Kiwi Ears Allegro dongle DAC review and comparisons.
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When I first heard this, I was astounded at how much better the sound quality was than my more costly dongle DACs. Linsoul Audio, one of the largest online portable audio stores, provided me with the Kiwi Ears Allegro, which retails for $59.99 US dollars, for a review. I was told that I could say whatever I wanted in this review, and I'm grateful for that, because this dongle DAC sounds so good that reviewing it would be a relatively simple task.
Kiwi Ears is a relatively young audio brand that has quickly gained popularity in the international portable audio market. Their main product line consists of in-ear monitor (IEM) earphones. To be honest, I never paid much attention to them; however, after touching and listening to the Kiwi Ears Allegro, I realized why people love the brand; and based on the reviews and user comments I've read or seen, I believe this firm is solid and run by true audiophiles.
The packaging (see photo) is small yet tidy, with an excellent USB type C to C cable. It looks excellent with the Allegro, as if they were meant for each other, and I didn't feel compelled to purchase and replace it with a third-party connection. This is very surprising given the price, and the dongle DAC itself is compact, robust, and visually appealing. It evokes childhood nostalgia.
The Kiwi Ears Allegro has no problem driving my IEMs, except for the few difficult-to-drive ones. When paired with the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti and the Xenns Mangird Top, which are my reference IEMs and used for sound evaluation in this review, the Allegro can go very loud at only 50 percent volume and ear-damagingly loud at around 85 percent volume. I used the 4.4mm connection.
It has the resolution and clarity that ESS Sabre chip-equipped DACs are known for. The tonality is very neutral, and the perceived frequency response is very flat. But the most notable of all is the bass control. This is one of the few dongle DACs I've heard that has excellent bass control, resulting in a very textured bass and sub-bass. The midrange sounds neutral and clean, and the treble is very extended.
Kiwi Ears Allegro vs. Hidizs S9 Pro Plus Martha vs. Rose Technics Roseselsa.
They represent three generations of ESS Sabre chips: the Allegro has the ES9028Q2M, the oldest, the S9 Pro Plus Martha, has the ES9038Q2M, and the newly released Roseselsa has the latest chip, the ES9039Q2M. Let me warn you in advance that any sound differences I point out are, in reality, really small; most people might not notice them.
I did an extensive three-way comparison, and the first thing I noticed was that the Roseselsa was the bassiest, the Allegro was the most neutral in bass, and the Martha was the most bass-light of the bunch. The Roseselsa might be the bassiest, but the bass is less controlled than the bass on the Allegro and could sound boomy at times. The Martha also doesn't have the most controlled bass and could sound boomy at times. It also has the least bass of the three due to its slightly elevated upper mids and treble sound. Again, the differences are tiny, but for me, the Kiwi Ears Allegro wins in this round by a wide margin due to its excellent bass control, making the bass sound very textured and non-boomy.
I heard no discernible differences in the midrange, but at the upper midrange and treble, the Martha was the most forward-sounding, bringing the details closer, the Allegro was neutral, and the Roseselsa has the most polite sounding of the three. I prefer the Allegro and the Martha equally in this round, as they sound more musical for me, but don't get me wrong, they all sound great, and the differences are really small.
In the upper treble region, the Roseselsa was the most polished sounding, the cleanest sounding too, but it sounded a little polite; the Allegro is the least polished sounding; the Martha is in between; it has the best balance of smoothness and liveliness in the upper treble; and I prefer it over the other two, so the Martha is the clear winner for me in this round, but again, the differences are very small.
In terms of sound stage, the Roseselsa has the deepest, followed by the Martha, and lastly, the Allegro. The Roseselsa also has the cleanest and darkest background of the three. Roseselsa clearly wins in this regard.
Of course, the implementation and tuning of the DAC chip also play a role in the final sound quality of the dongle. Therefore, the differences between these three cannot be pinned down to the chip alone.
Vs Moondrop Dawn Pro
I noticed the Dawn Pro has slightly bigger sound stage size, but the Kiwi Ears Allegro has more audible resolution. The Dawn Pro is warmer or more analog-sounding, which I like about the Dawn Pro. The Allegro easily has the better bass by far; it has more textured bass and seems to have a more powerful bass presentation.
Vs Moondrop Moonriver 2
The Allegro has a bigger sound stage and thicker note weight; it also has a cleaner background. They both have excellent bass control, but to make the story shorter, I prefer the Allegro over the Moonriver 2.
Based on the evaluations I've seen or read, the newly released Moonriver 2 Ti has better sound quality than its predecessor, but I believe the old Moonriver 2 is now outdated, since it may be outperformed by much less priced recently launched dongle DACs.
Pros:
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- a design the evokes good memories
- excellent sound quality
- very afffordable price
- excellent value for money
- great build quality
- volume control
- the included USB cable is the best I've seen
Cons:
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- I have no complaints with the Allegro, this is clearly a winner.
Conclusion:
I wasn't expecting much from the Kiwi Ears Allegro, but when I first handled it and looked closely, I noticed the machining was flawless, and the Allegro felt quite sturdy. When I tapped my finger nail on the Allegro, I heard a lovely high-pitched metallic pinging sound, indicating a thick metal, as opposed to my previous dongle DACs, which sound plasticky or cheap when tapped. The sound quality is practically perfect. And the value for money is phenomenal, which is why I recommend the Kiwi Ears Allegro above all other dongle DACs that I've reviewed for beginners who are starting to invest into dongle DACs in their audio journey. Thank you again, Linsoul Audio, for sending this fantastic dongle DAC for review.
Happy Listening! Cheers!