Review: Muse PD1+ awesome amp/DAC

Muse PD1+ Review:

I would like to thank Mingo Headphones in Hong Kong for sending me this sample for review, I will write as honest a review possible. This has had over 50hrs burn-in but I do not believe in burn in for amps/DAC and I noted no change in sound.

Gear Used:

Dell laptop > PD1+ > Sunrise Audio Dragon2

Specs:

USB Stream controller Tenor TE7022L

Wolfson WM8740 DAC Chips

Pre-amp AD8691

Power-amp TI TP152

16bit 44.1kHz to 24bit 96kHz

Line in, Headphone out, Line out, S/P DIF out and Mini-USB in.

Charge time: 5hrs, play time when fully charged: 22hrs

MSRP: around $220

Packaging, build quality and accessories:

Packaging is a really nice black box with all the information about the DAC and amp neatly laid out on the sides, with all the necessary info about the unit and a real size pictures of the PD1+ on the bottom of the box. The packaging is very good for a small company and looks very professional. It is a 2 part box, as the inner part slides out from the top part, the PD1+ is very neatly held in place by foam, well protected, with a small compartment below holding the accessories.

Build quality is fairly solid being all aluminium, but when I shake the unit I feel someting a little loose, after inspection it is the battery so the battery could be better held down on the board. But apart from that, the jacks are high quality, the volume pot is very smooth to operate and everything is well put together. I did find 1 or 2 blemishes on the finish of the paint and endplates, but nothing too serious and overall the unit is very well put together.

The only accessory included is a USB cable, I would like to have seen at least a mini-mini interconnect and maybe some amp straps along with a carry pouch, so I won’t rate the accessories high as virtually nothing is included. You do get a manual which has all the specifications of the DAC chips, USB controller, pre amp and power amp chips which is good.

Ease of use:

This unit installs all drivers instantly and no setting up is required, there are 2 lights on the front, one that shows power is on/charging (green full/orange charging) and a white light which tells you that the DAC is in use. There is nothing to using this, plug it in and turn the volume knob which is also the power switch and you have sound.

There is channel imbalance under about 9 O’clock on the volume pot, but the gain is low enough that even when used with fairly sensitive IEM’s and such it isn’t a problem. I find it has enough power for most headphones, but it will struggle with harder to drive headphones, no clipping was detected even on full volume with my Dragon2 ear buds (quite hard to drive, 120Ω)

There is no bass boost or gain switch, it is a simple amp/DAC which just works perfectly, no frills, line out is a good extra and S/P DIF is handy for some, unfortunately I have nothing to use with S/P DIF so I couldn’t check that functionality, I find it to be just a great portable amp/DAC.

Sound:

I mainly used this as a amp/DAC unit hooked up to my laptop playing lossless files, I did a/b test the amp section with my reference amp the O2.

Used as the amp/DAC combo you get very honest sound, let me start off by saying that comparing the amp section to the O2 the differences were so subtle that I had a hard time finding any. The slight differences that I did notice were the O2 has a tiny bit wider soundstage and the PD1+ has slightly more bass presence but these differences are really small.

A transparent portable DAC/amp, the sound is very open and detailed, lows are tight and well articulated and do not make this warm sounding, mids and highs are very airy and honestly presented.

I will say this pairs better with the Dragon2 than the O2 as the slightly better bass on this really makes these sound brilliant. The O2’s lows are softer and not as articulated. Since having this, it has had more use than my O2, and I got rid of my ODAC as I find this is excellent and I can use it as a DAC to hook up to the O2 if I need to, the PD1+ doesn’t have the power that the O2 has, but this is a lot smaller than the O2.

I really don’t know what else to say, I really didn’t think the sound would be on such a level that it competed with the O2, but it really does. It may not have the power, but for a small portable device that you can take anywhere, use it as a portable amp then DAC when you use your computer, it is a great device to have, and when on the go you won’t need the extra power of the O2 as I doubt people take their Beyer T1/LCD3/HD800 out and about with them.

Conclusion: A big win here for Muse, great form factor, easy to use and great sound all in one small package. A very versatile device that serves its purpose very well, the sound is transparent, very open and airy with great detail and instrument separation. Nothing about the device or the sound quality stands out, no frills, it does what it was made to do and that’s what’s great about it, it just works and does what it was made to brilliantly.

This is a very positive review, I know, but that is my honest opinion. I was taken by surprise by this little thing, and highly recommend it. Comments are welcome, I have had previously the Fiio E17 and Hippo CriCri+, and hope to get the Sunrise Audio Ray to compare this to.

Songs Used:

Whole album > Deolinda – Ao Vivo No Coliseu dos Recreios (ALAC)

Silverstein – Discovering the Waterfront (320kbps)

+ many more when just out and about.

Review: DUNU DN-22M Detonator

DUNU DN-22M Review:

I would like to thank Rocky for sending this sample for me to review, I will write as honest a review possible, these received more than 50hrs burn-in before reviewing, no noticeable differences were noted.

Gear Used:

IPod Classic 160gb (rockboxed) > DUNU DN-22M (aftermarket bi-flange tips used)

Specs:

Driver: dynamic 9mm

F. Response: 20Hz – 20KHz

SPL: 112 +- 2dB (1KHz/1Vrms)

Impedance: 16Ω

Noise attenuation: 26dB

Cable length: 1.2m

Weight: 27g

Packaging, accessories and build quality:

Packaging is standard for Dunu, and if you’ve had a Dunu product you will know what I’m talking about. A sleek black box, with a picture of the IEM’s on the front, information on the back and specifications on the side. This is just a sleeve, out of this slide another box, all black with DUNU in red on the front, this has a magnetised flap that opens and you are presented with the IEM’s and their carry pouch below, both held in a felt covered plastic intray. Underneath this intray you will find all the other accessories, I really like Dunu packaging, it feels very premium and has everything laid out very well and neatly.

Accessories are equally good, you get a semi-hard square case, a soft pleather case, cable clip, 1 pair of M bi-flange tips, 1 pair of M triple flange tips, and then S, M and L sony hybrid type single flange tips, and then standard S, M and L single flange tips. So you get all the tips you need, plus 2 carry cases and a cable clip, The only thing I would change is put a metal carry case like the one supplied with Dunu’s higher end models, but that would up the price of these, and maybe a flight adapter like supplied with some other Dunu models.

Build quality, another strong point, with polished metal housings (a little bit on the heavy side), a really good cable with excellent strain relief on the jack, housing and y-splitter. Built in the cable is Dunu’s patented cable wrap, which really comes in handy when storing them, and also an iPhone compatible microphone and button. I must hand it to Dunu for producing the best built budget IEM’s around, my old DN-12 Tridents are still going strong after over 1 year of use (these use the same cable).

Comfort, isolation, driver flex and cable noise:

Comfort is good when you get a good fit, the housing is smooth so no sharp edges hurting your ear, but the housings are quite heavy as they are metal, which means you do have to adjust the fit every now and again, but I did not find this to be a problem for me. They can be worn with the cable straight down or over the ear.

These are fully sealed IEM’s so they isolate pretty darn well, perfect for public transport and the likes, but not enough to be a serious danger when walking about.

Driver flex is not a problem, I can only detect very slight driver flex which is surprising as they are not vented.

Cable noise is also not a big problem, being only slightly noticeable, and eliminated when worn over the ear.

Sound:

Split into the usual categories with a conclusion ate the end.

Lows: Typical Dunu house sound, warm and laid back. The lows are full bodied and well extended, also with good punch (a little hollow though) when needed. They do mask the lower mids a little, making male vocals sound a little veiled. The lows are in good quantity not being over the top and masking the whole sound, they are well placed and do complete the sound well. A little less would be fine, as they are a little boomy/loose because of resonance I suspect.

Mids: A little behind the lows, but not majorly recessed, with vocals and guitars having good enough presence being well placed and easily separated. There is a slight upper mid hump, which makes female vocals sound cleaner than male vocals, but does not bring out any sibilance. I actually really like the mids as it is impressive that the lows don’t drown them out, and they are still present and fairly well detailed, but in a laid back presentation.

Highs: Also typical Dunu, very laid back lacking real presence and sparkle, they are there but you don’t get the shimmer and crashes of cymbals to full effect, they are just there. I am always very critical of treble, as it seems to be the hardest part of the spectrum to get right, many headphones fail in this department, I wouldn’t say these are a complete failure, but the highs are not involving, they are very bland and not exciting. There is a sense of loss of detail and spaciousness because of the rolled off highs.

Soundstage, instrument separation and imaging:

The soundstage is quite small, the centre image is portrayed nicely and the rest of the sound does come in around it, but it is not very wide or deep, quite an intimate presentation.

Instrument separation is average, as the soundstage is small and there is not a lot of space between instruments, but they do not fair badly in this area for the general sound sig.

Conclusion: For the package they are brilliant, you get excellent build quality with equally good sound, these are not my preferred sound signature, but for what they are they do very well. These are more aimed at the general consumer, with an easy to listen to, laid back non fatiguing sound. Perfect for standard use on the go where you want a more engaging sound rather than supreme detail retrieval. Once again Dunu have brought a great product at a competitive price, so if you’re looking for an on-the-go IEM to use with your iPhone this is perfect, it is built like a tank so you can just toss them in your bag and not worry about them.

Thank you for reading this review, comments are welcome.

Tracks Used:

Skrillex – First Of The Year (Equinox) (320kbps MP3)

Paramore – Franklin (320kbps MP3)

Diana Krall – The Girl In The Other Room (FLAC)

Deolinda – Passou Por Mim E Sorriu (live) (ALAC)

Suicide Silence – Unanswered (FLAC)

Massive Attack – Angel (ALAC)

Eat Static – Dzhopa Dream (ALAC)

The XX – Crystalised (FLAC)

Funeral For A Friend – Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings (ALAC)

Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man (FLAC)

The Scene Aesthetic – Humans (259kbps MP3)

A Hero A Fake – Swallowed By The Sea (254kbps MP3)

Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, Spring Allegro (ALAC)

Johnny Craig – Children Of Divorce (161kbps MP3)

Deadmau5 + Kaskade – I Remember (Caspa Remix) (320kbps MP3)

Black Uhuru – Utterance (ALAC)

We Are The In Crowd – Never Be What You Want (226kbps MP3)

Silverstein – Discovering The Waterfront (320kbps MP3)

Concept Of Thought – Our Thought (FLAC)

Nirvana – Something In The Way (Unplugged) (ALAC)