[Start up]Introduction.
I am back from my break and now I am going to give my review of the dongle ES-PRO Audio 9318. I know it's late but I want to dedicate this review. to my idol in dongles which is Dongle Madness. but unfortunately. the madness already reached its end anyways let's start this dongle date.
[Phase 1] Disclaimer.
I want to say from the heart. my reviews will not have a commercial way of approach. to the people that say my reviews are fake well, I am fine with it since we have different personalities.
This is a personal unit." I repeat personal unit" and the dongle is included with moondrop aria.
My reviews and impressions are all based on my experiences and hearing
Always take my reviews with a grain of salt since they might hurt you or meet your expectations.
My sound preference is more on balanced leaning to U-shaped.
[Phase 2] Listening equipment.
BQEYZ KC2[Not for bassheads]
KZ EDA: Balanced.
Foobar2000
UAPP[Usb Audio Player Pro]
OPPO A95[Not Audiophile Phone]
[Phase 3]Sound Signature
The ES-Pro Audio 9318 Sound output is more balanced leaning to U-Shaped. This dongle also surprised me. since the dongle has a Sabre Dac Chip and also my first Sabre DAC
[Phase 4]Pros and Cons.
Pros.
+ Great synergy with BQEYZ KC2.
+ Great separation capability.
+ Sparkly treble with great extension.
+ Balanced Mids with great texture and definition. with the natural tone of Vocals for both males and females.
+ Great midbass with moderate decay.
+ Sub-bass presence with moderate decay.
+ Strings instruments and drums sound so fulfilling.
+ Huge soundstage with great texture and placement.
+ Great detail retrieval macro and micro details are very transparent.
+ Neutral timbre with balanced color
Cons.
- treble focused tracks will make the track metallic.
- lacks power output.
- not forgiving in poorly recorded tracks. Also, sources that are too generic.
- decent decay and timbre
- Power hungry
- At high Volume it can cause some peak.
- No external volume adjuster
Dongle Specifications.
PCM: 32bit – 384khz
DSD: 256
Support Impedance: 16-600 ohm
Output Power: 70mW @ 32ohm
Decoding ability: PCM up to 32Bt/384 KHZ
Dac Chipset: ESS Sabre ES9318
Response range: 20Hz-20kHz
Type-c to 3.5mm: ALC 5686 chip ordinary
Tribute
I want to Thank Andy who is the founder of Dongle Madness and this review was dedicated to him. it turns out we have the same observations and take about it.