The ddHiFi TC44Pro review sample was kindly provided free of charge. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the ddHiFi TC44Pro is $79.99 and you can buy it from here.
ddHiFi
ddHiFi was established in 2017 and the founder of the company had working experience in both OPPO and FiiO. It is a well known brand that specializes in making high quality small sized USB DACs, various audio adapters, cables and accessories. The basic characteristics of all their products are that they are very well made and offer handy solutions for various connectivity issues that are commonly found in the personal audio world.
ddHiFi TC44Pro
The ddHiFi TC44Pro is a miniature USB DAC dongle with a balanced architecture, featuring two CS43131 DAC chips and a single 4.4mm headphone output. The ddHiFi TC44Pro is available in two versions with USB type-C and Lighting plugs.
This is the third generation in a series of similar products by ddHiFi that was inaugurated with the TC44B and then upgraded to the TC44C, both of them featuring dual CS43131 DAC chips. The TC44B had two balanced headphone outputs (2.5mm and 4.4mm) while the TC44C came with both single ended and balanced outputs. In this regard, the TC44Pro is more similar to the TC44A which has a single 4.4mm output but uses one CS43131 DAC chip. Pretty confusing eh?
For the TC44Pro and in order to improve the sound quality, ddHiFi has developed a symmetrical main board without openings where the headphone and the USB sockets are manually soldered with pure silver solder.
Sampling rates supported are 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256. The ddHiFi TC44Pro has a tiny indicator light that will turn blue for PCM and green for native DSD decoding but will not display the actual input sampling rate.
Power output and efficiency
The rated output power of the DAC is 120mW/32Ω, relatively low but definitely enough for the miniscule size which doesn’t allow the inclusion of separate amplification op-amps.
The ddHiFi TC44Pro offers a 4V full scale output that is the limit of the headphone amplifiers that are embedded in the two CS43131 DAC chips.
Thus said, the ddHiFi TC44Pro can easily drive efficient headphones, like the Sivga Luan, and does very well with sensitive earphones thanks to the noise free background and the output impedance which is as low as 0.12Ω.
The power consumption of the TC44Pro during playback is 0.08A/0.42W, more or less the same as similar USB DAC dongles, like the FiiO KA2 (0.08A/0.44W) or the Moondrop Dawn (0.08A/0.42W), and slightly more than the ddHiFi TC44A (0.06A/0.30W).
However, the TC44Pro is much more efficient at a pause state where the consumption drops to a mere 0.03A/0.19W when the FiiO KA2 and Moondrop Dawn consume the exact same amount of power during playback and pause.
Appearance
The shell of the ddHiFi TC44Pro has a wavy surface that is made of aluminum alloy with an elegant titanium finish. The back of the TC44Pro is covered with a special carbon fiber panel, a flexible and lightweight material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion and high thermal conductivity, which effectively protects the PCB board.
The outer dimensions of the ddHiFi TC44Pro are 30x18x12.5mm and the weight is 9g thus crowning it as the most lightweight and compact sized USB DAC dongle in the market with dual DAC chips and 4.4mm output.
The device is extremely well made and has a luxurious appearance that reminds of elegant jewelry. You can easily carry it around without the risk of losing it thanks to the leather lanyard that is included in the package.
Volume control
The ddHiFi TC44Pro doesn’t support independent volume control so you get 15 steps of volume adjustment when connected to an Android host device.
Thankfully there is a workaround that allows finer volume adjustments. What you need to do is to download the iBasso UAC application and grant access to the ddHiFi TC44Pro when asked to do so. The application bypasses the host internal volume control and offers 63 steps of independent volume adjustment.
Listening impressions
The ddHiFi TC44Pro offers stellar audio performance without missing much when compared to larger sized USB DAC dongles of the same category except some extra power that could help it to sound a little more dynamic and impactful.
The sonic character is neutral and balanced with a touch of warmness and a mild treble smoothness. ddHiFi has made a tuning that cleverly balances technicalities with musicality.
The sound is crystal clear and transparent, with excellent fidelity for the category, and at the same time musical and engaging with plenty of natural timbre. The naturally flowing sound is full of colorful harmonies and offers a good sense of realism without any significant artificiality.
The bass is surprisingly dynamic and impactful given the relative lack of output power. Competition can do better but honestly the ddHiFi TC44Pro offers a very satisfying performance given its miniature size.
Additionally, the bass is fast, tight and controlled with plenty of inline clarity and a rather weighty texture. Excellent low-end performance for the size as long as you use relatively sensitive earphones in order to avoid clipping the amplifier.
The mid-range is sonorous and expansive with plenty of resolution and refinement. An even and well balanced tuning with a touch of warmness and convincing timbre both when it comes to instruments and voices. The full bodied and rounded notes are being reproduced with an analogue and mildly organic texture.
The treble is vivid and energetic with good extension and clarity. It is transparent and resolving with satisfying detail retrieval.
Balanced
ddHiFi has opted for a tuning that doesn’t push technicalities to their limits in order to offer the listener a smoother and less sharp presentation devoid of brilliance and harshness.
The texture is weighty so the higher frequencies don’t become lean while their timbre is natural without many digital artifacts.
The dual DAC configuration and the really balanced architecture of the ddHiFi TC44Pro help it to sound spacious and expanded with a wide soundstage that might not be too deep or holographic but it compensates with really good positioning accuracy.
The competition
The ddHiFi TC44Pro is not lacking in power, dynamics and technicalities when compared to other USB dongles that feature the same DAC architecture, like the Moondrop Dawn or the Truthear SHIO. You can still find other DACs with extra amplification op-amps that are more powerful but none of them is as compact and efficient as the ddHiFi TC44Pro.
The CS43131 is a DAC chip that can be configured from sounding very linear and technical , like in the case of the iBasso DC04PRO, to warm and smooth, as in the Truthear Shio.
The ddHiFi TC44Pro is positioned somewhere in the middle with a tuning that combines good technicalities with a mildly smooth and organic character and in this regard is a very balanced sounding DAC that pairs well with a lot of types of different earphones.
In the end
If you hate cables hanging from your phone and you like your set-up as minimalistic as possible but you are not willing to make too many compromises when it comes to sound quality, then the ddHiFi TC44Pro is the answer to your needs.
The ddHiFi TC44Pro is an ultra portable and featherweight USB DAC dongle with excellent sound performance for the size. Beautiful looking and well made it is going to become your best friend and most trusted companion during your everyday musical trips.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2023.
+ Stellar sound quality + Balanced tuning + Natural timbre + Noise free + Power efficient + Pug and play + Excellent build quality + Luxurious appearance + Featherweight and ultra portable - Relatively limited power output - Only one 4.4mm jack - No buttons - No independent volume control - Lack of features
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