Quality
Presentation is simple; TC 35 comes in a small brown recycled paper box. Inside that outer box the device is placed in a slim plastic box with a USB type A to C converter. Design and build quality is very good. Silver color plugs and matched Silver plated OCC Litz cable complementing each other very well. 7N SCP Litz cable is strong and carefully woven; the connectors are wrapped in a thick aluminum shell to avoid any radio frequency interference. So over all presentation, design and build quality is exceptional for offered price.

Output power and Noise
Output power of TC 35 is not mentioned anywhere by the manufacturer. After my detailed test I can say it should be around 100 mw at 32Ω which is enough for most of headphones and very good for such a small device. Surprisingly even with sensitive IEMs no background noise is there.

Sound
Judging the sound of a DAC + AMP is quite tough; the overall sound largely depends on the IEM/Headphone or Earbud you paring with your DAC. For this review I am using few of my favorite and frequently used IEMS and headphones so that I can easily evaluate the actual sonic characteristics of TC 35. Sonically TC 35 is almost neutral with a little lean towards high frequency.

Bass
Lower frequency part in TC 35 is not overpowered, bass is punchy and quick. The harmony between sub-bass and mid bass is totally mind-blowing. Bass is fast, accurate and the decay is just perfect. Both in terms of quantity and quality, TC 35 is capable of rendering good amount of energy in tracks.

Mids
It’s hard to believe that a 100$ DAC (Fiio Q1 mk2) sounding dull and muddy in comparison with a 20$ DAC but it’s true, the possible reason is missing details and texture in the Midrange but TC 35 is exceptionally good when delivering such detailed and textured Mids. Midrange is natural and transparent, Upper mid range is well extended and no harshness is there. Male and female vocals are crisp and full of energy.

Treble
Higher frequency part is well extended but no such harshness is there. Treble part is airy and non fatigue for long listening sessions. With dynamic driver IEMs/Headphones treble is sparkling but with B.A driver IEMs treble is a bit dry.

Soundstage/ Instrument Separation
Added soundstage is also very good. Depth is not that much but relatively wide. Instrument separation is good and can handle complex tracks too. Frankly speaking for just 20$, TC 35 is performing way higher than its price.

Comparison
Venture Electronics Odyssey – Odyssey is available for only 10 $ from VE clan store but the primary drawback of it is, lack of 24 bit decoding. Odyssey is limited to only 16 bit decoding and No ASIO support is there. It’s powerful than TC35 but sound wise inferior. Odyssey feels congested and the lack of micro details can easily noticeable. Where Odyssey is bassy, TC 35 is almost neutral.

Tempotec Sonata HD/ Hidizs Sonata HD II – Tempotec Sonata Hd is around 30$ and at least a decent sounding DAC for its price but TC 35 is still
better. The main advantage TC 35 has is its extended higher frequency part and low noise floor. Even with sensitive IEMS no noticeable noise is present in TC 35 and that airy treble area is just beautiful which is missing in Sonata HD.

Conclusion
TC 35 is an audio gear that exceeds its value by its performance. From design to build no one can complaint about anything. Sonically it’s hard to believe that TC35 sound better than some 100 $ DACS. Whatever you pair, it sounds just too good. So a big thumbs up from me, great job DD Electronics.