[Ichos]

Well then all three should sound the same including the sonata e44. DC04 looks the best though and is the cheapest to get in EU.

Yes it comes down to form factor and design.
The E44 has volume buttons that someone may find handy.
I have reviewed both DC04 and ddHiFi TC44B and I like them equally.
I may slightly prefer the iBasso design.

 

[Infoseeker]

L&P W2. No noise floor, best bass response. Less distortion.

There are some vocal users complaining of hiss in its dedicated thread though.

 

[kadinh]

I have tested so fat and 2/3 of them usable on iOS using a proper adapter like ddHiFi TC28i

also ordered

 

[Hotep303]

ddHiFi TC44B is discontinued in production (there's still some stores before they sell out) due to CS43131 chips being in short supply. I'd go with DC04 or e44 Sonata for what's likely ultimately going to be a longer software support, unless you need a 2.5 mm balanced connection.

 

[roxynox]

I am contemplating buying the new Sony Xperia 1 mk iii because it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, although I prefer the Samsung S21 ultra in terms of overall functionality. Is the xumee dongle the solution then? And sound quality is still decent with the dongle?

Apologies as i held onto my current phone for 4 years and new to this ‘USB C’ movement. I usually rely on music to sleep, plugged into my headphone jack…

Any advice would be truly appreciated.

 

[Matias]

I am contemplating buying the new Sony Xperia 1 mk iii because it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, although I prefer the Samsung S21 ultra in terms of overall functionality. Is the xumee dongle the solution then? And sound quality is still decent with the dongle?

Apologies as i held onto my current phone for 4 years and new to this ‘USB C’ movement. I usually rely on music to sleep, plugged into my headphone jack…

Any advice would be truly appreciated.

With a dongle you can choose whatever phone you wish for other reasons than sound quality, and even if in 2-3 years you change phones, you dongle stays. You can start cheap for IEMs with a Meizu Hi-Fi DAC (20 usd), or a well known intermediate 50-60 usd like TempoTec Sonata HD Pro or iBasso DC03/DC04, or even higher around 80-110 usd with TempoTec Sonata E44 or Hidizs S9 Pro, depending on your headphones' needs.

 

[khades]

Well then all three should sound the same including the sonata e44. DC04 looks the best though and is the cheapest to get in EU.

FR is same, but dc04 has more soapy highs and impact and highs, like 10% less than e44

 

[Hotep303]

FR is same, but dc04 has more soapy highs and impact and highs, like 10% less than e44

You mean that the highs are 10% recessed compared to DC04?

 

[Ichos]

The DC04 is dead flat up to 20kHz.

 

[Jet Black]

Doe

The DC04 is dead flat up to 20kHz.

For you, is dc04 a good balance in money and performance? Bang for the buck that is?

 

[Ichos]

Doe

For you, is dc04 a good balance in money and performance? Bang for the buck that is?

If you have balanced cables , then yes it is.
It has good driving ability and excellent sound for the money.
Build quality is great and form factor is convenient.

Here is my review , you can Google translate it.

https://www.hxosplus.gr/reviews/ibasso-dc03-dc04-review-dac/

 

[eloelo]

Doe

For you, is dc04 a good balance in money and performance? Bang for the buck that is?

careful when using it with samsung phones. It has poor compatibility with some models, it is a pain to get my S9 to recognize it.

Also, be careful when using it with sensitive iems. Since it doesn't store the last set volume, there is a chance it will reset to max volume when switching usb port. It blew my iems that way. Which is why I prefer dongles with button volume control. Also, i'm often stuck at volume 1-2 out of 100 because of how powerful it is. For headphones, probably less of an issue.

Soundwise, I think it's great, better than BTR5 and 9038S imo.

 

[Ichos]

Yes that is true , there are compatibility issues with Samsung phones.
There were supposedly fixed with the firmware update but I don't know since I haven't tried with a Samsung phone after that.

 

[roxynox]

With a dongle you can choose whatever phone you wish for other reasons than sound quality, and even if in 2-3 years you change phones, you dongle stays. You can start cheap for IEMs with a Meizu Hi-Fi DAC (20 usd), or a well known intermediate 50-60 usd like TempoTec Sonata HD Pro or iBasso DC03/DC04, or even higher around 80-110 usd with TempoTec Sonata E44 or Hidizs S9 Pro, depending on your headphones' needs.

Thanks for sharing. with the dongle, the sound quality isn’t better or worse off than the 3.5mm jack?

 

[Ichos]

Better of course , unless if you have a phone with extra DAC inside.