By Nick Smith, 10th April 2024
Does your dongle dangle daily?
I’ve been a Digital Audio Player user all the way back to the iPod days, but last year started using dongles with my Macbook & even conducted a dongle shootout recently.
So when Penon offered to send their new OS133 dongle in exchange for a review I agreed, and was surprised upon glancing the price – just $34.90.
The OS133 isn’t the least inexpensive dongle but can’t be far off, sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum from most sources I review. Its’ shape is also a bit different, closer to a cable adapter than the usual rectangular dongle.
It’ll be interesting to see how much bang-for-buck Penon crammed into this tiny gadget.. now let’s get the show underway!
Tech Specs & Ergonomics
Penon’s USD $34.90 OS133 USB-C DAC uses a Conexant CX31993 DAC chip with an Analog Devices MAX97220 amplifier to deliver PCM playback up to 32bit/384KHz – amazing for such a tiny device.
The USB-C connector and your choice of 4.4 or 3.5mm jack are linked with black nylon sheathed silver-plated OFC wire Penon use for their OS133 cable, with 133 cores per wire.
The OS133 is heavier than you’d expect thanks to its solid connectors, weighing similarly to fully-fledged dongles at 27 grams. What differentiates the OS133 is its’ form factor – which feels like a heavy cable adapter, rather than a metal rectangle that dangles awkwardly from your phone.
That’s one reason I’ve stuck with DAPs instead of dongles over the years: I don’t like how they hang from my phone, always concerned they’ll bump into it and scratch the glass. Whereas the OS133 feels more like a natural extension of the IEM cable.
Page 1 – Introduction, Tech Specs & Ergonomics
Page 2 – Sound Impressions & Technical Performance
Page 3 – Dongle Comparisons
Page 4 – Conclusion
Not really understanding your comparisons. They don’t equate. And there are a few similar dongles using both chips for dac and amp. Common sense would be seeing how it compares to them. Not many are deicing between devices in vastly different price points.
That’s a good point you make Ryan.
Unfortunately Tail and the RU7 were the only other dongles I had at the time, but you’re right in that these aren’t really apples to apples comparisons given the respective price differences.
The OS133 is excellent value but I’m sure there are plenty of other dongle options out there which use similar hardware chips, it’s a very crowded marketplace these days!