Cyrus Soundkey DAC & Headphone Amplifier - Ruby

Product Information

The higher capacity battery offsets the power-hungry THX amplifier, and battery life ranges from about 6-9 hours (about the same as the BTR5), depending on volume and output choice. There’s plenty of power on hand for most headphones (160mW SE, 320mW balanced), and the FiiO Control application allows for even more output power using the “Boost BAL” mode.

There are other providers offering high-res streaming such as Tidal, Qobuzz and Deezer, among others, whose strategies to compete in this sudden price-depressed hi-res audio market have yet to be revealed. But one thing is for sure – subscription fees have to drop or they could spin into obscurity like a broken CD player. The physical design is clean and simple, with buttons on the side and a crisp OLED display on the front. An included case offers protection from scratches and fingerprints, as the shiny, larger body is prone to both. If you happen to be driving, ditch the Bluetooth connection and connect the SoundKey to the vehicle entertainment system’s aux input – the difference a simple device like this can make to the sound quality is remarkable. The Chord Mojo 2 is the long-awaited follow-up to one of our all-time favorite portable DAC/amps. It sports a similar unusual design as the original, but this time, the three large iconic colored marbles are replaced with four smaller spherical buttons. Well, it is pretty portable. It doesn't get hot during usage, only barely warm. Furthermore, it doesn't have a lot of battery drain from your smartphone, so you don't need to worry if you're running low on bat, the Soundkey isn't going to kill your day.It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Cyrus Audio or HIFI Center, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. This review is not sponsored nor has been paid for by Cyrus Audio or HIFI Center or anyone else. I'd like to thank HIFI Center for providing the sample for the review. This review reflects my personal experience with Cyrus Audio SoundKey. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in Cyrus Soundkey find their next music companion. Cyrus Soundkey vs Audirect Beam - I noted in my review that the Beam is a bit on the smoothly textured yet bright in signature. Since both are DAC/AMPs, the only thing I want to mention about the differences in build quality between the Cyris soundkey and the Beam is that the Beam gets MUCH hotter during actual usage, and that the Beam is smaller physically, and has a volume / song change knob, which may be good, or bad, depending on whether you assume you'll be using that. In terms of sound, the soundkey feels like an upgrade from the beam, with more textures, more resolution, more details and clarity, and with more impact. The Soundkey is also almost 50% more expensive though. Key specs – Dimensions: 306 x 224 x 44mm; Max bit depth/sampling rate: 32-bit/384kHz; Inputs: USB, balanced XLR, unbalanced RCA, coaxial, TOSLINK optical; Outputs: XLR3, XLR4, 6.3mm, 4.4mm It provides a boost to volume, so ensure your volume level is low on your handset when initially plugging in your earphones. The Soundkey is designed for portable headphones between 16 and 64 ohms which is a great majority of portable headphone/earphone models. Sound Sources: Toshiba notebook with Windows 10 OS with JRiver Media Centre and Spotify apps; iPhone 7 with Spotify, HiBy Music, Golden Ear apps; Poco F3 with Spotify and HiBy Music apps / Amplification: Chord Mojo and EarMen Eagle DAC/amps / Headphones: Drop + HiFiMAN HE4XX, Mitchell and Johnson MJ2, KZ Audio AS10

There’s a good sense of scale and focus to the sound, with the hip-dac able to convey the majesty of the piece well. The ability to organise detail into a cohesive and musical whole is obvious here, as the iFi never sounds out of its depth. Verdict As the long-anticipated replacement to the incredibly popular Chord Mojo, the Chord Mojo 2 is another leap forward for compact DACs. The chief change from the original release is what Chord claims is the world’s first lossless digital signal processor and we were suitably impressed with the second-generation Mojo’s mastery of detailed sound.

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Cyrus has won multiple awards over their thirty year career for products primarily attributed to skills in amplifier and DAC design. Understanding that amplifiers do not actually amplify, instead making larger copies of the original source signal, Cyrus have ensured that the quality of power used to make that copy is up to the highest possible quality. Using high-quality components in its construction, the Soundkey delivers music with a wider sense of space, individualising each instrument, vocal performance and melody and delivering them all in more realistic and pristine detail. This greater detail highlights subtle nuances in vocal intonation and making them much more apparent. A better grip on lower frequencies allow any bass notes to sound more tuneful without being too heavy or loud. Deoaece magazinul care mi-a oferit sample-ul pentru acest review este din Romania, voi adauga si un mic rezumat in Romana. Listeners can toggle oversampling on and off, enabling and disabling the digital filters. Oversampling mode increases resolution and sample rate while decreasing noise. With oversampling off, phase, artifacts, and jitter are reduced, and coherency is improved. The midrange is generally very clean, clear, well textured, and a bit on the analytical side. The soundstage of the Soundkey is wider than it is deep, but it has a really good width for the 150 USD price range. There is a good amount of texture, so instruments that are textury, like trumpets, really shine with it. The upper midrange is not enhanced in a special way, so you don't get a hot or metallic tinge with your music.

It also boasts a dual high-density battery customized power system designed to separate digital and analog power to eliminate digital circuit noise from the source. This is an interesting part in this review, because I wasn’t expecting the SoundKey to be anything special, but actually, it is a really good portable DAC/AMP. Cyrus Soundkey este un DAC / AMP pentru telefoane, dar care poate fii folosit si la desktop. El este conceput ca sa mearga bine cu casti, in special cu casti care au un sunet mai cald si mai gros, cu care se imperecheaza foarte bine. Pe de alta parte, Soundkey nu merge foarte bine impreuna cu casti reci sau analitice, el insusi fiind putin rece si analitic in sunet.The AK HC3 is Astell & Kern’s latest portable headphone amp/DAC dongle device – and thanks to a combination of wide-ranging compatibility and deft audio quality, it’s well worth a spot in our list of best DACs. The hip-dac is a hugely capable performer with the typical easy-going iFi sound. It’s a balanced presentation that’s refined and free of harsh edges. You can listen to the hip-dac for hours and not feel fatigued. Yet unlike some of the company’s older products, this undemanding nature is still partnered with expressive dynamics and pleasing rhythmic precision. Upon opening the tiny box, it becomes pretty obvious that the build quality on this product is top notch. It’s not overly heavy and despite is small stature, it feels robust and superbly built. With dimensions of 23 x 54 x 8mm and weighing in at just 18 grams, it’s hard to envisage what to expect from this headphone DAC. I guess the only thing to do is to set it up and hear for ourselves. The most immediate difference between the Hugo 2 and other DACs in this roundup is its sublime soundstage. It has a wider sound profile that delivers better instrument separation. It’s a difference that can’t go unnoticed, no matter what headphones (or speakers) you feed through it: the bass is tight, controlled and refined, the highs aren’t sibilant and the mids are pin-point perfect. On the whole, it’s an incredible DAC and one you should consider if you’ve got the budget. This little device is sleek, light and simple; there is nothing much to remark on other than the micro-B USB input and the 3.5mm output. The device is the size of a small cigarette lighter and is available in various colours. Included are two cables (one for micro USB-B and another for USB-A connections); these appear to be decent enough, but are each composed of differing materials. The micro USB-B cable is a fabric covered affair, whilst the USB-A cable is white and plastic coated. Given that this is to be used by Apple users in connection with the often required camera kit, it kind of makes sense.