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Don't buy ANY other portable DAC under $500! EarMen Angel
Рет қаралды 6,200
Күн бұрын
@gerardmalone8830 5 ай бұрын
Battery life ?
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Oops! Sorry! Battery life is 6-7 hours depending on the load and how hard you're driving it. 🙂
@moonabhinav 5 ай бұрын
I found for headphones like sundara or hd series it was giving 2-3 hours on high gain for me with volumes on orange color. With IEMs it was around 5 hours. The indicator for low battery pops up fairly quickly but I guess it starts at when 40% battery is left.
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Yes, without an exact percentage, a lighting system is a bit imprecise. Thanks for sharing your experiences. It sounds like you listen fairly loud so that will account for the shorter durations you were experiencing.
@moonabhinav 5 ай бұрын
@@PassionforSound I live in noisy environment, so like to up the volume a bit than normal. But that just with Sundara and HD650 or Hd560s. Good part was they never sounded clinical on Angel for some reason, even mojo tend to sound bit clinical on high volume. Angel did warmed up on this level but never too warm. Other Focals I have they sit fine on yellow volume level. I wanted to get CH-Amp based on your review but it way of 100000 Rupees(1000$) and this was going for arround 600$ in India.
@sjqideez6626 5 ай бұрын
Thanks for this, this hidden gem is a little neutral powerhouse of a wired transportable DAC/amp combo.
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
I agree. It's brilliant.
@corndog9482 5 ай бұрын
Thanks for another great review/comparison. I am glad I was able to get a Mojo 2 back when it first released, but I am always keeping an eye out for improvements in this segment (portable DACs).
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
You've got the best of the best there, I think (for pure sound quality). Thanks for watching and commenting
@corndog9482 5 ай бұрын
@@PassionforSound 😀
@WillieBloom 5 ай бұрын
I have and enjoy the iFi IDSD Signature. I was coming off of a Sony PHA-3 so I was due for an upgrade. I've been using the iDSD Signature for over two years now and it powers everything I throw at it - well. This includes the Hifi-Man HE6se v2. This little device bests other desktop headphone amps like the famous Drop THX AAA 789. IFi's implementation of xBass+ and 3D+ really is something and is very easy to get used to, especially the 3D+. When travelling the iDSD Signature is an excellent companion. I use it to boost the quality of in-flight entertainment, connecting my noise cancelling headphones via cable to the device. Then watching streaming on my iPad Pro the iDSD Signature provides very nice spacial sound. It's fun to keep up with the developments but it's going to take a lot for me to consider replacing the iDSD Signature.
@raphaelmeillat8527 5 ай бұрын
I love ifi product as well. I agree with you, their bass boost and soundstage expansion features are fun and well executed! This Earmen product looks good too but my ifi Gryphon is all I need for now
@fiddlix 5 ай бұрын
Try the new FiiO Q15 with the AKM ak4191+ak4499ex..those are AKMs top of there line chipset used in TOTL desktop dac/amps, truly desktop performance in a portable device. Highly recommended.
@DJ_BROBOT 5 ай бұрын
You are not lying, I have owned so many Ifi IDSD dac-amps, plus many other portable ones...for the sound, capability and feature sets--nothing beats Ifi dac-amps...they over-engineer their products and tend to rival other top end dac-amps even years after they stopped production of certain dac-amps. Theyre that good --plus have high resale value too
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
I've owned iDSD units in the past as well. I don't currently of I would have definitely compared them with the Angel. Based on my past experiences, I'd say the iDSD and Angel are comparable (both excellent), but with slightly different tonal character (although this might be different from more recent iDSDs)
@matthewhilty4209 5 ай бұрын
I like how it is NOT just a black cube. Blue seems friendlier.
@VirusForPrez 5 ай бұрын
Black boxes rule bro !
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
I like the blue too!
@jw112mail 5 ай бұрын
Funny, I was just thinking I wish it wasn't blue.
@MrGutterbunny 5 ай бұрын
It must be worth mentioning that up until very recently this model was retaining for $799 and £599 uk. It is now an absolute no brainer at £379 uk. If it gels well with my Shure se846 i will certainly grab one...
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Yes, I actually wondered if it really was selling for that price before (as opposed to a fake markdown which is so common these days). I think it was overpriced at $799 because of competition like the Mojo 2 at that level, but I agree that it's a no brainer at the current pricing. It should be a perfect match with the SE846 because it's smooth, but not warm or thick.
@moonabhinav 5 ай бұрын
Yeah they recently drops prices on they all Earmen Product. At this price they are definitely no Brianer if you don't have something of equivalent.
@MrRosscoz 5 ай бұрын
At this price now it’s dropped that much is a bargain! I’ve got the Earmen Tr-amp as my holiday back up go to, which I liked more than the mojo OG. It just has a nice natural rich sound to it single ended only. This is a tempting upgrade!
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Yes. The TR-Amp was great. If you do decide to go for the Angel, I think you'll be very happy. 🙂
@moonabhinav 5 ай бұрын
I still remember the bass of Tr-amp its was so good. Angel is comparatively neutral and more musical to say.
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Yes, the Angel definitely has a very neutral (but smooth) tonality.
@aceofspades6667 5 ай бұрын
I have an ifi hip Dac 3 on the way to compare against my ifi go blu. We shall see 🤞
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
I hope you enjoy it!
@gerardmalone8830 5 ай бұрын
Thanks
@user-ni5cr9or7g 5 ай бұрын
Hi man! Thanks for your content. Could you advise some portable speaker under 250$?
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Hi. I'm glad you like the content! Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with portable speakers so I can't help there ☹️
@chronometa 5 ай бұрын
Might be a goood solution for my Sony dap at work.
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Sounds like a great solution.
@prabinpaudel5572 5 ай бұрын
Wish there was single ended only dac for 500 new. Wish schiit used og bifrost chip with rca only (as it was internally single ended) and galvanically isolated unison usb for 500. Even modi form factor with external power supply would be acceptable. 😍 Wish I could talk directly to Jason and he heard my request. 😂
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
SE vs balanced isn't going to be the cause of the extra cost because all of these chips can output a balanced signal natively and the cost of adding XLRs is pretty tiny AFAIK. Have you considered a secondhand Mojo?
@prabinpaudel5572 5 ай бұрын
@@PassionforSound right. When they have xlr they focus on xlr. And even user also feel they aren't utilising dac to their fullest using rca only in balanced dac. There are so many class a and tube users who wish to have a high end single ended dac. But nothing except mojo and qutest are on the limelight. At that budget used mojo 2 is the only reasonable option. Or like bifrost 2 og if the makers say it's single ended and they added xlr for ease of use the user will feel happier using rca in that case. As I have asgard. I'll probably upgrade to og bf2. But headphones first. Xs or used arya if gotten for cheap enough.
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Having tested asany as I have, you'll rarely actually hear any difference between the SE and XLR outputs from quality DACs so I wouldn't worry about it.
@prabinpaudel5572 5 ай бұрын
@@PassionforSound thanks. Will take care when buying.
@guybrushtwood 3 ай бұрын
Damn, you got me excited. Then I checked the price in our Aussie dollaridoos and it’s not really available for less than $1k aud
@PassionforSound 3 ай бұрын
Sorry about that! Have you looked at buying direct from overseas?
@guybrushtwood 3 ай бұрын
@@PassionforSound you shouldn’t apologise, you don’t decide on Australian prices. Haven’t looked at the international market. Assumed that shipping would be enormous
@Task-Failed-Sucessfully 5 ай бұрын
Will there be a review for the new KiwiEars Allegro DAC/Amp? It looks almost as if it’s to compete with the Dawn Pro.
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
I'm not sure yet. It will depend on what I can get my hands on
@richardswatman4011 2 ай бұрын
Portable? It is massive!
@PassionforSound 2 ай бұрын
True. It's not small, but I had the xDuoo XD-05 Pro here at the same time and it made the Angel seem tiny! 😁
@Prxyshj Ай бұрын
A few months later is this still your top portable DAC/amp recommendation under $500?
@PassionforSound Ай бұрын
Yes. Unless you can get a Chord Mojo 2 for less, this is my recommended portable below the Mojo 2. 🙂
@sleepyrhythms6668 5 ай бұрын
Mmm I’d rather save for a ifi Micro Signature. Warm and spacious quad core burr brown dac and same power as Diablo 2 (2.3 watts). Plus it has 6.3mm out.
@PassionforSound 5 ай бұрын
Yes, the iFi gear is great too and with a slightly different tonality