>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<
INTRO:
We never forget the first time… Yes, this is the first DAC/AMP dongle that AUNE is putting on the market, the AUNE YUKI. For me, it’s always a great satisfaction to be able to test AUNE’s products, because they have a lot of good products in their portfolio, to mention, the AUNE Jasper, an IEM that I consider a reference in tonality, I even dare to say that it would be a great IEM for studio monitoring.
AUNE innovated with Yuki, this dongle has a structure of two separate layers: one with the digital circuit of the DACs, and another bringing the totally analog amplification circuit. The amplification board has 4×4 = 16 integrated transistors.
AUNE’s reviews: Jasper, Flamingo
Official price: $169 USD
Colors: White
AUNE Links:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFZ0t3f
https://mall.auneaudio.com/Yuki-USB-DAC-with-Headphone-Amp-p23995973.html
SPECIFICATIONS:
– DAC Chip: Cirrus Logic Dual CS43198
– Input: USB type C
– Outputs: 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced
– Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz +/-0.5dB
– THD+N: 0.00028%
– SNR: : -117dB
– Noise floor: 3.47uVrms
>> Single-Ended 3.5mm Output:
– Output level: 2.0Vrms
– Noise floor: 2.6uV
– THD+N: 0.00036%
– Output power: 90mW@30Ω
>> Balanced 4.4mm Output:
– Output level: 4.0Vrms
– Noise floor: 2.9uV
– THD+N: 0.00033%
– Output power: 160mW@30Ω
– UAC 2.0 and UAC 1.0
– Supports: PCM 32-Bit/768kHz, DSD256 (Native)
– OS compatible: iOS/Android/Windows/Mac
– Cables included: USB-C<>USB-C (10.5cm)(top to top)
– Adapter included: USB-C>USB-A
– Dongle size: 5.3cm[H] x 2.4cm[W] x 1.3cm[D]
– Dongle Material: Aluminum alloy + Glass
– Dongle weight: 25.9g
– Cable weight: 6.2g
– Total weight (packaging, dongle, etc): 79.5g
DEVICES USED:
– AUNE Jasper
– Tin HiFi P1
– FiiO M11S
– MotoZ3Play
– Dell Inspiron (W10)
UNBOXING:
PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful equipments I’ve ever tested, from the packaging to the final product. It’s really cool to be able to see the internal circuit of the dongle. As mentioned in the intro, the Yuki is divided into two layers: one layer that houses the electronic components of the amplification, and another layer that houses the electronic components related to the signal conversion part (DAC). The layer that we can see through the glass is the part responsible for the amplification.
Let’s talk about the construction of the Yuki. For me, a major highlight of this dongle is its tiny size, it’s certainly one of the smallest dongles with this 3.5mm & 4.4mm config that I’ve ever been able to test. I think it’s tied or very close to the size of the DD HiFi TC44C. The smaller the dongle is, the better it will be in terms of portability (in my opinion). For use with smartphones then, size is very important. The Yuki is coated with an aluminum alloy, all ends are well polished, without sharp edges, the body is very robust, it has the aesthetics and the finish that certify it as a premium product.
In terms of weight, we can see in the specifications that it gave 25.9g, which in my opinion is within the acceptable range, especially for a dongle with two outputs, an implementation of 2 PCBs, and 16 transistors! I confess that I have tested lighter dongles, the FiiO KA5 itself has a weight of approximately 19g in the specification. The term PCB (Printed circuit board) is nothing more than the board where the components are implemented. In the case of Yuki, the PCBs are made of ceramic.
As far as I know, till this moment, AUNE has only produced the Yuki in white, I am not aware if they are going to release a version in black, but I don’t think so, something tells me that they chose not to use this color so that the product wouldn’t be associated with the competitor: Questyle M15.
Control buttons. The back of the dongle has two physical buttons, one “all white”, which represents the volume down (-), and another with a “golden dot” in the center, which represents the volume up (+). In addition to being able to increase and decrease the volume, these buttons have two more specific functions: Change the UAC mode, and change the gain mode. In the UAC’s case, I’ll talk about it in the following paragraph. As for the gain, to change between low gain and high gain, just press the + button and the – button at the same time for 2 seconds and the gain will be changed.
USB Audio Class. This dongle has compatibility mode in UAC 2.0 and UAC 1.0. The UAC is the type of protocol used by USB ports to run high-resolution files, the UAC 1.0 is able to run PCM files up to 24bits/96kHz and the UAC 2.0 can run larger files, like PCM 32bits/384kHz (superior), or DSD256 files, for example. By default, the Yuki already comes in UAC 2.0 mode, so, if you need to change to UAC 1.0, just hold the volume + button for a few seconds (the device needs to be connected, ex: Nintendo Switch).
The Yuki has independent volume control, that is, you have two volume controls, one on the dongle and another on the smartphone (Android), so, you have a different volume scale on each device. On Android we have the 15 levels of volume, on the Yuki I did a test here and I believe there are 60 levels of volume. I say “I believe” because I didn’t see anywhere the info saying that there are 60 levels, I tested manually, but by decreasing the volume by 55 I was no longer hearing any sound, so I approximate it to number 60.
One detail that I think the company let escape was the lack of a RGB LED on the product. From what I tested, I didn’t see any. It’s kind of a trend to have some LED to inform if the product is On, Off, or what sampling rate is being played. It’s possible that they thought about not putting it because of power consumption, but honestly I think the consumption of a LED would be very low.
Battery consumption on the 3.5mm output. Using the AUNE Jasper, the battery consumption was 12%. The smartphone I used has a 3.000mAh battery. The test was performed during 1h of playback with the screen off and WiFi off (airplane mode). The volume was set at level 12 of the 15 available on Android. The dongle volume set at max.
Battery consumption on the 4.4mm output. Using the Tin HiFi P1 (OG), the battery consumption was 13%. The test was done in the same way as the previous one, the only difference was the volume at level 13 of the 15 available on Android. Remember that this is a simple test just to get a base, these aren’t extremely accurate numbers, including, the battery of this smartphone is no longer as it came from the factory…
Dongle heating test. During the time I evaluate the battery consumption, I also evaluate the surface of the product to see if it is heating disproportionately. On the 3.5mm output, the dongle got warm, something noticeable, that is, it’s already a dongle that you can be aware that it will heat up. On the 4.4mm output, I thought it got even warmer. Isn’t something to be concerned, but I’ve tested dongles that practically didn’t heat up. Also take into account that I tested the product on a warm day and in a warm time of the year, this certainly influences the situation a bit.
Accessories. Included accessories, the Yuki comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. The quality of the USB-C cable is great, besides being very beautiful and having a silver-coated braided wire. The cable and adapter kit that the company provided I found very good, mainly because I only use dongle with Android smartphones or Notebook, now, I think they could have included a cable for Lightning (Apple) connection, and then the kit would be more complete (in my opinion).
The Yuki has another accessory that is sold separately, which is the protective leather case (synthetic). The protective case is available in two colors: orange and dark green. The case is really very good, the dongle fits well inside it, there’s nothing to criticize, just praise. You can find the product in the links I that put at the beginning of the review.
When I put the Yuki on my notebook (W10), the dongle was recognized immediately, I didn’t need to install any driver. If anyone needs to install the driver, here I put the page to download: http://en.auneaudio.com/index.php?s=/Home/Article/lists/category/72.html
User manual page (in English): http://aune.hifidiy.net/aune_en/Yuki/YukiSMSen.pdf
SOUND ASPECTS:
It must be remembered that this analysis is subjective, based on my experience with the product and also on the synergy with the other equipment I used here. I also already inform you that the more objectivist part of the hobby isn’t really my beach, so it may be that some information can be limited, I don’t have much knowledge about the technical side of this type of product.
I’ve tested a bunch of dongles during my journey, and nowadays I’ve only been finding equipment of excellent quality, the AUNE Yuki follows the same premise, audio quality at an excellent level. The Yuki came equipped with the DAC chip from the company Cirrus Logic, model CS43198. Two DACs were implemented so that the dongle could run the balanced system on the 4.4mm output. I’ve tested other equipment with this same DAC used in the Yuki, and all of them were top-notch equipment.
I spent some days using the dongle, and during all this time of listening, the Yuki proved to be a dongle of excellent performance, having a very transparent, very clean, very defined, and high-resolution sound. I didn’t notice any distortion, coloration, background noise or strange sound during this time that I evaluated the equipment. AUNE already has a vast know-how when it comes to DACs and amplifiers, only High-End products! I myself have had the opportunity to test the AUNE Flamingo and I can guarantee that the audio quality that the brand delivers is excellent.
Gain mode. At first, I thought the dongle didn’t even have a gain feature, this is because we don’t see a specific button on the equipment for this purpose, but only after looking at the manual did I find out. As already mentioned in the physical aspects, you need to press both volume buttons at the same time. Look, I’ll tell you that I was quite impressed when I activated the feature. With the Jasper connected to the Yuki and the gain activated, at 35% volume I thought it was already enough for me, at 50% the dongle was quite loud, from there I increased just a little more and then decreased, it’s impossible to reach the maximum and not be worried about hearing (dongle connected to the notebook). The feature was very welcome, the power increase was very significant. This was the big surprise of the dongle, and on the positive side, the sound really gains prominence when the gain is activated.
Amplification. So, if we look at the specification, the Yuki might seem like a “normal” dongle, 90mW on the 3.5mm output and 160mW on the 4.4mm Bal output. However, in practice, things are better than the specifications. I’m not sure if it’s something related to the equipment’s analog amplification system, but the Yuki is a dongle that I found to be quite powerful, especially considering when we activate the gain feature. With the Jasper on the 3.5mm output, the IEM played easily, and when the gain was activated, the IEM elevated the sound to another sphere, the sound became very powerful, full. The feeling I had was as if I was listening to music on a speaker from afar and suddenly brought the speaker close to my ears, that is, it not only gets louder but also increases physicality. I can guarantee that on the 3.5mm output, the Yuki was one of the strongest dongles I’ve ever been able to test. It easily beats products with higher numbers in the specification.
On the 4.4mm output, then I already think that the Yuki performed well but I confess that I have already tested dongles with more power on this output. My test IEM is always the Tin Hifi P1 (og), which is a somewhat complicated IEM to amplify. In my opinion, the Yuki managed to push the P1, now, as I said before, I didn’t have the same feeling I had with the 3.5mm output. With High Gain activated, the dongle achieves the best result on this output (4.4mm). My perspective here is being in comparison with other dongles that I have already tested and also in relation to the excellent performance of the Yuki on the 3.5mm output. Here in my tests with the P1 on the 4.4mm output, at volume 70 it already presented a very noticeable clipping.
Comparison with the FiiO M11S. First of all, it must be said that they are completely different products, the M11S is a DAP, has an internal battery, and etc, while the Yuki feeds off the energy of other devices, in addition to numerous other characteristics that may be a bit unfair to make this comparison… But anyway, it’s what I have here at the moment. Both pieces of equipment will be in High Gain mode. The volume scales are different in each one, on the Yuki I put 50% (of the 100), on the M11S 80% (of the 120).
Amplification. On the 3.5mm output the big winner was the Yuki and by a good margin, it was as if in a race the Yuki won in 1st place with its 90mW at 30 Ohms, and the M11S coming in 3rd place with its 200mW at 32 Ohms. That’s why I was so surprised by the power of this dongle on the 3.5mm output. I think it pushes any headphone with a 3.5mm plug. I tested the Yuki both connected to the notebook and connected to the smartphone, same result in both. On the 4.4mm output things are more similar, the only detail is what I reported in the paragraphs above, on the Yuki if we go up a lot on the volume scale, it will go into clipping, already with the M11S this issue doesn’t appear, even at max volume. Therefore, I think that the 4.4mm output of the M11S has a superior performance.
The sound of the equipment I understood as if the M11S was more warm-neutral, and the Yuki more towards the neutral-bright side. The detailing on the Yuki is a little more noticeable in the presentation. The M11S has a smoother sound, while the Yuki brings a little more energy. The Soundstage on the Yuki seemed to me to be a little more open. In imaging, I didn’t notice significant differences.
In summary, the AUNE Yuki enters in the list of dongles that I liked the most in my journey in the audio hobby. It delivered such an excellent result in amplification on the 3.5mm output, that it left me stunned, and then comes the thoughts: If I had only looked at the product specification, I could have lost the experience with this excellent dongle.
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