The Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the Allego Mini is $24 and you can buy it from here.
Kiwi Ears
The Kiwi Ears might be a relatively small audio brand but they have managed to become well known among the audiophile community thanks to some well regarded earphones they make. Like the Kiwi Ears Quintet and Orchestra Lite which combine high quality sound at an affordable price.
Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini
Except for earphones, Kiwi Ears also makes a portable USB DAC dongle, the Kiwi Ears Allegro, that has a unique retro appearance and good sound performance for the money.
Building on the success of the Allegro, the Allegro Mini was designed as a more affordable option but with the same dedication to sound quality and in a more compact and portable form.
The Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini is a mini sized DAC dongle with compact dimensions (37x15x12mm) and low weight (11 g) that has an embedded USB type-C plug that attaches directly to the host device without the need for a cable. The USB plug is long enough to accommodate phones together with their protective case as long as it is not too thick. The device is single ended but includes both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs for better compatibility with various earphones without the need to use an adapter.
Technical information
The Allegro Mini uses a custom developed DAC/amp chip that supports PCM decoding up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD128. The device is plug ‘n play compatible with Android, iOS, Windows PC and MacOS devices as long as they are equipped with a USB type-C port.
The power output of the Allegro mini is 30mW*2/32Ω making it suitable for driving sensitive only earphones, like the Kiwi Ears Quintet, because it can easily clip with more demanding loads. The Allegro Mini is silent and well shielded from EMI while it has a measured power consumption as low as 0.02-0.03A so it is very efficient.
Design and build quality
The Allegro Mini features a well made aluminium body that is durable and premium looking. It has a minimalistic design that has a plain rectangular shape with clean lines, smooth corners and a handy thumb curve at the center of the upper side. The device doesn’t have a status indicator LED or any hardware buttons for volume and playback control. It is a simple DAC without extra features such as gain, digital filters or DSP.
Listening impressions
Following the steps of the Allegro, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini has a neutral sound signature with excellent transparency, fidelity and clarity for the category.
Technicalities are stellar and using the Allegro Mini with the appropriate, easy to drive, earphones you will discover that it can produce tight and controlled bass that is dynamic and impactful with very satisfying layering and definition. The bass doesn’t have too weighty textures, but you wouldn’t call them lean or dry either, while it easily extends down to the first octave.
The mid-range has surprisingly good resolution and refinement for such an affordable DAC, clarity and articulation are stellar while the timbre is quite natural and not that artificial, with rich and colorful harmonies.
The treble is extended and energetic but not bright or metallic sounding. In comparison, the Allegro is a touch brighter than the Mini which has a smoother and more pleasing character. Detail retrieval and definition are fine while the soundstage is spacious and open with precise imaging and decent depth.
The Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini doesn’t sound clinical or sterile, it is a melodious and engaging little DAC that does well with all kinds of music and easily matches earphones with various tuning styles.
Vs ddHiFi TC44Pro
The ddHiFi TC44Pro ($79.99) has a similar design and shape to that of the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini but it is a little more compact sized and has a true balanced architecture with dual CS43131 DAC chips that can output 120mW*2/32Ω of power.
The ddHiFi TC44Pro slightly surpasses the Allegro Mini in sound performance and technicalities while it can drive slightly more difficult loads. However it is $56 more expensive, it consumes considerably more power (0.08A vs 0.02A) and doesn’t have the convenience of the additional 3.5mm output.
In the end
To put it simply, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini stands out as an absolute bargain. For $24 only you get a compact sized and well made USB DAC dongle with a sonic performance that punches well above the asking price. The Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini might be very affordable but it has a sound quality that can do justice to several times more expensive earphones, as long as they are easy to drive, thus it gets more than happily recommended.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2024.
+ Neutral sound signature
+ Stellar technicalities and resolution for the category
+ Punchy and extended bass
+ Smooth and engaging
+ Not much artificiality or digital glare
+ Super efficient and very silent
+ 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs
+ Compact and lightweight
+ Plug 'n play
+ Excellent build quality
+ Very affordable
- Low power output
- Not really balanced architecture
- Doesn't have a status indicator LED or buttons
- No app connectivity and zero customization options
Leave a comment