Finally, the high power of this new model will be an added attraction to bring our headphone collection to a high level of sound, paired with any source, be it a smartphone, a PC, a laptop or a compatible DAP. With that extra voltage, its two 3.5mm and 2.5mm outputs, the S9 Pro will be pretty much all you need to enjoy music at a high level.

I consider the Apple dongle a benchmark (3/5 - adequate) because it is good enough and familiar to almost everyone. On the one hand, the extra weight gives the S9 Pro Copper Edition a satisfying heft, akin to the ostentatious offerings from boutique audio brands such as Astell and Kern. Aesthetically, the S9 Pro’s copper colorway and high-density, aluminum chassis exudes quality and class like no other DAC/Amp. Nevertheless, to briefly surmise: the S9 Pro is an excitable DAC/Amp that tastefully accentuates the “striking section” within the FR: the mid-bass and upper midrange. Let’s analyze the sound of it! A great ESS9038Q2M chip that was previously tested on the F.Audio KS01 is present on board. This has a natural, balanced, and analytical nature, just like other ESSs I own. Unlike the dacs with Cirrus, which sound more warmer there is no emphasis. On the extreme end of things, the infamous Tin HiFi P2, a planar-magnetic IEM with a notoriously low sensitivity rating did not fare well on the S9 PRO Copper Limited Edition. It is important to consider the limited power-draw that dongle DAC/Amps can derive from a smart device.

The S9 Pro Plus pairs pretty well with Hidizs own MP145 Planar, it gives the MP145 sense of even more details without sounding harsh and it does improve the decay of the MP145 to be more natural. The Creative DAC is certainly a powerful beast and for what it costs it offers exactly everything you need with much higher support (firmware updates + Apps). Its sound is definitely different from the classic AK4377 but you feel that Creative’s experience has added something enjoyable to the sound. Independent volume is a plus! The SFXi however is very light and robust! Ideal for portability! Tested gears: VE Monk+ (64ohm, 118dB/mW), Moondrop Blessing 2 (22ohm, 117dB/Vrms), Sennheiser HD560S (120ohm, 110dB/Vrms) The rendition of the sound is same like its midrange, it demands attention and very lively, “here, listen to this cymbal, crashes and hi hat !”

Let me start out by saying that I am not someone who has tested a lot of dongle style audio devices. I have a few Apple Dongle DACs, and have tried a few of the Creative Labs and similar solutions for laptops quite some time ago, but that is about it. But let’s face it, dongles are in fashion at the moment, with releases from all kinds of companies and at all kinds of prices, from the Apple option at less than 10€ (or even cheaper from some other random brands), all the way up to over 300€ or maybe even more. At lower volumes (25% of my Samsung S21), the S9 PRO Copper Limited Edition displays an excellent dynamic range, capturing subtle changes and gradual transitions between silent and loud passages of music at low volumes. The S9 Pro Plus has arrived a few years after the S9 Pro and I think it is a worthy upgrade to the previous model. The S9 Pro was (is) a very good dongle but, in my opinion, it was just a little harsh in its presentation.Increase the maximum volume setting in the audio settings to prevent the user from making the volume too loud due to mis-operate in the volume mediation interface. I then switched to my tough to drive, Ether CX 25 ohm using balanced connection and the S9 drove it as it it was a desktop class amplifier! I had to actually turned down the volume for comfortable listening. The sound was a delight with excellent bass, detail, etc. It was so good I did not want to stop and take pictures of S9 to publish this review! There is nothing really to explain as far as functionality. You plug the USB cable between the S9 Pro and the device you want to connect it to and that’s it, off you go. The Triple Driver headphones are priced in a similar range as the dongles and have a rated impedance of 32 Ohms and sensitivity of 104 dB. Their rated maximum power is 50mW, which is an optimal match for the Atom 2’s 62mW@32Ω power output rating. The 1MORE Triple Driver headphones are a good match for dongles. Plus side, the Moondrop Dawn Pro has a companion app and independent volume control for more intuitive fine tuning your volume.