AUDIOCULAR - AURA Hi-Res Portable DAC & Amp with CS43131 DAC + SGM8262 AMP Chipset

The dongle sounds ever so slightly different from other Cirrus Logic dacs in tonality. The multiple settings options are what enticed me and were exactly what I was looking for. The following were my impressions via the Artti T10 + a silver cable and the Fiio JD1 in basic configuration.

POSITIVES:

- Doesn't emphasise any particular frequency range.

- Soundstage is wide. Depth is adequate.

- Effective filters that can add depth and turn the stage into a 120° spread or change it to 180° from left to right being in line with shoulders, depending on filter in use.

- Good extension in upper reaches and bottom end when called for. Clean lows, even in Class AB and low gain.

- Imaging is sharp. With a very good portrayal of height. Good separation.

- Amp sounds clean.

- No glare heard, even though I did not try all settings combinations. Mostly used it with Fast-PC filter in Class AB and Low gain.

- Noticeable differences between amp class toggles and gain setting combinations. To oversimplify, it's like 4 levels of gain settings.

- No excessive battery drain seen. Warms up depending on amp and gain settings and volume levels in use. Oddly enough this seems music dependant. In one situation while playing white noise, there was no warmth. But same settings and volume with music caused it to warm up. I have no explanation for this, nor have i tested this entire aspect in depth, just used it normally.

NEGATIVES:

- Default PEQ Gain setting at -5dB can cause clipping if using external processing and not on-board PEQ. Lowering it to -6/-8dB sorts it out fully, depending on external EQ levels in use. This was for me akin to fatigue. Experienced with most recordings. Or maybe I listen only to stuff from the loudness wars era. SOLUTION to this is use the Pure setting. That seems to manage gain automatically and sorts it out completely. I just don't know if it's doing any DSP in the background or is actually pure. Also, watch out for the loud pop when switching to this preset and lower volume beforehand.

- Layering may leave you wanting a bit. But only when compare side by side with some other dongles and unnoticeable otherwise. This was only tested in Class AB. Filters affect this hugely. The Slow PC filter I found was best in this regard, although this has other accompanying effects because of which I preferred the Fast PC filter for the entirety of this review.

- Timbre in the very upper reaches can be a hair thin. This is completely unnoticeable unless compared side by side and very much nitpicking.

- Class H in high gain mode has slight hiss when there's no music playing. Not an issue when music is playing and is common knowledge that this is normal with high power outputs. AB plus low gain, which is how I used it, is dead silent with my gear.

- Needs burn in. Took a very long time (20hrs) before it was useable. Out of the box it sounds sibilant and hard to tolerate as if it's missing an output or smoothing capapacitor. Changes/improvement in soundstage heard.
(This is not bait for a debate but genuine feedback. If you can not pick up these things due to limitations of gear or for whatever reasons, please feel free to ignore. But if you experience aforementioned issues, pay attention to this.)

- App needs polish. Best works if the following routine is followed - open app > plug in earphones > plug in dongle > open music app. If you change music app midway, it doesn't seem to switch to new app. So need to close previous streaming app before opening the next one. Otherwise close audiocular app unplug dongle and repeat the routine. Be mindful of volume level while doing this restart. Also, disable all android battery saving on audiocular app and set it to unrestricted.

- In my case, side button doesn't seem to do anything. Pressing and holding it seemed to reset it or something, and I didn't try it again.

Overall and in my honest opinion, very good value for money.

Firstly sound from iem comes as sharp piercing ear if used directly from phone or pc ,now audio quality really matter if lossless then sound comes good but still piercing sound remains from certain instruments in music but if streaming through YouTube sound is piercing ear and many instruments in music will kill your ear then comes equalizer take from vlc or for android you can have mobile level equalizer you can customise to your experience or choose existing like bass boost or pop then you will get okaish sound now comes dac we use dac to improve sound quality and if amp is with dac then it will increase sound as for this particular iem i purchased audiocular aura but this is so overpowered for this iem its a waste of power of dac also for aura dac its incompatible with many android devices as of now and after many complaints concept kart in their website adding android devices it wont work on android as for iphone till model 14 we have lightning port so extra ₹200-500 for adapter to convert from type c to lightning, now without this dac i didn’t feel the bass of this iem since no bass was seen even with lossless sound from apple music max quality just a thump here and there but after dac attachment the sound in quality as well as volume goes to such a level i have to listen to volume level 5-10 when i have 80 volume for my pc and same for my iphone thats the power of dac so purchase a low end dac with chip of better sound quality and amp embedded under ₹1000 or even less since power output of this is much less , now story doesn’t end here sound after dac is still piercing and all over the place now use equalizer does its magic without equalizer with dac attached sound comes as without dac if you don’t use equalizer now same as previous you can use pre made eq settings or custom for your preferences as i have customised the sound is much better but for some songs the sound breaks meaning an electrical hissing sound like when you pass under a hitension line of electric tower in your town or village so for this much money invested you still don’t get your money’s worth.
Here many audiophiles or so called will say ehhh but maybe thats your problem maybe your iem or dac is faulty or you are playing with eq thats why this kind of sound is coming or some will say i like my sound pure and without bass everyone who purchases don’t have these problems they are happy hohohohoho but at the end of the day you want a balanced experience not having to do this customisation blunder and one more the wire is most annoying now comes everyone’s favourite part the pros of iems well after this rant or say experience after reading multiple reviews before purchasing and after researching after i got iems if you say you purchase for amount X for the wireless ones they give balanced sound just connect and play but after some time the battery degrades and earbuds become non functional and for iems you have read my review such thing happens and since wired you are future proof no battery no damage maybe you have to change cable for wear and tear but thats all.

AUDIOCULAR - AURA Hi-Res Portable DAC & Amp with CS43131 DAC + SGM8262 AMP Chipset

Excellent DAC recommend all audiofiles to try this DAC along with App it's excellent DAC

The AUDIOCULAR AURA delivers highly accurate digital-to-analog conversion without adding artifacts or altering the original sound. I use it with the Nothing Phone 2a and Moondrop Chu 2, and it preserves the intended tuning perfectly while improving clarity, separation, and bass control—great for genres like hardstyle, phonk, and funk. The CNC-machined aluminum body feels premium, and the included EQ app works well without degrading quality. It’s a strong choice for wired IEM users who want clean, powerful output and detailed sound.

For new or casual listeners, the AUDIOCULAR D07 is a more affordable option that still offers a noticeable upgrade.