WATCH FULL REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/na7Am5zJ3LU

PRICE: $79

PROS: 

• Very small and ergonomic
• Well-built
• Lighweight
• Dedicated volume rockers
• Good quality Type-C Cable
• Gain Switch
• LED indicators
• Sufficient power for in-ears
• Minimal power draw
• Minimal heat generation
• Clean, neutral sound with good extension
• Solid pairing with brighter leaning IEMs
• Comes included with a type c to type a adaptor

CONS: 

• No up or down indicator on volume knobs
• No instructions for the gain and LED on manual
• LED is inconveniently placed
• Not the most technical sounding source
• Bad pairing with smoother IEMs
• Not enough power for hard to drive headphones

WHO THIS UNIT IS FOR: 

• People looking for a small, lightweight but powerful DAC
• People looking for a DAC with dedicated volume rockers
• People looking for a DAC with a gain switch
• People looking for a smooth but neutral sounding DAC
• People who want a DAC for brighter-leaning IEMs

WHO THIS UNIT ISN’T FOR

• People who want the most powerful DAC for the price
• People who want a technical sounding DAC
• People who want a more feature-rich DAC 
• People who want a DAC to emphasize details and technicalities
• People who want a convenient visualization of the LED

SHORT REVIEW: 

The DEW4X marks as a solid CS DAC that does everything you need and nothing you don’t. It’s very compact, well-built and has enough power to drive basically any IEM. It’s also perfect for those who are looking for a neutral-sounding source that smoothens the top end. It’s not the most technical nor the most transient sounding source, but this makes it an even more perfect pair for Simgot’s IEMs. RECOMMENDED!

FULL REVIEW:

A hallmark for a great brand means diversifying product offerings to capture a larger market. In audio, this means that besides their transducer-based products like IEMs and headphones, a brand would also like to offer other products like sources, cables and other products. 

Simgot, a brand many of you know for their earphones, has also dipped their toes in sources prior. Their DEW series is their source lineup that has not really taken the hearts like their IEMs have. But this only means that the fruit is ripe for picking if they so choose to compete in the source market. So, let’s talk about their latest entry to their DEW series, the DEW4X

DISCLAIMER: This product was sent over by Simgot in exchange for my honest impressions.  I was not paid. Rest assured, my thoughts and opinions on this product will be my own honest opinions and will not be affected by the facts beforehand.

Audio is a very subjective hobby and as much as I try to objectively explain my thoughts and opinions, your mileage will vary. My preferences will also affect how I perceive the gear that I review. Sources and other accessories will also modify your experience. Lastly, my reviews should always be used only as a guide and not as the definitive bible. Trust your ears to know what’s good.

THE SOURCE THAT CAN DEW IT ALL!

Priced at $79, the DEW4X plays it safe by offering the ever-so-popular CS43198 found in many of the dongles coming out recently. This means that it REALLY has to stand out with specific features in order to be competitive in today’s increasingly saturated source market. So what does the DEW4X offer? 

SPECS:

DAC Chip: CS43189 x 2

Input/s: USB Type-C

Output: 3.5mm SE / 4.4mm Balanced

Output Load:10ohms – 600ohms

SNR: 3.5mm (125db @ 32ohms) / 4.4mm (130db @ 32ohms)\

Distortion: 3.5mm (0.0005%@32ohms) / 4.4mm (0.0003%@32ohms)

Output Power: (RL = 32ohms, THD: N+<1%) 70mw x 2 3.5mm / 150mw x 2 4.4mm Balanced)

Frequency Range: 20hz – 40khz

UNBOXING: 

The DEW4X comes in a small, shiny box with a rather distinct looking X in front. Some of you may be reminded of a recently renamed social media site that you may or may not be happy with. Nonetheless, it’s quite an interesting comparison. 

Opening the box, you’re met with the DAC in its foam throne along with the rest of the accessories.

Here is a full list of the accessories:

• (1x) Simgot DEW4X
• (1x) Type C to Type C Cable
• (1x) Type A to Type C adaptor
• Paperwork

I never really expected dongle DACs to come with more than what you need, so I really don’t have much to comment on with the inclusions. The included cable, however, I’d like to talk about as it feels quite nice and sturdy. The adapter is also a nice but certainly required addition. 

BUILD QUALITY AND INTERFACE: 

There’s not a lot of information about the material of the DEW4X, but all I can say is that this thing feels surprisingly premium for how small and inexpensive it is. It has a full aluminum material with what seems to be a matte black finish, 

It is absolutely tiny with dimensions of 41.7 x 24.2 x 12.0mm. This ensures that this will fit in even your small IEM pouch, although it is on the thicker side so be wary of that when shoving it with your IEMs. 

A similar X that we found on the front of the box is seen on the top of the DEW4X. You can find the 4.4mm and 3.5mm jacks up front with the buttons on the left when the logo is top-facing and the jack in front. Below, you can find a rather odd print of the name of the DAC along with the decoding parameters and the tried and tested HiFi certification. Truly a HiFi product! And at the very back, we can find the Type-C input. 

There’s also a VERY tiny hole near the type-c connector, but this is largely unusable and inconvenient. 

My very small nitpick about the interface of the DEW4X is that the buttons have no indicator to know which lowers the volume or which increases it. This means awkward fiddling in the dark or even in light. It would’ve been nice if they had embossed it to have a tactile feel of which is + and which is -. Otherwise, I love the form factor of the DEW4X! It’s so small and pocketable which allows it to be very easy to transport and use as your daily source. 

USAGE: 

To somewhat centralize my review of this DAC, I’d like to introduce a couple of new parameters when reviewing sources. These include compatibility, features, sound,heat dissipation and battery drain. Sound will encompass the power output as well as the sound presentation. Let’s get started!

Ease of Use

At first glance, the DEW4X may seem like a very simple device that you just plug and play. However, if you have 0 knowledge about other DACs that feature the same chip as the DEW4X, you might completely miss the LED indicator and the volume rockers that also act as the gain switch.

The only things mentioned in the manual were the UAC setting as well as basic setup which are most likely the first thing someone would do upon getting the DAC. This had the effect of me not knowing there was a gain switch and how many volume steps there are until the last few days of my write-up. 

If a complete newbie sets up the DEW4X without knowing about the LED and especially the gain control, they’d probably be using only half the power of the DAC and not knowing if they’re decoding the right files or not. 

COMPATIBILITY: 

I personally had no issues with compatibility with the DEW4X. All devices tested worked, including my Huawei phone which is often finicky with certain DACs. Here’s a full list of the devices I tested the DEW4X on:

• Huawei Nova 7 SE
• HiBy R3 II
• HiBy R6 III
• HiBy M300
• My PC

Features: 

Below you can find the full feature-set of the DEW4X

• Dual CS43198 Chips
• UAC 1.0
• PCM 384kHz/32 Bit
• DSD 256

A rather basic set of features, but nothing that I’m not grateful for. There’s really no need for extra gimmicks if you can just put out good sound! 

It does feature dedicated volume rockers and an LED indicator that can only be seen through the jack or the very small hole near the type-c connector. The LED indicator can indicate the type of file being played (although it is not stated in the manual) if you’ve reached the highest/lowest volume and whether you’re in low or high gain. None of the LED functionality and even the gain modes are mentioned in the manual but are found on the website at the very bottom of the fine print. 

Heat Dissipation 

After 30 minutes of continuous play, I’m happy to state that the heat generated from the DAC is very minimal and is just naturally warm. I have no worries when touching the DAC after long listening sessions. 

Battery Drain

After 30 minutes of continuous play, I went from 100% to 96%. This means 4% per 30 minutes on average which is quite impressive. I was expecting around at least 6-8% already ticked down, especially with the power output of the DEW4X. 

SOUND

Power Output:

The DEW4X features a total of 31 ticks on its dedicated volume rocker. As for drivability, this was capable of driving easy IEMs with no hitches or issues as the volume goes low enough while being able to drive lower sensitivity IEMs like the KZ PR3 with a comfortable listening level of 23 ticks out of 29 on 3.5mm mode while going 18 ticks on the Letshuoer S15 on 4.4mm. This is quite impressive, especially considering the 98db of sensitivity from the PR3 that’ll surely get most sources chugging for power. 

NOISE

I did not experience any audible noise when paired with sensitive IEMs like the Letshuoer D13. All BA sets like the HiBy Yvain also proved no problem when it comes to potential noise when using more sensitive transducers. 

Sound Presentation:

The DEW4X has a generally neutral presentation with a slight emphasis on both the low end and high end without pushing the vocals too much. It gives the midrange a nice, open but articulate transparent presentation that doesn’t color the sound of the IEM much. It emphasizes extending and boosting both ends while smoothening potential peaks. This however comes at the cost of transient ability and a few dynamics, making these perfect for fast or bright-sounding sets that might come across as a little too snappy or edgy sounding. It doesn’t overly smoothen transients, but it’s distinct enough to notice when using it on sets like the KZ PR3 or their own Simgot EA500LM 

As for its technical ability, it doesn’t provide an overly analytical sonic presentation so separation and layering aren’t mind-blowingly exceptional. It is, however, very clean with how it separates instruments as there’s no added grit, grain, or roughness in instruments that some less refined sources showcase. 

Pairings: 

I’ve already stated the PR3 and EA500LM as the solid pairings with the DEW4X which should give you the idea that this is a source that would be nicely paired with brighter leaning transducers. It smoothens the top enough gracefully without making it sound dull or dark as it keeps the fundamental nuances. The boost in the low end also makes the bass region sound more alive and rich, but doesn’t meddle the midbass all that much so it stays clean. 

Where this isn’t as nice to pair with is darker, already smooth transducers. Something like the Tripowin Kailua or the Letshuoer S15 prefers a slightly brighter source due to their lush and smooth sonic presentation. The S15 fairs a little better thanks to its planar nature, but I personally preferred a brighter leaning source for that still. 

When using full-sized headphones like the Philipps SHP9500, it stretches all the way to 29 on some tracks and 26 on most on low gain and peaking at 25 on most tracks in high gain. It’s not necessarily lacking in terms of volume, but the headroom might be a little uncomfy fort some people. 

COMPARISONS:

Vs Hidizs XO ($99)

The XO is a rather peculiar DAC featuring dual ES9219C chips, RGB and different filter mods all with the change of a button. I personally prefer the form factor of the XO due to its slimmer, albeit larger design. Flatness and long is often more pocketable than small and stubby. 

As for features, the XO is ahead in some regards and behind in others. For example, RGB and digital filters. Do you need them? No. But are they cool? Absolutely. The DEW4X takes a more conservative but more functional approach with dedicated volume rockers. The XO also features MQA, but that is a dying/dead tech that the DEW4X would rather not have anything to do with. 

As for other features, XO boasts more like independent crystal oscillators which the DEW4X doesn’t explicitly state. 

As for sound, the XO features a brighter, more transparent sound with more defined transients and dynamics compared to the DEW4X’s smoother but well-balanced sound. I’d say that if you wanted something that brought details out better, the XO would be a better choice. However, sets with a brighter leaning tuning would prefer the DEW4X’s smoother sound. 

CONCLUSION

I’ll admit, the DEW4X exceeded my expectations as a dongle DAC. Despite being so small, it packs a lot of power and sounds very clean while at it. There was little to no noise and the sound quality is quite smooth but still well-extended. It’s not the most technical-sounding source, but I don’t think that it tries to be. It’s a comfortable, smooth, and versatile DAC for most if not all of your IEMs. 

It’s definitely not for those who are looking for something to power their full-sized headphones, however, as even on the SHP9500 it starts to lack a bit of headroom. The inconvenient position of the LED and the lack of instructions about it is also quite odd as I really feel like they could’ve implemented the LED better. 

Nonetheless, it’s a powerful enough DAC with a smooth enough sound to make it a great entry into Simgot’s source game this 2024. 

Thank you for checking out my full review of the Simgot DEW4X.  Big thanks Simgot for sending over the unit in exchange for my honest thoughts. If you would like to buy your own check out the non-affiliated link below: https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-dew4x

If you have any questions or concerns, contact me on my Facebook page or at obodioreviews@gmail.com

Enjoy music and have a great day!