Whizzer DA1

Whizzer DA1: the affordable dongle that could have been the best...




Intro

Whizzer had already amazed me with its Kylin HE10, an IEM with a truly spectacular V-shaped signature that had the ability to stand out in the mid-frequencies despite the tuning. Today, I am pleased to bring you a different proposal from Whizzer: the DA1 dongle, the budget option ($27 USD) that the brand offers for listening to high-quality music.


If you wish to read this review in Spanish, click here

Check out previous reviews here (or in spanish here)



Disclaimers:

• I would like to express my gratitude to the Whizzer team for sending me this unit for an honest review
  • You can find the DA1 here: https://whizzer.store/product/import-placeholder-for-882/ (Official Whizzer Website) – https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005004290859068.html (Official Whizzer’s Aliexpress Website)
• Review based in 2-4hs listening sessions each day across 4 days
• All music used is lossless (Qobuz > 16-bit – 44.1kHz).
• Gear used: Samsung A50, PC

Unboxing, Build & Accessories







The Whizzer DA1 is the smallest dongle I own, measuring 51mm in length, 16.5mm in width, and 9.2mm in height. The DA1 is crafted from CNC-machined aluminum. It features a non-removable USB-C cable made of oxygen-free copper with 5N purity. Additionally, the product includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter, allowing the dongle to be used with devices such as PCs and laptops.



The output comprises a 3.5mm port, and on its left side, you'll find two volume buttons (the volume-up button has a small relief for easy identification without needing to look at the device). There is also an LED strip indicating the device's status (Red: paused - Blue: music playback 32/48K - Green: music playback DSD 64 - Fluorescent Green: music playback DSD 128).



Specifications



For the DA1, Whizzer employed an ESS9270 chip, which will be discussed in the "Sound Profile" segment. The maximum power the DA1 can deliver is 2Vrms with an output power of 70mW at 32ohms. Its power allows it to amplify a wide variety of in-ears, and even some over-ears, though it may struggle with demanding headphones like the Hifiman HE400SE. This limitation is quite understandable given its price. Lastly, the DA1 supports DSD 128 decoding, as mentioned earlier, and offers a resolution of up to 32 bits/384 kHz.



Sound Profile



The ESS9270 and its chip family typically have a warm signature, and the DA1 is no exception. The sound profile subtly modifies the bass by elevating it, but without unbalancing the entire spectrum or making the bass overly boomy. There is a subtle coloration from 100 to 800 Hz, adding thickness and substance to vocals and instruments with more prominent sounds in these ranges. However, it maintains the original technicalities of the headphones being reproduced. The DA1 will have better compatibility with IEMs that may have somewhat deficient low frequencies, such as the 7Hz Salnotes Zero.



Functionality and Performance (Music and Gaming)

I wanted to love the DA1 because on paper, it seemed to be a strong contender as one of the most affordable options for quality music listening. However, a problem arose. I tested this dongle with easily amplifiable in-ears, difficult-to-amplify ones, and over-ears. The issue emerged with the IEMs that the DA1 is primarily oriented towards—those with a sensitivity/impedance ratio classifying them as easy to amplify.

To illustrate, I tested the DA1 on both my phone and PC with the 7Hz Salnotes Zero (Impedance: 32 ohms – Sensitivity: 108dB/v@1kHz) and the Kiwi Ears Cadenza (Impedance: 32 ohms – Sensitivity: 110dBSPL/mW). I noticed something peculiar in songs with passages where the volume decreases significantly. In the introduction of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, there is a clear noise resembling a crackle or interference noticeable in the first 5/6 seconds when no instruments are playing yet. I managed to replicate this issue in songs from Beethoven's “Symphony No. 7” performed by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, indicating that this is not an isolated case of a particular song.



In Windows, when not using music players, watching videos, or engaging in situations involving sound reproduction, I noticed the return of the noise. Therefore, I wouldn't consider it ideal for use when connected without actively listening to something specific. However, when playing energetic songs without significant volume variations, the annoying noise is only very slightly perceptible. I had a great experience listening to Tove Lo's "Dirt Femme" and the DA1's signature helps highlight those bass frequencies, turning them into a delightful and notably impactful experience.

Regarding gaming, I tested the DA1 with the 7Hz Salnotes Zero while playing Overwatch 2. Despite the slightly colored bass in the sound signature, it doesn't affect the clarity of footsteps or shots and also offers good spatial awareness for the user. The annoying sound produced by the dongle is only noticeable if we pay close attention to it, and in combat situations, it won't be discernible amid gunfire and other abilities. Overall, the performance is in line with the price (excluding the unwanted noise).

Finally, I highly appreciate that Whizzer has implemented 30 volume steps for adjusting it to our preference. The downside is that these volume steps are not saved between devices. Therefore, if you use the DA1 at maximum volume on a smartphone and then connect it to a PC or another device where you had previously lowered the volume, the volume will remain at maximum. So, one must be cautious not to risk damaging their eardrums (I say this from experience).



Battery Consumption

Test Conditions:

• Smartphone: Samsung A50 with 70% battery and locked screen
• DA1 at maximum (30 steps) and 50% volume on Samsung A50
• WiFi on
• IEMs: 7Hz Salnotes Zero

Results
- Battery consumption in 1 hour = 10-12% (approximation)



vs TempoTec Sonata HD PRO



Points in favor of Whizzer DA1:

• Smaller size
• Better-defined volume steps allowing more precise adjustment to preferred volume
• LED indicator
• Contemporary genres benefit from its warm signature (Electronic, Rap, Pop)
• Dongle heats up less in comparison

Points in favor of TempoTec Sonata HD PRO:

• Removable Micro USB to USB-C cable
• Higher power (110mW@32ohms with high gain trick)
• More versatile neutral signature for different musical genres
• This unit doesn't suffer from strange noises (although it may have sporadic microcuts when changing songs)

Considering the minimal $9 USD price difference (DA1 = $27 USD / Sonata HD PRO = $36 USD), I believe it's more worthwhile to go for the more powerful and versatile option. However, if the budget is tight and the noise issue I experienced is an isolated case, I can still comfortably recommend the DA1.



Conclusion

I find myself conflicted in this review, as the performance and power of the DA1 are more than decent considering its price. However, I cannot overlook the fact that my unit has those annoying noises that I can clearly hear in songs with widely fluctuating volume levels. The score reflects my dissatisfaction with this particular aspect but it still receives a "passing grade" as I give Whizzer the benefit of the doubt and it's possible that I just happened to receive a defective unit.

daily use? For some, performance is a far-fetched word. I am one of those who think the opposite in this regard, devices are easy to get into my list of technically successful products, but they have to overcome a lot of difficulties to get into my list of daily use. The first challenge is stability, most ci fi products can't pass this level. That's why I prefer products of brands such as whizzer and fiio for daily use. I'm here with one of them today. As for the 1st price of the whizzer, it can be ordered for 28 euro at the moment.




who is the whizzer?

it has been one of the few companies that I personally like because of things like design and build quality. I have a lot of whizzer products on hand and the overall quality level is really advanced for the ci fi market, it's usually a good product if you have a whizzer on hand. thank you whizze for sending me this review item for free

box contents;

there's a dacs and a few fancy items in a small box.

- dac
- high resolution audio sticker ( + 10 mw )
- a detailed user manual
- cable converter for connecting to computer

inside the box with foam to avoid scratching the dacs.









build quality;

a classic whizzer, good quality. it has a black metal frame and the cable is really good. Colored light and volume on and off keys have been placed, showing the quality of the music or whether it is playing. Oddly enough, the volume up button works independently of the phone in this price range and that's a good criterion for me. I do not want to use devices that do not have this feature. The plus and minus keys on the volume keys are engraved on metal, and as if that weren't enough, a small detail was placed on the plus key so that you don't confuse the position of the keys. classic whizzer details.

















sound quality;

there is an es9270 chip inside the dac and it can give a maximum of 70 mw of power. yes, it is not difficult to guess that it will sound hot because it is a es. I am not unfamiliar with this chip, I have used it on a different device before. This model generally has a warm and lively sound. that's why I like pairing it best with dynamic driver headphones. they pair very well with most power-hungry headphones. where do you understand the difference? If you have a low-sensitivity iems, they will succumb to chips like the es9038q2m. I think that's okay too, because this model costs only 28€ and is not released for use with high-end products. by the way, it performs this process by turning the volume down/on in a balanced way when turning the music on and off. I love this feature, if you forgot the volume too high and suddenly pressed the play music button, you understand the comfort of this feature.




fiio btr3k;

especially if we leave aside the bluetooth features, the winner of this match is btr3k. btr3k is my reference point in terms of ease of use, regardless of price, the headphone amp I have enjoyed using so far is btr3k. As for the sound difference, the whizzer has a warmer sound, while the btr3k has the opposite almost neutral sound signature. I tried many things like es9219c, es9038q2m, cs 43131, cx 31993 and my favorite sound signature is btr3k too. btr3k gives 25 mw from 3.5 mm as power, I remember it as 78 mw from balanced. this figure is 70 mw in the whizzer, maybe my favorite daily use device after fiio is the whizzer. If I had to decide between the two, I would choose btr3k.


sonata hd pro 2;

they use the same chip, but there is a serious difference in quality. Sonata was a model that overheated and froze my phone, there is no similar problem with whizzer. Also, the sonata's cable broke in just a few weeks and I had to throw it away. They are similar in sound, but the sonata has a much warmer sound character.


f audio es9038q2m;

technically one level above whizzer, with 280 mw it has serious potential, but it is not as stable as whizzer. whizzer is usually my choice unless I'm using a headphone with a lot of balanced drivers. If I have a headphone that needs some power, the 9038q2m distinguishes itself and is a few levels above the whizzer, especially in the treble details. As a sound, the whizzer is warmer, if you use a headphone like lily, it plays much more fun with the whizzer.


cx31993 model of the brand whose name I forgot;

the whizzer's sound is more colorful, the cx31993 has an obvious coldness problem. This causes the music to appear colorless. Also, the cx31993 has a noise problem. If we look at the details, the es9270 may be a little better, but the whizzer's sound is much more colorful.




does the device get hot?

yes, the es9270 is a chip I'm familiar with before with overheating issues. The whizzer does not have any overheating problems like the sonata. You need to look specifically to see if the device is getting hot.


a little note;

i ran into a small issue that I'm sure isn't hardware related. Especially when you start the music again after stopping for a certain period of time, there is a very small sound interruption. I don't know why, I asked the whizzer and he said they didn't hear any returns like that. I remember having the same problem with sonata. It's okay since the music starts at a low volume, but I wanted to point it out anyway.


last word;

I mentioned earlier, this model is one of the few that surpasses my tough daily driving conditions. solid and stable, I recommend it to everyone. in detail (with high-end devices) unless I use it with low-sensitivity headphones
I didn't hear any difference.



you can order from this link;

whizzer shop

whizzer Official Store
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EQtTYQp

Disclaimer:

• Whizzer sent this unit to me in an exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Rest assured that this review will be free from any form of bias/s as much as possible.
• I have not tested this with MQA files or MQA streaming since I don’t use MQA at all.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• I have only tested this with earbuds and IEMs and earbuds.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 5-10 hours per day, 10 days.

IEMs/Earbuds/Source used:

• Shaytan Customs’ Mr. Stark V2
• KBEAR Ormosia
• Etymotic ER3SE
• Tanchjim Zero
• Whizzer OS1BEAT
• VE Monk Go Final Edition
• Non-HiFi smartphone (Infinix Note 12 G96, Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018))
• Desktop PC, Laptop.
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

Setup configuration: Whizzer DA1 paired with phones/laptop/pc.

Essential Product Specifications:

• Input Type: USB
• DSD (Direct Stream Digital): Yes
• Output Power: 70mW@32Ω
• Model Number: Whizzer DA1
• DAC Model: ESS 9270

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Sound signature:

• Despite being equipped with an ESS DAC, the Whizzer DA1 exhibits a good, balanced-warm sound signature that will pair most IEMs or audio gears that is very easy to be driven. Everything sounds musical while keeping things detailed. There is little to no added obvious coloration perceived to the IEM when paired with the DA1 but if I have to nitpick, there is a bit of coloration on the midbass and lower mids, making it slightly thicker, textured, and punchier. Technical performance seems to be untouched as it is still transparent, clean, and a bit revealing.

Build Quality:

• The build quality here is what I would say sturdy yet lightweight. It is lighter by heaps when compared to my Tempotec Sonata HD V. It is also less warmer when used as well. However, the connector cable isn’t removable and will be needing some extra care to prolong the dongle’s lifetime usage. Whizzer did quite make up for it by using a thick, braided brown cable though. This also has hardware volume buttons that are really tactile and textured, and an RGB indicator that changes color depending on the file format played (Blue indicates the file is in general format, green indicates DSD64, while yellow green indicates DSD128 or higher).

Device Compatibility:

• I had no problems connecting the Whizzer DA1 on all of my devices. I haven’t tried it with apple devices though, but the official website and listing says it is also compatible with apple devices if you have a type-c to apple lightning adapter. It also does not have any problem with HibyMusic and UAPP on my end and it does the job well.

Battery Consumption:

• The Whizzer DA1 does not drain the battery too much despite giving enough power to my IEMs and earbuds. The DA1 was used for around 6-7hours continuous with my old Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018).

Power and volume:

• The volume here was mostly handled by the dongle itself and will remember the last volume you set it with. Here are some IEMs and earbuds I have tried with their respective listenable/ enough volumes (do take note that the volumes indicated are only based on adjusting the volume with the hardware button and not with the software volume adjusted. 30/30 = 100% max volume):

• VE Monk Plus 5th Edition (64 Ohms) - 20/30
• Shaytan Customs’ Mr. Stark V2 - 18/30
• Most IEMs - 12-16/30
• BQEYZ Topaz and Autumn, KBEAR Ormosia - 16/30

Pros:

• An unexpected balanced-warm sounding dongle despite sporting an ESS DAC.
• Musical yet detailed sounding IEM.
• Clean, black background.
• Minimal battery consumption.
• Lightweight yet sturdy build quality.
• Excellent device compatibility - literally just plug and play.
• Very tactile, hardware volume buttons.
• DSD support is always a good treat.
• Versatile synergy/pairing with most IEMs and easy to drive gears.
• Reasonably priced given that it is quite rare to see a warm-sounding ESS Dongle.

Cons:

• Non-detachable cable means extra care is needed for longevity.
• Power output could be better or greater for its asking price.
• A pouch or a case would be a treat for everybody (a nitpick).

==============================================================================
It is really quite surprising for me to hear a warm-sounding dongle that sports an ESS DAC. Now that I have mentioned it, it is quite rare for me to hear a technically-competent, warm sounding DAC and Whizzer did that eventually. Despite asking for more power output for power demanding gears such as planar IEMs in general, I never had problems with lack of power with the DA1, given that I haven’t tested headphones yet (and may not be a good idea to do so). The Whizzer DA1 proved itself to be very versatile and paired my gears really well, without any excessive coloration, bloat, shrill, or anything in between. Very recommendable USB DAC for everyone!

Who is the Whizzer DA1 for?

• For those people who want an all-rounder dongle .
• For those people who want a bit of warmth in their mids.
• For those people who want a very lightweight usb dongle on-the-go.
• For those people who have bright sounding gear and want to complement the sound with some warmth.

Why should you not buy the Whizzer DA1?

• If you look or seek for more power output.
• If you are looking for a setup for your headphones.
• If you worry about the non-detachable cable.

Thank you for reading!

Non-affiliated link here!: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004290859068.html
Additional Photos here: