Spectra Portable USB DAC - The World’s Smallest 32-bit DAC Headphone Amp for Truly Mastering Your Sound On-The-Go (Spectra USB Type-C)

A bit of context: I use the USB-C variant, plugged into a Samsung Galaxy S9+. I've tried easy to drive headphone like the Koss Porta Pros to slightly harder to drive ones like a Sennheiser HD600.I'm not an expert in audiophile terminology so I'll keep it very simple - plugged into my phone, it sounds very good. Much better than the built-in DAC. It sounds better than using my Fiio E10K at home, although I haven't tried comparing it to my Schiit Stack. It's especially noticeable in higher resolution files. Do note that it won't make sub par pairs of headphones sound better though.For easy to drive cans, it gets pretty loud at low volumes (unsurprisingly, as through a phone you can't really control high/low gain modes). Surprisingly it can push pretty decent volumes through my HD600, but you'll have to crank it up a bit. Also it will eat through your phone battery very quickly in that situation. With easier to drive pairs of headphones, it drained about 10% of my battery over a roughly 50 minute session. At higher volumes with my HD600 it was almost twice that, so be wary of your battery if you're using this with a phone. Also it gets slightly warm when in use, but nothing alarming.Overall I would really recommend this if you're looking for a good audio solution on-the-go. It's a bit awkward to stuff into your pockets along with your phone but you get used to it.

I was looking for some affordable audio solution which sounds better than my phone on flights.I used to have a Chord Mojo which I loved but was just too bulky for portable use. I only fly 5-6 times a year.I bought the EarStudio ES100 but I didn't like the cheap and creaky plastic built. It was good to have the play/pause forward buttons but the build quality wasn't there. Also, while the sound was clear, Bluetooth is still not as good as wired connection even with LDAC.I used to have the Sony 1000XM2 which was ok but I hated that bass bloom and lack of resolution. I knew I have to go back to IEMs and wires if I want good sound quality with great isolation on the go.After selling Mojo I was looking into slim and sleek DACs. I almost bought the Dragonfly Red but it was still too bulky and reviews said the SpectraX is not far in sound quality.The SpectraX obviously sounds less nice than Mojo. But it is much cheaper and the sound quality is very satisfying. For this price I'd say it is exceptional.The sound is quite balanced, quite detailed. Destroys the ES1000 in sound quality.I also love the form factor. It is very subtle, like an extension of your headphone wire.Size/price/performance-wise I doubt there is any better out there. I was surprised how good this little thing is.It will be good enough on my flights 5-6 times a year while I am away from my £2500+ home system. The SpectraX paired with a good budget IEM around £200 offers a much better sound quality than any fancy Bluetooth headphones.I went with an Etymotic IEM.

I'm truly amazed by the power of this little guy. It turns my galaxy s8+ into a Hi-Fi DAP.Pros:1. small package among Hi-Fi DACs. Of course, don't compare with the free adapters bundled with your 3.5mm-jack-less androids, they are day and night in terms of sound quality.2. Powerful. Can drive my HD6xx to adequate volume on my aero 15x with volume 22/100.3. DSD decoding. Sweeeeet.4. Adequate sound quality for this price and form factor. Don't compare it with desktop DACs.Cons1. The driver you can find on their website for windows has an invalid signature. I had to disable the signature verification in my system to make ASIO work.2. Very audible background noise if you are driving a low-impedance-high-sensitivity pair. I'm talking about my FitEar Monet 17 custom IEM. However it's not a problem with my HD6xx @ 300 ohm. Although I read news on the Internet saying they fixed it in their SPECTRA X (next version), it's just not available for purchase on Amazon at this point (Oct 23, 2018).3. High power draw. Not an issue with laptops, but certainly a headache with phones.Overall, recommended 4/5 because SPECTRA X is already on the way and fixes the background noise supposedly.

I originally purchased the Spectra for use with my Pixel 2 and Moondrop Kanas Pro headphones. I was really happy with them - the sound was rich and while I was skeptical of a DAC/dongle making a difference (previously I had used cheaper dongles), I actually noticed much fuller, better music with the Spectra. All good...until about 2 months in, when the sound went out entirely in the left ear. A bit disappointing, but mistakes happen in manufacturing.I contacted customer support, who graciously sent me a second dongle. Great! That's what you want right?Except...2 weeks in. I kid you not, TWO WEEKS into using this new dongle, the SAME EXACT issue happened - 0 sound in the left ear. Definitely not a headphone issue, as I tried multiple sets of headphones - complete failure in the same way, which suggests a major QC issue for such an expensive product. I care a lot about audio gear, and I take great care of my equipment - I always left the dongle hanging out of my pocket to avoid strain on the connector, was very careful in handling it, and never exposed it to water. In fact, it barely even has a scratch on the outside...yet the internals are already fried.So okay, I contact customer support again and this time - 0 response. Sent 3 emails and got nothing.Pathetic. Absolute waste of $150. Get something else. This product is terrible, their QC is terrible, and their customer support isn't up to snuff for a high-end product.

持ち運ぶ用で購入しました！DTM用で購入とてもコンパクトでスタイリッシュなので楽ちんですししっかりとした作りなので壊れにくいのではないでしょうか！音量調節などのボタンがないのでそこらへんは少し面倒ですがそれでも満足です。

I have used this attached to both my smartphone and to my computer and to both IEMs and on ear headphones. The audio quality is stunning with no sense of strain and with every small detail of the music apparent. The unit gets slightly warm and there is a small battery drain on the smartphone though not significant. Even with full size headphones the music is comfortably loud. The Spectra appears very solid and is small enough to be unobtrusive and ideal for travel. Pleasingly there is no need to download drivers and it is automatically recognized by Windows 10 and USB Audio Pro on my Android phone. I also have the Hidisz Sonata which is also excellent and significantly cheaper however the NextDrive Spectra is clearly a superior product as one would expect for the price.

ミュージックプレイヤーが対応していれば携帯性に優れ手軽に音質アップ。但し発熱しやすいが満足のいく機器。

Keeps randomly going silent on my Pixel, great when it works...key word is 'when'.

GalaxyS20で使用目的で購入しました。イヤホンはRaipentaや5SHなどで視聴。音質に関しては比較的良いとは思いますが、値段相応かと言われれば微妙なラインだと思います。人によって価値が分かれるところかと。音質に関してはそれなりに満足して使用していましたが、1ヶ月もたたずに視聴中に突然音が鳴らなくなりました。使用していて発熱もしていたので心配していましたが、プツッという音と共に携帯に認識されないようになりました。以前iPhone用に購入したタイプのものも接続が安定していなかったため、この値段でこの接続性、耐久性ではちょっと納得できないですね。2度と購入しません。