Is there really a sound quality difference between a good dongle and a dedicated DAP?

[Dragonmilenario]

Hi everyone,

I'm using an DC07Pro with an iPhone via Tidal and wondering if upgrading to a dedicated DAP would make a noticeable difference.

Would I gain better instrument separation, dynamics, and resolution? Or is there no real benefit, with the differences only coming down to portability and usability?

Thanks in advance.

 

[JimiMack]

Hi everyone,

I'm using an DC07Pro with an iPhone via Tidal and wondering if upgrading to a dedicated DAP would make a noticeable difference.

Would I gain better instrument separation, dynamics, and resolution? Or is there no real benefit, with the differences only coming down to portability and usability?

Thanks in advance.

Depending on the Dap maybe slight difference. You will get a greater improvement with an upgrade to your IEM or headphones. The real advantage of the Dap is removing your phone from the music daisy chain.

 

[dunring]

I just got the Fosi Audio DS2 which has measured on Audiosciencereview at 117 SINAD and of all the DAPs I've heard, you won't get better performance than this. It's not as small as the Apple 3.5mm adapter but has more power on the 4.4mm side and really quiet noise floor for IEMs. Using the Tanchjim Ola and inky black/silent noise floor in every song.

 

[Somafunk]

Hi everyone,

I'm using an DC07Pro with an iPhone via Tidal and wondering if upgrading to a dedicated DAP would make a noticeable difference.

Would I gain better instrument separation, dynamics, and resolution? Or is there no real benefit, with the differences only coming down to portability and usability?

Thanks in advance.

Zero difference…….. that anyone could reliably tell the difference in a db matched trial with all dac filters etc being equal

 

[ecodr]

I’ve tried dongles like the Lotoo S1 and there was a partial difference when using with the iPhone. But I defo saw improvement when I got my GT2, I would say with a decent pair of IEM’s or headphones you can hear the difference. But an even bigger plus point for me was not having to endure the pain of using iTunes anymore. Anything is better than that.

 

[Aevum]

i have a BTR7 and BTR17, and i bought the hiby R4,

I feel like i wasted my money. the BTR17 is capable of equaling the power and SQ of the R4.

 

[lairpost]

The difference for me is preferring a dedicated music player with hard buttons and volume knob vs. the fiddly cabled dac/amp connection to my phone which also kills battery of phone. Plus I don't take my phone everywhere like so many these days but music, yes!

You'll realize vastly more significant, and meaningful, differences with different IEMs or HPs or speakers vs. electronics and cables and bit rate. Like an order of magnitude more as their characteristics are more significant to how we process sound. That's not to say different electronics and even cables can't or don't sound different...it's just rather subtle in comparison. Get the IEMs, HPs or speakers right first, then fiddle with the electronics/cables et al to tune to taste (or use PEQ and have the freedom to suit your mood). In my opinion and nearly 50 years of experience with many things audio.