Greetings, Today we’re taking a quick look at the Odyssey HD from Venture Electronics. Like much of VE’s gear, the Odyssey HD arrived in a simple branded plastic resealable bag. Inside is of course the dongle itself, but also a Type-C to Type-A USB adapter. And that’s it. Given the mere 10 USD price tag, this is perfectly fine. Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed VE … Continue reading VE Odyssey HD: Get It Before It’s Gone (Too Late!!)
Greetings! Today we’re checking out a neat little accessory from DDHiFi, the TC35B. As we all know by now, smartphone manufacturers are slowly weeding out the 3.5mm jack in their more premium offerings, forcing users to either go wireless or carry around a cumbersome dongle to add that feature back. Not ideal. DDHiFi is well known for their various adapters that solve a wide variety … Continue reading DDHifi TC35B: Size Matters
Greetings! Today we’re checking out one of FiiO’s newest Bluetooth amp modules, the BTR3K. Along with Type-C dongles and true wireless earphones, wireless amp modules are a segment that seem to have seen a huge surge in popularity the last couple years. Back in 2018 FiiO sent over their very wallet friendly module, the uBTR. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of sound coming … Continue reading FiiO BTR3K: Thumb-Sized Powerhouse
Greetings, Today we’re tackling another unit in the growing dongle army, this time from Cozoy, the Takt C. Cozoy was founded in 2014, making a name for themselves through the offering of distinctively designed products with performance that matched their bold look. The Takt lineup has actually been around for a couple years now and was initially composed of the Apple Lightning equipped Takt, and … Continue reading Cozoy Takt C: Mixed Feelings
Greetings! Today we’re checking out Radsone’s newest DAC/amp, the HUD100. 2018 saw the release of the ES100 which was an outstanding Bluetooth receiver that took portable audio forums by storm. It offered up a mind boggling feature list along with sound quality and wireless performance at a price the competition simply couldn’t match. From what I’ve been seeing, they’re only now beginning to catch up. … Continue reading Radsone Earstudio HUD100: Aced It!
Greetings! Today we’re checking out the TR-Amp from EarMen. EarMen is a relatively young brand with an established history, coming out the gates as the more affordable arm of the Auris Audio brand. These products have been designed and engineered by Miki Trosic, the founder of Auris Audio, and as such have a strong foundation on which their principles are grown. EarMen is “…on a … Continue reading EarMen TR-Amp: Putting Its Stamp On Portable Audio
Greetings, Today we’re checking out the XQ-50, an affordable Bluetooth 5.0, aptX equipped receiver from xDuoo. xDuoo is a brand full of variety, from dacs to amps to earphones, and Bluetooth receivers like the XQ-50. While in the past xDuoo has mostly disappointed me, the last couple products I’ve checked out have been winners, and the XQ-50 is no exception. Let’s take a closer look, … Continue reading xDuoo XQ-50: Inexpensive and Effective
Greetings! Today we’re checking out the Link from xDuoo, a type-C USB amp/dac intended for use with mobile devices and PCs As the number of phones with headphone jacks decrease, the options to replace it increase. Dongles are an unfortunate way of life for many consumers in this harsh, modern climate, but we’ll get by. Products like the Link help ease the pain. However, in … Continue reading xDuoo Link: Welcome to Dongle City
Greetings, Today we’re checking out the ZiShan DSD, a budget friendly and very capable DAP. ZiShan is a Chinese manufacturer known for inexpensive, no frills, high performance amps and daps, including the DSD we’re checking out today. With an old school look and quality components like the venerable AK4497 chip, the DSD makes for a compelling purchase to those who value performance over style. Let’s … Continue reading ZiShan DSD: Old Look, Modern Sound
Greetings! Today we’re checking out a budget friendly Bluetooth module from juggernauts in the portable audio industry, FiiO. FiiO has been around since 2007 and quickly arose to become one of the premier Chinese manufacturers as a result of products like their iconic X-Series media players. Their current lineup is wide reaching and includes DAP, amps, earphones, accessories, and Bluetooth modules like the µBTR we’re … Continue reading FiiO uBTR: Micro Machine
Greetings! Today we’re checking out the M0 from Shanling Audio. Shanling is a well-versed audio company that has been developing products under one name or another since 1988. In the portable audio world, they are revered for their affordable, high quality audio players. My first introduction to the brand was through the M1, a tiny, feature rich player that I had on loan as part … Continue reading Shanling M0: M0 to Hero
Greetings! Today we’re checking out the ES100, a Bluetooth receiver from Radsone. Radsone is a consumer electronics and technology company based out of Seoul, Korea, founded in 2011. Their technology (https://www.radsone.com/technology) is used by some heavy hitters in the industry, like Audio Technica, LG, and Qualcomm, so you know they’ve got some serious talent under their belt. We’re not here to talk about that though. … Continue reading Radsone EarStudio ES100: Deserving of the Hype
The Contraptionist 