What I have personally learned since 2019 when the first Dethonray product was presented to this world – is that this brand and Anson Tse, who is standing behind it as the main inspiring individual, would stay very distinguished, focusing on stellar sound quality rather than the amount of features. The first DTR1 DAP was a masterpiece in sound and its resolution / detalization but looked like a monk among popes in comparison to other existing DAPs most of which were based on Android or HiBY OS, packed with additional streaming, reading, gaming and other functions, if not talking about bigger screens, touch interfaces, etc. Whereas DTR1, as well as its successor (DTR1+), incorporated simplified Linux-based OS, lightweight music player and old-style button control. Nevertheless, both are my favorites and no brainers when someone asks about the best sounding DAPs around.

Along with DAPs, Dethonray has a line of well-respected portable DAC/AMPs, including Pegasus (BT only option), table top AMP and a set of planar IEMs. Never had a possibility to put my hands on amp or other products, except both DAPs, Pegasus BT dac/amp and Tender 1 planar IEMs. The latter two are similarly exceptional in terms of sound quality and perfect picks in my own paradigm. Although, there were some technical concerns coming from the owners of Pegasus about its software-emulation of volume button algorithm. Personally, I didn’t experience any inconvenience, knowing that such approach is a trade off for omitting mechanical potentiometer possible rustles in future. I had this happened to various equipment of mine, including guitars, electronics and, even, gaming controllers and I am glad that Anson has made this impossible in his devices.

So, what makes Dethonray products so distinguishable? As for me, there are three factors contributing to that:

• DPPU (Desktop Plus Power Unit): dual high-density battery customized power system, separation of analog and digital circuitry power resulting in less noise

This power system is in core of all Dethonray products, which, as I can remember, was kind of pioneer approach in portable audio by Anson that forced other companies to review their circuitry as well since it delivered better performance.

• The choice of DAC/AMP chips: AKK is instead of ESS which results in thicker and more natural timbre

In particular, Clarinet DAC chip is AK4493S, accompanied by AK4118K (digital audio 24bit/192kHz transceiver, responsible for COAX, Optical input processing) and OPA 1612 op-amps on the output end. All of those are well-known high-grade and quality components that dedicate much to the resulting sound quality.

• Keep it simple approach, focus on audio quality: minimum functions but precise focus on the main purpose

Perhaps, this is the most important – instead of integrating some common OS like Android and fighting its processing / EQ and/or incorporating all types of streaming, apps and hardware components that should be available in such device and that would definitely require much more shielding to eliminate the excessive noise to a certain extent, Dethonray products are kept simple to completely avoid any type of potential hazard to the sound. You wanted to have a perfect audio source – well, here it is, not for reading, games, streaming or pace calculation – only the bit-perfect, high quality processing, nothing more.

So, here are the declared specs:

Apart from what is stated above, there are some additional features that comes handy in using this device. For example, Clarinet has 2 USB type-C ports, separate for USB DAC input and charging functions. This allows to omit charging during USB DAC use and completely exclude any possible noise from this process, or to have charging simultaneously for infinite usage. Although it is great, I would say that it still lacks the function of completely excluding the use of battery from this equation and staying on external power just to preserve battery degradation if Clarinet is planned as a part of desktop setup. I’ve seen such solutions from xDuoo, for instance, and I think that this might make such devices even more versatile.

Along with dual USB port, we have Low / High GAIN switch to adapt different types of connected end gear, front and back status multicolor LEDs to indicate working state / media quality / discharge state (front) and charge state (back), as well as the ability to choose between the two firmware versions with different sound signature (Serenade for cleaner and brighter sound, Rhapsody, default, for thicker and more mellow sound). More info on LED states is stated in the user manual.

Back to the design and first impressions:

Clarinet came in a regular Dethonray thick cardboard box, minimalistic in design but secure for handling. Box contains the unit itself, USB type-C to USB A cable and user manual.

Similar to Pegasus, Clarinet looks clean in it design, feels as a very solid brick and incorporates one-piece aluminum chassis with excellent heat dissipation ability during its usage. I like that Anson designed it so simple, with rough forms and minimal accents it attracts more than it design-oriented rivals. Simple forms and such clinical look belong to hi-end gear more often than plateresque approach in the design. The only accented element is the volume knob in violet with grippy surface pattern which is totally logical since it does all the job – turns the device on and off and changes the volume. Soft but noticeable click tuns on the device at the beginning of travel and uses the rest of it for smooth volume control. I haven’t spotted any weird behavior or channel imbalance during its use, neither the linearity can be questioned here. Pretty natural feel for the knob that only imitates the mechanical potentiometer.

Haven’t noticed any substantial heat during use, only in case if charging and data transfer is happening simultaneously. Aluminum case get slightly warm, nothing to worry about.

All of my devices that I’ve tested Clatinet with haven’t had any problems with recognizing it as an external DAC. Even Linux-based HiBY OS in Hidizs AP80 DAP has managed to identify Clarinet as an external sound card and send data to USB port. There is a manual on the official Dethonray website on setting things up to use Clarinet with Foobar and which drivers to use.

The sound:

Clarinet’s tonality feels very natural, tending slightly to darker / mellow sound. No artificial cattle-like and bright spikes, everything is perfectly balanced and smooth. Lows are deep and wide, excellently contoured and textured. Mid-bass is tight and powerful. But both are perfectly balanced and not overshadowing or bleeding into the mids. Mids, on its turn, are highly textured and detailed, in a perfect spot of balance, neither far or very close (at least with the default FW). Its mellow timbre and smooth delivery makes Dethonray Clarinet very pleasing for vocals. No hisses, no sibilants even with sensitive IEMs. As an outcome of such accurate and natural tuning (plus the chips used) treble is totally enough in quantity, transparent and detailed without being accented or declined. Perfect balance for having long listening sessions even with armature driver-based IEMs.

Clarinet builds pretty wide/large virtual soundstage, outperforming any USB type -C dongles and separate DAPs I have in my possession. Quite on par with the best offering from xDuoo – XD05 BAL which have the larges stage I’ve heard in such portable DAC/AMPs. Instrument separation, layering, positioning – all are excellent and adding up to build spacious sound picture more common for full-sized desktop equipment with much higher price tag.

In summary, the sound is good, large, detailed and naturally balanced. It is rich with details, highly textured and very musical for my ears with most of the genres. Especially for my preferences which are 60-90′ rock, pop, blues, metal, etc with high dynamic range and no post-production compression for commercial means, common for modern music. Best synergy was found with magnetic-planar and DD IEMs that either fully-transparent or bring little to no coloration to the sound signature of Clarinet itself.

Conclusion:

Similarly to all Dethonray products, this one is deceivingly portable. Comparable in shape and size to lots of rivals but with unexpectedly large sound, powerful to drive most of power-hungry head gear. The main distinguishing factor for me is its sound signature – smooth, resolving, with rich mids and mellow timbre. It stands much closer to old school tube overtones rather than modern brightness and clinics of ESS-based DACs. Gets even more delightful when paired with real tube amp/preamp before sending it to speakers or headphones. Still, leaves a room for signature change with another firmware if colder sound is a preference. 9 out of 10 for this equipment to Dethonray, where the only missing point resembles the lack of all-time desktop scenario without the use of integrated battery and no possibility to upgrade op-amp chips available with some rivals.

One device for one function – I admire Anson’s unique and stable approach of developing masterpieces in every audio hardware niche… Let’s be honest, even a perfect device with limited functionality is risking to be buried down by millions of all-in-one mere consumer choices just because it is more convenient to use… DSLRs are almost out of the consumer market, as well as voice and video recorders, book readers, DAPs, etc. Most of the users would still agree that prosumer or pro-level stand-alone devices deliver much better quality but who cares if the content is made for and consumed in social networks? Personally, I regret the times when everyone tried to acquire the best shot out of 24-36 frames instead of storing thousands of useless files… That is why all Dethonray products impress me this much – they build a reference to those good old times when everything was designed for “pro”, forcing users think and progress.

Pegasus SG1 is not an exception. It is a sixth masterpiece developed by Anson and released in June 2022 that fills Bluetooth audio niche in Dethonray lineup. DTR1 DAP was the first, followed by Honey AMP. Later came one of the best bundle in portable HiRes audio world consisting of DTR1+ and Tender 1 planar IEMs and now comes the Pegasus. Here is the corresponding retrospective picture from the official Dethonray website:

All of those devices are highly rated by the reviewers and respected by both – audio “fans” and “philes”. Personally, I am using DTR1, DTR1+ and Tender 1 for a long time and can state that both DAPs and Tender IEMs still remain the ultimate audio performers with no problems in technical aspects either. Moreover, those devices had already gained some magic aura around and turned to collectibles. I still wouldn’t call Dethonray a “boutique” brand since boutique means something extravagant and limited in amount but not necessarily having high quality of the production. Opposingly, Dethonray is managing to deliver high quality of functioning along with similarly high quality of the production even despite smaller volumes compared to market mastodons. Therefore, I would rather name Dethonray as high-end brand working in the respective niche.

So, the Pegasus SG1 – what is it designed for? Here are the specs first:

As can be seen from the specs – Pegasus main and the only purpose is acting as Bluetooth receiver -> processing the incoming stream -> converting to audio signal. It incorporates various popular audio codecs, including the HiRes LDAC (24bit/96kHz). Outputs presented by both – 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm BL ports. The main feature shared across all Dethonray devices is also present in Pegasus technical design – DPPU (Desktop Plus Power Unit)：

DPPU adapts dual high-density battery customized power system, designed for High-Fidelity while ensuring separation of digital and analog power to eliminate digital circuit noise from the source, alike an enhanced DAP + Amplifier system but with a minimal path and hard soldered joints with no compromises.

There is one additional feature that is very important but rarely stated about Pegasus: the ability to change sound signature by different FW versions. It comes with “Rhapsody” FW by default and can be changed to “Serenade” FW on behalf of a user. I’ve seen such implementation once before in Tempotec / Hidizs USB DACs that really did a job of changing the sound to user preference. This is much more convenient than replacing Op-Amps or any part of the hardware but still requires some understanding and PC skills.

Link to Pegasus SG1 at AliExpress: LINK

Link to Pegasus SG1 at Amazon: LINK

Back to Pegasus SG1 description:

It comes in black box regular for all Dethonray devices. Box is stiff and perfectly does a job of securing its components. Single layer inside consisting of foamy insert with the cutout that holds Pegasus at place. Than goes the beauty – Pegasus SG1 resting there with its perfectly polished glass top cover facing outwards and tiny aluminum bezel around.

I’ve seen 4 body colors available: purple, red, black and mint and I can say that red and purple look punchy.

Dethonray logo underneath front glass panel has multicolor LED backlight that resembles the device current state.

Another beautiful element is the volume knob that combines clever design for comfortable grip with peculiar shape, appropriate color and matt finish.

Both output ports are located on the top edge. All control buttons gathered on the left edge.

Bottom edge holds type-C charging port and the additional LED indicator that duplicates front facing logo in its behavior.

Very neat, strict and beautiful design at the same time. Feels rigid and comfortable in hands. The only drawback is that placing it in a pocket with keys, phones or other stuff might leave the marks on its perfect surfaces. Jello-stickers would definitely help here.

Pegasus SG1 in operation:

Since the Pegasus is a BT receiver, first thing to do after initial charging is to connect it over Bluetooth to any audio source. Of course, the best performance can only be achieved with the sources capable of LDAC or apt-X HD codecs. Most of the recent phones, tablets and DAPs would surely support at least one. Although, Apple users would still be limited to lossy AAC codec instead due to Apple closed politics on that (devices for the professionals, I bet).

There is no multipoint feature in Pegasus, therefore – only 1 device at once. But the previously connected would be stored in BT controller memory for fast reconnection in the future.

The process of pairing is very fast, LED comes of a help to show whether Pegasus is still pairing (blinks) or has already paired (constantly lit). You would only have to choose PEGASUS SG1 under phone BT available devices and tap on connect. Most of the sources would state codec that is being used for audio transfer between the devices. In my case it is the most capable LDAC (Xiaomi Redmi Note 8Pro). Unfortunately, battery status is not being transferred from Pegasus to phone. Dethonray claims around 8 hours of continuous performance with SE and 6 hours with BL output. Real world tests proved those figures right.

Upon the connection, there are 3 buttons on Pegasus that work as expected: PLAY|PAUSE, NEXT and PREVIOUS. Buttons feel tight, no rattling. The additional two-way switch is designed to change from low to high gain depending of the headphones impedance. It is really better to stay off selecting high gain for IEMs lower than 16Ohms or it might be damaged. Volume knob has pleasing feel of tight travel and comfortable grip. It acts pretty accurately, delivering smooth volume change in both directions. Much more convenient than discrete volume buttons found in phones, USB DACs and in some DAPs that change it quite abruptly. Here you can select any desired levels, starting with the barely heard ones.

Pegasus stays stays cold during operation with only slight warming up while the battery takes charge. Type-C port is only used for charging | FW upgrades but the function of USB DAC is not available.

FW change:

As said before, this BT DAC has two different firmware versions. Rhapsody (default) is more assertive and Serenade is more calm and melodic in its signature. Changes in sound are audible but not vital. It is more about rounding some edges and slightly changing the entire timbre. Personally, I prefer Serenade version over Rhapsody for its slightly added warmth and smoothness. Phapsody is better for more aggressive and rhythmic genres.

Here is the link to FW download on Dethonray website: LINK

The process of switching to another FW is quite cumbersome but doable. Here are the steps:

The sound:

Pegasus SG1 is impressive. Sounds linear with the emphasis on mids which sound thick and pleasingly warm. Sound perception is natural and balanced. Quite hard to notice any discrepancies that would disclose its wireless connection.

Bass is well-resolved and emphasized. This bleeds into mid bass and affect the entire sound with such pleasing warm and thick strokes. Fortunately, mid bass section is still maintaining great dynamics and tightness to sound juicy. Mids stand out as the central part of the presentation and deliver voices and instruments naturally. No hisses or sibilants even with sensitive IEMs. Lows definitely have more impact on mids than treble. Slight lack of texturing due to BT connection but still feels very musical due to accurate and smooth delivery. Despite wireless connection, treble is well-extended, with no abrupt nuances. Good clarity and correct balance with other ranges without any emphasis makes treble very accurate and appealing, leaving the whole sound closer to the dark side.

Great choice of tuning for such BT DAC. Possibly the best to go away from dry and analytical approach to very musical one that also hides some imperfections.

Conclusion:

Pegasus SG1 is the best sounding Bluetooth DAC among all BT audio devices of al types I’ve tried so far. IEMs with BT lace, BT earhooks, TWS, BT ultra-portable DACs – all suffered from apparent wireless connection limitations especially noticeable on abrupt treble and limited extensions. It might be the outcome of device hardware size, design or multifunctional abilities when some are developed appropriately and some are just for show. Pegasus, on its turn, is made for one function and made perfectly: in terms of design, logics and performance. It uses the best BT codecs possible, shows no hiccups in operation and makes the sound truly appealing. Moreover, it sounds almost indistinctive to very good portable wired setup combinations. Feels like with the Pegasus SG1, going wireless is no longer a compromise either with headphones or in desktop use with active speakers or amps.

Link to Pegasus SG1 at AliExpress: LINK

Link to Pegasus SG1 at Amazon: LINK

Controversial topic, isn’t it? The endgame should be limited to one… What we mean is not another product of the same category, but the perfect match for the first endgame that we insisted on some time ago – Dethonray Tender 1 planar IEMs. Here is the link to our Tender 1 review if you have missed that. Such IEMs are very demanding in terms of source quality and very power-hungry. We have tried it in pair with various DAPs and DACs, but the best synergy is achieved only with DTR1+ which we would describe a bit later in this review.

Furthermore, since DTR1+ is a highly anticipated reincarnation of DTR1 – first DAP by Anson Tse (Dethonray founder) released back in 2019, that turned out to be fresh approach and revelation sound wise for many – we would also focus on the differences in the performance of the new version of this honored product.

One more input from us (out own understanding): neither Dethonray Prelude DTR1, nor DTR1+ is a mass product with thoroughly calculated economy and profit or decisively added/cut functionality based on marketing intents. It is rather distinctive, much more closer to western high-end niche approach, where the emotional appeal combined with technical SQ put at the forefront while the secondary features like functionality are left out for less narrowly focused equipment. For us, such approach is perfectly acceptable since we consider DTR1+ as the ultimate source that is only about the sound quality for our offline thoroughly selected audio collection in desktop or mobile setup. Although, there are couple of minor drawbacks that we would also describe in this article.

DTR1+ specs:

• Type: HiRes audio player
• DAC: AK4490EQ
• Sample rates: up to 32bit/192KHz
• Audio formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, APE (Normal, High, Fast), AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF/DSF, OGG
• Frequency response range: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
• SNR: 117dB
• THD: 0.008%
• Max. power output: L: 6Vrms + R: 6Vrms (16Ω) | (1280mW@32Ohms)
• OS: Linux + Ocelot GUI
• Memory: MicroSD (exFAT), up to 1TB, handles 160,000 songs
• Audio outputs: 3.5mm Line-out + 3.5mm headphones
• Connectivity: Micro-HDMI (charging port)
• Battery: 2cell, LiON, ±8.5V PSU, life 8 hours
• Dimensions HxWxD: 100x57x18.6mm
• Color: Black
• Weight: 160g

Changes:

• Power output has been increased
• Redesigned the LPF circuit:
  • Using the top chips improves the resolution sharply.
  • Makes vocals a little more laid back for classical music and new recordings.
  • Enhanced the treble extension, the timbre sounds more lively.
• Redesigned gain and volume audio subsystem:
  • update the gain control to support different IEMs, earbuds, headphones.
  • subdivided the volume range to make the sound more accurate and natural.
  • Added separate R|L channel volume control (0.5dB steps)
• Added the index and classification function for artists.
• Added L/R channel volume compensation.
• Introduced new charging unit (Micro-HDMI -> power adaptor -> USB type C)
  • now any USB – USB type C cable can be used with the power unit
• Button redesign

Main features of the HW/SW part:

• Separate power for decoding and amplifying: DTR1+ adapts dual high-density battery customized power system, designed for High-Fidelity while ensuring separation of digital and analog power to eliminate circuit noise from the source, alike an enhanced DAP + Amplifier system but with a minimal path and hard soldered joints with no compromises. The ±8.5V PSU remarkably improves efficiency of clean power supplied to the system, with noticeable qualities in transparency and background noise control without the need to excessively damping the output.
• EMI shielding: with the precision machining on aviation grade, light-weight aluminum alloy, DTR1 is shielded from EMI disturbance for a cleaner background during play. Precise structural designs with high reliability parts also a patented user interface are combined in pursuit of perfection in sound and optimization of both hardware and software within the design.
• Custom LinuxOS and Ocelot GUI: DTR1+ runs on a deeply-customized Linux OS audio sub-system which utilize a OSS sub-system 30% higher in efficiency than the ALSA audio sub-system. The customized and optimized decode engine ”Nature” synergize effectively with the Linux OS, decodes in optimal condition and reduces transmission delay. Patented ultra light weight GUI system ”Ocelot”, Customized GAI (Graphics Abstract Layer), GDI (Graphic Device Interface), IAL (Input Abstract Layer), SCM (System Control Module), Audio files indexing system – promises minimal MMI, high speed navigation and supporting up to indexing 160000 songs.

Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ is available at the official Amazon store: LINK

Packaging and design:

Prelude DTR1+ comes in a regular, pretty large Dethonray black box where DAP rests on the upper layer of soft foam with special cut outs and charger is stored underneath. There is no USB – USB type C cable provided but you would also find short user manual and warranty card. We would suggest Anson to consider adding some kind of a case for such premium product.

The design has not changed much in comparison to its predecessor – clean, neat, old-school and functional. DTR shell is made of aluminum, except for the back cover. And if it was a glass panel in DTR1, now we have simple black plastics with shiny gold titles. Perhaps this is made for good: first, it won’t crack that easy and second – it would stand deformations better if the battery decides to inflate (hope that this would not occur in the nearest future. But eventually, all batteries die and large percentage do inflate). Another advantage over the previous version – now we have 2 screws at the back to get inside the shell and replace the battery, at least.

Top and left edges stayed blank, while the right still holds volume and power buttons together with SD card slot. Volume and power buttons were redesigned completely, all became larger and now it is much more simple for blind operation since the middle (Volume down) button made larger than the rest.

Bottom edge saved all of its elements – 3.5mm LineOUT, 3.5mm SE headphone OUT, micro-HDMI and Reset. But now both of 3.5mm ports have décor elements in a form of round golden outlines.

Facing side now looks much more organic with larger buttons, decorative lines and markings. Central (ENTER) button is now equipped with Dethonray logo.

Screen has not changed a bit, it seems that the LCD panel itself is exactly the same: 2.32″ TFT screen. The type of the screen and its resolution numbers are not provided among other device specs but my guess would be IPS with something like 640×480 pixels. At least, the viewing angles are ok and thin diagonal lines on the screen don’t produce a so called «ladder effect» common for low resolution screens in combination with larger physical size. Screen edges are ~4.5mm, partially hidden by black screen outlines that visually merges with the shell when the screen is off. Screen doesn’t have a touch sensor layer, thus all user interaction happens with the help of physical buttons. Which is great, we believe. Always preferred physical controls over touch screens for easy blind operations.

Despite that it is far from modern LCDs, DTR1 screen is doing its job quite well. Size is totally enough for convenient interaction with this certain UI, fonts and other graphics are large enough to stay visible. The main and the only concern is the maximum brightness level which is kind of low comparing to any other DAPs and is hardly enough to fight the direct sunlight or bright environment. Usable, but much better to stay in shade.

In overall, the design of the new DTR1 looks more organic and mature. Definitely better and more attractive than the first version of the DAP. Moreover, the operations now are more convenient, thanks to enlarged and reshaped buttons.

Device in use:

First of all – the new charger: separate small unit with status LED, micro-HDMI connector and USB type C port. Now, we can use any USB type C cable to connect to this charger from any 5V power adapter or USB port. Which means that DTR1 can now be charged from PC/laptops, etc but as far as we’ve understood – the function of mass storage has been eliminated. No possibility to get data transfer using the cable. Anyway, not a big deal considering low transfer speed of the previous version. It is always better to take the card out and write using card readers or laptop slots.

Charging unit acts as a step-up voltage regulator and indicates its stated with the status LED. Fast red flashes – no device connected, solid RED – charging. It heats up significantly during the use (~50C) while DTR1+ stays cold when switched on and left charging. Also a good sign for us – better to keep heating elements out of shell and away from the main circuits, battery and screen. Full charge takes around 2 hours and the battery last around 8 hours after that.

SW and GUI:

DTR1+ is running the same version of deeply customized Linux OS with Ocelot GUI as its predecessor. Anson has done a great job of bug fixing and further OS/interface customization during the first months after first version of DTR1 DAP release when active customers started to submit their suggestions and feedback. Since than, this SW combination stays very snappy and stable. No updates available so far, neither any bugs are found. We haven’t noticed any jitters or freezes. Boot time is fast but ends up with showing SD card availability warning and waiting until the track database would be rebuilt. This happens at each boot with no option to avoid it. Fortunately, it takes only ~3 seconds to rescan all files and start playing. Developers claim that this it the fastest process among all recent DAPs no matter the amount of files on SD card and the only payback is indexing upon each power cycle.

UI structure:

• Main player screen:
  • Playing now screen (current track + navigation through tracks)
    • Long press Select to go to Play options
      • Play options:
        • Return to folder
        • Favorites
        • Delete music
        • Play mode (repeat all, repeat one, shuffle, play one)
        • CUE
        • Play through folders
        • High|Low gain (headphones)
        • Line out gain
        • Filter
        • Idle shut down
        • Delete
  • All Songs (alphabetical order of all audio files)
  • Artists (alphabetical order of artists)
  • Favorites (list of tracks added to favorites)
  • Browse (browse through folders)
  • Settings
    • System information
    • Language (ENG|CHN)
    • Play Mode (repeat all, repeat one, play one, shuffle)
    • Backlight (up to 60 sec and always on)
    • Brightness (up to 100%)
    • Power key to main menu (ON|OFF)
    • CUE (ON|OFF)
    • Play through folders (ON|OFF)
    • Switch track when LCD off (ON|OFF)
    • High|Low GAIN (headphones: LOW|MIDDLE|HIGH|EXTRA HIGH)
    • Line out GAIN (LOW|MIDDLE|HIGH|EXTRA HIGH)
    • Filter (Sharp roll-off|slow roll-off|short delay sharp roll-off|short delay slow roll-off)
    • Channel balance
    • Idle shutdown (up to 30 mins and always ON)
    • Timing shutdown (up to 60 mins and always ON)
    • Database upgrade
    • Reset all settings

So, the main newly introduced function is separate 4-step GAIN for headphones and line out. In case of line out it is the only option to limit or increase the volume for active speakers or amp (if not enough or too much). As for headphones, we have found that 4-steps is a kind of overshoot since MIDDLE is already dark on the background for low impedance IEMs and EXTRA HIGH is suitable for anything above 32 Ohms depending of its type. For example, Tender 1 planar IEMs are only 28 Ohms but feel underpowered with any option rather than EXTRA HIGH. On the other hand, pure armature 32 Ohms are a way overpowered… Therefore, let’s say that 3 steps would be enough.

Each track is provided with bit/KHz information on playing now screen, long names are cut if don’t fit the screen width. Still no scrolling. Album art is present.

DTR1 heats up very little even while decoding 24bit/192KHz and playing with 50Ω full-sized overheads at High gain setting. The only time it heats up a bit more is while taking a charge and playing music simultaneously. Case reached about 34C at max which is absolutely no issue.

Sound quality:

Tested with: Dethonray Tender 1 planar, Oxygen single DD, HiBy Beans IEMs, Audio Technica ATH-M50, xDuoo MT-602 amp, etc

Getting back to synergy and endgame question: of course, our first and main intention was to find the best match for Dethonray Tender 1 planar magnetic IEMs. Those are perfect at all aspects, superior to any DD, hybrid or armature rivals by its even representation, rich timbre and perfect instrument separation. The only problem is that Tender 1 are very demanding in terms of power and quality of the source equipment. Moreover, since planar nature looses some resolution – we wanted to pair powerful and very resolving DAP with it. DTR1+ is the best candidate since it is similarly linear, gives out huge amount of details and able drive Tender 1 to full potential. Furthermore, as Anson told us – he has additionally tweaked DTR FW to match Tender 1 and to reach the best possible synergy. So, most of our impressions would be built upon DTR1+ and Tender 1 pair. We would also partially copy the text from DTR1 DAP review, highlighting the changes in the sound of its new version.

Lows:

Bass plays an important role in the sound presentation of DTR1+. It does a perfect job on highlighting bass contours with fast decay and transitions. Bass has a decent weight here, even a bit emphasized but not shadowing other ranges. Lows are perfectly exposed, have extra clarity but not standing out as it was with the predecessor. Extension and amount of textures are slightly limited in a favor of accuracy, speed and integrity of the perception. Such reproduction of lows is less regular but quite interesting and highly appealing. Midbass is perfect, neither too bright or too dark, natural, powerful, tight and engaging. Drums never get too harsh even in the tracks with some extra gain added to this part. In overall, DTR1+ lows sound more organic and integrated to the entire mix if to compare to DTR1.

Mids and vocals:

If you ever wanted a DAP with huge amount of details, clarity and resolution on voices and instruments in mid section — DTR1+ is here to capture your mind. The first try overwhelmed with the feel of extra resolution of keen mids even with the reference dynamic IEMs. Pairing it with BA extends this perception even further. Outstanding resolution and bears the clarity of each single sound which leads to reconsidering the knowledge of the most favorite tracks. And this is not a joke — most of the DAPs on my shelf are more or less similar, tending to the reference side with neutral or warm tonality and moderate amount of details for the sake of melodious presentation. DTR1+ acts completely different — it reveals maximum amount of details in a rampant impulse to convey emotions. It doesn’t mean thinner or colder sound any longer, nor it is prone to hisses – just the new experience with extra clarity and resolution. Absolutely impressed by the approach of DTR1+ towards mids, especially with neutral and mid-sensitive IEMs. Comparing to DTR1 – new version gained more body in mids and became slightly thicker which made the sound even more balanced, easy and linear on perception. Absolutely no screaming sounds, peaks or lisping, absolutely accurate and resolving.

Treble:

This is logical that if mids are impressing with exceptional resolution and clarity — treble would be even more capable of the same as the part of such perception on mids originate from the reproduction of treble. This is true — decent clarity, transparent and airy sound here. Treble is not overemphasized or piercing, it has the same weight with no perceptible accent, sounds extended, accurate and balanced to other ranges. Some lack of gentleness is compensated by huge amount of details and distinct exposition. Changes with DTR1 are subtle since the extension, resolution and control of this range was perfect with DTR1 and stays perfect with DTR1+.

Soundstage:

Another good outcome of excessive clarity and resolution is the extended depth of the perceived soundstage. Instrument separation and overall sound transparency is so good and the location of each instrument is so evident that the stage gets the necessary and pleasing depth of field. Although, width is not that impressive as the lows don’t spread out much to side but rather kept collected. No apparent changes with DTR1.

Sound in overall:

Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ sound can be described as highly detailed, perfectly balanced between the ranges, transparent and linear, with rich timbres and very calm performance. Instrument separation is decent which makes DTR1+ a best contender when it comes to HiRes tracks with lots of instruments and drive. Similarly to its appearance, the sound has matured – became slightly thicker, maintaining similarly high resolution but now delivered in a perfect monitor nature. All rough edges got proper treatment – now this DAP is totally transparent for any end gear.

The best experience is DTR1+ and Tender 1 performing together. This DAP provides enough details to compensate Tender 1 planar nature while Tender 1 is pushing instrument separation, timbre of mids and overall gentleness of the sound to maximum. This particular pair is what we were talking about when we said that we have grown up from rough listening on-the-go and want to focus on calm evening sessions and delicate sound. Interesting additional observation is that the only competition we have found for DTR1+ / Tender 1 pair is the combination of HiBy R5Pro + xDuoo MT-602 tube amp + Tanchjim Oxygen IEMs. Such combination lacks some resolution but the rich and delightful timbre is possible with the tube overtones of MT-602, delicacy of Oxygen IEMs and power of R5Pro. Almost the same budget, though… which is expected, actually.

Conclusion:

Never thought that the original Dethonray Prelude DTR1 would ever get beaten concerning its stellar audio performance. Lots of DAPs from other brands since 2019, more functional and modern, but DTR1 always stayed very distinct benchmark for clarity, resolution and monitor-like sound. But here comes its successor, with better design, new functions and what is the most important – polished, free of any rough edges, more thick and linear performance that also carries all nuances what we loved DTR1 for. Adding here the excellent synergy with recently introduced Tender 1 planar IEMs – and this bundle becomes very unique object of desire among high-end portable sources. The only function that we regret is the absence of USB DAC but the rest such as MQA or Bluetooth audio are from another world and for another segment. Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ is solely and completely occupies the niche of a DAP with highly detailed, powerful, analytical sound, totally transparent for any end gear.

Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ is available at the official Amazon store: LINK

Important notice: read only in case if you are bored of recent market trends and heavily V-shaped tuning IEMs with only slight deviations that have conquered the market, if you believe that you already have developed audio tastes & habits, if you strive for relaxed enjoyment of music instead of punchy bites of sounds on the go, if you grown up and want to listen, hear and discover the tiniest details and feel the deepest emotions in each favorite track… All that notions made us uncomfortable with the existing IEMs, forced to search further and finally brought us to the following product, technology and conclusions we have made about it in this review

Dethonray, what is this brand? Let us try to describe it with our own understanding and analysis after few years of observations. Year 2019 was the first time we’ve heard about it. We’ve been proposed to test Dethonray’s first DAP – DTR1 Prelude – the most remarkable player regarding sound quality in the corresponding price niche since than. It was simple, yet linear, very powerful and OVERLY detailed – very different and extraordinary good for its price tag and purpose. Our rank was high, so were the ranks of other reviewers and future owners which is much more important. Actually, this was one of the rare examples where opinions of all involved parties coincided. It immediately gave first Dethonray DAP a good push and deserved leading position among the rivals.

In the following 2 years Dethonray has presented HP-2 AMP, Honey H1 DAC/AMP, Listening T1 powerful tube desktop amp and has the roadmap for 2 more products: Prelude DTR1+ DAP and Tender 1 IEMs. The latter should become widely available this July whereas highly anticipated DTR1+ should arrive to shops on August. Therefore, we are right at the point of Tender 1 release and have our sample on hands. If to consider the amount of products released by the brand for the past 2 years – seems like not much…, but knowing the approach, attitude and will of the main person behind it to develop / produce only high-quality and remarkable products – it is logical that R&D, test and polishing take a lot of time. Currently, Dethonray would even pass their samples to focus testing group (not the reviewers) for quite a long time before the release to collect feedback, tune further and track all bugs. Product would come to the market only after that, even if the preliminary sales deadlines were violated. Almost forgotten and the only RIGHT “engineer” approach instead of “marketing is in command” that pisses us off with the iterations before the product gets really stable and our forced role in such bug-fixing groups.

Dethonray Tender 1 are the first IEMs by this brand, thoroughly researched, built and tested. But not only the long process from cradle to the final release announcement is uncommon and peculiar, but also the technology that has been chosen. Instead of jumping into the bucket full of dynamic/hybrid/armature vultures Dethonray guys decided to jump over and take a higher crossbar the name of which is planar magnetic. For those who are in a tank for the past forty years – planar magnetic (also referred as magneplanar, isodynamic, orthodynamic) technology is a golden middle between widely used, inexpensive and traditional dynamic approach in which diaphragm is controlled by a electricity flow through the coil attached to its center and a magnet and very expensive electrostatic technology in which coil and diaphragm are represented by thin membrane between negative and positive plates. In first case we get cheap, easy-to-reporoduce construction but the negatives are slow response and uneven force distribution over diaphragm, both leading to sufficient amount of distortions and resulting sound deviations. On the other extreme are the electrostatic drivers which are still very rare and expensive, require more space and not yet miniaturized. Planar magnetic, on its turn, takes the best from both worlds: cheaper magnets and coil principle from dynamic driver but much more complicated and advanced membrane composition.

Coil now is combined with a diaphragm, placed between the magnets and the entire diaphragm surface is moving to produce sound waves. What are the advantages over dynamic technology? – very fast response times, transient sound is almost non-existent and resistance to distortions, all of which result into more even (less distorted or certain range-oriented) and much more precise (much better clarity, layering and instrument separation) sound. Again, IEMs of this type are quite rare and more expensive in comparison to dynamic/hybrid/BA units but after spending enough time testing Tender 1 we can assure you that it really worth it.

Dethonray Tender 1 specs:

• 10mm planar diaphragm
• Impedance: 28Ohm
• Sensitivity: 98 +/- 3dB
• FRange: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Rated power: 5mW
• Max power: 10mW
• Max distortion: 1dB
• Interface: MMCX

Packaging and design:

Dethonray Tender 1 came packed in pretty large black box with shiny silver logo and names printed on the top cover and sticker with product specs at the bottom. Inner compartment consists of two layers: soft podium with special cutouts for IEMs on top and all accessories resting underneath. Box contents include:

• Tender 1 IEMs
• audio cable with 3.5mm SE jack
• 6 pairs of silicone ear tips
• 1 pair of memory foam ear tips
• leaflet/warranty

Considering the design – Tender 1 IEMs are a masterpiece with its combination of accurate detailing, ergonomic shaping, beauty of decorative elements and choice of shell color. We can say that that the photos which we’ve taken only partially resemble the glory of its real appearance.

Core design element is the silver plate with the logo, partially polished to shine and reflect the light, perfectly combined with the rough matt shell surface in deep cyan or blue depending of the angle of view.

Shells are made two piece of aluminum with unibody construction of output nozzles which are covered by aluminum filters. Two compensational openings per channel, side indicators and gold-plated MMCX ports – all a part of the construction, not only functional but also neatly crafted. For us, the choice of MMCX connectors is the only minor drawback of Tender 1 IEMs. Such connectors are easier to break in comparison to “2pin” type, especially in case of often cable change. On the other hand, MMCX turn around the center which means more freedom and comfort when it comes to its fit.

Fit is nothing to worry about, almost perfect, like with all other “custom-like” shaped IEMs. Ergonomics is great, different ear tips provided, fits comfortably and securely.

Stock cable deserve couple of words on its own:

• Material: 4N Solid Core Silver
• Cable Structure: Litz Type 4 with SZ Multi-Stranding
• Number of Cores: 35
• AWG (thickness): 27
• Cable Diameter: 1.3mm per cord
• Origin of Silver: China

Pretty intriguing that all of this data is provided about such accessory as audio cable. Anyway, what we can say for sure is that this cable looks pretty thick, equipped with flexible ear guides, aluminum jack/connector housings and channel indicators. Perhaps, in future, Dethonray would consider also including 2.5/4.4mm BL-type cable or universal cable with interchangeable audio jack which is the most recent and interesting innovation in this field. In our test we’ve used stock SE and BL cable by Penon which was actually forced matter since some of our sources had enough driving potential only on BL outputs.

Just to summarize before we jump to sound impressions: Tender 1 are the most beautiful and one of the most perfectly crafted IEMs for us so far. We have almost 100 of different popular models by different brands and only few that have such a good combination of material, shape, design and fit.

Sound impressions:

In contrary to the common structure of our reviews, Tender 1 IEMs require some additional description of the source gear used and required to carry out adequate tests. First of all, the nature of planar magnetic technology is power-hungry and requires more driving potential from a source than any dynamic or BA units. Moreover, it is hungry for high quality of the recordings as well and we would explain this a bit later. Concerning the sufficient amount of power, despite quite ordinary sensitivity/impedance figures, Tender 1 would be much better off with Hi-Res DAP & AMPs capable of AT LEAST 200mW@32Ohms on its output. The more power a source has, the better it discloses the potential of Tender 1 IEMs.

Second, whether you believe it or not, but in order to make Tender 1 sound the best it is very important to put it through running-in process for at least 10 hours. Just leave it playing on mid volume for this amount of time before the first use. We were skeptical about such approach before but Tender 1 really sounds better (wider and softer) after running-in period.

Finally, our testing gear was: Hidizs AP80 DAP + xDuoo XD05 Plus DAC/AMP (1W of power output, very large soundstage) / Hidizs DH80 DAC/AMP (210mW of power, neutral, requires GAIN set to MID/HIGH). Why this gear – simply because Hidizs DAPs and AMPs are popular and xDuoo AMP is the most capable of Tender 1 requirements.

Theory and the description of this technology states that planar magnetic drivers are less capable of deep bass than dynamic units. It might be true, but not for Tender 1 IEMs. Seems that Dethonray spent much time on this aspect to oppose such claim. The only thing that might remind of the technology chosen is susceptibility to clipping/producing distortions on lows earlier than on mids/treble at higher gain + high volume. Staying in acceptable volume levels would produce deep, very detailed, perfectly outlined bass with excellent separation and exposure. It turns tight and fast or rolling, slow and deep depending of the composition, not limited by the technology. Mid bass is similarly decent – fast, dynamic, powerful and tight, bright or warm as originally intended, but definitely not selfishly interpreted. Furthermore, such a good bass exposure and amount significantly enlarge the width of the soundstage, adding the feel of sufficient volume and space.

Mids are very smooth, delicate and warm, yet very detailed and natural. No signs of screaming or lisping on the upper portions, no sudden harsh peaks on female vocals of string instruments. Layering and separation here are excellent – everything is right on its place, not mixing, not shadowed. Vocals are rich, full-bodied and emotional but the main virtue is that male and female vocals sound evenly detailed and exposed, located on the same plane, not like in V-shaped IEMs with severe accent on upper mids and loss of details on the lower end. Very natural, tender, velvet and linear delivery.

Despite the prevailing warmth, treble is nowhere near of being deficient. Just imagine IEMs with the sweet elevation on lows, natural mids and reasonably vivid treble that reminds of BA performance and you would get the understanding about what Tender 1 are capable of. Treble is sparkling, with excellent extension and huge amount of details. Like with good BA units, you won’t feel that it’s being abruptly cut off like it happens with many dynamic IEMs. Plus, adding a bit of more body to each sound makes Tender 1 treble less cold and artificial, but at the same time more sterling and natural.

Narrowed soundstage could have been a postulate if Dethonray wouldn’t overcome this technology shortcoming by all possible means. As we have already mentioned, thorough tuning on lows, perfect layering and instrument separation dedicate much to make the stage moderately large. As a result, Tender 1 feels quite regular, neither revealing nor disappointing regarding this aspect. Furthermore, with specific sources like XDuoo XD05Plus that builds very large soundstage, Tender 1 definitely opens up and shifts the limits for planar magnetic technology.

Our additional notice would be about the track quality. Since this technology is far more revealing in terms of the amount of details – the better quality is fed, the better the results are. Dethonray IEMs would easily expose all discrepancies and imperfections of low quality tracks.

Comparison: nothing to compare with. Dynamic IEMs are mixing sounds and ranges, less capable of treble, not this linear and natural in mids. BA IEMs are more piercing and artificial, cannot propose anything on lows. Hybrid are the closest, but still missing such delicate and smooth mids and natural, extended treble.

Conclusion:

It feels like the endgame for us. Almost hundred of IEMs, dynamic, armature or combined, with few very good representatives of each technology but all fell short of opposing anything to Tender 1 planar magnetic model. It might have been only the soundstage that could have given a head start to any of its rivals, but even this aspect was polished out by Dethonray. Absolutely nothing to beat Tender 1 with – it is totally different world with much higher stakes. And since there are only few existing options – Tender 1 IEMs are doomed to succeed. In numbers, it would directly depend of how many audio fans have grown up and became audiophiles with the mature taste and calm enjoyment. We are right at this point… Dethonray Tender 1 is the appropriate gear to satisfy our expectations and perception of a perfect sound.

Dethonray Tender 1 IEMs available on Amazon: LINK

Official Dethonray website: LINK

In contrary to highly saturated market of IEMs, new brand names in HiRes DAP segments appear much less often. A portion of excitement hits the first rows of most active audiophiles and either being carried further to the masses or subsides in silence. This mostly depends of the price to performance ratio, in which the second variable addresses the sound quality and user satisfaction in overall. Tough work for any company or person while making their first steps on this minefield. A person (or group of people) behind Dethonray (Prelude) DTR1 was brave enough to give it a try, supported by the years of experience of working for other well-known HiRes DAP brands. Therefore, this horse is not that dark after investigating its roots and the decision of a founder to start as well as a future cutomer to purchase become less adventorous.

First impressions of DTR1 DAP have already been spotted on the net and those are positive. My idea was to spend at least a week of playing with this product, comparing it to the most popular DAP with the same price tag and to try it out with some good IEMs. The time has come to share my own impressions and opinion.

Note: this unit was provided to me by PenonAudio in exchange for the honest opinion and review.

Dethonray Prelude DTR1 is available at PenonAudio store

Prelude DTR1 technical specifications:

• Type: HiRes audio player
• DAC: AK4490EQ
• AMP: 2 x TI OPA161 (Left+Right channels)
• Sample rates: 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz
• Audio formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, APE (Normal, High, Fast), AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF/DSF, OGG
• Frequency response range: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
• SNR: 117dB
• THD: 0.008%
• Max. power output: L: 1.7Vrms + R: 1.7Vrms (16Ω)
• OS: Linux + Ocelot GUI
• Memory: MicroSD (exFAT), up to 2TB, handles > 100,000 songs
• Audio outputs: 3.5mm Line-out + 3.5mm headphones
• Connectivity: MicroHDMI (data + charging port)
• Battery: 2cell, LiON, ±8.5V PSU, life 10 hours
• Dimensions HxWxD: 100x56x16.4mm
• Color: Black

Most important features of this DAP:

• Separate power for decoding and amplifying: DTR1 adapts dual high-density battery customized power system, designed for High-Fidelity while ensuring separation of digital and analog power to eliminate circuit noise from the source, alike an enhanced DAP + Amplifier system but with a minimal path and hard soldered joints with no compromises. The ±8.5V PSU remarkably improves efficiency of clean power supplied to the system, with noticeable qualities in transparency and background noise control without the need to excessively damping the output.
• AMP + LPF: an important part along the signal path – LPF (Low pass filter) adopts two TI OPA1611 on each channel (L/R). Together with the AK4490 chipset the design illustrates a very lively, dynamic output. The amplification circuitry features a mature AD8397 implementation with low distortion, super loading capability not to mention slew rate of 53v/us and 69M bandwidth, further boosted with ±7V power supply.
• EMI shielding: with the precision machining on aviation grade, light-weight aluminum alloy, DTR1 is shielded from EMI disturbance for a cleaner background during play. Precise structural designs with high reliability parts also a patented user interface are combined in pursuit of perfection in sound and optimization of both hardware and software within the design.
• Custom LinuxOS and Ocelot GUI: DTR1 runs on a deeply-customized Linux OS audio sub-system which utilize a OSS sub-system 30% higher in efficiency than the ALSA audio sub-system. The customized and optimized decode engine ”Nature” synergize effectively with the Linux OS, decodes in optimal condition and reduces transmission delay. Patented ultra light weight GUI system ”Ocelot”, Customized GAI (Graphics Abstract Layer), GDI (Graphic Device Interface), IAL (Input Abstract Layer), SCM (System Control Module), Audio files indexing system – promises minimal MMI, high speed navigation and supporting up to indexing 160000 songs.

Packaging, design and build quality:

DTR1 comes in a matt black folding box with extra layer of cardboard cover. Neither of those two reveals any additional information about the product. The only design elements are white brand and product name prints at the center. Minimalistic approach in packaging design is usually a sign of highlighting the main product purpose instead of hiding the shortcomings behind colorful presentation… In either case, box does its job of securing the purchase during the transporation well. Came safe and undamaged.

Box inner compartment is split into two layers. Top layer is a soft insert with the opening for DTR1 and bottom one is for keeping the rest of the accessories. Both DTR1 screen and bottom glass panel have a protective film layers preapplied but those are for the transporation purposes only.

Box contents:

• Dethonray Prelude DTR1 DAP
• USB A -> MicroHDMI data cable
• wall charger
• DTR1 founder business card
• user manual

Pity that there was no permanent screen / back panel protectors or any type of case among the accessories. I feel that such beatiful device is too vulnerable to possible physical damage without any type of protection. Hopefully, Dethonray would release leather case soon. At least there are such rumorses travelling around the net.

DTR1 case is made of CNC aluminum with the glass panel covering almost the entire space at the back. Design is very clean and strict but at the same time very attractive. Everything is matt black except for the polished beveled edges of the front cover and all physical control elements outlining their shape.

Back glass panel and metallic brand logo underneath contribute a lot to the overall beauty of this device and also add some splendor.

The use of aluminum and total weight of 146 grams creates the perception of holding durable and cold piece of technology at your hands. Despite that DTR1 doesn’t have a unibody construction, its top cover and base parts are aligned so perfect that it still feels as one solid block. Moreover, buttons don’t have any free play and don’t rattle at all which also adds to the overall feel.

Control elements and user experience:

Screen:

Top part of the front panel is occupied with 2.32″ TFT screen. The type of the screen and its resolution numbers are not provided among other device specs but my guess would be IPS with something like 640×480 pixels. At least, the viewing angles are ok and thin diagonal lines on the screen don’t produce a so called «ladder effect» common for low resolution screens in combination with larger physical size. Screen edges are ~4.5mm, partially hidden by black screen outlines that visually merges with the shell when the screen is off. Screen doesn’t have a touch sensor layer, thus all user interaction happens with the help of numerous physical buttons. Which is great, I believe. Always preferred phyical controls over touch screens for easy blind operations.

While in operation, DTR1 screen is doing its job very well. Size is totally enough for convenient interaction with this certain UI, fonts and other graphics are large enough to stay visible at all times. The main and the only concern is the maximum brightness level which is kind of low comparing to any other DAPs on my shelf and is not enough to fight the direct sunlight or even a very bright environment. Possible solution would be to introduce white color theme (or inverted colors) for Ocelot GUI and get away from dark interface. This suggestion has already been passed to the DTR1 designer.

Physical controls:

There are 5 buttons located at the front facing part and 3 buttons on the right side edge.

Front buttons and functions:

• Left:
  • Short press: Left (main player) / Back (in settings, now playing, playing options)
  • Long press: Seek back (during playback)
• Right:
  • Short press: Right (main player screen) / Select (file browser, playing options)
  • Long press: Seek forward (during playback)
• Up:
  • Short press: Next (main player, now playing, playing options) / Up (settings, file browser)
• Down:
  • Sort press: Previous (main player, now playing, playing options) / Down (settings, file browser)
  • +Power in switch off state to enter FW update mode
• Select
  • Short press: Select (main player, playing options, settings), Play/Pause (now playing)
  • Long press: Playing options (now playing)

Right side edge:

• Volume UP/DOWN
  • DOWN + POWER at device OFF = enter to FW update mode
• Power ON/OFF
  • LONG PRESS TO SWITCH ON
  • LONG PRESS TO SWITCH OFF

Looks kind of complicated but it takes only five minutes to get used to all button functions and their additional meanings.  Moreover, all buttons have pretty tight move with apparent «click» when activated which means that blind operations are totally convenient and self activations are not easy to occur. Of course, those might become a problem when someone would be wearing tight jeans and carrying DTR1 in a pocket. A dedicated button lock function could’ve helped in this case if it existed. But my point is that such devices worth better destiny rather than ending up in a tight pocket without any extra case protection…

Outputs and connectivity:

Both 3.5mm audio outputs for headphones and LineOUT are located at the bottom edge. LineOUT is true — with volume locked to the appropriate level and no further possibility to control it. Both ports are very tight while receiving the corresponding jacks and both are single-ended.

One more port on the bottom edge — microHDMI. Such a weird choice for data transfer and charging port can be explained the next way: since there are some extra requirements for the charging unit to supply a specific voltage to 2cell battery + the need of regular pins for sending and receiving data = more pins and power ratings necessary than available with microUSB connector. I would also take a guess that DTR1 designers didn’t want people to try to use their regular 5V USB power supplies with this DAP. It also means using less regular type of connector. Of course, from the stand point of a customer using one extra wall charger + data cable dedicated to this device only is a waste of space, time and place in mind to store this data. And this also means that you should take care of the accessories due to its uniqueness. Personally, I can live with that as long as it concerns such single function pure music device with long lasting battery…

The only option when connecting to PC with the supplied cable is to transfer data between the connected devices. DTR1 would be recognized by Windows OS as external hard drive. Transfer speed is ~30Mbps and jumps a bit higher sometimes. No possibility to use DTR1 as USB DAC or to charge from PC USB.

FW upgrade:

Can’t think of any other brand that would be so fast and responsive when it comes to supplying changes in the newest FW builds. The same day I’ve provided my feedback about couple of misspellings I’ve got the latest build free of those minor problems. Moreover, I was told that additional suggetions would be considered and implemented in the next releases that would show up very soon. So, the latest build for the device now is v1.23. FW can be downloaded from the official website or requested through Dethonray FaceBook page.

Upon receiveing — copy update.zip to the root of your SD card, press and hold DOWN + POWER buttons until FW upgrade screen appears. Just wait until upgrade is complete and DTR1 goes OFF. Switch it on again and you are done. The default language would be Chinese now but thanks to the logical and simple UI — it is easy to go to Settings->Language (second menu item) and select English. Information about current FW version is stored in System Information menu item.

Device functionality:

UI structure:

• Main player screen:
  • Playing now screen (current track + navigation through tracks)
    • Long press Select to go to Play options
      • Play options:
        • Favourites
        • Play mode
          • Repeat all
          • Repeat one
          • Shuffle
        • CUE
          • allow or not
        • Delete
  • Library (list of all tracks in alphabetical order)
    • Press Right or Select to select track and move it to play now screen
  • Favorites (list of tracks added to favorites)
  • Browse (browse through folders with tracks)
  • Settings
    • System information
    • Language
    • Play Mode
      • Repeat all
      • Repeat one
      • Shuffle
    • Backlight
      • 10-60 seconds or stay ON
    • Brightness
    • CUE (allow it or not)
    • High/Low gain
      • High
      • Low
    • Filter
      • Sharp roll-off
      • Slow roll-off
      • Short delay sharp roll-off
      • Short delay slow roll-off
    • Auto shutdown
      • 10-60 minutes
      • always ON (disabled)
    • Database upgrade
    • Reset all settings

Ocelot GUI over Linux OS in DTR1 feels very responsive and stable. Haven’t noticed any jitters, bugs or freezes while playing with it for a week. Boot time is fast but ends up with showing SD card availability warining and waiting until the track database would be rebuild. This happens at each boot with no option to avoid it. Fortunately, it takes only ~15 seconds to rescan all files and start playing. Developers claim that this it the fastest process among all recent DAPs no matter the amount of files on SD card and the only payback is indexing upon each power cycle. MicroSD card slot is located on the right edge and accepts cards up to 2TB. 400GB card was tested.

No problems found with either function of settings in the menu. Functionality and GUI is simple but very convenient, mostly logical and very responsive. You wouldn’t be able to sort by different tags but you can also navigate through folders or list of files to reach the desired track faster. Adding it to the favorites would make this process even easier. If adding tracks to favorites is not an option and since there is no additional sorting by tags — the only way to organize tracks properly is to create the appropriate folders on SD card with limited amount of tracks to make the list in each one shorter instead of scrolling through thousands of tracks located in a single folder.

Each track is provided with bit/KHz information on playing now screen, long names are cut if don’t fit the screen width. No scrolling for now. Album art is coming in the next FW release as promissed by the developers.

Low/High gain option is working and what is the most important — doesn’t change the frequency response, only the output power. Low gain is mostly for sensitive and low impedance IEMs while High gain is for harder loads such as full-sized overheads. Be very careful switching to High gain with IEMs as the change in output power might damage it.

DTR1 heats up very little even while decoding 24bit/192KHz and playing with 50Ω full-sized overheads at High gain setting. The only time it heats up a bit more is while taking a charge and especially when playing music simultaneously. Case reached about 34C at max which is absolutely no issue. Charging time is ~2H and full battery drain happens in ~10H of 24bit/96kHz playback with 32Ω IEMs.

Sound quality:

Tested with AudioTechnica ATH-M50, Tanchjim Oxygen, Magaosi K6, Earnine EN2J, Moondrop Kanas Pro, Anew U1, HIFI BOY OSV3…  

Driving ability: most of the time the volume with IEMs of up to 32Ω was kept < than 50 at low gain setting. The only time I had to go to 80% first and than to switch to High gain and get back to <60% was with my 150Ω earbuds that require much more power to sound juicy. Therefore, I can assume that anything up to 150-200Ω should not be a problem for DTR1 DAP.

Lows and midbass:

Bass plays an important role in the sound presentation by DTR1. It does a perfect job on highlighting bass contours with fast decay and transitions. Bass has a decent weight here, even a bit emphasized but not shadowing other ranges. Lows are perfectly exposed, have extra clarity and seem to stand out a bit to the front. Extension and amount of textures are slightly limited in a favor of accuracy, speed and integrity of the perception. Such reproduction of lows is less regular but quite interesting and highly appealing. Midbass is perfect, neither too bright or too dark, natural, powerful, tight and engaging. Drums never get too harsh even in the tracks with some extra gain added to this part.

Mids and vocals:

If you ever wanted a DAP with huge amount of details, clarity and resolution on voices and instruments in mid section — DTR1 is here to capture your mind. The first try overwhelmed with the feel of extra detalization of keen mids even with the reference dynamic IEMs. Pairing it with BA extends this perception even further. Outstanding resolution and bears the clarity of each single sound which leads to reconsidering the knowledge of the most favorite tracks. And this is not a joke — most of the DAPs on my shelf are more or less similar, tending to the reference side with neutral or warm tonality and moderate amount of details for the sake of melodious presentation. DTR1 acts completely different — it reveals maximum amount of details in a rampant impulse to convey emotions. It does carry thiner and colder sound along that even gets more prone to hisses but this is nothing compared to the new experience it gives. Absolutely impressed by the fresh approach of DTR1 towards mids, especially with neutral and mid-sensitive IEMs.

Treble:

This is logical that if mids are impressing with exceptional resolution and clarity — treble would be even more capable of the same as the part of such perception on mids originate from the reproduction of treble. This is true — decent clarity, transparent and airy sound here. Treble is not overemphasized or piercing, it has the same weight with only a slight accent, sounds extended, accurate and balanced to other ranges. Some lack of gentleness is compensated by huge amount of details and distinct exposition.

Soundstage:

Another good outcome of excessive clarity and resolution is the extended depth of the perceived soundstage. Instrument separation and overall sound tranparency is so good and the location of each instrument is so evident that the stage gets the necessary and pleasing depth of field. Although, width is not that impressive as the lows don’t spread out much to side but rather kept collected.

Sound in overall:

Dethonray Prelude DTR1 sound can be described as tedning to colder tonality, highly detailed, perfectly balanced between the ranges, trasparent, emotional and crisp. This makes DTR1 a best contender when it comes to HiRes tracks with lots of instruments and drive. Such genres as metal, hard rock and orchestra sound perfect which is kind of rare.

Compared to HiBy R6Pro:

The main battle as for me is the choice between HiBy R6Pro and Dethonray DTR1 for a real audiophile the only respected function for whom is the ability to provide maximum sound quality. If the rest of the device functionality matters — HiBy R6Pro is the ultimate choice with its screen, connectivity, applications and so on. DTR1 has nothing to oppose to all of that. But when it comes to sound quality, DTR1 and R6Pro are quite different and present similarly interesting sound even for the same auditory. R6Pro sound is smooth and accurate with textured and extended lows, gentle treble and thick mids. DTR1 shows the same perfect exposure on lows but does it more contoured instead of textured. Its sound in overall is much more detailed, emotional and transparent. One is for calm genres, other is better for fast genres with lots of instruments.

Conclusion:

DTR1, code name Prelude, is the first DAP by Dethonray designed for one main purpose — providing maximum sound quality for the audiophiles. Truthfully speaking, DTR1 is not only proving this statement but also became a total revelation for me. Whenever a new brand joins — it should have some hidden aces to beat the competitiors… DTR1 deviates much from the most of the recent DAPs securing their market demand by sound neutrality and brings quite unique signature with less standard approach. This is the first DAP than really shows what «HiRes» term is meant to be — higly detailed sound with huge resolving potential. It pronounces the difference between IEMs, headphones, earbuds and audio tracks or even the inconsistency of the recording process. In addition to such sound, everything is based on lightweight, fast and glitch-free firmware packed into strict, beautiful and durable externals. And no matter how much Tidal or other online services would be missed out — this DAP certainly goes to the collection of audiophile-grade sound.

Dethonray Prelude DTR1 is available at PenonAudio store

Dethonray Prelude DTR1 HeadFi thread