Linsoul Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini Portable IEM DAC, in Ear Monitor Amplifier, USB C to 3.5/4.4mm Output, with Custom Chip, High Resolution 32bit/384kHz, HiFi Earbuds Amp for Phone/PC

So for comparison's sake let me start by saying that I also own the following headphone DAC/amps: Fiio BTR7 ($130), Aune Yuki ($170), Chord Mojo 2 ($650). So I have experience with a wide price range here.First of all, despite what the product listing says, this is not an amp. It's just a DAC. Or at least, if it is amplifying the signal, it's only so much as the iPhone can supply the power. Volume is controlled by the iPhone itself.What this means is, for more power hungry headphones, this DAC will probably be unable to get loud enough to be enjoyable for you. But for low-impedance headphones and IEMs, it gets plenty loud.If you think of this less as a DAC/amp, and more as a headphone dongle, then this is quite possibly the best dongle you can buy. As a DAC for $20, it's seriously impressive. Sound is fully detailed and presented completely faithfully. It's also small and fits snugly against the bottom of the phone.In short, if you're not looking for something that can drive high-impedance cans and simply need something small and easy, this is a great option. If you're looking for more amplification, spend a little more and get something like the Fiio BTR7 or the Aune Yuki. But for the vast majority of IEMs, this Kiwi Ears DAC is plenty.

Astonishingly good for the price and size! First Linsoul product for me, I usually do HiBy for all my audio needs but the desktop DAC I wanted shot up in price literally overnight so I didn't by it on principle. Cam across these Kiwi Ears, read reviews, loved the form factor, it had a 10% off coupon, so why not! This little DAC really slaps. Drives 32 Ohm open-back cans with ease, don't max out or you risk hearing damage! The quality, detail, staging, and especially imaging is incredible for a roughly $20 device that gives you both 3.5 mm SE but for me more importantly 4.4mm balanced. I have used on my android phone, Samsung tablet, and my chromebook flawlessly. I also bought a USBC hub for an old desktop computer that I like to watch netflix on and refuse Bluetooth audio for it, I can now plug the Kiwi Ears into the dock and use my 4.4mm terminated cans to watch movies on it :). The Kiwi Ears (I will just say KW going forward) never get hot, have never "popped" or introduced unwanted audio artifacts in any way. I will confess and say no idea about 3.5mm SE output quality as I haven't bothered. I have ALOT of audio products (receivers, IEM's, cans, DAC's, etc), this is the best sub $30 purchase I have ever made in audio and have been doing so for a long time :) :) :). This was stream of conciousness as I jam out to dubstep via Tidal through the KW's so forgive any grammatical or syntax errors :)***UPDATE***10/22/2024WHAAAATTTTT!!!!!! Both ports go full strength at the same time! Found out as my wife and I wanted to watch a movie via headphone together, no degradation in quality, at least watching movies, haven't tried hi-res audio tandem yet. This thing is AMAZING!!!

I'm quite new to the audiophile world and decided to buy the Truthear Hexas for my first iems. I needed a way to connect it to my phone and it shocked me how much better the sound quality became. Keep in mind, I don't know correct terminology but if I had to explain it and all the pros:• All the distinct sounds became amplified and clearwr and I could hear instrumentals on songs that I never heard before. This combined with an equalizer completely changed the Hexas from to be honest, a little boring, to having that oomph that I was looking to find in my audiophile journey.• It's simple to use, just plug it into your phone and at least, my phone recognized it as headphones and just plug your audio device.• It's also very small which is nice since it doesn't impact how I hold my phone and easy to store, thought that also does mean it can be easily lost so be careful.• For it's size, its metal casing so far seems very durable and I have accidentally dropped it while it was in my phone and nothing was damaged.• One of the easiest and somewhat inexpensive upgrades I have done, considering similar products can be double its price or even over $100.However, I have found a pretty major problem. The jack of my Hexas does not fit in the port of the dac/amp causing the sound to become distorted if it's not at the right distance. If it's not in enough the sound is quieter and more static but if I push it in all the way on the left iem produces audio. I found that the perfect distance is about 0.5 cm so I use a knife and ruler to carefully cut a 1 x 1 x 0.5 cm foam block to slide my jack into. This basically ensures that it stays the perfect distance but it still distorts if I twist the jack slightly.I will be getting new cables for my Hexas and will see if there is any difference but overall the pros far outweigh the cons. It's a listening experience I've never heard.

Great and inexpensive. I can't recommend it enough. No noise on sensitive iems. Crystal clear powerful sound. I eq it to my liking and sounds almost as good as my $500 desktop setup. It even pushes my more demanding harmonicdyne Zeus elite to a very loud volume without becoming distorted or harsh. For the asking price it's a no brainer. Only con it's that it can disconnect easily if you put your phone in your pocket for example I go out on walks in my neighborhood with it stored in my pocket and I did lose sound a few times. It's not an issue when in a fix place but something to keep in mind but able to work around if you place in way that it won't come off. As of longevity that remains to be seen but tat the price if it lasts 6 months then it served me well. *Update* The only thing it can't drive very well is, larger planar headphones but that's to be expected. It can get loud enough at max volume but it might be too low for some.