Audirect Atom 2

amazon Audirect Atom 2 reviews

Hilidac is an audio company specializing in producing portable DAC/AMP that has emerged in recent years. With reasonable prices and quality performance, China’s audio company has created quite strong attention to the audio playing community.

After the success of the Beam 2/2S/SE series, Hilidac continues to launch the next version of the Atom series, Atom 2. Atom has two versions using the USB-C port and using the Lightning port. With outstanding parameters such as the ES9218AC Pro DAC and the ability to decode up to 32bit/768kHz, it supports DSD512 decoding. At less than $100, Atom 2 completely stands out from competitors in the same price range. Let’s take a look at the Hilidac Audirect Atom 2 Lightning DAC/AMP version.

OPEN-BOX AND ACCESSORIES

In the segment for beginners with a price tag of less than $100, Atom 2 offers a not-so-impressive unboxing experience. Only Atom 2 type-C version with USB-C to USB-A Adapter and manual paper.

No blame Hilidac when they put all the necessary advantages into the product; cutting production costs from product packaging also helps reduce product costs, making it easier for us to access products.

SPECIFICATIONS

The most prominent Atom 2’s parameters are the ability to decode DSD512 up to 32bit/768kHz. With the Atom 2 equipped with the ES9218AC Pro DAC chip, this ability is not too surprising. The ES9218 DAC series is already well known in portable audio devices with its impressive decoding capabilities and powerful built-in Amp chip, all on the same compact chip.

In addition, MQA decoding is also an indispensable part of DAC / AMP in recent times. As the high-quality Tidal music streaming application is gradually becoming popular on users’ mobile devices, equipping the Atom 2 with MQA decoding capability is also a big advantage.

The background noise ratio S / N Ratio at -118dB also promises to give Atom 2 cleaner background music. As well as the extremely low THD + N distortion of only 0.0004%, the Atom 2 controls and optimizes the sound during use.

DESIGN AND FINISHING

The design of Atom 2 compared to all Hilidac products is probably the biggest difference. Compared to the Beam series, the Atom is a line that uses a connection port located on the same product, which cannot be replaced.

But compared to Atom Pro, Atom 2 has removed the manual part and reduced it to a solid rectangular block with extremely neat connection ports. This new design of the Atom 2 offers a very neat user experience, without excess but still extremely solid.

Simplicity is also fully optimized when on Atom 2; only a Lightning (or USB-C) connection port, a 3.5 SE headphone port, and LEDs showing decoding quality. All neatly arranged on a rectangular metal case.

The glossy black metallic paint color combined with the red top gives the Atom 2 a sturdy and striking appearance. The Lightning port is also gold-plated, increasing connectivity as well as durability for long-term use. When using, the Lightning port of Atom 2 feels extremely solid.

The LED display of the sound quality is also an interesting point. Certainly, most people who own DACs/AMPs with LEDs that show the sound quality will have a custom sitting time to display all the colors that the DAC/AMP supports.

USE AND MIXING

The usage of Atom 2, like other DAC / AMP Dongle, is quite simple when you plug it in, and you can use it immediately, without installing any additional drivers or applications.

With no battery, Atom 2 will use power from the source. Unlike some DACs/AMPs equipped with high-end decoding chips and powerful Amp circuits, Atom 2’s low power consumption is impressive. After 1 hour of use at 50% volume, my iPad Pro 2018 only lost 10% of the battery, compared to 20% when using iBasso DC03, Atom 2 consumed 50% less. During use, Atom 2 also dissipates heat quite well thanks to its metal shell when it only feels warm, not too hot.

Hilidac announced Atom 2 with a capacity of 32mW at 16Ohm and 7mW at 600Ohm. But in fact, I don’t expect and experience Atom 2 with a headset at 300-600Ohm. With the Yuin PK1 and the VE Asura at 150Ohm, the Atom 2 performed quite easily. Most in-ear headphones and IEMs work extremely well with the Atom 2. With a few lines of headphones that are not too difficult to pull, like the Audio Technica M50X and Sennheiser HD598, the Atom 2 performs quite well at 70-80%, but when it comes to headphones, the Atom 2 performs quite well. Combined with the HD650, the Atom 2 is completely exhausted when the details and soundstage on the HD650 sound quite disappointing. However, with a DAC / AMP Dongle for less than %100, the combination with Atom 2 is completely reasonable with in-ear headphones and some mid-range headphones.

where can you get a Audirect Atom 2 online

HiFiGo Audirect Atom2 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier High Resolution MQA DSD512 32bit/768kHz HiFi Portable Amps/Pre-amp Compatible for iPhone and Android: Buy it now

HiFiGo Audirect Atom2 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier High Resolution MQA DSD512 32bit/768kHz HiFi Portable Amps/Pre-amp Compatible: Buy it now

DETAILED SOUND QUALITY

In this review, I use the iPad Pro 2018 source with Tidal music source with different headphones such as Yuin PK1, Audio Technica M50X, Sennheiser IE 100 Pro, etc…

Overall, Atom 2 gives a pretty clean background, the noise level when not playing music on IE100 Pro is quite small and when playing music is almost invisible. The sound quality of the Atom 2 has a certain warm bass direction with a thick mid-range and a slight advance while the treble hits more compactly. Mixing Atom 2 with bright headphones like IE100 Pro and Yuin PK1 has improved, making the sound more balanced.

Bass

Improved mid-bass with better detail, the sub-bass part is added not much but hit deeper. Bass is separated from the mid more clearly, no longer encroaching on the mid. With the M50X, after going through Atom 2, the bass is faster, warmer, and the details are clearer.

Mid

All the headphones in the Atom 2 test have a thicker and more advanced mid-range. The singer’s voice on PK1 was already very smooth; now, it’s more prominent and warmer through Atom 2. While IE100 Pro inherently has a fairly neutral mid-range and is a bit dry, through Atom 2, it sounds more comfortable, although it is still a bit light but not too harsh. Instruments in the mid, as well as the high-mid, are very detailed as well as extremely pleasant. Overall, the mid-range is pressed for a thicker and more prominent feel than the rest of the bands.

Treble

With Atom 2, the treble strip is gentle and relaxing. Treble is hit more compact and rounder when going through Atom 2. IE100 Pro’s impressive treble range when passing Atom 2 is slightly sharpened, giving a more pleasant feeling. However, the details are still kept quite well as well as the clarity of the treble is quite good.

Soundstage

When going through Atom 2, they are significantly improved when they are no longer tight on the ears. The most obvious is the M50X; when it has an average soundstage when it comes to Atom 2, it is noticeably airier, creating a more comfortable feeling, no longer too restrictive. The image also shows the same when the instrument position is widely displayed and the instrument layers are separated quite well.

CONCLUDE

At a price of less than $100 with diverse music decoding capabilities, Atom 2 can completely compete with competitors in the same price range. With a clean and sturdy design, Atom 2 also offers a simple but durable user experience.

The improved sound quality through Atom 2 will be more suitable for bright headphones than dark ones. The ability to mix a variety of in-ear headphones into headphones is also appreciated. Still, to optimize the ability, Atom 2 will perform well with most in-ear headphones, earbuds, or IEMs without any difficulty.