Oriolus DPS-L2

amazon Oriolus DPS-L2 reviews

It can be said that this is the most anticipated product from the Oriolus family. With the long absence of the successor DP100, Oriolus released a series of portable DAC and AMP products in 2019-2020, and typical successes are 1795, BD20, and BA20. In addition, and as expected of fans, we have seen the company announce the DPS-L2 model.

Before that, DP100 was the first DAP product that Oriolus launched. This machine has created a unique style of its music player product when it has an old-fashioned screen that does not use touch controls; all operations use keys.

Oriolus DPS-L2 is also based on that foundation; more specifically, the company has rebuilt from the original Walkman TPS-L2 tape player that appeared more than 40 years ago.

BOXING AND ACCESSORIES

The way to box on the Oriolus DPS-L2 is very simple through the pull-out design on the box.

Standard accessories include:

The Oriolus DPS-L2

Type-C charging cable

Quick user manual Giấy

Warranty

DESIGN AND FINISHING

If you don’t know Oriolus, you probably won’t think of this product as a high-end Hi-res DAP because it’s so different from today’s technology devices.

Oriolus DPS-L2 has a case made from CNC aluminum; only the top of the Bluetooth transceiver is plastic. Perhaps the chief engineer Raosound is a fan of SONY Walkman, so he reused the original design of the TPS-L2. But this is still a Digital Music Player product, and Oriolus has cleverly branded it on the front at the top edge of the device.

The front and screen of the machine look completely similar to the Walkman TPS-L2, with two tones that clearly distinguish the function. The only difference is that if you open the lid, it is not a place to cover the cassette tape slot, but a 2.4″ IPS screen is only visible. The two sides of the screen are physical keys that control the main interface of the machine, including Menu and Return on the left; Prev, Next, and Enter on the right.

The back is printed with its logo, and below is the product serial number out of 999 limited production machines.

The USB-C charging port is located below, and the control key cluster is coming to the gray right edge. In the middle of the 2 volume sliders, respectively, the upper part has five physical keys for the two L / R channels, including forwarding, backward, play, stop, and power/screen key. The music control keys are manufactured in the same way as on the Walkman TPS-L2. I will mention a mic in the features section below in between the power and stop buttons.

In addition to being equipped with up to two 3.5mm jack ports, Oriolus DPS-L2 also has a balanced 4.4mm port on the top of the machine; its design is surrounded by concentric circles conspicuously on SONY Walkman products. Even more special is the reappearance of the Hotline key, which many people will love when having the opportunity to try.

Go to the remaining edge and bottom edge of the machine. The blue left edge is where the two hinges of the screen cover, the Bluetooth antenna cluster, and the Gain switch. Finally, it is important for DAP products that the memory card slot is located on the bottom edge.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MACHINE

ES9038 Pro DAC chip.

PCM decoding up to 32-Bit/384kHz max and DSD native up to DSD256.

Two potentiometer bars simulate a 2-way analog.

2 3.5mm headphone outputs with a capacity of 400mW

Bal output 4.4mm capacity 360mW.

SNR: 117dB(SE), 119dB (Balanced).

Resolution: 78dB(SE), 105dB (Balanced).

OPAmp Chip: OPA1612.

Frequency response: 17Hz-20kHz.

Hotline mute key.

2.4″ IPS screen, display cassette screen during playback

Two gain modes(Low/High).

USB Type C DAC . Port

5000mAh battery

Distortion + background noise: 0.0015%.

Bluetooth v4.0 2-way connection.

Customizable 10-band EQ.

HiByLink wireless controller connection.

Car mode.

USER EXPERIENCE AND FEATURES

Although the product has a classic cassette player design, it is still compact enough and highly portable. The ports are solidly machined and well-arranged. I wouldn’t say I like having to open the screen cover to manipulate music file selection and adjust settings. Therefore, the manufacturer has compensated for their high-end products with the ability to connect HibyLink via Bluetooth. This feature helps smartphones access the player’s player through the Hiby Music app interface. As a result, I no longer have difficulty arranging playlists and quickly selecting music tracks when manipulating touch on smartphones.

Experience a product that blends modern and classic with the DPS-L2 that is truly unique and hard to find on any other DAP on the market today. The way to press the button is no different from an old cassette player; the mechanical keys move very accurately, and the feeling and sound when pressing make me feel excited. Separate sliding volume for two channels must be said to be an excellent idea on TPS-L2, now reproduced on DPS-L2. With this feature, users will arbitrarily adjust the sound layout of the song or use it to overcome the irregular large and small ear canal characteristics of typical listeners like me. I no longer have discomfort using silicone tips with large tubes; the sound I hear will be smaller on the left because my right ear canal is smaller.

As for the orange button with the way to call the Hotline, when clicking on the device, it will immediately mute the now playing sound and switch to starting the microphone on the side of the power key, helping us to hear outside sounds. To make it easier to understand, think of this as the ‘ambient sounds’ feature on wireless headset models recorded and played from the DAP. The Hotline button is quite interesting for those who have not seen or used it and a nostalgia for those who already own tape players with similar features.

Battery life when used is comfortable; during 30 hours of experience, I only need to recharge it two times, and the total charging time is more than 2 hours. However, when playing DSD music, the ES9038 Pro DAC chip will work very hard, causing the battery to drop quickly, which shows that the DPS-L2’s hardware has performance not only at the level of portable sources.

The software interface of the DPS-L2 is developed in the retro direction of the electronics of the 90s and 2000s; the machine does not have an operating system interface and simple UI. Very suitable for models that focus entirely on digital music playback.

where can you get a Oriolus DPS-L2 online

Oriolus DPS-L2 ES9038 PRO USB DAC DSD256 384kHz/32Bit 3.5+3.5&4.4mm Output Cassette Player Classic Look HiFi Music Player: Buy it now

ASSESSMENT OF SOUND QUALITY

First, I will talk about the sound settings I use in the device: DPS-L2 has two digital filters, “slow roll-off” and “sharp roll-off” I listen to them alternately both of filters. I SET the DSD decoder in “DoP” mode; EQ audio in some Pop-rock and Dance tracks; I also tried increasing and decreasing the bass frequencies and not using other frequencies.

Headphone pairing: DPS-L2, in my opinion, is a rustic and analogue product, so I decided to choose IEM models with non-electronic music like SeeAudio Yume, Moondrop Starfield & Blessing 2, and Oriolus Isabellae.

For those who have a good impression of the Oriolus DAC BD20 and Amp BA20 portable duo, the DPS-L2 is the hi-end hybrid that the company brings to the market. The sound quality of the DPS-L2 far exceeds the previous experience in the BD20 and BA20 combos that I had, the flight and the layering, control in each tonal range that this DAP model produces what the manufacturer has equipped suffer. Audio hardware with ES9038Pro chip and 1612 TI op-amp gives me very accurate sound reproduction without lacking the inherent musicality of Japan’s cherry blossom country. Honestly, what I heard from this DAP is somewhat similar to the top products of the SONY family.

Bass Range

Honesty and good control. In the “sharp roll-off” filter, the bass range sounds somewhat thicker than the “slow roll-off” filter but is still kept at the right level and does not encroach on other bands. Especially with the bass band texture on the Oriolus DPS-L2, listeners will feel the acoustic instruments with quite flattering bass. Some of the electronic beat sounds will be quite neat and less trailing but not lacking in energy.

Mid-band

Pure and emotional. The details on this tonal range are the hallmarks of the Oriolus brand. For slow music genres such as ensemble, ballad, lyrical Asian pop, the mid of DPS-L2 will give you a great experience even when using only the cheap IEM models I mentioned. Oriolus emphasizes musicality in this range rather than technicality. However, I still feel the midrange detail is just thick enough and a bit thin if I listen through the “slow roll-off” filter.

Treb Strip

Smooth and soaring. There are opinions that this DAP model is not suitable for listening to symphonies or shimmering effects masters and the Oriolus DPS-L2 making the treble “not delicious” despite the higher price tag than the iBasso DX220 Max. Personally, when I have experienced it, I only agree on half of it.

Treble reproduces clearly on moderately fast-paced tracks, but the “sharp roll-off” filter provides a good experience for overly fast-paced mixes and complex instruments. The tinkling sounds on the DPS-L2 sound quite light, which is inevitable when tuning that Oriolus aims to be a rustic and soaring color so that the mid-range is more prominent and not too harsh.

Sounding board

Oriolus has created a very good personality for its flagship DAP. As a classical source, the “slow roll-off” filter reproduces the soundstage very closely, and the vocals will be lightly laidback; the instrument details have a sense of flightiness mixed in a moderate space.

Antique but modern mixed, you will have a spacious concert space in width and depth when you change to the “sharp roll-off” filter. Every good detail is accurately reproduced in place, and for every bass beat, vocals are also better focused.

Ability to combine

I also tested the health of the Oriolus DPS-L2 with the Hifiman HE400i v.2020 and Tin hifi P1, plugged them into separate 3.5mm ports, and at the same time gave surprising results. Both headphones are fully promoted and only slightly degraded when plugged in at the same time. Single driver IEM models do not suffer from noise or loss of control. The sound background of the DSP-L2 is very quiet, deep black; you will not have to worry about blurred details on expensive crossover-less headphones. The signal output on the 4.4mm port is superior to most amp models that I can think of in the $500-550 segment. As such, you don’t have to wonder about the fact that the DPS-L2 doesn’t have a separate lineout port.

CONCLUDE

Since its appearance, there have been two streams of opinion surrounding the DPS-L2. One side thinks that the company that copied the Walkman’s design lacks creativity; the other side thinks that Oriolus has created a faulty L2 version but upgraded it to hi-end with ecstatic sound. For me, I love the minimalism that Oriolus brings to users. No disassembly of the op-amp, no audio module, read-only two digital filters. Finally, I believe the sound quality of the DPS-L2 will satisfy music lovers and electronic collectors.

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