Rhythmic expression steps up a notch or two, and the fluidity of tempos is better expressed too. And there’s greater extension and control of the lowest frequencies, with greater solidity and definition to bass information than before. Detail levels are considerably higher, with improvements especially welcome where low-level or transient information is concerned – suddenly you’re aware of low-level harmonic dynamics that simply weren’t audible previously. The soundstage the Sparrow presents is wider and better defined. Get over that initial shock though (and perhaps lower the volume a little) and other, less immediate but equally valuable, improvements become apparent. What’s initially most striking is the straightforward increase in volume – the Sparrow’s headphone amplification circuitry simply breathes far deeper than that in the Apple products, and even though the Sennheisers aren’t the easiest IEMs to drive the EarMen put the proverbial rocket up them. Improvements in performance are wide-ranging and significant. And sure enough, the differences between the way a pair of Sennheiser IE900 in-ear monitors sound when hooked directly into a MacBook Air or a Sony Xperia 5 and they way they sound with the EarMen Sparrow doing the heavy lifting is, roughly, similar to the difference between a service-station sandwich and three à la carte courses. EarMen Sparrow review: Performanceįirst and foremost, the Sparrow needs to be a worthwhile improvement on the unassisted sound served up by your smartphone and/or laptop. Other than that, the only feature (beyond the ‘MQA’ and ‘Hi-Res Audio’ logos) is an ‘EarMen’ logo that illuminates in a few different colours to let you know what the Sparrow is up to. ![]() The USB-C-to-C cable works perfectly with newer iPads and MacBooks, of course. It still requires the use of the Lightning-to-USB-A adapter that Apple sells in order to get any audio from the iPhone. The only notable exception is iPhones – even though current iPhones come with a Lightning-to-USB-C cable in the box, plugging this straight from the iPhone to the Sparrow doesn't work, because the iPhone isn't designed to work this way. Connection to your smartphone or computer is via the Sparrow’s USB-C input – there are USB-C-to-USB-C and USB-A-to-USB-C cables included, so you can use it with most things straight out of the box. It has more than enough power to drive even quite demanding headphones, yet is a trifling 8x22x42mm, so it’s hardly a burden to carry about. ![]() So if it’s high-resolution audio you’re after, the Sparrow has you covered. And it can handle all 32bit/384kHz formats, including PCM and DSD128. It’s the first USB DAC that includes an integrated MQA renderer to complete the final ‘unfold’ of those ‘Masters’ files you’re paying a premium TIDAL subscription for. So it’s compatible with Android and iOS smartphones, as well as MacOS and Windows computers. ![]() In an effort to get the job done properly, the EarMen Sparrow is equipped with a high-performance ES9281Pro DAC chipset from acknowledged master Sabre. Digital audio storage devices like laptop computers and smartphones are seldom held up as great music players – after all, they’ve an awful lot of other stuff to get on with, and the digital-to-analogue conversion circuitry and headphone amplification tend to be a) a bit of an afterthought and b) surrounded by a tremendous amount of electrical noise and interference. Taking the crucial digital-to-analogue conversion process away from interference is far from a novel idea, of course. (Image credit: EarMen) EarMen Sparrow review: Features & what's new
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