[mejoshua]

I just got my CB19. Was testing it out with a Xiaomi 10000mah powerbank. I found that compared to just using the TC09s, any sonic improvements were fairly marginal. I thought I heard a hair more "bodied" or weighted vocals, and slightly clearer instrument placement. Other than that, one would be hard pressed to tell any difference. Of course the upside is the advantage in battery drain for source device.

 

[baneand]

Is there variation of CB19 or any other reliable adapter which has 2 usb-c ports, (not one with USB-a)? I found something like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006408602070.html
but not sure if it is reliable.
it is because I have a small portable powerbank with built-in usb-c cable

 

[vanhalen26]

Is there variation of CB19 or any other reliable adapter which has 2 usb-c ports, (not one with USB-a)? I found something like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006408602070.html
but not sure if it is reliable.
it is because I have a small portable powerbank with built-in usb-c cable

l'd be interested in one with a lighting adapte
I understand I can get a small adapter, but for me the benefit of the dongle (dc04pro) is the small size when paired with my iPhone. So the less I need to layer on (battery, DAC, dongle) the better. I'm trying to have something portable rather than carry my DX300 around.

 

[quaddac]

Is there variation of CB19 or any other reliable adapter which has 2 usb-c ports, (not one with USB-a)? I found something like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006408602070.html
but not sure if it is reliable.
it is because I have a small portable powerbank with built-in usb-c cable

I don't think this is what you're looking for (it has a built-in dac):

Maybe use a USB A>C adapter?

 

[baneand]

I don't think this is what you're looking for (it has a built-in dac):

Maybe use a USB A>C adapter?

Oh right, I didn't see it is actually dac inside.

Yeah this adapter could work for one battery I have. The other smaller one has a usb-c cable built-in, doesn't have the port to plug this into. Will research more for sure.

 

[quaddac]

Oh right, I didn't see it is actually dac inside.

Yeah this adapter could work for one battery I have. The other smaller one has a usb-c cable built-in, doesn't have the port to plug this into. Will research more for sure.

 

[brjoon1021]

iFi iDefender+ is not what you are looking for. I think I have seen it mentioned. I have it and am trying to figure out what it might do and whether I should keep it - if it does anything at all.
it WILL cut the 5v power IF it senses a ground loop. So far with the dongles I have tried it never senses a ground loop so it is just a short ugly and kind of expensive USB cable between the source / power and the dongle.
I wish I understood this stuff better.
It does cut power entiredly to the DC04 PRO, but DOES not allow it to be powered by external power through its side port. The DC94 Pro still has no idea anything is attached to it. I do not understand this. I could not get the DC04 Pro to work with my cb19 at all.... too.

 

[Polky74]

The battle begins...

 

[dnolan227]

The battle begins...

Well, the DC Elite clearly has the bigger knob.

 

[LeeJB1970]

I’m current trialling the dc elite against the L&P W4. Having a hard time deciding as both great. Can I garner any input from others who made the choice for one over the other? I’m driving Meze Liric or Focal Utopia 22.

 

[Polky74]

I’m current trialling the dc elite against the L&P W4. Having a hard time deciding as both great. Can I garner any input from others who made the choice for one over the other? I’m driving Meze Liric or Focal Utopia 22.

In my opinion there is a big distance between the two, but perhaps it's more my personal preference. I find the sound of the W4 very dark perhaps too much for my tastes and very reference-like, the extension both up and down is phenomenal as is the collection of details. The Elite, on the other hand, has a much clearer sound (which I prefer) and is equally extended at the bottom, but softer in its representation, while at the top it easily reaches the same extension as the W4, but is more refined and slightly less angular. The real difference mainly concerns two factors, the first is that with the same details those of the W4 seem more ostentatious and more in the listener's face while the iBasso, despite reaching the same level, integrates them better into the rest of the sound... they are less highlighted, less underlined but more integrated and part of the whole. The second, even more evident one lies in the much thinner and more ethereal mids of the W4 while for the iBasso there is much more substance and all this without affecting the speed or smoothness in the slightest. The W4 seems to dissect the sound before making you listen to it, while the iBasso presents it to you as a much more organic and dense whole... it has everything that is present in the W4, but in a more natural and cohesive way. The soundstage is also slightly in favor of the iBasso in terms of width but even more so in terms of depth. (personal opinion)

 

[LeeJB1970]

In my opinion there is a big distance between the two, but perhaps it's more my personal preference. I find the sound of the W4 very dark perhaps too much for my tastes and very reference-like, the extension both up and down is phenomenal as is the collection of details. The Elite, on the other hand, has a much clearer sound (which I prefer) and is equally extended at the bottom, but softer in its representation, while at the top it easily reaches the same extension as the W4, but is more refined and slightly less angular. The real difference mainly concerns two factors, the first is that with the same details those of the W4 seem more ostentatious and more in the listener's face while the iBasso, despite reaching the same level, integrates them better into the rest of the sound... they are less highlighted, less underlined but more integrated and part of the whole. The second, even more evident one lies in the much thinner and more ethereal mids of the W4 while for the iBasso there is much more substance and all this without affecting the speed or smoothness in the slightest. The W4 seems to dissect the sound before making you listen to it, while the iBasso presents it to you as a much more organic and dense whole... it has everything that is present in the W4, but in a more natural and cohesive way. The soundstage is also slightly in favor of the iBasso in terms of width but even more so in terms of depth. (personal opinion)

Thanks for your detailed description. Very helpful in determining what I’m looking out for and I think the ibasso will have better synergy with my headphones. I have no experience of iems so can’t comment on those.

 

[vanhalen26]

iFi iDefender+ is not what you are looking for. I think I have seen it mentioned. I have it and am trying to figure out what it might do and whether I should keep it - if it does anything at all.
it WILL cut the 5v power IF it senses a ground loop. So far with the dongles I have tried it never senses a ground loop so it is just a short ugly and kind of expensive USB cable between the source / power and the dongle.
I wish I understood this stuff better.
It does cut power entiredly to the DC04 PRO, but DOES not allow it to be powered by external power through its side port. The DC94 Pro still has no idea anything is attached to it. I do not understand this. I could not get the DC04 Pro to work with my cb19 at all.... too.

What’s your source with the cb19? iPhone?

I have the dc04pro and iPhone and was considering the CB19, but if it still cuts out you’ve saved me the effort.

And realistically, the DAC still gets louder than I should probably be listening to it anyways for any extended duration before it cuts out. But I’m a moron metalhead and like my music far too loud.

 

[Polky74]

For those interested, a small review of the A&K AKHC4 with a comparison with the iBasso DC-Elite. Obviously this only reflects my questionable opinion.

Astell & Kern AKHC4: a very successful cocktail.



The Astell & Kern dongle presents itself in a very clean way, two buttons for the volume (software) and a selector for the maximum sampling (DAR) which at least for now does not add anything unmissable to the sound... on the contrary. Quite large and solid, it makes a good impression, but let's find out the most important thing... how it sounds. At first it sounded a little strange when it was turned on... it sounded like a mix of various dongles that I own and listen to very often. The sound seemed to consist of very noticeable features found in some of my best dongles. Let's start with the bass... they seem to be those of the M15 in terms of power (really very deep as well as very powerful) and in terms of tone and speed close to those of the RU7... so everything is ok. The mids resemble in every way the splendid mids of the PAW S2... the sound is dense but not heavy, the tonality is very refined and the study of the Astell & Kern engineers in creating a thickness in the notes can be heard in a very distinguishable way which however does not affect its smoothness and naturalness. The highs closely resemble those of the W4, very extended, crystal clear, never offensive but very rich in truly convincing details. However, all of this seemed a bit disjointed... not organic and at times artificial, but after a bit of running in (most likely also my brain) it all became incredibly cohesive and integrated. What I had read about Astell & Kern daps (especially for those with a few years behind them) is absolutely not reflected in this dongle. The very technical sound, bordering on sterility, with little musicality and many technicalities is not at all the sound of this dongle which on the contrary makes musicality and body clearly its main characteristics. Not having listened to other Astell & Kern I can't know if the engineers have changed their priorities in terms of sound, but if they have done so they have chosen exactly the right path. The bass makes the scene very engaging but never overlaps with the other frequencies, the mids give softness and the right amount of warmth and the highs are a magnet for details. A truly excellent dongle, which will surely make those who purchase it happy especially considering that among the top dongles it is perhaps the cheapest one as well as being one of the ones that sounds best. The only weak point is in the amplification which is not at the level of everything else... it will certainly make all your IEMs sound (even the not easy IER-Z1R) but certainly if helped by external amplification it will become completely another thing, I'm not saying it's a bad amplification but it doesn't allow the dongle to shine as it deserves and should. Listened to the RA2BFE it reaches very high levels of performance, doing full justice to the work of the A&K technicians who truly endowed it with a spectacular sound. The comparison with the iBasso DC-Elite can easily be made and not like other dongles where it is absolutely impossible as well as useless. The AKHC4 has a much more prominent bass than the Elite and with comparable extension and quality but the real difference is in the mids and highs. The Astell & Kern has fuller mids with heavier notes, while the Elite moves towards a lighter, thinner, more agile representation and therefore faster and attentive to details and nuances (not that these are lacking in the HC4). The highs, on the other hand, are more evident on the A&K with a comparable recovery of details and an extension of the same level. The difference here is in the greater integration of the highs within the sound spectrum by the Elite which is much less on the HC4. The HC4's soundstage is slightly smaller in width than the Elite, but it is greater in depth, translating the discussion to video level it is as if with the Elite you are watching a film on a 16:9 screen while with the HC4 the screen has a ratio of 4:3. The amplification is certainly to the advantage of the Elite, as is the richness of the sound stage and the synergy compared to the various IEMs is certainly more extensive due to its better balance. Having said this, I consider the Elite superior, but I wouldn't be surprised if out of a group of ten blindfolded listeners at least three (with the right IEMs and their favorite music) might prefer the HC4. This dongle from Astell & Kern is truly a beautiful discovery, unfairly overlooked and not reviewed except by sites that sell it (so reviews so to speak), it certainly deserves a place alongside the best dongles around and very often much more expensive than it and being like a cocktail of their best sonic characteristics mixed by the expert hands of A&K engineers. Well done Astell & Kern!!!

 

[maricius]

Apologies if asked already, is there a way to control gain/digital filters via Macbook? Specifically for DC03 Pro, and I guess DC06 Pro, DC Elite