Violectric Chronos 5-stars Reviews

Better sound than stock output from devices

Well designed and compact. Easy to use (just read the manual then plug and play).

Great sound, more details compare to direct output from phone/laptop/computer, even with cheap earphone.

German quality

A minimalist package with the DAC and three adapters - USB -C, lightning and micro-USB.

The DAC itself is small and looks like a quality product (aluminium frame, glass panels). Not necessarily my cup of tea but it is well put together and finished. There are two small buttons that control the volume on one side. No clip, no balanced output. Just the USB-C input socket and a standard 3.5mm headphone output.

I have custom IEM and a pair of AKG K872, neither particularly difficult to drive, and the Chronos drives both indeed to satisfactory levels. It is not a neutral sound - there is a bass boost that works better with my customs than with my AKG - but otherwise balanced, with decent soundstage, a refined midrange and a smooth treble. There is no background noise and no hiss with my IEM. The sound quality beats all the portable solutions I have owned or tried so far (including AQ Cobalt) and, as someone mentions elsewhere, approaches entry level desktop quality.

Unfortunately the Cobalt used with the Lighting adapter in the box is not recognised by my iPhone 13 but works OK with my XS. Apple's 10£ adapter works without issues with both. As this is not a certified Apple product I assume it is either a compatibility issue (several portable DACs failed to work with the 13) or the lighting adapter in the box is not up to scratch. I decided to keep it because it works with the XS so it is not a DAC issue, although the whole point of purchasing it was to use it as a portable DAC with my IEM and iPhone. Maybe the iPhone 14 will have a USB-C socket and we can all get over this Apple Lighting nonsense.