[Blueshound24]

Hi can someone recommend me a dac that purely does male vocals justice? Don't care about anything else but just excellent, very dense and emotional sounding male vocals that aren't too warm but rather detailed with great speed and realism. I hate thin noteweight the most followed by a slow dull warm sound as a close second. Been monitoring this thread a couple of days and was thinking which one from the lotoopaws2, cayin ru6, link2bal or centrance hd port be my best bet? Also a spacious sound would be an added bonus but not priority.

Put the Questyle M15 on your shortlist. I'm loving mine. It's transparent, clean and neutral. But it is far from cold sounding and it is fast and lively as well.
The only one I've tried that you listed was the link 2 bal. It is neutral as well, but I found it a touch too warm with ever so slightly rolled off highs. IMO

 

[Nabillion_786]

Put the Questyle M15 on your shortlist. I'm loving mine. It's transparent, clean and neutral. But it is far from cold sounding and it is fast and lively as well.
The only one I've tried that you listed was the link 2 bal. It is neutral as well, but I found it a touch too warm with ever so slightly rolled off highs. IMO

Thanks for your help! Tbh I'm strictly looking at male vocals only and am worried that the m15 will sound too thin for me. Heck, even the Sony a55 dap sounded like it had slightly thin bodied mids to me so I am thinking any of the sabre dacs would be an instant no go. very weirdly, for the strangest of reasons I prefer the thicker sound coming off of my old MacBook Pro 2012 with aimp player when compared to the a55 since I hear more realistic emotions with that setup.

 

[Hyde00]

Thanks for your help! Tbh I'm strictly looking at male vocals only and am worried that the m15 will sound too thin for me. Heck, even the Sony a55 dap sounded like it had slightly thin bodied mids to me so I am thinking any of the sabre dacs would be an instant no go. very weirdly, for the strangest of reasons I prefer the thicker sound coming off of my old MacBook Pro 2012 with aimp player when compared to the a55 since I hear more realistic emotions with that setup.

I have an unpopular opinion....... I like Dragonfly Red for forward vocals, and "thick" sound.

If you could demo it first somewhere that would be better. Also contrary to popular believe Dragonfly Red is actually not neutral....... it's a very colored sound lol. Boosted upper mid and mid bass.

Again....... unpopular opinion....... LOL. Dongles I've tried are Apple Dongle, Pixel 2 Dongle, Pixel 3 Dongle, Zorloo Ztella, Helm Bolt, xDuoo Link 1, xDuoo Link2 Bal, W2, W2-131, RU6, HUD100, PEE51, Dragonfly Red and Dragonfly Cobalt.

 

[Nabillion_786]

I have an unpopular opinion....... I like Dragonfly Red for forward vocals, and "thick" sound.

If you could demo it first somewhere that would be better. Also contrary to popular believe Dragonfly Red is actually not neutral....... it's a very colored sound lol. Boosted upper mid and mid bass.

Again....... unpopular opinion....... LOL. Dongles I've tried are Apple Dongle, Pixel 2 Dongle, Pixel 3 Dongle, Zorloo Ztella, Helm Bolt, xDuoo Link 1, xDuoo Link2 Bal, W2, W2-131, RU6, HUD100, PEE51, Dragonfly Red and Dragonfly Cobalt.

Thanks for your reply! That's 2 people who aren't really rec'ing the bal 2 to me so maybe I'll miss out on that one.

So you are saying the dragonfly has thick forward male vocals without sounding very warm and dull? Also how would it compare to the ru6 in that regard?

 

[Hyde00]

Thanks for your reply! That's 2 people who aren't really rec'ing the bal 2 to me so maybe I'll miss out on that one.

So you are saying the dragonfly has thick forward male vocals without sounding very warm and dull? Also how would it compare to the ru6 in that regard?

I mean take my comment for xDuoo Link 2 Bal with grain of salt, it later has faulty 3.5 mm jack so I had to send it back but this makes me question if I had a faulty unit to begin with. But otherwise it has rolled off treble and it bugged me. And vocal just isn't as forward. It's a more dark dongle and based from what you say I'd think you probably would not like it lol.

Dragonfly Red is one of the most musical sounding unit I've tried at ANY price point. My desktop unit now is Violectric V200 + Soekris 1541 which is like 10 times the price of Dragonfly Red. It beats it hands down in resolution but TONALITY wise Dragonfly Red is unbeaten (for my taste).

It has treble emphasis so it will never sound "dull". It might just sound "too fun" for some people's taste. Like some people find it too "romantic" and not clean enough.

Again if you can demo it or buy it super cheap second hand I would definitely go for it. Luckily this is very easy to find on second hand market haha.

EDIT: Forgot to say, technically speaking Dragonfly Red's strength is actually female vocal but it also handles male vocal very well lol.

 

[lushmelody]

Hey, does anyone own a CS-Pro/JCally JM10? Cheapest CS43131 plus detachatable cable....

Id like to know if it has organic, analoguishy tonality. I really like CX31993 but its too frail

 

[Blueshound24]

I mean take my comment for xDuoo Link 2 Bal with grain of salt, it later has faulty 3.5 mm jack so I had to send it back but this makes me question if I had a faulty unit to begin with. But otherwise it has rolled off treble and it bugged me. And vocal just isn't as forward. It's a more dark dongle and based from what you say I'd think you probably would not like it lol.

Dragonfly Red is one of the most musical sounding unit I've tried at ANY price point. My desktop unit now is Violectric V200 + Soekris 1541 which is like 10 times the price of Dragonfly Red. It beats it hands down in resolution but TONALITY wise Dragonfly Red is unbeaten (for my taste).

It has treble emphasis so it will never sound "dull". It might just sound "too fun" for some people's taste. Like some people find it too "romantic" and not clean enough.

Again if you can demo it or buy it super cheap second hand I would definitely go for it. Luckily this is very easy to find on second hand market haha.

EDIT: Forgot to say, technically speaking Dragonfly Red's strength is actually female vocal but it also handles male vocal very well lol.

Much of what you said about the Dragonfly Red, I think, could be said about the DF Cobalt as well, except from what I understand the Cobalt maybe a bit more refined and a bit more neutral-ish than the red?

I typically listen via The Questyle M15 or DF Cobalt depending on my mood. M15 when I want transparency, and Cobalt when I want a tiny little bit of coloration.

 

[Nabillion_786]

I mean take my comment for xDuoo Link 2 Bal with grain of salt, it later has faulty 3.5 mm jack so I had to send it back but this makes me question if I had a faulty unit to begin with. But otherwise it has rolled off treble and it bugged me. And vocal just isn't as forward. It's a more dark dongle and based from what you say I'd think you probably would not like it lol.

Dragonfly Red is one of the most musical sounding unit I've tried at ANY price point. My desktop unit now is Violectric V200 + Soekris 1541 which is like 10 times the price of Dragonfly Red. It beats it hands down in resolution but TONALITY wise Dragonfly Red is unbeaten (for my taste).

It has treble emphasis so it will never sound "dull". It might just sound "too fun" for some people's taste. Like some people find it too "romantic" and not clean enough.

Again if you can demo it or buy it super cheap second hand I would definitely go for it. Luckily this is very easy to find on second hand market haha.

EDIT: Forgot to say, technically speaking Dragonfly Red's strength is actually female vocal but it also handles male vocal very well lol.

What would you say about red Vs ru6 when it comes to male vocals? I'll probably nail it down to either the red, ru6 and the lotoopaws2.

 

[Hyde00]

Much of what you said about the Dragonfly Red, I think, could be said about the DF Cobalt as well, except from what I understand the Cobalt maybe a bit more refined and a bit more neutral-ish than the red?

I typically listen via The Questyle M15 or DF Cobalt depending on my mood. M15 when I want transparency, and Cobalt when I want a tiny little bit of coloration.

Oh yeah I think to my ears Cobalt is a bit more neutral ish (less bass) but it still retain that forward vocal and sparkly treble. Cobalt has better separation / layering / soundstage but I kept Red because to me Red is more "rich" sounding.

Again depending on taste/preference. I have concluded that I like a somewhat skewed/colored sound LOL.

But ohhhh I've been eyeing M15 so long and always on the fence to pull the trigger. Only thing holding me back is that in comparison to Cobalt/Red, M12's vocal sounded recessed to my taste. I was worried M15 would have similar recessed vocal to M12.

Since you have both M15 and Cobalt, would you say M15's vocal is "forward enough"?

But yeah I imagine it's like:

Colorization -> Neutral
Less Resolution -> Better Resolution
Red -> Cobalt -> M15

What would you say about red Vs ru6 when it comes to male vocals? I'll probably nail it down to either the red, ru6 and the lotoopaws2.

OH yes sorry forgot to reply about that, yes you did ask that in the earlier message.

HMMMMM to be honest I don't remember much about male vocal on RU6, I remember female vocal had a lot of texture. RU6 is very easy to like off the bat but the longer you use it the more you realize it has other flaws. For instance low gain mode, you get nice intimate vocal but a somewhat flat/narrow soundstage. High gain mode it open up and wider soundstage but vocal was too distant for me. After that it has a roll off somewhere in the treble and roll off sub bass. And if you listen to rock then the kick drum feels soft, it's missing that impact.

Again I think it's genre specific if you don't listen to rock maybe it's ok? LOL.

But this is not to say RU6 is bad, RU6 beats EVERY DONGLE I've owned in that R2R texture and imaging. I had a great time gaming with it haha. Also live recording sounds really well with it. Just....... soft bass lol. Also violin (somewhere in the mid) sound a bit less pronounced. If you want that rich string instruments then it's not RU6's strong suit.

Sorry I know I rambling on but I didn't talk much about male vocal. I think it was okay? I'm more of a female vocal guy so it's either RU6's male vocal isn't too memorable or I just didn't pay attention to it.

I hope someone else can chime in on RU6 with male vocal.

Cheers!

 

[Nabillion_786]

Oh yeah I think to my ears Cobalt is a bit more neutral ish (less bass) but it still retain that forward vocal and sparkly treble. Cobalt has better separation / layering / soundstage but I kept Red because to me Red is more "rich" sounding.

Again depending on taste/preference. I have concluded that I like a somewhat skewed/colored sound LOL.

But ohhhh I've been eyeing M15 so long and always on the fence to pull the trigger. Only thing holding me back is that in comparison to Cobalt/Red, M12's vocal sounded recessed to my taste. I was worried M15 would have similar recessed vocal to M12.

Since you have both M15 and Cobalt, would you say M15's vocal is "forward enough"?

But yeah I imagine it's like:

Colorization -> Neutral
Less Resolution -> Better Resolution
Red -> Cobalt -> M15

OH yes sorry forgot to reply about that, yes you did ask that in the earlier message.

HMMMMM to be honest I don't remember much about male vocal on RU6, I remember female vocal had a lot of texture. RU6 is very easy to like off the bat but the longer you use it the more you realize it has other flaws. For instance low gain mode, you get nice intimate vocal but a somewhat flat/narrow soundstage. High gain mode it open up and wider soundstage but vocal was too distant for me. After that it has a roll off somewhere in the treble and roll off sub bass. And if you listen to rock then the kick drum feels soft, it's missing that impact.

Again I think it's genre specific if you don't listen to rock maybe it's ok? LOL.

But this is not to say RU6 is bad, RU6 beats EVERY DONGLE I've owned in that R2R texture and imaging. I had a great time gaming with it haha. Also live recording sounds really well with it. Just....... soft bass lol. Also violin (somewhere in the mid) sound a bit less pronounced. If you want that rich string instruments then it's not RU6's strong suit.

Sorry I know I rambling on but I didn't talk much about male vocal. I think it was okay? I'm more of a female vocal guy so it's either RU6's male vocal isn't too memorable or I just didn't pay attention to it.

I hope someone else can chime in on RU6 with male vocal.

Cheers!

Thanks soo much for your help all your input has been greatly appreciated! I will need to do more research between the ru6, red and lotoopaws2 to see which one is more richer sounding without sounding slow and dull. I listen to pure male vocals with no instruments so I need an emotional sound.

 

[Hyde00]

Thanks soo much for your help all your input has been greatly appreciated! I will need to do more research between the ru6, red and lotoopaws2 to see which one is more richer sounding without sounding slow and dull. I listen to pure male vocals with no instruments so I need an emotional sound.

I don't have experience with S2. BUT if you listen to no instruments and only vocal, I would imagine RU6 probably has an edge since RU6 is R2R and more detailed. You can hear more texture in the voice. Just..... other flaws with instruments but you don't listen to instruments so it's probably fine lol.

Let us know which you pick later!

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Is the xDuoo Link2 BAL really this dark sounding? I am planning to integrate it into my setup by connecting the 3.5mm output to the input of my MT-602 amp. So far I have been using a FiiO KA3 but it started to sound to bright for me.

 

[andjayik]

Is the xDuoo Link2 BAL really this dark sounding? I am planning to integrate it into my setup by connecting the 3.5mm output to the input of my MT-602 amp. So far I have been using a FiiO KA3 but it started to sound to bright for me.

i have the Xdoo bal and think it sounds great. I had the Ka3 and returned it.

 

[Hyde00]

Is the xDuoo Link2 BAL really this dark sounding? I am planning to integrate it into my setup by connecting the 3.5mm output to the input of my MT-602 amp. So far I have been using a FiiO KA3 but it started to sound to bright for me.

i have the Xdoo bal and think it sounds great. I had the Ka3 and returned it.

lol I guess everyone have different preference on treble tolerance.

I like Grado and Denon/Fostex. So my treble tolerance is quite high. Your mileage may vary LOL.

 

[Blueshound24]

Since you have both M15 and Cobalt, would you say M15's vocal is "forward enough"?

I trialed the M12 for one week, (thanks Todd at TTVJ), and liked it a lot! However, its been a while, and if my audio memory can be trusted, I don't recall the vocals being recessed that much?

I could have been happy with just the M12, but I thought if the M12 was this good the M15 must be even better, right? The M15 is wonderfully transparent, clean and with lively sound that is able to drive my HD800s with either the balanced output, and even the 3.5 single ended, on high gain, is great with them. The Questyle also work great as a "DAC only" to drive an amp.

As for the M15's mids, I would say vocals are neither recessed or forward. As Goldilocks said, "This porridge is just right"!


EDIT: I could probably be happy with either the Cobalt or M15, but it's nice to have the option of transparency or a little coloration. The HD800s can be brutally neutral and the Cobalt can help with less than perfect recordings.