Vibrant, coherent dynamics, full bodied, very smooth airy presentation
Exceedingly well nuanced Micro and Macro details, very transparent
Balanced Mids with detailed textures and definition, naturally toned Male/Female vocals
Rich sparkly Treble with smooth decays, great extensions
Smooth impactful Mid-Bass, tight, fast with crisp decays
Sub-Bass with deep seismic response, natural decays.
Crisp and realistic guitars, piano, percussions (chimes, bells) and drums and taps
Great holographic spatial imaging with sharp precise placement/layers
Amazing speed and dexterity on complex passages and transients
Super clean background, zero floor noises
Super clean layers, razor edged separation lines
Drives Magnetic Planars and BA at 75/100 volume, great fidelity
Does not heat up easily
Superb EQ, SPDIF, Filters and User Selectable Gain
Very useful and refined volume adjustments
CONS
Driving power for great fidelity maxed out at 91db sensitivity.
Not forgiving on Lo-Fi sources or recordings, super revealing
Officially the heaviest Dongle tested so far
A bit tricky to get it work properly on iPhones, may distort
Single Ended output not on par with the 4.4mm performance
Lean sounding driving demanding Magnetic Planars compared to top 3 performers
优点
参考级素质，原汁原味的平衡性、音色中性而平直
充满活力、连贯的动态、饱满的肉感、非常顺滑的空气感表现
极其细致的微观与宏观细节，非常透明
平衡的中频，细节丰富的纹理感和解析力，音色足够自然的男/女声
丰富闪亮的高频、平滑的衰减、出色的延伸
平滑且富冲击力的中低频，紧凑、快速且衰减干脆
具有深度震感响应的极低频，且衰减自然
清脆而逼真的吉他、钢琴、打击乐（风铃、钟声）和鼓声及敲击声
出色的全息空间成像，具有锐利精准的定位感/层次感
在复杂段落和瞬态表现上具有惊人的速度和灵性
超级干净的背景、零底噪
超级干净的层次、分离线边缘清晰
在满格100的75格音量下可驱动平板耳机以及动铁，依然能保证极低失真
不易发热
卓越的均衡器、同轴输出、滤波器以及用户可选增益
非常实用且精细的音量调节
缺点
在推91dB灵敏度耳机时最大推力也喂不饱
过强的揭示力，造成对有损数字音源或录音不够宽容
官方数据里迄今为止测过的最重的小尾巴
要让它在iPhone上正常工作有点困难，可能会产生失真
单端输出无法与4.4mm平衡口性能相提并论
与前三名相比，推驱动要求较高的平板耳机声音较为不足
VERDICT
Luxury & Precision W2. This is a flagship DAC/Amp Dongle designed from the ground up destined to be a fine bespoke specimen. Everything about it shouts quality and precision. Simply beautiful. There’s a wealth of options that will make any mid-tiered DAP blush. SPDIF, EQ, Filters, Gain Selection etc. Not forgetting the intricate power circuitry that individually serve the dual CS DACs and Amp stage. This is a micro DAP any which way I looked at it. The sound is utterly natural and neutral with great fidelity that is definitely reference grade. W2 is an upgrade over Lotoo PAW S1 assuredly, PAW S1 losing it by being a bit more laid back and lean sounding in contrast. Compared to Astell & Kern PEE51, W2 made PEE51 seemingly colored with that super euphonic signature and energetic timbre. But then I don’t really see this as being a negative as they are meant to cater for different tastes and varying synergies. There’s no right or wrong.
W2 passed the FOSTEX T40RP MK3 91db Magnetic Planar brutal test (Balanced, High Gain) . It does need the volume to be cranked all the way to 75-80/100. But once desired loudness has been set, the output is great. However it is not as meaty and wholesome as how it was with Ovidius B1, Hidizs S9, S9 Pro and hiliDAC Audirect BEAM 2S. While fidelity is great and refined, vibrancy was mildly laid back compared to the other 4 top performers. Timbre coherence and stability is top notch, devoid of any signs of distortion or jitters even subjected to very heavy load. This is a great option for those preferring smooth neutral output from their planars.
Etymotic ER4SR (Balanced, High Gain). My favorite BA sounded truly Hi-Fi with W2. That polished smoothness complementing ER4SR technical characteristics exceedingly well. The best part, despite being highly resolving, both the source and IEM does not sound sterile and dry as how I heard it when paired with some ESS or Cirrus based DACs (HiBy FC3, Hidizs S3 Pro, Zorloo Ztella, JM20, Cayin N6ii E02, Topping D10s). W2 was able to strike a true neutral output with ER4SR to make any Diffused Field Sound fans proud.
VE Asura 2.0 (Balanced, High Gain) on the other hand is almost like a contrast to the performance exhibited by ER4SR. While both being highly technical and fast, audibly the overall tone is warmer on the Asura especially with very lush and rich mids. I can literally feel Diana Krall’s sexy voice engulfing me with velvety sensation. This is a super combo to enjoy Mids focused presentation. It is just breathtaking, silky smooth yet still very technical and with agility. W2 and Asura does seem to be a match made in heaven.
Moondrop Aria & HZSOUND Heart Mirror (Single Ended, High Gain, FAST Filter). I was taken aback by what I heard from Aria. Bass responses were audibly slow despite being well controlled and textured. This may appeal to those who prefer their Bass indulgence slow-cooked, but not me. The rest of the spectrum are just okay-ish, I have heard the best performance of Aria when paired with Zorloo Ztella. Similarly the normally fast and sparkly Heart Mirror exhibited mildly subdued output. There’s smoothness and refinement but I have heard better from Heart Mirror paired with a dozen other Dongles. If I am to draw conclusions on this, I think W2 is not as highly optimized for Single Ended use because the Balanced Port definitely sounds a lot better to my ears. And all these were done with the fastest filter profile available for W2.
IEM: ETYMOTIC ER4SR (98db, 45Ω ) Source: Windows 10, Native Windows USB Drivers Ovidius B1: (Single Ended 3.5mm) Adaptive Gain L & P W2: (Balanced 4.4mm) High Gain ZOOAUX: (Single Ended 3.5mm) Fixed Gain EQ: Always Off
ZOOAUX vs L & P W2 vs Ovidius B1 (6 passes for each Dongles)
In addition to my own tests, I decided to extend it further and asked the help of two members from ChiFi Audio Reviews FB group. Edmund Chan and Syazwan. Edmund being a seasoned Audiophile highly respected in the Malaysian Audio scene, He is a crew of AudioMonsta Malaysia. Syazwan on the other hand, is a freshly made Audiophile and I opted to ask him to share his impressions as well. This way I am able to gauge the perspective from both end of the spectrum = seasoned and fresh perspective.
Edmund’s #donglemadness B1 vs W2 vs ZOOAUX
Syazwan’s #donglemadness B1 vs W2 vs ZOOAUX vs CX-PRO
Luxury & Precision W2 is undoubtedly a stellar performer. The sound is well within reference grade quality. However to fully enjoy W2, it is a must to use the Balanced 4.4mm port. I am not impressed with the subdued performance of the Single Ended option.
PROS
CONS