VE Prime DAC & RUNABOUT 2BFE Pure Amp Review & Comparisons

[@matusjurcik6974]

25:30 thats what I say all the time, soundstage is not only about the power its more about that sound character of a certain unit.

[@paolozafra5499]

I've been waiting for this review for quite some time because I can't find anything online about the prime and runabout. Thank you Andy.

[@AndyAudioVault]

Glad I could help!

[@fiddlix]

Great review. Mine finally came in. I only made one mistake. I ordered the Prime DAC and the Runabout/ Warp Core separately. I didn’t realize there was a value bundle until way after my stuff had shipped. My fault for sure. I’m loving what I am hearing with this stack. Thank you for the excellent rec.

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks David. I am equally happy to have this wonderful stack which see regular usage over others that I own

[@saij0n]

Excellent in depth sharing/review. It really helps in understanding where this sits when doing the various comparisons.of "stacks"

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks!

[@muhamadsyazwan5170]

Thanks Andy for the comparison!

[@gogo8033]

Yeah, Topping focus on measurements and ifi sounds like that🫢, the Madoo Typ512 iem and Hiby R6 pro ii is something worth trying by the way.

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

Thank You ❤

[@AndyAudioVault]

You're welcome 😊

[@tc9929]

Wonderful intro ! How does this stack compared to DACPort HD purely on sound signature and soundstage ?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks. DACport HD has a bit of "warmth" to the note weight in comparison to Prime DAC. Soundstage is wider on Prime DAC however. But if RA2BFE taken into perspective, then we are talking about wider and more spacious headroom

[@xrypro4080]

Great review. Can i run RUNABOUT 2BFE directly from power source? It is a bit of hassle to charge the battery pack once every few days. By the way, I just ordered Prime DAC upon your recommendation. Cant wait!

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks! Yes you can but it is actually not recommended by VE. The Warpcore is intended to offer the cleanest power feed really and if you run directly, it may be subjected to household electric sort of irregularities

[@frankmiller8393]

Hi Andy Fran here from the UK. I have the VE Megatron and 12 Dongle Dacs including the Cayin RU7. Re the Runabout and Primedac would it be a upgrade on the RU7 ?? Just to clarify can you use the Prime Dac and Runabout as a portable unit. I would be sat down when listening to the unit not walking around. Have a great New Year Andy. My son is in Hong Kong until Thursday is there any budget audio bargains there he should purchase for me in Hong Kong? Best Regards Frank

[@AndyAudioVault]

Happy New year to you and family Frank. Unless you are pushing for something that sings the best with 3000mW of power like Fostex T40RP MK3 or Sennheiser HD650, then RU7 already offer the sort of quality you can expect from Prime DAC + R2BFE. So in short, you are not missing anything really with RU7 because it operates at the highest level possible in that form factor. HK has a lot of stuffs, I would say that if your son can find something like SINGA Nightingale or Hidizs MP145 at better than online price, go for it

[@frankmiller8393]

Many thanks Andy for your expert advice. Have a great New year. Frank

[@gedfield9412]

Thanks, that was a great review. Forgetting all other considerations. How does it sound compared to HIBY FC6

[@AndyAudioVault]

FC6 has denser note weight and a bit more on the analog sound aspect. But Prime DAC has wider soundstage

[@gedfield9412]

@@AndyAudioVault thanks for the advice, love your reviews. I also appreciate a more analog sound because the digital glare is so irritating.

[@rafidulalam4345]

As Previous site is gone, is it possible to share the dongle ranking list via a link to Google doc or Google sheet file?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Yes a simple list will be put up later

[@ganshengkai7060]

should I get this or FiiO Q15?

[@AndyAudioVault]

I would not know about Q15, haven't tried it

[@sydbarrett5289]

I also choose between these DACs. What did you buy in the end?

[@ganshengkai7060]

By the way, I been waiting my prime IE Max for 1.5 years, I feel like I been scammed.

[@VanDungLe2510]

Ve seems to make a lot of good p/p stuffs

[@angelopolcaro5508]

Thank you, your reviews are always very precise and useful. My question is... is it worth buying just the Runabout 2BFE to use it with various dongles? Have you tried using it with the dongles you own and what difference do you notice when using the Prime DAC? Following your reviews I created a decent collection of dongles (including the best ones you reported) that I could find by connecting them to the Runabout 2BFE. My main dongles are: M15-RU6-RU7-W1-W4-GO bar-DC04PRO-PAW S2-Kuang Pai Plus4-UA3. Does it actually make sense to buy it for dongles? Thank you

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks. You must remember R2BFE was designed from the ground up to be the purist companion to Prime DAC, as such it only comes with 4.4mm BAL input and in order for you to use it with other DACs, you need to get 4.4 to 3.5 interconnect. But should be perfectly fine if you have 4.4mm dongles like the W4, W1, GO Bar, DC04 Pro and especially S2 or RU7 which offers 4.4 true lineout. R2BFE is a transparent uncolored amp on top of being super powerful, so I am confident synergy would not be an issue here

[@rizkykusnanda9372]

Hello Andy, for you which is better 7hz 71 or tempotec sonata hd pro from technicality, body and note weight, and dynamic?

[@AndyAudioVault]

HD Pro has very marginal improvement over 71, VERY marginal otherwise they are on par, the sort of difference that is hard to notice

[@satryaadi5094]

thanks for the review. it really help me to choose who is the king in dongle madness😂. i think I am gonna buy the prime only, (limited budget), I have JH Audio Lola and UM ME1, I think the prime is enough. for being a dongle 😂

[@AndyAudioVault]

You will like it even on its own

[@satryaadi5094]

may I Ask about Prime DAC compared with some of analog sounding dongle like, Cayin RU6, RU7, Hiby FC06. That R2R dac? which give me the bass that is natural but not overpowered, mid that sound resolving, clear, and emotional. And somewhat not peaky high. I really hate peaky high. Sorry for asking too much.😂

[@AndyAudioVault]

@@satryaadi5094 The sort of thing you asked is more applicable on the IEMs/Headpnones side, sound characteristics are ultimately determined by the connected partners (at least 80% of it). A great DAC will always try to be neutral and uncolored, as natural as possible without trying to alter the sources. Such is the case for the dongles you mentioned. But they do differ in the way they present dynamics, of which FC6 and DAcport HD offers the richest texture among them all, and very closely followed by RU7/W4/B1 etc. I would also suggest that perhaps you need to use EQ if you insist on keeping the same listening device, that's what EQ for , to tune things up to the listener preferences

[@satryaadi5094]

@@AndyAudioVault thanks for your time

[@Avdeupol]

Good afternoon Andy!.Tell me, the VE Prime DAC without the complete RunAbout 2 BFE amplifier, will it work normally from a laptop and from a smartphone with a 5000 mah battery? (So far there is not enough for a full set, but with the hope of someday purchasing all the parts)?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Yes it will work properly and you don't even need a battery. Just plug in and it works

[@Avdeupol]

@@AndyAudioVault Thanks Andy

[@cadmiumpureland]

So, this is a class A amplifier? Regarding the SPIDF digital input, does it support coaxial connector? Thanks for the review. U really goes in-depth to explain the performance of this great DAC AMP combo. 🙏✌️👍

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks. Runabout 2BFE is Class AB. As far as I can see, the SPDIF is both Optical and Coaxial, so it's an amazing option

[@cadmiumpureland]

@@AndyAudioVault Thanks a lot. 🙏

[@Avdeupol]

Hi Andy! There is another important question. I know that you like the ONIX Alpha Xi 1 DAC. But which is better in terms of sound VE Prime DAC (without amplifier) or DAC Onix Alpha Xl1? We do not take into account the form factor, we only compare the sound. I am looking for a good sound and rely on your taste.

[@AndyAudioVault]

Easy, ONIX Alpha XI over Prime DAC. Minor differences and closely matched but I always prefer ONIX Alpha XI over Prime DAC (standalone mode)

[@Avdeupol]

@@AndyAudioVault Thanks Andy!

[@matusjurcik6974]

So when we use prime dac only as a DAC/amp combo we basically run it as a single ended unit, single ended circuit right? And it is still better compare to a megatron with its balanced output, cause megatron is true balanced right? .....

[@AndyAudioVault]

Yes that's correct. The 3.5mm SE is in fact a combined L- and R- of the dual DAC circuit. Sort of to allow those who wish to run Prime DAC on its own. But it is still very powerful. It is also more refined than Megatron 4.4mm or 3.5mm. Prime DAC is truer to balanced circuit because it operates two planes of DACs instead of singular stream on Megatron

[@matusjurcik6974]

@@AndyAudioVault sounds good, thanks ✌

[@ClumsyMercenary]

thanks for the review. is it worth buying the prime DAC over the ibasso dc03 pro? my most demanding pair of headphones are only AKG k612pro

[@AndyAudioVault]

Fist of all, the tuning for DC03Pro is different from Prime DAC. DC03Pro is a bit colored and vibrant while Prime DAC is flatter sounding, neutral and transparent. You need to understand which sort of sound you like more. What Prime DAC does offer better is the headroom and soundstage which is more spacious and airier than DC03Pro. Otherwise you can't go wrong with any one of them

[@matusjurcik6974]

output of the megatron isnt that crazy powerful, I mean ... that loudness is also because of the crazy high digital gain instead of the crazy high ,,power,,. Power is very good indeed, though.

[@sydbarrett5289]

Good review!

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks!

[@Shozimus]

Each time I their stuff I think about blind ordering the VE Defiant. Sadly not much info on the web from a user perspective on this one.

[@AndyAudioVault]

Join their FB Group and you will meet many users to ask

[@pappsa8]

One thing more Andy! I own the dc06pro ibasso ,which i really like and keep them! But my eyes on the prime dac too! Do you think the prime dac can be better sound or at least much different than the dc06pro or your favourite dongels?

[@AndyAudioVault]

If you want something which offers a bit of different sound presentation, then yes Prime DAC would be a good addition, DC06Pro is tuned with modern sort of Hi-Fi sound, crisp and energetic, Prime DAC on the other hand offers something which I consider as more analog sounding, if that is something you want to try then yes

[@pappsa8]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@AndyAudioVaultyeah, i would like some analog-ish sound too,but with more power than dc06pro! Dc06pro handles my dan clark planar (closed x) pretty well,but i know with a little more power the bass will more satisfy! I just need them a pair of nice dongles on the go which are not that expensive! I give a shot to the prime dac! Thanks Andy !

[@angelopolcaro5508]

Hi, sorry to bother you but I'm here with another question about the RA2BFE and that is how do I know when I need to recharge the powerbank? Is there some light that changes color or something? Or do I have to do it when it doesn't turn on anymore? Thank you. Now I'm trying a new dongle that seems very interesting even if it's not very well known, the Kuang Pai Pus4... let's say it's in the middle between a DC04PRO and an L&P W2, but with the price of the former.

[@AndyAudioVault]

There's no indicator for that. You need to remember when the last time you charge it and as a rule of thumb, if you use something demanding like a magnetic planar headphone, use R2BFE for 24 hours and then charge it to keep optimal power

[@bentobox3140]

Couldn't find a megatron review on your channel. Do you recommend it for full sized headphones like HD600? Planning to use one in the office

[@AndyAudioVault]

That was long time ago, a review in written format on my #donglemadness site, so I don't have it here. For HD600? Megatron was built and developed around the suitablility to drive HD600/650, more than enough power and synergy

[@bentobox3140]

​@@AndyAudioVaultthanks! Just got mine yesterday. Occasionally there's a loud harsh beeping sound and static when plugging into PC. Sorts itself out after I plug it in and out again tho. Great aside from that one flaw

[@Manxxz.]

have u paired prime dac + ifi zen can amp? Is the output sound of this combination more synergi and more analog than prime dac + 2bfe which is seen more analytically?

[@AndyAudioVault]

No I haven't, I already sold off ZEN Can because it is narrow sounding for a supposedly very powerful Class A amp. 2BFE is better in every way at least for me

[@Manxxz.]

@@AndyAudioVault according you perspective, the narrowness soundstage is from the ifi zen v2 dac or from the ifi zen can amp?

[@AndyAudioVault]

@@Manxxz. both

[@Fear_BFG]

tight budget here, can just buy the standard prime dac correct? these are my endgame iems to use it with, kz pr2, simgot ea500 and lastly tangzu heyday

[@AndyAudioVault]

Yes. Just use the 3.5mm SE on Prime DAC and you are golden

[@sebolla9791]

Is it possible to choose between spdif and usb data when both are connected?

[@AndyAudioVault]

I wish I know because I don't have any SPDIF device to test. Sorry

[@sengchoichan5458]

For iem use only, do you recommend prime dac or prime dac+runabout 2bfe? For the full stack is volume level an issue since iem do not need so much power?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Prime DAC is more than enough for IEMs only, just use the 3.5mm SE port. The full stack is not an overkill for IEMs since the volume management for R2BFE is quite refined

[@marcelpfeiffer6587]

Great review of a very interesting desktop solution, thanks a lot.

[@AndyAudioVault]

Thanks Marcel

[@pappsa8]

But the specs says the prime dac has also 3w power,just not saying at how many ohms!! So prime dac should close to the power as the ra2b!? Or not?

[@AndyAudioVault]

This one I am afraid you need to ask Wild Lee or VE themselves, sometimes I am not clear on the power specs of these devices

[@pappsa8]

@@AndyAudioVault not a bad idea

[@ientran4974]

can you compare ru7 and hifiman hm901r ?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Sorry, I don't have HM901R

[@MrJono-i8c]

is the prime dac output power without 2bfe the same as the megatron power based on u usage experience?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Megatron is a bit more powerful because it has 4.7 VRMS, Prime DAC is set to 4 Vrms max and designed more for the purpose of being cleaner sounding for highly sensitive stuffs. But otherwise I will say both are still very powerful even for the 3.5mm SE

[@MrJono-i8c]

@@AndyAudioVault I have seen ifigobar specs, it has up to 7.2 vrms .. is the output of this dongle bigger and synergi than prime dac?

[@AndyAudioVault]

@@MrJono-i8c On paper yes, the numbers are higher for GO Bar, but the 4 Vrms of Prime DAC is really powerful already

[@omoveja8185]

This stack vs Cayin RU7 ? And only the Prime DAC vs the RU7 DAC ?

[@AndyAudioVault]

They are evenly matched quality wise on sound. So you can't go wrong with any one of them

[@m.hd.yt.]

which one is better between kz zvx and tangzu waner?

[@AndyAudioVault]

First of all, they offer different sound tuning. Wan'Er Sg is great of you want smooth warm sound, but if you want close to neutral and more resolution, ZVX has it

[@julianfrancofarinas4280]

How does the Prime dac compare to something like an SMSL SU1?

[@AndyAudioVault]

I would not know, as noted my experience with other desktop DACs are limited.

[@julianfrancofarinas4280]

@@AndyAudioVault THANK YOU! May I also ask if you have any other alternative to the RUNABOUT 2BFE Pure Amp?

[@AndyAudioVault]

@@julianfrancofarinas4280 Hard for me to recommend anything in particular because I am primarily on dongles for almost 3 years now. Bur perhaps it's a good idea to check JDS Labs or iFi xCan?

[@aiishhtea8517]

abang, ada plan buat review epz tp30 ?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Not for now

[@rafeezrazi92]

i already have zen dac..what is ur opinion if i use zen dac as dac and connect to runabout

[@AndyAudioVault]

What you will be doing is amplify the ZEN DAC sound, it will still sound like a ZEN DAC, because RA2BFE is a transparent amp. But if you already like the sound of ZEN DA, then it will work just fine for you

[@rafeezrazi92]

@@AndyAudioVault ra2bfe transparent like your favourite amp, topping a50s?hahahhaha

[@AndyAudioVault]

@@rafeezrazi92 lol. Topping is beyond transparent, it is clinical sterile and suitable if you intend to analyze music, not necessarily wanting to enjoy it haha

[@Ganj0s]

is it possible to listen to hd650 headphones with prime dac? Does it have enough power?

[@AndyAudioVault]

From the 3.5mm SE yes, you get proper volume for proper loudness, but don't expect full potential. It is more for more efficient partners. Prime DAC is designed as pure DAC for Amp partnership and the true potential is from the LO to VE Runabout or any good amps

[@Ganj0s]

Thx

[@zDennii]

Would be the prime dac a upgrade over a shanling dongle ? Would like a desktop dac that be more neutral, just only used the shanling ua3 yet. And after reasearch , did you tried Megatron with an Iem but between it a ohm adapter? Does it would help for noise? because they recommend the Megatron with Monk, that was my crazy idea :D Which Monk do you recommend for first try or better value? Thanks Andy great review :) finally some Ve stuff :P

[@AndyAudioVault]

Yes of course Prime DAC is an upgrade over Shanling UA3, easily. For Megatron to make it work with sensitive IEMs, 75 Ohm is what I use for anything under 24 Ohm, but even then Prime DAC fixes that and perform better without the need for impedance adapters. Among the Monk lineups, I personally love Monk Go Final which I use frequently, because that thing is Diffused Field Neutral and totally flat uncolored similar to Etymotic ER4SR, perhaps a bit too flat for many people so I would suggest pick the more vibrant and colored Monk+ instead

[@zDennii]

@@AndyAudioVault Thanks :) Monk Go Final , was not in their website. By all the Monks, i was a bit confused :D well maybe I go for V2S or the Omega edition.

[@vamplestat]

do you have the RAP5?

[@AndyAudioVault]

Yes. RA2BFE is more refined than RAP5

[@vamplestat]

@@AndyAudioVault have you tried paring rap5 and prime? what i dont like about prime it is hot compared to megatron and it is always on if connected to the computer not like megatron.

[@AndyAudioVault]

@@vamplestat I never tried it. My RAP5 is not with me now unfortunately. Been using Prime DAC+RA2BFE over everything else on my PC for over a month now

[@vamplestat]

@@AndyAudioVault i just directly plug my prime dac like megatron without the amp.megatron goes to sleep mode if my pc is off not with prime still draws power

[@frankmiller8393]

Frank again. I shall be using a Android phone with USB 14:38 UAPP PRO software.

[@AndyAudioVault]

Yep, UAPP of HIBY Music (version 4.2.1 Build 5552). Any two of them are great

[@Josecunyat]

Your ears are screaming for a Aune s9c pro. And those T40RP too. Thank me later.