ЦАПы — Onyx Alpha XI1

The Alpha XI1 is a dongle-sized converter and headphone driver sold under the ONIX label, which belongs to Shanling. It hangs off a phone, tablet or computer by a short USB-C cable and offers both 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm outputs, with a small screen and hardware keys so settings can be changed without an app. Its launch price was USD 109, and a version bundled with a leather case is also sold. At chip level the CS43198 is rated for up to 130 dB dynamic range.

Key specs that matter

Two Cirrus Logic CS43198 converter chips run in a dual-mono layout, followed by two SGM8262 amplifier chips. Decoding reaches PCM at 32 bit and 768 kHz and native DSD256. The 4.4 mm balanced socket delivers up to 500 mW into 32 ohm with 0.8 ohm output impedance. The 3.5 mm single-ended socket gives 2.4 V into 32 ohm, equal to 180 mW, with 0.4 ohm output impedance, 0.0004 percent THD+N, 125 dB dynamic range and 126 dB signal to noise ratio. The body measures 63.8 x 32 x 14 mm.

Engineering and use context

The housing is anodised aluminium with heat sink fins along its sides, a black faux leather rear panel, a gold volume rocker and a multifunction button, and every connector is gold plated. A 22 mm monochrome OLED screen shows settings, with adjustable brightness and automatic switch-off, and an RGB light shows the incoming sample rate. The user can choose between two gain levels and among six digital filters, and media keys control playback on the host. The USB-C input works in both UAC 2.0 and UAC 1.0 modes, which covers Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Chromebook hosts. Shanling states a 30 percent lower power draw under load and an 80 percent reduction when idle compared with earlier designs, which matters when the dongle runs from a phone battery. On Android, the Eddict Player app adds a 10-band equaliser. The box includes a cloth-wrapped USB-C to USB-C cable about 10 cm long and an adapter for full-size USB ports.

Pairing

Sub-ohm output impedance on both sockets suits sensitive in-ear monitors with multiple drivers, whose frequency balance varies with the impedance of the source driving them. The balanced output gives the extra power for full-size headphones, while the single-ended jack serves most earphones directly from a phone.

Alternatives

The ONIX Mystic XP1 is a larger portable unit from the same brand with its own battery, with two AK4499EX chips and a Bluetooth receiver.