The Kiwi Ears Allegro 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 Kiwi Ears Allegro is $59.99 and is available from Linsoul.
Kiwi Ears Allegro
Kiwi Ears is a well-known manufacturer of earphones that has produced several successful models, such as the Kiwi Ears Quintet. Their latest product, the Allegro, is a portable USB DAC dongle.
The ES9028Q2M DAC chip by ESS is responsible for digital to analog conversion in the Allegro, supporting audio decoding up to 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256. The headphone amplifier chip used is the ESS9603. This device features a USB Type-C interface with a detachable cable, along with two headphone outputs: 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single ended. The package includes a high-quality and durable USB Type-C cable, but does not come with a Lightning cable or a full-size USB adapter.
Appearance and functionality
The Kiwi Ears Allegro features a rectangular design with rounded edges and corners. The compact body is constructed from solid CNC machined aluminum alloy, ensuring a sturdy and durable build.
The appearance is reminiscent of a classic Nintendo gaming controller, featuring faux buttons on the top surface. Additionally, there are two functional buttons located on the side of the chassis for volume adjustment, independent from the host device. A small LED indicator changes to blue for PCM and red for DSD decoding.
This USB DAC dongle is a straightforward, plug-and-play device that works seamlessly with a variety of operating systems, eliminating the need for driver installation. I have successfully tested it with both my Android phone and Windows laptop without encountering any problems.
Power output and efficiency
The 3.5mm output has a rated power output of 70mW/32Ω, while the 4.4mm output is at 155mW/32Ω. While not the most powerful USB DAC dongle available, it is well-suited for earphones and certain sensitive headphones.
The power consumption is quite low, measuring at 0.13A/0.65W, which remains consistent whether the device is idle or actively playing music, while it should be mentioned that the chassis gets quite warm during use.
Listening impressions
The Kiwi Ears Allegro provides a high level of sound clarity, transparency, and fidelity. It has a neutral tuning with outstanding linearity and added brilliance in the treble frequencies. The bass is characterized by its speed, tightness, and control, exhibiting good dynamic performance especially when paired with sensitive earphones. Furthermore, the Allegro excels in definition and layering, showcasing its ability to resolve intricate bass lines without sacrificing inner detail.
The midrange and treble exhibit crystal-clear definition, excellent separation, and meticulous detail retrieval. The midrange showcases a diverse range of harmonics, while the treble is lively and sharp, with additional sparkle and bite without veering into overly bright or harsh territory. Although there is a hint of artificiality in the timbre, it manages to avoid excessive digital glare. The textures lean towards being lean and dry, yet the Kiwi Ears Allegro maintains a balanced sound that is neither overly clinical nor sterile.
The Kiwi Ears Allegro offers a modern tuning that prioritizes transparency, linearity, and objectivity over too organic or analogue timbre or some kind of intentional sound shaping. Its open and spacious soundstage provides good imaging and placement across the horizontal plane, making for a realistic listening experience.
In the end
The Kiwi Ears Allegro may not offer groundbreaking features or impressive power, but its retro design, durable construction, small footprint, outstanding objective performance for the category, and top-notch technical capabilities make it a worthwhile purchase.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2024.
+ Neutral and uncolored tuning
+ Crystal clear and transparent
+ Good technicalities and objective performance
+ Silent background
+ Open and spacious soundstage
+ Low power consumption
+ Independent volume control
+ Sturdy and durable build
+ Compact and lightweight
+ Unique retro appearance
+ High quality cable
- Limited functionality
- No app compatibility
- Not that powerful
- Gets warm during use
- No accessories except for the cable
- Dry and lean textures
- Not the most natural timbre
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