Built quality of this dongle is horrendous! There is adhesive marks behind the plastic (yes, not glass) cover, and my unit came with scratches on the cheap alloy frame
Thank you for all your reviews. I'm running a TPZ EP50 because of your recommendation. Never heard of it before. Saved me over $100 because I was going to get the Questyle M15i. Liked.
Im currently super satisfied pairing mp145 with sd2. Super convenient when taking public transport. Just felt like having even better resolution n details.
Review très intéressante il sera peut-être mon prochain dac pour remplacer mon FIIO KA3 qui est très gourmand en batterie.Merci et j'attends le prochain vidéo.
great review as always, anyway in future do u think u will review a dap like hiby r4? because im having a hard time deciding to get moondrop miad or hiby r4, i just want to know your opinion on hiby r4 before deciding.
Thanks Andy for all your reviews. I recently purchased kefine delci. What do you recommend me between- Moondrop dawn pro, kiwi ears allegro and fosi audio ds2 and why? I listen to all kind of genres like - pop, metal, classical, instrumental, r&b, edm, lofi etc. ( My budget is around $65.) ( Pd5, shio and odo are not available in india and m1p is around $90. Also Tp50 is around $105 and pd4 plus is around $80.)
Between those 3, I am more inclined to recommend Allegro because it offers the most analog sound among them all, analog means more realistic organic with tonal. But really all three are already closely matched with many other aspect of sound quality, they are all tuned really well. DS2 would appear a bit more technical focused and DAWN Pro somewhere in between, can't go wrong with any one of them
Thanks. 99% of all dongles don't offer EQ and even if they do have EQ like L&P W4/W2/Lotoo PAW S1/S2, they are non adjustable presets. You need EQ then you probably need something like FiiO BTR15 or Qudelix 5K
Hi Andy, I have a Etymotic ER4S (old version: 100ohm 102db, 3.5mm only) ; a Shure 846. I have a Fiio M11 pro for serious listening already. Now I want to find a dongle for casual listening with my computer / while I am travelling oversea. Do you think this S8 Pro Robin would be a food fit? At the same time, do you think buying MP145 together is a good fit with the S8 Pro robin? Thanks.
I know that old 2nd gen Etymotic really well, was my main IEM before I moved on to ER4SR/ER2XR. The utter flat and diffused nature of ER4S would not be best suited for the S8 Pro, since you will be limited to 3.5mm SE, instead you get something like Questyle M12 or HIBY FC6 which are both exceedingly superior with just 3.5mm SE. And yes, MP145 is one of my top recommendation, it has the best planar speed among all IEMs, the sort of Etymotic speed, but with more vibrancy versus the dead flat Etys. V sound curve and highly mature tuning, analytical yet smooth, one of my regular go to IEMs, and it fits the S8 Pro better if you run on the more powerful 4.4mm BAL side of the dongle
@@donglemadness Finally I got a Questyle M12i, the immediate surprise for me is actually not with the ER4s...It's actually with the Shure 846. Although 846 is told to be super easy to drive, but I have always been complaining the bass presentation is weird (it's with a large amount of sub bass but the mid bass is lean, very weird). With the M12i, it's a true relief of the bass, it's making the entire presentation smooth, organic and lively! Thanks a lot for the recommendation Andy!
From my perspective, if you check #donglemadness list there's 172 dongles and I will only select a few of them randomly to show on my videos where I can fit them in a single page display. When you have so many dongles you tend to overlook some of them and I overlook too many admittedly, including my favorite Ovidius B1 which I almost never mention now (but still use regularly)
Hey Sir, thank you so much for the review for this unit! I just got myself one unit from Mirai Audio store for a used unit. Just wondering, if I were to turn on all the settings you recommended in the Hiby app, i won't be able to play youtube through it right? I need to turn off the 'Exclusive HQ USB Audio access then only i can play youtube. 😅
That is correct. USB Exclusive mode means you allowing ONLY HIBY Music App to use the dongle. To use it with UA-cam or anything else, you need to disconnect and cancel on the USB Exclusive mode prompt
Hey Andy how do I know if my DAC will supply enough power to my IEMs? For example; would Questyle's M15 dac dongle supply enough power to Thieaudio's Prestige LTD?
Especially for the last 2 years, power was never an issue for dongles, 90% of them are more than capable to drive full sized headphones with low sensitivity/high impedance, definitely 3 times more demanding than Thieeudio Prestige LTD. Instead the concern should be on synergy factor, and yes M15 like many other properly tuned dongles like this S8 Pro as well, can synergize with anything, for being highly versatile
@@donglemadness hey thank you!!!!! A beginner here trying to get some wisdom from the Gurus!!!! Hahaha I am going to look up synergy, since I don't know what that is. Thanks again! 🫰🏻
@@Rumeel12708 No worries, synergy is all about matching different components to achieve the best possible results, because no one audio equipment can work on its own, once you find the sweet spot, then you have found the right synergy
Hello, I'm considering a dac upgrade for my Hidisz AP80 pro dap with an external dongle. I will only drive iems like the EPZ 530. EPZ had a warmish and thick BA bass with upfront transparant mids/vocals and sparkly, detailed treble. With i miss is a more tight bass and more texture in bass and mid section and also better dynamics. Which dongle will provide me this for about 100 USD? I was thinking Aful Snowynight , maybe Questyle m12i or..? Some power efficient dongle will be appreciated.
I personally haven't tried AP80 Pro and EPZ 530 so it will be hard to ascertain how to proceed from there. Based on what you said, my understanding is that you are looking for faster lower frequency transient speed and density, if that is the case then I think something like AKLIAM PD4+ or Shanling UA4 would be more suited for your needs, but in return you would also get something which focuses more on crisper edged subbass decays (both Snowy Night and M12i favors smoother less edgy dispersal). So, you need to determine which one suits you more and make your decisions based on it
@@donglemadness it's the 3 or 4th day when tried using this mp145 & sd2. Listening to deicide, Meshuggah,archspire....etc etc... or just bass cover from original artist. The sound quality is perhaps the best I HV heard so far ...fuhhbyoo.... wet sia😁,,,\w/ tq abg will check it out
I think I made it very clear, I mentioned my most used dongles is EPZ TP50, then I still use iBasso DC04Pro, and I also use Moondrop MIAD01, all of them Cirrus Logic DAC through and through, is there anything unclear that I should mention? I would not use them if I don't feel good about them yes?
Hidizs dropped the ball with that centre 'wheel' as merely a play/pause button. When it could/should have been its volume. Independent at that
Built quality of this dongle is horrendous! There is adhesive marks behind the plastic (yes, not glass) cover, and my unit came with scratches on the cheap alloy frame
Thank you for all your reviews. I'm running a TPZ EP50 because of your recommendation. Never heard of it before. Saved me over $100 because I was going to get the Questyle M15i. Liked.
Glad to help
Im currently super satisfied pairing mp145 with sd2. Super convenient when taking public transport. Just felt like having even better resolution n details.
I really appreciate your in-depth app usage for the features!
My pleasure!
Another good review with a good balance of technical and honest no filter opinion. Thanks for the review Andy!
No worries! and Thanks!
Awesome review, Andy! I'm still loving my Fiio KA17!
My pleasure!
Oh, a King Diamond t-shirt. Ok, I'll listen to you :)
Review très intéressante il sera peut-être mon prochain dac pour remplacer mon FIIO KA3 qui est très gourmand en batterie.Merci et j'attends le prochain vidéo.
Thanks! and yes it will do really well to replace the KA3
I bought akliam pd5 thanks to your review! I think it's amazing!
Enjoy!
I bought the ibasso DC04. Was happy till I heard Letshuoer DT03 (same price) Prediction. Will top Andy ratings
Hola Andy cuando haces la revisión del Roseselsa Chip ES9039Q2M, esperando con ansias.
It should be next week, that's my plan
@@donglemadness Gracias Andy quiero saber como va la comparativa con el EPZ TP50, Lindo tu gatito tengo uno Parecido, abrazos.
@@wilsonescudero3298 😻😻
great review as always, anyway in future do u think u will review a dap like hiby r4? because im having a hard time deciding to get moondrop miad or hiby r4, i just want to know your opinion on hiby r4 before deciding.
Thanks. I am in the process of getting a unit of R4 for review on this channel, hopefully soon
Still loving my Dawn Pro.
Great review as always Andy ❤
Thanks so much!
Very good review Idol Thank you for your insight
No worries man. Always a pleasure
Geoff!
😻
That HIBY FC6 is still the champ. I'll save up for that one.
This video just reinforces my feeling that I "need" (😂) EPZ TP50!
😁
Andy got new glasses and is not Oakley!
🤣
Thanks Andy for all your reviews. I recently purchased kefine delci.
What do you recommend me between- Moondrop dawn pro, kiwi ears allegro and fosi audio ds2 and why? I listen to all kind of genres like - pop, metal, classical, instrumental, r&b, edm, lofi etc.
( My budget is around $65.)
( Pd5, shio and odo are not available in india and m1p is around $90. Also Tp50 is around $105 and pd4 plus is around $80.)
Between those 3, I am more inclined to recommend Allegro because it offers the most analog sound among them all, analog means more realistic organic with tonal. But really all three are already closely matched with many other aspect of sound quality, they are all tuned really well. DS2 would appear a bit more technical focused and DAWN Pro somewhere in between, can't go wrong with any one of them
@@donglemadnessThanks Andy. You're one of the best review channel on UA-cam.
THX. Another great Video 💪♥️
Thank you too!
great review! what dongle could you recommend with equalisation, please?
Thanks. 99% of all dongles don't offer EQ and even if they do have EQ like L&P W4/W2/Lotoo PAW S1/S2, they are non adjustable presets. You need EQ then you probably need something like FiiO BTR15 or Qudelix 5K
@@donglemadness thanks, and luckily you have the video comparing those, so I'm checking it now :)
Thanks!
Thanks again my friend. You're an angel
Please review Shanling Onix alpha Xl1 dongle DAC/Amp in june,it has dual CS43198 DAC chips,it’s 4.4 headphone output offers 500 mW@32 ohms (4V@32 ohms) and it costs only $107.
That's my wish too
Hi Andy, I have a Etymotic ER4S (old version: 100ohm 102db, 3.5mm only) ; a Shure 846. I have a Fiio M11 pro for serious listening already. Now I want to find a dongle for casual listening with my computer / while I am travelling oversea. Do you think this S8 Pro Robin would be a food fit? At the same time, do you think buying MP145 together is a good fit with the S8 Pro robin? Thanks.
I know that old 2nd gen Etymotic really well, was my main IEM before I moved on to ER4SR/ER2XR. The utter flat and diffused nature of ER4S would not be best suited for the S8 Pro, since you will be limited to 3.5mm SE, instead you get something like Questyle M12 or HIBY FC6 which are both exceedingly superior with just 3.5mm SE. And yes, MP145 is one of my top recommendation, it has the best planar speed among all IEMs, the sort of Etymotic speed, but with more vibrancy versus the dead flat Etys. V sound curve and highly mature tuning, analytical yet smooth, one of my regular go to IEMs, and it fits the S8 Pro better if you run on the more powerful 4.4mm BAL side of the dongle
@@donglemadness Thanks a lot Andy! This is super useful! I will plan for my shopping accordingly!
@@donglemadness Finally I got a Questyle M12i, the immediate surprise for me is actually not with the ER4s...It's actually with the Shure 846. Although 846 is told to be super easy to drive, but I have always been complaining the bass presentation is weird (it's with a large amount of sub bass but the mid bass is lean, very weird). With the M12i, it's a true relief of the bass, it's making the entire presentation smooth, organic and lively! Thanks a lot for the recommendation Andy!
Hey Andy, Are you aware of the Kuang Pai Plus 4? Any plans on reviewing it? It has dual C43198 chips and four rt6863 opamps
Yes I am aware of it, but Kuang Pai is not readily accessible from where I am now
Do you have any DAC suggestions for the Kiwi Ears Forteza at max 70$?
S8 Pro or EPZ TP20 Pro or DAWN Pro, all three of them equally great for Forteza
Andy pls tell me, why you stop use moondrop dawn pro in comparsions?
From my perspective, if you check #donglemadness list there's 172 dongles and I will only select a few of them randomly to show on my videos where I can fit them in a single page display. When you have so many dongles you tend to overlook some of them and I overlook too many admittedly, including my favorite Ovidius B1 which I almost never mention now (but still use regularly)
@@donglemadness thanks for answer Andy!
Hey Sir, thank you so much for the review for this unit! I just got myself one unit from Mirai Audio store for a used unit. Just wondering, if I were to turn on all the settings you recommended in the Hiby app, i won't be able to play youtube through it right? I need to turn off the 'Exclusive HQ USB Audio access then only i can play youtube. 😅
That is correct. USB Exclusive mode means you allowing ONLY HIBY Music App to use the dongle. To use it with UA-cam or anything else, you need to disconnect and cancel on the USB Exclusive mode prompt
@@donglemadness Alright Sir! Thank you so much for the response 🥳🥳
Really love all the reviews Sir. Keep it up👍🏼👍🏼🙏🏼
@@donglemadness Hi Sir, do you know how to resolve issue with music stuttering on Hiby music player ?😅
Hey Andy, do dc04pro still hold the place of widest soundstage?
Not the only one. There's also Cayin RU7, L&P W4, EPZ TP50 and a few more
@@donglemadness I see, out of all of them, which one is the most power efficient?
@@jyip1442 W4
@@donglemadness Thanks, will look into that!
Hey Andy how do I know if my DAC will supply enough power to my IEMs? For example; would Questyle's M15 dac dongle supply enough power to Thieaudio's Prestige LTD?
Especially for the last 2 years, power was never an issue for dongles, 90% of them are more than capable to drive full sized headphones with low sensitivity/high impedance, definitely 3 times more demanding than Thieeudio Prestige LTD. Instead the concern should be on synergy factor, and yes M15 like many other properly tuned dongles like this S8 Pro as well, can synergize with anything, for being highly versatile
@@donglemadness hey thank you!!!!! A beginner here trying to get some wisdom from the Gurus!!!! Hahaha I am going to look up synergy, since I don't know what that is. Thanks again! 🫰🏻
@@Rumeel12708 😺
@@Rumeel12708 No worries, synergy is all about matching different components to achieve the best possible results, because no one audio equipment can work on its own, once you find the sweet spot, then you have found the right synergy
Hello, I'm considering a dac upgrade for my Hidisz AP80 pro dap with an external dongle. I will only drive iems like the EPZ 530. EPZ had a warmish and thick BA bass with upfront transparant mids/vocals and sparkly, detailed treble. With i miss is a more tight bass and more texture in bass and mid section and also better dynamics. Which dongle will provide me this for about 100 USD? I was thinking Aful Snowynight , maybe Questyle m12i or..? Some power efficient dongle will be appreciated.
I personally haven't tried AP80 Pro and EPZ 530 so it will be hard to ascertain how to proceed from there. Based on what you said, my understanding is that you are looking for faster lower frequency transient speed and density, if that is the case then I think something like AKLIAM PD4+ or Shanling UA4 would be more suited for your needs, but in return you would also get something which focuses more on crisper edged subbass decays (both Snowy Night and M12i favors smoother less edgy dispersal). So, you need to determine which one suits you more and make your decisions based on it
For hidisz dongle dac, is this a better upgrade compare to sd2? Is there better ones in hidisz for metal genre
ONIX Alpha is what you looking for 😁
@@donglemadness it's the 3 or 4th day when tried using this mp145 & sd2. Listening to deicide, Meshuggah,archspire....etc
etc... or just bass cover from original artist. The sound quality is perhaps the best I HV heard so far ...fuhhbyoo.... wet sia😁,,,\w/ tq abg will check it out
Andy, should i buy dongle jcally ap10 with the price 25usd ( 2hand ) ?
That's a good price for JM10
@@donglemadness no, no, im talking about ap10, not jm10
Andy, how does this compare to the S9 Pro plus Martha?
S8 Pro is a bit more resolving and better with overall dynamics technicality, Martha is focused more on smoothness and musicality
hello
What is the difference between etimotic er2 xr & se which one should I buy
ER2XR has slight Midbass boost and ER2SE is truer neutral. Otherwise they are identical
Why dont you really tell us how you feel about these Cirrus logic dac chips...
I think I made it very clear, I mentioned my most used dongles is EPZ TP50, then I still use iBasso DC04Pro, and I also use Moondrop MIAD01, all of them Cirrus Logic DAC through and through, is there anything unclear that I should mention? I would not use them if I don't feel good about them yes?