![]() The same LED also designates the sample rate. MQA compatibility comes standard, and there’s a small LED light that glows magenta when it renders an MQA track. ![]() I used both with my HP Envy, and with either option, it was plug and play. Like I said earlier, it comes with a small pleather pouch for easy carry, and it also comes with an impossibly small USB-C to USB-A adapter for use with laptops. It’s super small, at less than four inches long, and only weighs about a quarter ounce. It’s composed of Aluminium and soft-touch plastic, with a braided tangle-resistant cord. The BOLT DAC/Amp looks to have a pretty sturdy build. ![]() The BOLT needs a $30 Lightning to USB Camera Adapter from Apple to work with iPhones. Another thing to keep in mind is for an additional $10, the Zorloo can be purchased with a lightning adapter for Apple phones. Other things worth mentioning are the BOLT comes with a pleather pouch for carrying, something the Ztella doesn’t have. They’re both great choices at $99, so your decision will probably come down to sound preference. However, the Ztella’s boost on the top end does give it a more airy sound than the BOLT, and it also has a wider soundstage. The BOLT also sounded more “real” (instruments, vocals) and richer than the Zorloo DAC. That said, it’s the implementation of the chip that makes all the difference, which is why some manufacturers don’t like to disclose the exact one they are using.Īt the end of the day, I found the BOLT to be a little less lively on the top-end than the Ztella, which may make it a better choice for those who are sensitive to treble. The BOLT and Ztella have identical specs and sound signatures, and while HELM Audio is tight-lipped regarding the DAC chip they use, I wouldn’t be surprised if it used the same ESS Sabre chip as the Zorloo product. The only issue is that it tends to be bright on certain recordings, so careful headphone matching is necessary. It also has a detailed, open sound, which brings headphones alive. I’ve had the chance to try out many of them, including the Zorloo Ztella, which I found to be a powerful little DAC/Amp for its size. Due to their compact size, they’re effortless to transport. With popular phone manufacturers like Samsung removing the 3.5mm jack from their Galaxy phones, dongle DACs, which are basically an adapter wire with amp/DAC chips built-in, have become more ubiquitous, with more and more models popping up on the internet.ĭAC/Amp dongles are a relatively cheap way to both allow the use of standard headphones with smartphones and improve their sound quality at the same time. It can also be used as a high-quality dongle to add a headphone jack to phones that don’t have one, provided the phone has a USB-C connector. On the other hand, the BOLT is made to improve the sound of devices with inferior DACs, like many smartphones. The DB12 AAAMP is an analog-only device made to provide additional output power to devices that already sound good, like a DAP with low output power. That said, comparing the two is really comparing apples to oranges because they are basically two different things.
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