CX31993 – Audio Reviews https://www.audioreviews.org Music for the Masses. Tue, 07 Jun 2022 03:12:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0 https://www.audioreviews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-avatar-32x32.jpeg CX31993 – Audio Reviews https://www.audioreviews.org 32 32 iBasso DC-05 DAC/Amp Review – Something Wicked This Way Comes https://www.audioreviews.org/ibasso-dc-05-review-lj/ https://www.audioreviews.org/ibasso-dc-05-review-lj/#respond Tue, 07 Jun 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://www.audioreviews.org/?p=56773 I probably wouldn’t be content with the DC-05 as my only dongle,..

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These days you can find a perfectly serviceable dongle for <$15, which might reasonably inhibit you from spending exponentially more.  The $59 iBasso DC-05 does, however, have certain distinguishing features. For one thing, it decodes MQA, which is typically the province of pricier DACs. For another, it has an accompanying app which ostensibly allows for 64-step internal volume control. (I found it tedious to use the app, but it will benefit very sensitive IEMs).

The DC-05 also claims “Time Domain Jitter Eliminator and HyperStream III Architecture” to reduce signal noise and distortion, and I did find it to be extremely quiet and hiss-free. Finally, and most critically, it has substantially above-average driving power and pairs much better with planars and lower-efficiency IEMs than its cheaper rivals. It does run warm, but doesn’t seem to be a battery hog.

Said driving power really defines the DC-05’s sonic character—it has a rich, slightly warm tone which deepens the low end and makes drums and percussion sound larger-than-life, all of which has the effect of enlivening poorer recordings and lower-quality files.

High end is a bit smoothed over and some high-level details are missing; on better recordings, the DC-05 can sound a bit blunt, albeit never shrill or peaky.  The dirt-cheap Conexant CX31993 actually sounds more transparent and less colored than the DC-05, but significantly trails the DC-05’s dynamic slam and bass control.

Fairly compared to a price peer like the ($70) Hidisz S-3 (which on its own terms is quite energetic and bassy), the DC-05 sounds deeper, louder and fuller, while the more analog-sounding S-3 is truer-to-source and presents more high-end resolution.  The S-3 also places more air between instruments. I preferred the brawnier DC-05 for rock and the more nuanced S-3 for jazz and acoustic fare.

Moving up the foodchain to the $110 Cozoy Takt-C gives you a more neutral presentation, with much less bass boost and more treble detail, although the DC-05 worked better and sounded less reserved and more impactful with less efficient (>150 Ohm) buds and cans.

Ultimately, I probably wouldn’t be content with the DC-05 as my only dongle, as less adrenalized pieces pair better with certain sources and genres. That said, it is a step up from entry-level and the point at which diminishing returns starts to kick in. Recommended.

Non-disclaimer: bought it myself

Specifications iBasso DC-05

Chipset: Sabre ES9219C
Impedance: 0.5 ohm
Power: 2 VRMS (@300 ohm), 13 mW; 1.73 VRMS (@32 ohm), 93 mW, 1.5 VRMS (@16 ohm), 140 mW
SNR: 121 dB
THD+N: -105 dBA (@32 ohm)
Frequency Range: 20 – 40 000Hz
PCM: 32 bit/384 Hz
DSD: native DSD64, DSD128, DSD256
MQA: 16X
Socket: USB-C
Tested at: $59

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Xumee USB-C DAC Dongle Review – A View From The Cheap Seats https://www.audioreviews.org/xumee-dongle-review/ https://www.audioreviews.org/xumee-dongle-review/#respond Wed, 20 Apr 2022 17:11:11 +0000 https://www.audioreviews.org/?p=54923 The $13 Xumee immediately registers as a real find...

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To allay my grief over the loss of my beloved, headphone jack-equipped LG V50 (which no longer works on T-Mobile’s 5G network) I went out and bought some new dongles, of which the diminutive, $13 Xumee was the first to arrive.

Even allowing for some recency bias, the Xumee immediately registers as a real find, with a full-bodied, crisp attack, good driving power and notable dynamics and bass impact. It synergized surprisingly well with my new crush, the difficult-to-drive 7Hz Timeless, which sounded louder and more  expansive with the Xumee than they did unamped.

Likewise, the 60 oHm Koss KSC75 took on a palpable physicality with the Xumee, sounding bassier and more like full-sized cans. The Xumee did run out of steam on my 250 ohm Beyer DT 990, which had sufficient volume but sounded wimpy and bloomy at the low end.

On more sensitive (<32 ohm) IEMs, the ($13) Conexant CX31993 sounded more transparent and presented more high end detail, but lacked the energy and low end control of the Xumee, while my current budget fave,  the $23 Meizu Master, matched the Xumee for output power and impact, but sounded a bit coarse in comparison, with a bit of graininess at the high end.  

Moving up the food chain to the $70 Hidisz S3, however, demonstrated the Xumee’s budget roots—while the Xumee played louder and had more low-end presence, the S3 was clearly the more refined, with more lifelike, less artificially bright timbre and a smoother (though still quite detailed) high end. However, the Xumee was a better match for brighter IEMs like the Blon A8 and Whizzer Kylin HD03D than the $75 Audirect Atom 2. So much for price/performace.

While my personal donglequest will undoubtedly continue, I’d venture that among the current flood of barely-distinguishable cheap dacs the Xumee is likely the best.  I’m glad I bought it instead of that fifth of Jim Beam.

On a somewhat related note, I also sampled the surprisingly cheap ($9) Apple USB-C audio adapter, which Jürgen has reviewed favorably here. Simply stated, the Apple does not play well with any Android or Fire devices, producing very low volume and a rolled-off high end.  

The lightning version, OTOH, works perfectly well with my wife’s iPhone, with more than adequate output and a very clean, uncolored presentation. I’m not sure what Apple’s reasoning is here, but if it don’t work it ain’t a bargain.

Non-disclaimer: bought it myself . You find it at amazon.

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Conexant (CX-Pro) CX31993 USB-C Amp/DAC Review – Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? https://www.audioreviews.org/conexant-cx-pro-cx31993-lj/ https://www.audioreviews.org/conexant-cx-pro-cx31993-lj/#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2021 17:18:14 +0000 https://www.audioreviews.org/?p=42474 This $13 dongle caught my eye after reading some effusive praise on the Head-fi forums.

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Conexant (CX-Pro) cx31993: $13 (!) dongle caught my eye after reading some effusive praise on the Head-fi forums. It arrived from China six days after I ordered it on Ali (faster, I note than most of my USPS mail) in a nifty little Altoids-type case with a USB-A adapter.

The dongle itself seems well-made and is quite a purty thing, with silver wire and nicely-engraved connectors. The cx31993 is strictly plug and play (no drivers needed) and its advertised 96/384kHz sampling is legit. It runs cool and doesn’t hog a lot of battery.

The cx31993 presents a lean, neutral-to-slightly-bright tonality without audible coloration or grain; background is very quiet and presentation is open and airy.  Connected to my LG V50, the cx31993 paired well with my more efficient IEMs, noticeably improving the resolution and placing more space between the performers.

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Combining it with the $5 KZ EDR1 was sublime. The cx31993 was also a big improvement over the flat, colorless stock soundcards in my Kindle Fire and Dell laptop.  

However, it became readily apparent that the 31993 lacks the output power to effectively drive less efficient buds and cans (such as 150 Ohm Beyerdynamics); it particularly struggled to control the low end on more challenging loads.  

Even the Blon A8 whose 32 Ohm impedance doesn’t seem daunting, seemed to lose composure and sounded somewhat flabby and bass-shy when paired with the 31993.

Unless you’re really budget-impaired, the $23 Meze Master HiFi is the better buy, with more power and overall presence, although I actually thought the cx31993 was a tad cleaner and more transparent (though less energetic) than the $42 Tempotec Sonata HD.

This isn’t the megacheap miracle its proponents claim and probably won’t work as your daily driver. It is, however,  a useful upgrade on to PCs and other devices and ultimately earns a place in my ever-expanding collection of dongles

Non-disclaimer: bought it myself 

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