We are back here with another review for the Audiosense DT600. The DT600 is the next IEM in the DT series coming in right after the highly praised DT100, DT200 and DT300. As I looked at the DT600 and listened to it, it reminded me of an Amethyst because it sounds and looks wonderful. This time Audiosense has really dropped a really great product so let's see how it stacks up against other competitors in the similar price range and maybe even those above.
Disclaimer:
The DT600 was kindly provided by Audiosense for the purpose of this review. I will not alter my review in any way and give my honest opinion.
Quick History Lesson:
Audiosense has been in the industry for quite some time but it was only in recent years were they able to establish themselves and generated some hype around their products. Audiosense has released IEMs with a Shure like IEM shape. Those IEMs are the T100, T180, T260, T300. From then on, Audiosense has released IEMs following the traditional Semi-Custom Design using 3D Printing.
One IEM in particular that generated quite a bit of hype was the T800 which is a 8BA IEM. I have to say the tonality was a little weird to me with the mids sounding thin and with sibilant treble.
Audiosense also had the AQ Series consisting of the AQ7 and AQ3 which wasn't particularly outstanding or had anything to write home about.
The DT Series however nailed everything and was all well tuned and it seems like the DT600 continues its legacy. In this review, we will see how the DT600 fairs.
Build:
Faceplate
Base of the Shell
Part of the Shell inserted into your Ear
Nozzle
I was initially surprised that Audiosense decided to ditch the metal nozzles and 3D Print them as well. As you can see, Audiosense 3D Printed the Shell and it was well done and nothing short of Perfect. Even the nozzles were printed into the Shell. The Faceplate is also really nice and well done.
I have one issue with the build quality though. The MMCX sockets. It seems like it is an issue across all their models since the T800 to the recently released DT300 and my DT600 as well. Audiosense uses MMCX sockets that are slightly larger than normal so using after market cables might result in slightly wiggly connection however, connection is still tight so you will not have to worry about dropping the DT600 but in the long run, I must say it might be a concern for some. The only way around this issue would be to use their stock cable which is pretty decent and doesn't wiggle as much compared to aftermarket cables. To resolve this issue, I'd recommend Audiosense look into another supplier for their parts. Audiosense will be sending me a replacement cable since my stock cable is a little wiggly. Will update the review when it arrives.
Nonetheless, with the MMCX issue aside, the build quality is fantastic.
Packaging and Accessories:
Cable
The cable is okay. It works well and it looks pretty good. Though from the Y Split and above, I find that it does tangle a little easily. And the connectors look a little cheap as well. I would like it if Audiosense could start using metal barrel MMCX connectors and a Metal 3.5mm Jack for a more premium look in the future. Other than that, I don't have any complains.
Ear-Tips
The Audiosense DT600 comes with an abundance of Ear-Tips. You get Foam tips, Sony lookalike tips, and SpinFits lookalike tips as well along with your regular normal tips. You also get a cleaning tool to get rid of your ear wax that's stuck on the mesh.
Case
I love Audiosense Waterproof case. It's just perfect. End of story. If you own one, you know why.
Sound: (First I want to say that the DT600 is super source dependent so what I hear may not be what you hear)
For this review I have to state my testing gear because I stuck with a few in the end compared to my other reviews in which I usually borrow over 10 sources from friends and fellow reviewers to review.
Gear used:
Huawei P30 Lite
Desktop Computer
Hiby FC3
Audirect Atom 2
FiiO Q3
80 Ohm Impedance adapter
(Random Dongles that cost below $10 at Little India in SG)
(A dongle I picked up from the Floor)
I know what you guys must be thinking. "Is he a cheapskate or something? Desktop and P30 Lite? Dongles from Little India handphone shops in SG and the Floor?" Yes I am not kidding.
Some info about Little India. Basically it is a place in Singapore that is popular among Indians. There is a lot of mini handphone shops there along the streets there and stuff can get really cheap.
I did not use expensive sources much as I didn't think it would make sense to pair a $248USD IEM to a $1kUSD DAP.
Based on all the tests on different gear I have tried, it seems that you don't really need a particularly high end source to drive the DT600 well. In fact you could try a 3k DAP and go horribly wrong.
If you want consistency across all sources you can choose to use the Impedance adapter but it's going to be hard to drive reducing portability.
First I want to touch on the topic of the Impedance Adapter
Ok basically the Audiosense DT600s marketed graph was different from what was actually sold. But then some head-fi people decided to hook it up with a IA and it became close to the marketed graph.
What is the difference between with and without IA you may ask? The Audiosense DT600 can be a very fun IEM with DD like bass or a resolution King and have superb treble extension with the IA. However, I did have issues with the IA as I found it to be harsh on certain occasions and a little to analytical and bass light on certain occasions. This is what kicked off my mission to find the perfect balance between the IA DT600 and Non-IA DT600 and I guess you could say I'm sort of done with it but not really.
With Impedance Adapter:
Treble:
The Audiosense DT600 has great treble extension. It is well extended and has very excellent details. It is crisp and sparkly. While it may not the best, it is probably above average in this aspect and benefits most from the IA. It has got quite a good amount of energy and it has good presence. Enough presence so that no one would miss out anything in the treble region. It also has a good amount of air.
Mids:
Mids also really benefited from the IA configuration and had a tremendous improvement in clarity but at the expense of realism. The vocals on the DT600 had crystal clear vocals for male and females. There is lesser lower midrange compared to the upper midrange so the DT600 takes on a more neutral tuning here. Because of the upper midrange emphasis, it also is quite forward sounding. Lower midrange however are not neglected and guitars have got good energy. I did find the midrange with the IA to come across as a little harsh on certain occasions though and overly thin. So that's something to look out for.
Bass:
Bass is fast and tight. It is punchy and has got good texture and rumble. However it was lean in my opinion. It reminded me of the Moondrop Blessing 2 but with more sub bass hence it has a good rumble to it. Since it was it using a BA, it has arguable better texturing and detailing compared to the Blessing 2 which I found somewhat lacking.
Technical Ability:
Fantastic. Very good imaging and very wide and tall soundstage. Super good resolution and detailing. You can hear everything in the music. After listening to the DT600, I discovered a lot of different instruments and sounds since the music I listen to is quite fast, so I might miss out on some things. Very analytical sounding and probably better than some in the $1k price range.
Tonality:
Tonality is aiming for a neutral sound with a mild bass boost of about 10db in the sub bass. I think this will make a good monitor for those who likes analytical sounding IEMs or those who work in recording studios and need to hear things well. If you ask me, this is a good alternative to a Blessing 2 or even the Thieaudio Monarch since they have similar tonality.
Without Impedance Adapter:
Treble:
It's not mind-blowing. Neither is it bad. It is rather average if not slightly above. Treble extension isn't as good as with the IA. It rolls off much earlier. I don't have much to say here because it does nothing right or wrong. It's just there. You can still hear everything in the treble region. Cymbals and all your high frequencies sound fall in between decent and above average in terms of quality and quantity. Treble sensitive folks might really like this as it is rather safe and far from becoming harsh or sibilant.
Mids:
I really liked the mids on the DT600. This is the most realistic sounding IEM I have come across this year. Upper midrange and lower midrange amount is perfect. For those who like realistic vocals, this is your endgame. Male vocals have the right thickness and presence and they sound like they should. Female vocals sound lovely and captivating and is never harsh or thin sounding or overly thick. You will never experience any sibilance on the DT600 without the IA.
Bass:
The best part of the DT600 without IA. The DT600 is incredible in the bass section. Bass slams like a dynamic driver. I couldn't tell it was from a BA honestly. The DT600 is by far one of the better implemented BA bass drivers I have tried till date in terms of quality and quantity. Quantity is more than sufficient for bass heads and quality is not shabby either. It has got good texture, great rumble. You can feel your head reverberating on super bass heavy tracks. Low dig really really deep. Interestingly, there is little to no mid bass bleed and it doesn't sound bloated or anything.
Technical Ability:
The DT600 is surprisingly proficient in terms of technical ability. Given the nature of the bass and the rolled of treble, one might think you would get a IEM that's muddy, overly bloated and underwater sounding. But no, you get a really good amount of resolution and detailing. Though I would not say it is better than the IA configuration, it is still surprisingly good and definitely above average. Soundstage is also wide and tall as well.
Tonality:
The tonality of the DT600 is not really a V shaped signature given the lack of treble extension, but it is definitely more bass oriented. For those who are not bass lovers, it could get tiring for you to have your head rattling the whole day. I guess you could say it has a rather downslope signature.
Now I need to touch on the most important topic...SOURCES
This is the most crucial part of the review so please read. It will determine the outcome of your DT600.
For sources, this is really important if you are not using an impedance adapter.
Impedance adapters make IEMs harder to drive. Harder to drive meaning that you will need a really powerful source which can get bulky.
The DT600 is a really easy to drive IEM which is why I think it resulted in it being source picky. This is probably due to the lack of resistors in the crossover as some have mentioned on threads be it on head-fi, Facebook or whatever audio related platforms.
What was my research aiming at?
I was trying to find a more portable alternative for the DT600 as it would be hard to drive with the Impedance adapter, so I was looking for a dongle that could drive the DT600 with a sound signature that was neutral but with more bass.
During the time I had with the DT600, I found 2 particularly interesting sources that worked well with the DT600 and it was unexpected. My Desktop on board audio system perform really well with the DT600. It made the DT600 sound like with the IA, but double the amount of bass.
Another source would be my Huawei P30 Lite. This was able to help the DT600 achieve a sound signature that was in between of what the IA and without IA achieved. So you could say its like a half bass oriented signature plus neutral signature. This was what I was aiming for but with a little more resolution and treble so I decided to work from there.
I tried multiple high rage gear costing 1k to 3k but most have overwhelming bass response and almost zero treble which makes the DT600 un-listenable to me. So after that, I decided to start small. And my journey to Little India begin. I tried dongles from Baseus, Remax, Random OEM ones and a bunch which cost below $10SGD and I got quite good results.
I don't have any details on the dongles and what they sound like because I set out on this research just purely for the DT600 so I didn't test them with other gear. What I can tell you is, bright, neutral, warm or balanced, you still can go wrong with them. My DT600 sounded arguably worse with the HiBy FC3 even though it is a bright DAC which is what the DT600 needed. In fact it sounded better with my Atom 2 which is a warm DAC and reduces treble presence which probably the last thing the DT600 needed adjustments to.
My biggest takeaway from this research is that not all good things come at a hefty price. Some are just $10SGD away, and maybe even less for those outside of Singapore without the taxations we have in Singapore.
Conclusion:
The Audiosense DT600 is a great IEM and one that deserves to go down in history. It's only real flaw is that it's hard to get a nice source to drive it since money don't drop from the sky. So you can't possibly buy a new source every time. This issue can be easily resolved by adding resistors for more consistent results in achieving a neutral sound signature. Or for those who liked the dynamic driver like bass, maybe Audiosense could just increase the treble by changing filters or modifying the crossover and I'll consider it a well executed V-shape IEM. If you want both the neutral and bass oriented signature, I guess it will be Audiosense first foray into using switches. Other than that, the DT600 is really good. If you don't mind investing a small sum on top of the DT600, you could get something good out of the DT600.
The Audiosense DT600 retails at $248USD. For those interested, you can purchase it from their Aliexpress shop, HifiGO, or for locals, head down to TREOO to demo the DT600 in SG and make your purchase. Stay tuned for the next review.
Commentaires