Cozoy Takt-C Dac/Amp (USB-C Version) Review II – Second Look
INTRO
I understand the need for a good DAC, but it is typically the sum of all parts that determine the quality. DACs boosting about 120dB SNR sounds great on paper, but the final verdict is typically the noise output figure usually in the range of 100dB. This typically means the individual components should be transparent to the final product. So when I was given the chance to test an external USB DAC I was willing to give it a fair run down. My LG V30 and Cozoy Takt-C both have a similar branded DAC chip, the Sabre 9218P vs the 9018Q2C. I did find some differences between the two.
GOOD TRAITS
- Smallish
- Metal Casing
- Controls on the DAC for play/pause-track up/down, and volume up/down.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
- Cable not detachable (There is a Cozoy Takt Pro with exchangeable cables)
- Gets warm, reduces battery life (to be expected of external DACs)
- Does not support 4 pin TRRS headphones (But it does have its own built in controls).
TESTING APPARATUS
LG V30 (Built in Sabre 9218P) vs Cozoy ( Sabre 9018Q2C dac chip).
Desktop PC Realtek® ALC887 codec
Various IEMS, BQEYZ Spring1 & 2, Philips X2HR, Sennheiser HD6XX.
BATTERY LIFE (ESTIMATES)
Unscientifically, I let the phone play random tracks at a preset volume that was normal listening levels for me. It didn’t seem to matter the load I tested with 32ohm vs. 600 ohm headphones. It appeared to drain at a 0.22% rate for every minute used. Surprisingly, it drained faster when sitting idle at a rate of 0.33%/min. On my LG V30, that works out to about 7.5 hours, I think that it would probably be less then that in real world usage.
HEAT
Hovers between 105-110 deg F when running 32 ohm headphones.
SOUND
I find it noise free for the majority of earphones I used, however I do not recommend high sensitivity IEMs since you lose the fine resolution of volume control and gain hiss. The noise I am referring to is more of digital garbage the V30 seems to put out on its low volume settings. IEM’s such as the Final Audio E500 seem to benefit from a slight gain boost of the Cozoy Takt-C. On my V30, the Philips X2HR level 50 is equivalent to around 25% of the volume level of the Takt-C. My LG V30 does suffer some noise at lower volumes on dynamic classical recordings with a lot of silence, I notice the noise is gone when using the Cozoy Takt-C – big plus right there. Bass does get a bit more oomph that comes with some increases in headroom from more amplification, but it’s hardly noticeable. It does give the impression of a warmish signature over the built in Quad DAC of the V30, the V30 sounds brighter. It is definitely an improvement over typical smartphone output. No improvement in the soundstaging capabilities to my V30, if anything the treble feels a bit subdued and therefore reduces some of the ambiance.
Using something harder to drive such as my Sennheiser HD6XX, the Cozoy Takt-C can power it, but not to the desired output levels my O2 headphone amp can achieve. This results in an OK experience, but always longing for more. Treble sounds a bit grainy and plasticy.
Using my Windows 10 PC, installation was a breeze. Windows installed it quite easily. It does improve over the onboard sound, but it does sound a bit congested. I find it noise free again. Depth, layering and ambiance is improved over onboard sound.
Unfortunately, my music collection contains no DSD files so I am unable to test this, but take comfort in knowing the capability is there to handle 32bit 384khz DSD files.
OUTRO
If you have a need to improve your basic smartphone output, or you have low sensitivity headphones that you want to boost (doesn’t even need to be high impedance), then this could be a contender. I hear good things about some other portable DAC’s such as the Temptotec Sonata Pro HD at quite a bit less cash, but without comparing I cannot gauge the “value” of the Cozoy Takt-C. As for a desktop DAC, there are some others in this price range that I would look at (maybe OL DAC or Atom DAC), but I have no personal experience. I only think it is an improvement to my LG V30 in terms of low volume noise, but I also lose the auto high impedance gain switching, low volume step resolution and battery life. For those with a sterile weak sounding smartphone and would prefer a warmer boosted output, this could a contender for improvement. My verdict only represents my small sample size of different DACs.
SPECIFICATIONS
Output power: 1.5V RMS@32Ω per channel
Housing material: 6063 Aluminum Alloy
Input power: depend on device
Input: USB Type-C
Output connector: 3.5mm TRS Stereo earphone
SNR: 120dB
Cable length: 10cm
Power supply design, without built-in battery
*Takt C is device driving, driver may be required on some operating system.
MY VERDICT
You find an INDEX of all our dac/amp reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
I received this from Jürgen Kraus after his review found here…who have received the unit from HifiGo.
Get the Cozoy Takt-C at the HifiGo store
Product Page: http://www.cozoyaudio.com/takt-c
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
