On the subject of MQA, I have found my Sparrow unit to connect flawlessly with Tidal Android app in Exclusive mode. As per industry standards, Purple for MQA and Green for PCM. To complete the look, at the front is a large led indicator for playback resolution. Sparrow is not exactly new, as such it has 2.5mm BAL instead of the more popular 4.4mm Pentaconn which is the normal standard nowadays. Sparrow being spartan, offers simple interfaces and ports of which a female USB C on one end and two Audio ports on the other end.

So, care is needed if I want my unit to look pristine. Being glossy, the Sparrow will also pick up fingerprints quite easily and this can smear the elegant look. For the record all of my cables are terminated in 4.4mm configuration hence the need for 2.5mm adapter. The caveat that I experienced first hand, my Sparrow already picked up small scratches on the front plate, something that happened on the 2nd day when I placed it in my pocket and probably had abrasive encounter with the 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter that I use. Which can cause for a bit of concerns because it can be slippery if not handled carefully. Holding the unit in my hands I was immediately greeted by smooth glazed feel to the touch. Aluminum chassis sandwiched by glossy glass on both sides. The unit that I received came labelled with an additional decal on the box indicating it is an MK2 unit, and I believe that this is a revised unit from the model of yesteryears.Įarmen Sparrow is a DAC/Amp built on ESS Sabre ES9281PRO, basically a top tiered ESS DAC which offers native MQA capabilities.Īesthetics wise, Sparrow is a very elegantly designed dongle.

It is one of the few Dongles that are entirely designed and made in Europe (Serbia). Sparrow is a device that has a good following and for good reasons. But only managed to buy one for myself this year. I have been wanting to get myself an Earmen Sparrow since last year. LISTENING EQUIPMENT USED IMPARTED HUGE INFLUENCE TO SOUND IMPRESSIONS & RATING

HiBy Music Player App (USB Exclusive Mode).

Sony Xperia X Compact (UAPP USB Exclusive Mode, Bitperfect).

LG V50 ThinQ (UAPP USB Exclusive Mode, Bitperfect).

Windows 10, Foobar 2000 (USB 3.0 Power).

Beyerdynamic DT880 (Dynamic Drivers, 600 Ohm, 96db Sensitivity).

FOSTEX T40RP MK3 (Magnetic Planar, 50 Ohm, 91db Sensitivity).

SeeAudio Yume Midnight (2BA + 1DD Hybrid, 32 Ohm, 106db Sensitivity).

Kinera Idun Golden (3BA + 1DD Hybrid, 32 Ohm, 112db Sensitivity).TIN HiFi T3+ (Single DD, 32 Ohm, 105db Sensitivity).TRN VX Pro (8BA + 1DD Hybrid, 22 Ohm, 106db Sensitivity).Shure KSE1500 (Single Electrostatic 200V, KSA1200 Energizer).Etymotic ER4SR (Single BA, 45 Ohm, 96db Sensitivity).Housed in a solidly built and robust aluminium chassis, topped with glass on the back and front, the design and form factor of the Eagle is compact, sleek and premium.3.5mm: 2.0 Vrms into 600 Ohm, 1.4 Vrms into 32 OhmĢ.5mm: 4.0 Vrms into 600 Ohm, 2.0 Vrms into 32 OhmĪudio Formats: DSD 64/128, DoP DXD 384/352.5kHz,PCM 384kHz, MQA 384 kHz Using a Gold Plated 4 layer printed circuit board, super low ESR tantalum capacitors and high grade power supply design components, this ensures you have great sonic quality with low noise across the whole frequency range! The Eagle's great mix of technicality and musicality also allows you to listen to every detail while enjoying the music! The EarMen Eagle features an extremely well implemented ESS ES9280 C Pro SABRE®DAC, which includes HyperStream®II modulation for great sound quality and stable sound field, and also has a total harmonic distortion and noise rating of less than 0.002%, keeping the audio signal pure! Made in Europe High Performance Portable Dac + Preamp + Amp!

Earman dac