#donglemadness

First dongle from Aune, the premium Yuki
Get Aune Yuki from Stars Picker (if you are in Malaysia)
shopee.com.my/AUNE-YUKI-Dual-...
Sections:
00:00 Intro & Price
00:57 Configuration & Build
05:30 Sound & Performance
15:12 Rating & Comparison
17:42 Timbre Signature
18:17 Final Words
Shot On:
- Sony Alpha A6700 (Native 4K50P XAVC HS 4.2.2)
- Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM (36mm APSC)
- Sony Xperia 1 IV (Close-Up)
- RØDE Wireless Pro
#donglemadness Dongle Ranking List:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
My Tidal Version Playlist:
tidal.com/browse/playlist/ba3...
My Gaming Channel:
/ @feveredpitchdelirium
My Twitch Channel:
/ fpdelirium

[@NamsStreams]

Andy is a godsend, always providing a very detailed and descriptive review. Very informative.

[@donglemadness]

Much appreciated!

[@EmmanuelJoulin]

He is amazing, in the best sense of the word !

[@andrejweiss]

Always enjoy watching your reviews, so detailed and easy to understand 👍

[@donglemadness]

Thank you!

[@bokomokoksarimanoktiktilaokkok]

Thanks for another review andy! Appreciated.

[@donglemadness]

My pleasure :D

[@clarkejones8090]

This is the second review I have watched from Andy, the first being of the Simgot DEW4X. What excellent reviews! Thank you Andy.

[@donglemadness]

My pleasure! Thanks for the support

[@defu8592]

just wanted to give you words of encouragement! Loving your content man, your a cool guy, your content is very concise and peaceful to watch. Keep up the great work man!

[@donglemadness]

My pleasure. And thank you! that meant a lot to me. Cheers

[@zygote8888]

Thanks for the review Andy 🙏🏼

[@donglemadness]

No problem 👍

[@paolozafra5499]

Thank you Andy. We appreciate you! 😊

[@donglemadness]

My pleasure!

[@_andoenk_]

Yuki! This dongle is on my bucket list beside DC04Pro

[@nailedit05]

Thanks Andy, amazing review ❤

[@donglemadness]

My pleasure!

[@MieluPL]

You're on point with this. :) Just replaced iFi Zen One with Yuki in my stationary setup consisting of a standalone DAC + Topping A90. This is just how good it is. Connected it through a 4.4 mm to 2x mini xlr cable I have been using with Zen One - compared, noise floor went down quite a bit, sound is just more real and sparkly.

[@hokagoteatimereviews]

Great review as usual Andy! They look really good 🙂

[@donglemadness]

Thanks! 😀

[@seanoreilly8603]

Great review Andy. I recently purchased the Aune AR 5000 open back headphones. Just wondering would this Yuki work well with them. I like a laid back softer sound and was thinking of the FC6 which you reviewed a while back. Thanking you.

[@donglemadness]

Thanks🙏 I don't have AR5000 to test so I don't know how it performs or what is needed to power it properly. But assuming that AR5000 is no more demanding than Sennheiser HD600 or HiFiMan Sundara, then absolutely AUNE YUKI I believe would be perfect for it especially if you are already running 4.4mm cable setup. Otherwise if you are only 3.5mm SE, then I would recommend HIBY FC6 instead. Cheers

[@ChicagoRob2]

This channel is the gold standard.

[@donglemadness]

Thank you!

[@damtran993]

awesome review as always Andy, may I ask, between this Yuki vs Shanling UA4, speaking of pure resolution & detail retrieval only, which one is better? Thank you xD

[@donglemadness]

Both are already 5 Stars, so both equally detailed and resolving, just that UA4 details imaging tend to be sharp and Yuki resolve it with a more polished edge

[@yds1133]

Hi Andy, thank you for your reviews. Sincerely appreciate it 🙏 I watch your videos and know you are a big fan of Chord. I have a question. For around the same price for Aune Yuki, we can get a used Chord Mojo v1. In terms of sonic performance, what is your recommendation? Where does Chord Mojo v1 stand in today's level when it comes to portable DAC. You have one of the most extensive experience and list of DACs and there is no one better i could ask this question 🙏

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. Mojo 1 will always be a legend and a reference, it is one of the most important catalysts for portable DAC/Amp that proves being small does not equate to being inferior. But since then especially the last 2 years Mojo is no longer unique in this portable territory, we have witnessed so many amazing small devices that defy logic. Aune Yuki is one of them. Having said that, Mojo has a more frontal presentation on top of being fluidly competent with technicalities, Aune Yuki on the other hand offer a more open and spacious sound with similar resolution and articulation to Mojo 1, it is less frontal and exhibit a tad more preferences to edge smoothness versus Mojo inclination for edge crispness. I hope that makes some sense to you

[@raynerstuelgalid]

Damn! I may have to look for a second job. Just bought the Hidizs Martha. Good review, as always. (I have an Aune X7s desktop headphone amp.)

[@donglemadness]

Thanks man. So many gears, so many thing to make our eyes go wild, lol

[@DarenLee]

Nice one Andy. Very lovely aesthetic minimalist ❤. Would recommend the product shots to be full screen size to appreciate the beauty of it 😉, despite most of your viewers are hear for technical aspects 😉

[@donglemadness]

Lol. Ok noted

[@Dremist]

Great video! I have a question... but of all the dongles that you reviewed, may I ask which dongle imo has the widest and organic sound stage?

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. On top of my head now, wide open soundstage is what you get from xDuoo Link2 BAL, iBasso DC04Pro, AKLIAM PD4 Plus, L&P W4, Cayin RU7 and of course this TP50. There may be more but after over 160 dongles, I tend to forget remembering them all, lol

[@marcelpfeiffer6587]

Hi Andy, thank youfor the review. I'm very impressed how far the dongle development went over the last 24 months.

[@donglemadness]

Once the market hit the right formula, it takes rinse and repeat of a proven build/design and implement it differently from one manufacturer to another - but the fundamental level has defintiely improved from the yester years

[@totorokitano]

Excellent review as usual!I was curious about this dongle before buing the excellent Hiby FC6 (just received and i liked it a lot).This one might be a good choice for my Letshuoer S15 (harder to drive for the FC6 (step volume on 26-27 (31 step volume max))

[@donglemadness]

Wow you need that high of a volume to drive a planar IEM?. that same volume level I only use when driving FULL sized planars like Fostex T40 RPMk3 or 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD600/650. How do you connect your FC6? do you use USB Exclusive mode with locked volume in HUBY App? or UAPP Bitperfect? at the very least you should always max out the volume on the host and just adjust on FC6. Anyway, if genuinely you need more loudness, then of course Yuki has ample loudness, I would even recommend you get AKLIAM PD4 Plus instead because they have high level of loudness

[@totorokitano]

@@donglemadness You were absolutely right, the voume was locked on the Hiby App!It's much better now ,thanks for your advice !

[@piolorayla2723]

Hi Andy, great review as always! I just want to ask if this goes well with IEMs such as Xenns Mangird Tea 2? If not, what DAC can you recommend for the Mangird Tea 2? Thank you very much!

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. The problem is I never tried Magrid Tea 2 so I would not know exactly how they would synergize, what I do know Yuki works wonderfully with any type of IEMs I thrown at it, that's why the rating is high

[@piolorayla2723]

@@donglemadness Noted on this. I hope you can review that IEM someday. Anways, Thank you verry much. I appreciate your reply.

[@siddhesh2888]

This is a very beautifully crafted dongle and I really want to get this for my Kefine Klanar but unfortunately it's way above my budget. I am confused between AkLIAM PD4 PLUS and Fiio KA13. Which do you recommend between these two?

[@donglemadness]

If you can get KA13 then I would go for that, nothing wrong with PD4 Plus but I feel that Klanar will appreciate the extra bit of power KA13 has

[@lukascechovic]

So power output of Yuki will be enough for Hifiman Edition XS, 18ohm, 91db, plannar headphones? Choosing my first dongle DAC. Thanks for nice reviews!!

[@donglemadness]

More than enough

[@VanDungLe2510]

Hi Andy. How would you say the Yuki is different from the RU7? Both of these has the same sound scores and the analog ranking.

[@donglemadness]

While the sound timbre is similar, RU7 has a bit more of edge crispness with imaging versus the polished decays of Yuki, which makes Yuki appearing more airy and RU7 crisper

[@TheMatrixxProjekt]

Got the Yuki a couple days ago and am very happy with the performance so far. The only dongle I have is the Moon River 2 and you can actually hear the difference between those two dongles similarly to a op amp based vs discrete desktop amp. Truly surprising given the size. I prefer Yuki over the Moon River 2 overall.

[@donglemadness]

Awesome. The same DAC can have variances especially how they are implemented and tuned. Yuki dual discrete amps design makes the difference

[@FrantaPo-bc5mu]

It is very interesting that Yuki can get so close to the big Burson amp. How does DC04Pro or others compare in this test? Also can you elaborate on what is the effect of Yuki on magnetic planars in comparison to other great dongles?

[@donglemadness]

A lot of 5 Stars rated dongles compete closely with to Burson Audio Playmate 2, especially FC6 and DACport HD (and now we have Yuki too). The X factor for Yuki as I mentioned was for planars because what I hear is Yuki ability to match transient speed and agility needed by planars almost as good as Playmate 2, Yuki does it better than DC04Pro or RU7 - the results being something like MP145 or Nightingale sounding more effortless and airier

[@pickcick1580]

Hi Andy, thanks for another nice review. How does Yuki compared to RU6, tone and technicality wise? Both are almost at the same price range nowadays. And how about the driving power (for majority IEMs only), since Yuki has only 160mW output while RU6 has 213mW at 4.4mm output. On your chart table you scored Yuki at 10 while RU6 at 8. Does it mean that Yuki has more driving power despite its lower output? Really interested in this Yuki, but a bit curious about its output power, cause it might has less headroom, which may create harshness and distortion if switched to higher volume. Any chance you have listened to Fiio KA17 and Aful Snowynight? Any spoiler, will there be any review on them soon? Thanks and cheers...!

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. Here's something to think about, HIBY FC6 is rated at just 160 mW and purely 3.5mm SE, yet it is the BEST sounding dongle even when driving 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD650/600 and 91 dB Magnetic Planar of Fostex T40RP MK3 with some headroom to spare. So the reality is, 90% of dongles now has the sort of power that drives pretty much anything I have thrown at it, anything from HiFiMan Sundara, HE400SE and all sort of difficult to drive headphones. Not only they have good headroom, they also sounded wholesome and full. Yuki is one of the many dongles that is very powerful than the size suggests, sound wise it is tuned similarly to RU6, which is analog and does not exhibit digital timbre. What Yuki does better than RU6 is soundstage and air, better sense of space, but then by that reckoning, RU6 is also a bit more frontal with the sound presentation

[@pickcick1580]

@@donglemadness Hi Andy, this is really insightful. Thanks for such detail and clear descriptions. Really appreciate your view indeed. You rock!!! Cheers.

[@user-ol6kf9zt8i]

Did you test it with bic cans if it can power some wdemanding headphones like 250 to 300 Ohms?

[@donglemadness]

Of course, if you watch the video I have tested it extensively with Sennheiser HD600 (300 Ohm), a headphone known to be demanding, and then the Fostex T40RP MK3, a 91dB magnetic planar headphone which is even harder and more demanding than HD600, and not forgetting HiFiMan planar of Sundara and planar of TAKSTAR HF580, all power-hungry cans. Yuki drive them all really well and not just for loudness, but sound authority and richness too

[@Josecunyat]

I wanted to ask about the quality of the sound when driving the t40rp. Not many amps can drive those headphones... I did modify some and I really enjoy they sound presentation and technicalities. But is quite hard to find a good dac-amp to drive them. Are you sure this small yuki can do the job???? and make them shine? really?

[@donglemadness]

Yes, absolutely. T40RP MK3 is my staple headphones that I have been using for almost 3 years now, not just Yuki, many 4 VRMS dongles can drive it properly and with good authority to the sound richness and dynamic, even the 2 VRMS Ovidius B1 does stellar job driving and synergizing with it. I have a 3000mW Burson Audio Playmate 2 Class A amp to compare and I know how they compares, I have also owned the stack of iFi ZEN DAC2 + ZEN Can (15 VRMS Class A), yet even a dongle like xDuoo Link2 BAL does the job as good as the stack that I am convinced enough to sell the stack and keep Link2 BAL. So yes I am beyond sure with this

[@andresvr8357]

Between the Yuki and the M12i, which has a bigger soundstage both in width and in the front? And which is more micro detailed?

[@donglemadness]

Between those two, the width and breadth is similar, Yuki does offer a bit more of sense with air and M12i a bit more frontal. Micro details equally matched

[@christiharris292]

Really excellent review! I have purchased the FC6 and RU7 based on your reviews and I love them both. Do you feel the yuki is a complimentary buy or to similar to the others? Appreciate your time!

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. FC6 is still my personal No.1 and that's an easy answer there for FC6. However between RU7 and Yuki, you may find that both of them are similar in many ways. Just very subtle nuances separate them and I would just simply say RU7 is crisper with imaging and Yuki does it better with polished airy decays

[@nukert658]

@@donglemadness I currently have an ifi zen dac v2 and an ifi go blu, I am looking to get something that is an upgrade to these but can also replace both of them, I think I would prefer to have bluetooth as an option but its not 100% necessary. Do you have any recommendations for me? Should I look to 1 of these little dac amp dongle things or should I go for something like a topping dx5 lite?

[@donglemadness]

@@nukert658 I used to have the stack of ZEN DAC V2 + ZEN Can, sold it off after a while because dongles like xDuoo Link2 BAL can do the job as good as the two of them, So you get the idea. For what you looking for, then I recommend FiiO BTR15, has similar sound presentation to Yuki (Yuki is a bit more airy), but you get BT on top of it

[@nukert658]

@@donglemadness Thanks so much I will look into these, I hope someone does a BT dongle that has a window such as yuki and m15, since childhood with things like nintendos transparent devices I have always loved seeing the internals. Is brt 15 a successor to the btr7?

[@donglemadness]

@@nukert658 I don't think so. BTR7 is higher priced with THX amp modules, using the same DAC. So they probably sound the same being siblings

[@andresvr8357]

Considera que este doongle es tridimensional? y de ser asi como sería, inmersivo, tal vez como si fueran unas bocinas?

[@donglemadness]

Yes, it is holographic if that's what you wondering

[@Malik08902]

Hi! When you will test fiio ka17?

[@donglemadness]

Soon I hope

[@npcsurvivor1785]

As nightingale user I curious what you mean sound like earbuds which is good? Can you explain more? Thanks

[@donglemadness]

Like earbuds means that there's a lot of airy decays and sparkle when Nightingale is paired with Yuki, more than most other dongles

[@GarethHailes]

What dongle would you recommend to use with the um mest mk2?

[@donglemadness]

Hard for me to precisely recommend which dongle for MEST MK2 because I never listened to it, but the rule of thumb, anything neutral and transparent tend to be the best options

[@aaakjhgfdswerty]

what mean dynamics and richness in score compare list?

[@donglemadness]

Dynamic is shortened abbreviation for "dynamic range of sound" the presentation of sound itself from the range of lows, mids and highs. The scoring is to gauge how the sound is being presented, be it with energetic vibrant approach or maturity or in worse case scenario just simply non coherent or resolving. Richness is the density of the sound itself, the body, does it offer good texture or definition? that's richness

[@koonseng8697]

Thank you andy for your review....does this dongle work the best to drive my hifiman ananda nano...not sure which dongle most suitable and sound the best for ananda nano...can help me to suggest which dongle work the best...?

[@donglemadness]

What is your current DAC/Amp? what do you find missing that you need to look for something else, we should start there and then it will be easier to determine if Yuki is the one you want. I don't have Ananda Nano so it will be hard for me the imagine how it sounds like. There's just so many options now and practically none of them bad, the quality in general has improved a lot over the last 2 years

[@koonseng8697]

I currently no own any dac or amp, just own my first planar headphone ananda nano.....ananda nano sound is bright neutral....now want to improve the sound for my headphone .....now want to decide to buy my first dongle ibasso dc04 pro or Yukio ......mostly listen edm sound and pop genre....

[@donglemadness]

@@koonseng8697 Well you must already have something to attach your headphone to? right? You want to improve sound you said so we need to know where you are at now. Anyway, to answer your question, yes absolutely a great choice to get Yumi for your Ananda, assuming that you can run it on 4.4mm BAL cable, because to get the most out of Yumi just like many other newer DACs now, they offer 100% power from the 4.4mm BAL, the 3.5mm SE only offer half the power and intended for driving sensitive IEMs. If you don't have 4.4mm BAL, then you can get HIBY FC6, my personal No.1 choice

[@koonseng8697]

@donglemadness thank a lot...you are the best reviewer in dongle...appreciate your answer and reply ...your video help me a lot ...to make decisions to buy my first dongle.

[@donglemadness]

@@koonseng8697 My pleasure

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

Hello!!!!!!!! You did not review MuseHIFI mk 2 only MuseHIFI mk 1. Right ? I wonder... Can MuseHIFI mk 2 be in 5-star column in your gorgeous google-sheet-doc ?

[@donglemadness]

Nope, I haven't so I would not know

[@xamui]

Excellent review as always. I hope you can review Muse Hifi M4 soon.

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. I hope so too

[@razz_v95]

Hii andy.. a quick comparison I would like to hear from you.. How is KZ Castor (silver) compared to EW200?? Thanks in advance.. have a great day..

[@donglemadness]

Castor Silver Harman as the name implies, is Harman tuned, so it is markedly tuned in a way to have supressed Midbass and more focus on Subbass. EW200 on the other hand is less Harman-ish where both Midbass and Subbass being balanced. The Midrange of EW200 is also a bit more frontal compared to Castor Silver

[@razz_v95]

@@donglemadness thank you so much Andy.. and what about the technicalities?? What would be your pick among these two if you want to gift someone??

[@donglemadness]

@@razz_v95 Technically equal for both for resolution, imaging and details

[@razz_v95]

@@donglemadness thank you Andy..

[@abratskeller]

Just got this to use while lying in bed in the dark, I was using a Questyle M15 but the LEDs were irritating and when I saw this didn't have any and the aesthetic was so good I just had to get it. I am actually surprised at how well the sound holds up against the M15, while the M15 I think has as better bass response I think the Yuki has a bit more separation and makes the music a bit more interesting, or at least different from what I'm used to. I'm a fan.

[@donglemadness]

Awesome :D

[@kjg_95]

I only used it for 10 minutes. I had to return it because the top came off where SE and BAL is. Build quality issues.

[@donglemadness]

That's really unfortunate

[@user-rs8gj1xs7l]

Andy you forgot to update the google sheet, the yuki is still not on there

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. Will update now

[@pmdthewizard]

The dongle is indeed very aesthetic really like it, but at this price I prefer the Moondrop Dawn Pro

[@sailortoni]

Tu crees realmente de esta a la altura ? 😅😂

[@ChicagoRob2]

The Moondrop Dawn Pro is really good.

[@sorcerermax5111]

How does this compare to BTR15?

[@Josecunyat]

Best question yet. Not answered yet. I am also interested in a response to this...

[@donglemadness]

Well that's an interesting one because BTR15 trade blows with Yuki for sound presentation one to one, except that I find Yuki to be just a bit more airy when driving planars, other than that I probably can't tell the difference if I were to test them side by side

[@andresvr8357]

Que tanta diferencia hay de escena sonora y holografia vs questyle m15

[@donglemadness]

Yuki has more open and wider soundstage compared to M15

[@andresvr8357]

​@@donglemadnessentonces si una vez me dijo que Yuki es un poco más holographico que colorfly m1p,¿en el ancho pasa igual,por lo tanto es mayor que questyle también?

[@donglemadness]

@@andresvr8357 Yes, Yuki is more open and wide sounding between M1P or M15. Yuki is both holographic and wide sounding