Two companies Dunu and Shanling simultaneously introduced flagship USB DACs DUNU DTC480 and Shanling Onix XI1 with similar specifications. Let’s have a staredown for the two “fighters” and see who’ll have a chance to win the review battle? 😀
“Measuring their strength” or what’s interesting in DUNU DTC480 and Shanling Onix XI1.
What they have in common. The players are built on a dual DAC scheme on 32-bit CS43198 chips. These chips allow to decode Hi-Res music up to PCM32-Bit/384kHz and Native DSD256 for DUNU and PCM32-Bit/768kHz, DSD256 for Onix.
Both players have headphone jacks: our favorite Jack 3,5 mm and balanced 4,4 mm. The players are controlled by physical buttons on the device bodies.
What is the difference. The power of the devices is declared in DUNU up to 150 mW at 32 ohms on the balanced output, and in Shanling up to 500 mW at 32 ohms, because Shanling Onix XI1 has two mono amplifiers SGM8262, each for its own channel. To match the sound, the Shanling features a two-level gain mode and five digital EQ filter options. Onix’s sampling rate is signaled by an RGB indicator, and the built-in OLED screen allows you to view the unit’s operating functions.
DUNU DTC480 and Shanling Onix XI1 – release date and price
The DAC enclosures are made of metal with CNC grinding.
The DUNU DTC480 makes it convenient to connect to different sources with UAC1.0.
The Shanling Onix XI1 features compatibility with the Eddict Player app, and the USB DAC utilizes intelligent power management for low power consumption.
