Astell&Kern - PEE51

If u pair any DAC with Android USB-C port ,the maximum transfer limit is 16bit/48khz..you may need to use players like USB Audio Player pro app for full bandwidth but again this app does not support streaming apps except tidal for now..
Hope this helps in purchasing any DAC specially for android.

The design of the dac looks futuristic and it has got a solid built quality. The sound is crisp and has a lot of details that you miss otherwise. In this era where phones have stopped coming with a 3.5mm headphone jack, this is the best thing you can get to listen to your favourite music. To get the most out of this dac I would suggest not using the usual android driver but instead buy an app called USB Audio Player Pro which integrates tidal and other apps inside it. This give a lot more detail and clarity. You can feel a big difference in terms of sound output, clarity and the wide soundstage.

I've used a couple of USB dacs over the years and this one beats them all by a pretty good margin. The sound is slightly trebleish but I really mean slightly. It is clear, detailed and the bass especially is precise and not scattered if you know what I mean.

Build quality and design wise they get even more points than the sound quality. Extremely well built. You can feel the heft and solidness when holding it. The sharp angles on the metal body are a nice touch. The design and build really belies the price.

This also works on ipad pro with the usb c port. I noticed that the power envelope is different when using this on ipad/Android phone vs when using on PC. It seems to sound slightly better and can be driven to a higher volume when used with pc. The volume range was almost linear when using with PC but on mobile it wasnt. When on Android the volume is just adequate around the 65-70% mark but increases a lot past the 75% mark in a non linear way. Nothing uncomfortable but just a little quirk I noticed.

I didn’t find any youtube review which is detailed on this DAC, waited for 6 months before purchasing. On paper the specs are good but unable to find any solid review on sound quality and thought of trying it out myself. This DAC is on my wishlist for a very long time and as there is discount and exchange policy, I found the courage to buy. My interest is in the sound signature of A&K with dual CS chips implementation with explicit amplifier. (I already liked Sonata Tempo Tec HD Pro which has a single CS chip)

First, the Good:
1. Build, nothing like this on market. Amazing feel in hand.
2. Vocals, wonderful on some tracks. Forward Vocals.

Rest, the Bad:
1. Volume is non-linear
2. Equilizer is needed for many tracks
3. Not for all kinds of music

Details:
1. Volume: Volume increments are not equal. On Apple iOS below 80%
and on Android below 60% is equal, after that it is LOUD, painful. Apple 80% is same as Android 60% in volume perception with this dongle. Issue is below the limit it is not sufficient and above the limit its unbearable. Rarely you will find the sweet spot. If you are someone who listens at low volume or you have only KZ IEMs then you wont cross the percentage limit and can be happy. But I am not happy. Either if they implemented well or provided volume buttons this can be manageable on phones. On mac volume issue is not there.

2. Equilizer: Treble is high, you feel like adjusting it for each and every track to make your music sound nice. Without EQ you will feel like sounds are uneven between vocals and instruments of higher freqency(treble). I felt like to touch EQ frequently is complicated and inconvenient. On both macs and phones EQ is needed.

3. Limited: Not good for all kinds of music. Good on predominantly Vocals(both male and female). Indians cinema music is a fusion of vocals and instruments. This dac is not able to balance them out of the box.

The vocals are so good that you will feel like to go near them intimately by incresing volume and out of blue some unwanted high frequency instrument intrudes like it stabs you in the heart. All tweaks starts here to avoid this, like changing volume, EQ, cables, tips, sample rates, devices, etc. Success comes rarely on few tracks on mac and then they are enjoyable. On phones the luck is low due to above issues.

Also good with instruments like flute, violin, guitar, lute, etc which fall under vocal’s mid range. But the window is very little, outside that every sound appears a little harsh. So good for classical music like violin sonatas, etc. with very few instruments in mix.

Good to Know:
1. Documentation says it wont work on IOS devices. But it can work on latest iPads with usb-c port and also on iPhones with non-apple adapter. Apple lightning to usb camera adapter doesn’t allow more power so it is not useful (Yes, Apple charges 3000 INR and wont work but other good adapters which cost less and works, I used Meenova lighting adapter which is around 1300 INR and very good.)
2. It gets warm while playing but on few occasions like hot pan.
3. Good on Macbooks, not on mobile phones. (I didn’t try on PC)

Comparisions:
Many times I felt the in-built mac DAC and other dongle DACs are better than this one.
I have Helm-bolt, Sonata Tempo Tec HD Pro, ifi Zen DAC, FIIO BTR5. Never I worried about volume or equilizer issues on them. And they wont sound bad when there is a bad recording/mix, they try to make it musical to some extent.
I used Moondrop Aria, SoundMagic E80c, KZ ZAS, KZ ZSN Pro, KZ Zex Pro(CRN), Blon 03 IEMs with this DAC.
I checked with Samsung Galaxy M51, Poco F1, iPhone SE (2nd Gen), iPad Air with usb-c, M1 Macbook Pro.

People who have patience and dedicated interest in vocals (or limited mid range) can give it a try on Macbooks and can feel surprisingly good. Others can ignore this DAC.

Not suggested for beginers as the pain is more than the gain. Wont sound great or enjoyable out of the box. Better to wait for a revised version in future. (if any)

For beginers, I recommend Sonata Tempo Tec HD Pro as first DAC. It has CS chip signature, more musical (non slapping treble) than this one, costs half, works with any kind of music, no issues on mobile phones and also good with KZs IEMs. If the budget is around 1k then try VE Abigail. If budget is around 10k then try Hidiz S9 Pro.

I can understand adjusting EQ for IEMs but adjusting EQ for DAC is a no-no for me. A lot of time is wasted tuning it and to get the sweet spot.

Thanks, Headphonezone for helping me with the return, your exchange policy is especially useful in these kinds of cases. Without the return policy, I would be furious and have felt like cheated due to the hype and marketing around this DAC. On paper it's good with specs, and the images are gorgeous, but the important aspect of sound and usability is not at all good in my trial. (I tried to submit with “Verified Review” but got “Token Expired” message. Therefore poste...

First things first - Don't expect wonders from this DAC for all your recordings. It can be a pleasure to listen to clean recordings - say Tool's Fear Innoculum. But songs like Rush's Afterimage or Riverside's Panic Room sound terrible - the lower mid range distortion is magnified and you have to spend some serious time tweaking the equalizer settings to suppress the distortion. Using USB Audio Player Pro, the bit perfect mode was disappointing. Basically, almost every album requires some Equalizer tweaks, so you spend way too much time optimizing the settings, as opposed to enjoying the music - which can be frustrating. For comparison purpose: the Sony NW - A105 DAP or the BluSound streamers sound warmer, and more musical. Overall, this is a pretty good DAC as long as play the right kind of music/recording, and are patient with it.
3.5 stars for the audio quality, 0.5 extra for the sturdy build and looks.

I am not a real audiophile like some others here.
I enjoyed this product immensely.
Read my detailed review at https://www.spinningawheel.com/2021/06/3430-astell-and-kern-pe51.html

Would recommend this to anyone without missing a beat (with this you might not miss a beat!!)

A&K PEE51