General/Packaging/Build
ddHifi is a brand that I believe needs no introduction. Most of the audiophiles should be familiar with their adapters as well as cables. The brand produces a wide range of products ranging from adapters, cables, portable dongle dac/amp, and even IEM. Packaging is taking on the minimalist approach, very straightforward yet premium looking at the same time. The box contains the dongle that is terminated with the brand’s premium Nyx series silver shielded cable.
Specifications (Grabbed from the product page)
Gears used for this review
Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far
Battery Drain
TC35 Pro Eye 2 is quite power efficient based on my test, i did not specifically measure the power draw but based on my observation
TC35 Pro Eye 2 is connected to iPhone 15 at 100% battery, the volume is being set at +- 30% (My usual listening volume) and Letshuoer’s EJ07M is hooked to the 3.5mm out and let it loop through the playlist from 10pm until the next morning 9am (Streaming Apple Music)
That’s about 11 hours and the battery on iPhone 15 is at 45% when i checked the battery%, that is quite efficient in my opinion based on my observation
Sound Impression
Tonality wise, The TC35 Pro Eye 2 does add a slight tinge of coloration to the signature, i would say it is sprinkled with a slight hint of warmth for the signature. I have tested several dongles with CS41313 but they don’t sound the same at all. That pretty much explains implementation and tuning is the key, considering the TC35 Pro Eye 2 is using a different amp chip. Don’t be fooled by the low power figure, for most of the IEMs, it is actually sufficient, Letshuoer’s EJ07M, the brand’s Janus 3, both of it sounded good off the TC35 Pro Eye 2, and i don’t even need to push the volume to 50% mark, background noise is well handled as i don’t hear any hisses or noise. However, i do notice that there’s some static sound every time the track changes, be it forward or backward, even pausing and resuming the track produces the static noise as well. Hopefully this can be addressed with a firmware update.
Listening Impression with the following gears
ddHifi Janus 3
Janus 3’s tuning is with reference to Harman, hence the mids are slightly recessed, with this pairing, Janus 3’s mids seems be a tinge forward
Mid bass has slightly more impact
With the lower mids being pushed a little forward, male vocal has better texture and sounds fuller
Female vocal is full sounding as well
Not so much changes in terms of detail retrieval
Overall, a very good synergy pairing the Janus 3 with TC35 Pro Eye 2
Letshuoer EJ07M
Letshuoer EJ07M is a very balanced and neutral set to my ears, sub bass focused
Mid bass has good punch to it, sub bass however sounds a little loose and not as controlled as it is on source with more power
Soundstage is slightly smaller
Not much changes on the detail retrieval as well
Female vocal is slightly more forward
Treble sounds a little warm, just a little, overall a very smooth presentation
It may sound like the TC35 Pro Eye 2 is not good enough for the EJ07M, but if you take into consideration of the price for TC35 Pro Eye 2, it is actually good enough unless you are solely seeking to listen critically, then you might need something else
Comparison (Fiio KA13)
Tuning of the Fiio KA13 is more on neutral bright
Has more power output
It has a “desktop mode”, which is Fiio’s way of saying it as the high gain
It terms of sound, the bass and mids doesn’t change much except for the highs, which can be a little messy sometimes especially when it comes to complex track (a little harsh especially when desktop mode is switched on)
It may seem like the KA13 is a better buy, but that is not the case, depending on your use case, if you mainly use IEM, the TC35 Pro Eye 2 is a better choice in terms of build and sound quality, if you have some headphones or power hungry IEMs, KA13 is your choice obviously if you don’t mind the slight energetic top end
Final Thoughts
After weeks of using the TC35 Pro Eye 2, i’m actually very happy with the performance and the size of it, the cable and the type C jack is very solid and it doesn’t wobble when it is attached to my phone. While the specs on paper may not please the crowd, however, the sound and the power output is actually very sufficient for most IEMs out there that’s not power hungry. The background is dark and no audible hiss, however, as I mentioned earlier, there are some static noise whenever the track changes, be it forward or backward, pausing and resuming the track, hopefully it will be addressed with a firmware update.
The tech within the dongle and the asking price, i’d say it's fair and i have no issue recommending this dongle if you’re in search of a dongle that has good performance and very portable without breaking the bank.
*A big thanks to ddHifi for sending this over for this review. I thank them for the support as always.
Head over to their official AliExpress Store and official website if you are interested in getting one:
ddHifi TC35 Pro Eye 2 - Non affiliated
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