![]() Magdalena Kožená’s way with Handel, as captured on ‘Ah! mio cor’ Handel: Arias was positively stunning with the BOLT / ADAM and NightOwl pairings presenting Kožená’s mezzo in full bloom. The Weather Station came to greater life through the BOLT, with the voice of each instrument sounding richer and more fully formed which makes things that much more exciting. The NightOwls got a real hoot from the BOLT’s fun appeal presentation with its lovely sense of richness, body, bass control, and dynamic snap. While it did not offer the same super-fine resolution of the Clarus CODA or the overall control and deftness of the AudioQuest Cobalt, the Helm BOLT is one beautifully balanced DAC. Let’s cut to the chase – I really enjoyed everything, every single thing, about the Helm Audio BOLT DAC. That said, even here bass response was a bit lumpy and less well defined than every other contender in this here roundup and overall music sounded a bit thin, lacking ultimate weight and body. Here, with acoustic guitars, banjo, bass, and vocals the iBasso offered a nice, rich ball of sound, like a big dollop of whip cream. Its overall center-weighted balance also plays nicely with acoustic music like the lovely All of It Was Mine from The Weather Station. Anyone looking to tame a too tipped up and hot top end may find the iBasso a nice fit. The iBasso’s plus column could very well be comprised of some of these same sonic traits. Or to put it another way, some of music’s drama and emotive force were lessened due to this lack of nuance and richness. While reproduction was nicely detailed, the individual voices of instruments were a bit homogenized, lacking the rich textures and tone colors that make for a more emotionally engaging experience. To my ears, and in these systems, bass response was clearly shelved down and upper frequencies felt a tad soft providing a focus on center stage. ![]() The meat of music replay is on clear display with the iBasso, whether through the NightOwls or the ADAM A3X. Let’s begin with the lowest priced DAC 0n hand, the iBasso DC03 whose main strength is its midrange richness. The tricky part is deciding which sound fits your system and ear preferences best. Listening through these five DACs in two systems over time revealed many things, the most obvious being they each have a sound that effects the sound of music played through them. I only used one DAC at a time)ĭeciding which different we prefer takes time. I use an AudioQuest 3.5mm Mini Plug to RCA Adapter and a pair of AQ Red River interconnects to take the signal from the DACs around back of the iMac to the ADAM A3X (this group shot was for illustrative purposes only. Check out The Dongle DAC Survey: Part 1: Ins and Outs for an in-depth run down on making connections. I listened through each DAC in two scenarios – iPhone and AudioQuest NightOwl headphones, and on my desktop using an iMac and a pair of ADAM Audio A3x powered speakers. Output Voltage: 2Vrms (300 Ohms), 1.61Vrms (32 Ohms) Output Voltage: Headphone output level automatically detects headphone impedance and sets level accordingly: 1V for = 150 ohms Supported Resolutions: PCM data up to 32bit/384kHz via MQA, non-MQA data limited to 96kHz and DSD to DSD128 Supported Resolutions: PCM data up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD to DSD128Įxtras: Volume control buttons, choice of three digital filters, USB-A to USB-C cable Today we’re going to be comparing three dongle DAC/Headphone amps that are here for review mixed in with a few DragonFlys for good measure. Review: Octave V 16 Single Ended Integrated/Headphone Amplifierīryston Announces the Forthcoming BP-19 Preamplifier In Barn for Review: Audia Flight FL Three S Integrated AmplifierĪlbum of the Week: Julie Byrne | The Greater Wingsīowers & Wilkins New 600 Series S3 Marks Its 8th Generation In Barn for Review: Grimm Audio MU1 Music Player ![]() Review: Zu Audio Definition 6 Loudspeakers In Barn for Review: Wattson Emerson ANALOG Streaming DACĪlbum of the Week: jaimie branch | Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) In Barn for Review: Jay’s Audio CDT3-MK3 CD Transport Review: Aurorasound HFSA-01 Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier ![]()
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