[michaelsk]

No worries, you will be the undisputed Crazy One after I am done with this #donglemadness as I will only keep 3 out of the 40 over dongles. Lol

Too Funny , I hear ya! The last dongle I bought was the Astell&Kern, I’m done……….Unless Chord ever makes a dongle dac

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

.

 

[Robius]

Just for the data, the chip used in Jsaux dongle is CX21986 (It's clear on the 3rd picture).

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001375646263.html?mp=1

 

[OspreyAndy]

Just for the data, the chip used in Jsaux dongle is CX21986 (It's clear on the 3rd picture).

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001375646263.html?mp=1

Thanks!. Updating it now

 

[Genohead]

Thanks!. Updating it now

I'm not sure the one in the link is the same as the one reviewed by OspreyAndy. AliExpress site says 24bit/96KHz, the reviewed Jsaux is 32bit/348KHz.

 

[complete]

Xnyocn X1 has just arrived, my first review is very good for its price..

 

[OspreyAndy]

I'm not sure the one in the link is the same as the one reviewed by OspreyAndy. AliExpress site says 24bit/96KHz, the reviewed Jsaux is 32bit/348KHz.

Actually the mistake was on my end. I have corrected it now. Cheers.

 

[OspreyAndy]

26 June UPDATE:
After further thorough tests. I have edited some info pertaining to power draw on three particular models - Ovidius B1, hiliDAC Audirect ATOM2 and Questyle M12. These three dongles are best used with Android or devices that provide strong output power. On older Android (2018 and earlier) they exhibited some distortion and crackling - a clear sign of weak power feed. Plugging it to Android phones that have strong USB and they work perfectly. USB 3.0 and above will yield the best result and they will offer even greater fidelity

 

[YamirEsquibel]

FOREWORD:

1. The keyword here is "Subjective Impressions". Not objective professional reviews
2. These are my own items purchased with my own money. No sponsorship. I do this because it is fun, and I love trying out gadgets and discover things. However thanks to HiFiGo for the merciful discounts they gave me for subsequent repeat purchases (because I can't stop buying). My wallet already went south to die.....
3. I would like to credit my online buddy Yannick Khong for his valuable insights and contributions on the subject of USB Dongles. Yannick helped me with sanity checks on my assessments as he did similar research a year ago. Also Jeffrey Fries & Reza Emmanuel for some more insights on dongles usage. All of them longtime and active members of ChiFi Audio Reviews FB group.
4. Dongles usage on my tests are for IEMs and Headphones NOT exceeding 250 Ohm, minimum sensitivity of 96db.
5. My preferred sound and timbre signature = DF Neutral, Natural Flat - Analogue and Organic tonality.
6. I describe what I hear, no more no less. No techie measurements involved. There will be no FR measurements or anything like that as I have no access to such tool, nor do I know how to operate them even if I have one in front of me.
7. Please excuse my haphazard format, I am not a professional reviewer, and I wrote things as I heard them. Also, I will use non-conventional analogies to describe what I hear, sometime I describe them as if I am savoring some food
8. Agree to disagree, what is beautiful to my senses could be utter crap to you.
9. I NEVER use software EQ. So don’t expect my writings to include FR range because I am not proficient in pinpointing those numbers.
10. My tests do not include anything above 44.1/16bit. I am an Oldschool FLAC Junkie.
11. I don’t use UAPP to bypass Android SRC since I have no need for Bit Perfect beyond Android stock 48Khz limit.

Grading Overview:

The rating are heavily referenced to MY PERSONAL taste, usage and POV. Should NOT be used as a Recommendation holistically because your usage and taste may differ vastly from mine. Again please read my Foreword above.
​

The 5 stars rating are for those that achieved above 98/100 score. Similarly those scoring 95/100 and above will get the 4 1/2 Stars. The scoring itself determined by the significance of strengths vs weaknesses. Results and rating done are heavily influenced by the nature of the IEMs/Headphones used. A dongle will score high if they exhibit great technical ability while remaining smooth sounding at the same time - the most technically competent ones does not necessarily mean they will be superior in my POV. I will rate a dongle more points if they exhibit great flexibility with different type of IEMs/Headphones – meaning they are easier to establish synergy.

I believe that not every dongles are designed to sound the same, they are built to serve a diversified range of taste and we all know that one person's preference may not be applicable to another's. I factor all these into my assessment and look into the perspective of the intended presentation of the dongle in question. Some are apparently built to cater for those preferring warm and musical presentation, some outright technical. However the one that goes into 5 Stars are the ones that exhibit exemplary balance between the two, which makes them highly viable for any situation.
What I have personally learned so far, that there are substantial number of great performers out there to choose from. Making it even more difficult for me to place them into the grading system as sometimes the variance between a 4 to 5 stars can literally mean just a step of improvements here and there. Critical listening with the assistance of ultra-resolving IEMs/Headphones does make the job less punishing.

TEST METHOD:
To rate a dongle, I run them through this playlist of songs: https://deezer.page.link/UgkTXJeLNkGRUv4c6
It is lengthy and various enough to cover all element of sounds. Critical listening sessions will continue all the way to the final songs in the list.

My fist cycle of critical listening always start with the use of Etymotic ER2XR, a canalphone that I regard as very natural sounding that does not emphasize any specific frequencies. Then 2/3 through the session I will usually switch to my Planar Magnetic Monolith M565c or Beyerdynamic DT990. With the first complete pass done, I will usually conduct a second pass after some break and run them through with my Shure KSE1500 and Etymotic ER4SR alternately and this will give me better perspective on the maximum capability of the dongle in question - KSE1500 and ER4SR being ultra resolving will reveal anything that can be revealed.

If the dongle impressed me enough I will do a third session where I will focus on A/B comparison with those that I have already rated - usually trying to compare between the ones that seems to share similar traits and I will try to discern what makes them different (this stage can be quite taxing and painful to do)

Contenders will need to pass driving test of the notorious Tin HiFi P1 Magnetic Planar IEM and Monolith M565c at listening volume level not exceeding 66/100. Being able to deliver great fidelity will secure them 5 stars rating. In general the rest will also be measured on their capability to drive these two monsters.

And lastly, I actually use the dongles regularly and casually as much as possible, running shuffled songs and observe how they behave, sometimes these random sessions prompted me to revise my impressions and I will reflect it on what I have wrote earlier.

PROVISIONAL RANKS (Subjected to change when #donglemadness ends)​

(98-100)
Ovidius B1
iBasso DC04
Astell & Kern PEE51
hiliDAC Audirect BEAM 2S
Hidizs S9 Pro

½ (96-97)
Lotoo Paw S1 (V3)
CX-Pro Audio CX31993
E1DA 9038SG3 Susumu
E1DA 9038D
iBasso DC03
xDuoo Link2
THX Onyx
Xnyocn X1

(85-95)
Hidizs S9
Questyle M12
Shanling UA2
TANCHJIM STARGATE iOS
JSAUX Type-C
hiliDAC Audirect BEAM 2SE
hiliDAC Audirect ATOM2
Meizu HiFi Audio Pro
HiBy FC3
Tempotec Sonata BHD
JCally JM04Pro
JCally JM20

(60-84)
Nillkin Type-C
Hill Audio WSH9415
CS-PRO CS46L41
CYBERDRIVE XMOS+ CS4398
ES-PRO Audio
UGREEN AV161
JCally JA21
JCally JM01
JCally JA04
JCally JA05
JCally JA06
Apple Type-C
Monolith Hi-Res DAC

(50-59)
DSD.3D SigmaTel
JCally JM08C (Faulty)
JCally JA02

IN PROGRESS:
Listening Audition (24-28 June 2021)

1. Hillaudio ALC4042
2. HillAudio ALC4050
3. JCally JM08L
4. UGREEN MFi iOS
5. PLEXTONE Type-C

Incoming (Shipped/Ordered): All units are expected to arrive between 16 to 30th June 2021

• Hidizs S3 Pro
• Musiland MU3
• Lusya PCM1794 XMOS XU208
• Dosmix WSH94xx
• HAA FEE AK4493
• IKKO Zerda ITM03
• Kuang Pai AK4493
• Unbranded PCM2706+ES9023
• SoundMAGIC A30
• GGMM WM8533
• Venture Electronics Odyssey

TEST EQUIPMENT:
DD IEM: ETYMÒTIC ER2XR, HZSOUND Heart Mirror, TRN-MT1
BA IEM: ETYMÒTIC ER4SR (92 Ohm/98db)
Electrostatic IEM: Shure KSE1500 (200vdc)
Magnetic Planar IEM: Tin HiFi P1 (20 Ohm/95db)
Magnetic Planar HP: Monolith M565c (66 Ohm/96db)
DD HP: Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm & AKG K52 177 Ohm
Reference DAP: Cayin N6ii E02 (ES9038Q2M Discrete 2X Balanced)
Reference DAC/AMP: Topping D10s/A50s (ES9038Q2M/XU208)
Impedance Adapters: Custom 47 Ohm
Source Transport: LG V35 ThinQ, Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (retired) & iPhone 8
Source Media: Lossless Deezer Offline FLAC 44.1/16Bit

Pick one out of all of them

 

[OspreyAndy]

Pick one out of all of them

Ovidius B1

 

[Otto Motor]

$10 VE Electronics Odyssey: surprisingly good...good enough to enjoy with my laptop. Incoming as I see...

 

[OspreyAndy]

Ordered!. Ikko ZERDA vs ddHiFi TC35 Pro (Eye). Both inbound for my TIN HiFi P1 torture test. Cirrus Logic flagship chip vs ESS latest DAC.

 

[chichaphile]

Ordered!. Ikko ZERDA vs ddHiFi TC35 Pro (Eye). Both inbound for my TIN HiFi P1 torture test. Cirrus Logic flagship chip vs ESS latest DAC.

I'm really interested with ddHiFi Eye

 

[fonkepala]

$10 VE Electronics Odyssey: surprisingly good...good enough to enjoy with my laptop. Incoming as I see...

Multiple reports of this having QC/durability issues. Interested to see how yours hold up. How would you describe the sound?

 

[Ace Bee]

Ordered!. Ikko ZERDA vs ddHiFi TC35 Pro (Eye). Both inbound for my TIN HiFi P1 torture test. Cirrus Logic flagship chip vs ESS latest DAC.

Sigh..when will you order the Earmen Sparrow...