The Musical Bold & Beautiful
NOTES
The Audiosense DT600 is an all Balanced Armature iem sporting 6 Knowles units per side in a stunning & high quality resin shell. The DT600 is not a one trick pony and Audiosense have seen fit to include an 80ohm adapter which, for all intents and purposes, affords the DT600 two distinct sound signatures. The beauty is not only skin deep and Audiosense have tuned the DT600 very well indeed with bass that defies any "BA Bass" prejudices that potential owners may harbor. The DT600 is actually easy to drive and while not overly power sensitive, scales noticeably with better quality sources. Attention payed to cable and tip rolling will also yield benefits as well as the DT600 is also sensitive in that regard as well.
The difficulty in evaluating such a product stems from the two distinct tunings that are available by virtue of the impedance adapter. In stock form, the DT600 has obvious bass emphasis but still open and detailed mids and treble if somewhat behind the output of the lower registers. When using the 80ohm adapter, the DT600 presents more of a tastefully done V-Shaped signature with elevated treble and more apparent air & sparkle. This will affect the search for synergy with IMHO without adapter a neutral to bright source will be a better choice compared to a warmer source when the adapter is used. Irrespective of if the adapter is used or not, the Audiosense DT600 is very detailed without being sterile and offers a listening experience that is very satisfying.
Being a fan of Bright/Neutral tunings, more often than not, my personal preference is to use the 80ohm adapter but I have listened extensively to both configurations in order to get a more global view of what the DT600 brings to the table. YMMV
Graphs Comparing use of the 80ohm adapter and without
Graphs by crinacle.com
Graph courtesy of Akros (Akros - YouTube)
SPECS
6 Knowles Balanced Armatures With 3 Channel Sound Guide System With Freq Divider
Biological Adaptation Resin case
Impedance: 14Ω.
Sensitivity: 106±3dB.
Frequency response range: 20Hz-22kHz.
Insulation: 30dB.
MMCX Interface
Weight (each earpiece): 5.4grams.
EQUIPMENT
Topping a50s Headphone Amplifier
Xduoo MT-602 Hybrid Tube Headphone Amplifier (Sylvania 5654 Tubes)
SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK2 DAC
VE OdysseyHD, TempoTec E44 , Apogee Groove & Shanling UA2 Dongles
iFi Hip-Dac
Eartips: Final Audio E
Cable: Stock Cable 3.5mm SE, NiceHCK 16core HPC, NiceHck LitzPS Silver
Sources: Flac Files From my Personal Collection / Apple Music
BUILD, QUALITY & FIT
Build Quality is exemplary and not only for the iem but everything included with the product as well. The earphones are not just beautifully made, but stunning to look at. The unboxing experience is a premium one, but not as interesting as with the Whizzer HE01 or Tforce Yuan Li or even the Kbear Believe as an example. Still unboxing is a very personal thing. The quality plastic case that the product comes in is large and very well made, not typical of the barely large enough examples that are included with the majority of other competing products. The selection of tips is good and the included stock cable is also of high quality, but not the best I have seen over $100 with both what is included with the Tforce Yuan Li and Kbear Believe having a better look and haptics. The inclusion of an earphone brush is also a nice touch and appreciated. Still it is obvious by the packaging and included accessories that the Audiosense DT600 is not a budget product in either form of function.
With respect to fit, the DT600 is on the large side of medium and I had no issues with achieving a secure and comfortable fit in my ears. I did though have some issues with pressure on insertion, which at its worse adversely affected sound quality. I soon found out how to insert them while minimizing this issue.
:SOUND:
BASS:
Bass is surprising in that it really doesn't sound like the typical dry, overly quick and reach limited all BA bass that lesser items exhibit. In fact the Audiosense DT600 sounds more like a high quality Dynamic Driver in the lower registers than the all Balanced Armature setup it it contains. The DT600, in particular in its stock, non 80ohm adapter form, had prodigious bass output. Not necessarily bass-head level but noteworthy nonetheless. Mid-bass is well controlled and bleed into the midrange is kept to a minimum. Bass had good impact and texture with notable clarity.
"Stella" & "Emotions Electric" by a Guy Called Gerrald of the incredible album Automanikk showed the DT600's ability to sound very "DD" like with respect to the bass frequencies with full. meaty bass that was satisfying. The Bass in stock form was even more pronounced but lacked that last measure of control, sounding just slightly loose at times. "Circumstance" by Wayman Tisdale highlighted the separation and texture the DT600 is capable conveying in the lower registers, while not as defined as some of its competitors. With the 80ohm adapter, it tightened up but with the other result being a now elevated upper/mid and treble region. "Protection: by Massive attack sounded very engaging with just a touch or warmth imparting a more intimate presentation of Tracey Thorn's haunting vocal performance on this standout track. The bass never got in the way and remained a driving force of the track without overpowering it.
Still taken overall, the Audiosense DT600 presents a bass that is more DD than BA being authoritative, with good slam and reasonable rumble suffering only slightly in absolute control.
MIDRANGE
Midrange is very clean with excellent layering & detail retrieval. This is done without any sense of the mids becoming too clinical or cold. There is a measure of warmth combined with outstanding clarity which sets the stage for very engaging listening sessions. The DT600 really excels at wringing out layers of detail and texture. At times I even found it momentarily distracting as elements within tracks that were previously hidden on lesser iem's now were front and center.
"18th Street Lounging" by Marcus Johnson was one such track with a high pitched into that until now sounded like only one tone. With the DT600 it was clear that it was two simultaneous tones! On "Protection" by Massive Attack the DT600 projected Tracey Thorns vocals sounding front and center with all the subtle nuances laid bare. Anita Bakers "Whatever It Takes" sounded sublime on the DT600 with the ebb and flow of Bakers voice sounding unconstrained and full of emotion. "Before Dark" by Such was fully captivating and really once again highlighted the ability of the DT600 to lay bare what the track has to offer, hiding nothing.
Note weight is good and transients are handled exceptionally well with fast attack and a natural decay. Percussion has that bite and falls off in a believable fashion. Layering is also very good making it easy to listen to the individual elements within busy tracks.
The use of the 80ohm resistor does lead to a more prominent upper midrange and treble region, but the bass is more or less unaffected graph wise, but in listening fall more into a more balanced presentation. The upper mids remained very clear, detailed and without harshness. The Audiosense DT600 while being again very detailed, was moderately forgiving of tracks which had questionable recording quality. This is surprising but welcomed as not all the best music is recorded to top standards. Timbre was surprisingly good for an all BA setup and really helped the organic nature of the sonics.
In the midrange the Audiosense DT600, through the option of its adapter, offers two distinct tuning targets. Each though share some common ground when it comes to clarity, detail and texture. Very well done.
Treble
Treble is very well extended, smooth with ample air and sparkle. Detail retrieval, definition are top notch as well. The treble was very nuanced and in Ronny Jordan's "Vanston Place 10am", the cymbal work had this airy space around it that was a pleasure to hear. The treble is clean with no added embellishments such as excessive sheen or brittleness that some BA equipped earphones unfortunately exhibit.
Treble remained well controlled and, as with the rest of the frequency range, fit well with any musical genres I threw at it.
IMAGING & SOUNDSTAGE
The Audiosense DT600 throws out a wide soundstage with very precise instrument placement. This soundstage is wider than heigh with reasonable depth. As the DT600 excels at layering and the imaging on well recorded live track such as "Stimela" by Hugh Masekela really made the venue come alive.
VERSUS
- Kbear Believe
The BElieve is considered a must have by many including myself but is sadly out of production. With respect to the bass the believe has a thicker bas that is a tad slower than the DT600, but when looking at definition and texture the two are quite close. Midrange wise the BElieve is warmer and a touch more organic although the DT600 does have a touch of warmth as well. Detail retrieval is a win for the DT600 but the BElieve is no slouch in this department as well. The BElive also sounds a bit more intimate. Treble is a win for the Audiosense DT600. With respect to extension, detail, air and nuances, the Audiosense offering flaunts its strengths here.
- Moji Monica H20
IMHO, the Moji Monica H20 is a more refined Heart-Mirror. It is also very picky with source, tips and cable used. That being said, bass output is significantly more pronounced with the DT600 but speed and definition are comparable if just slightly better on the H20. The DT600's level of separation, detail retrieval and layering are more than the H20 can muster in the midrange. Clarity for both is very good but the H20 has a more significant upper-mid boost and is less forgiving of poor quality recordings than the DT600 with its smoother approach. Treble again tilts in favor of the DT600 although the Moji Monica H20 does put up a good fight with its organic and well controlled treble. Each has an extended nuanced treble and are a joy to listen too for extended periods.
CONCLUSION
Audiosense has a definite winner with the DT600. A combination of great quality, looks and excellent performance. While some may argue about the utility of the 80ohm adapter it imho adds to the versatility of this wonderful iem, offering the user two listening experiences. While I prefer the sound signature using the 80ohm adapter, that is a personal choice that thankfully is an available one with the DT600.
At it's asking price of $245USD some will call it expensive and I can't fault them for believing that. The truth is its performance is in line with the asking price and even higher.
If a detailed, articulate and eminently engaging iem is what you are after, the Audiosense DT600 should be on your short list. It gets a strong recommendation from SiliconSoundz.
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