When In Manila, we love music and we love music in great quality. This is one simple reason why a lot of us are out there buying good earphones, headphones, DACs (Digital to Analog Converters), and amplifiers. One big issue though with wanting great quality of music is the size of these DACs and amps. I was one who carried an iPod with portable DAC and portable amp which was as big as a C4 bomb. I was never blocked or anything at airports or malls or other places where I carried it, but I was sure there was a lot of attention being taken by my former audiophile stack hahaha! Fast forward to 2015, many companies are coming up with greater, smaller, and cheaper technology which also covers the audiophile music scene. DACs and amps are becoming smaller and sleeker looking without sacrificing high-resolution. My current favorite is the Cozoy Astrapi portable DAC and amp! It’s my current favorite because of the great sound quality it produces even with that amazingly small size. Can you believe that this portable DAC and amp is just around half the size of a cigarette lighter?
Packaging/Build: Parallel to the Cozoy Astrapi‘s size, the box is also very small and quite pocketable. The box is also very Apple-ish in design and overall packaging. Great thing about the Cozoy Astrapi‘s entire packaging bundle is that, it includes complete cables for use. A lightning cable for iPhones and iPads, micro USB for Android devices, and a standard USB for desktop/laptop. No need to worry at all in getting cables unlike other portable DACs. Build quality is fantastic. It truly is similar to Apple devices in the packaging and build. The Cozoy Astrapi is metal all around and very sleek even though it is very very small.
Sound Quality: The greatest selling point of it, the sound quality! The Cozoy Astrapi sounds very simple and quite boring upon out of the box listen. Giving it around 100 hours of burn-in time opens it up to the sound quality that it truly embodies. After 100 hours of burn-in, this is where the fun starts. What struck me the most with the Cozoy Astrapi is the good height of the soundstage. The soundstage is wide and airy, but the best aspect of this is the height and air in the height of the soundstage. With the height and air in the height and depth, it creates a very natural and big feel to the sound, yet it remains very natural sounding than creating a big hall or arena soundstage type but killing a lot of naturality and accuracy. This is what I like about the Cozoy Astrapi, tall and wide, yet keeping the naturality and accuracy in the music. Bass of the Cozoy Astrapi is also very punchy yet controlled. Overall tonality is neutral to slightly warm, warmth being given by the punchy bass and forward mids which is great as it makes the entire tonality very fun and engaging. PRAT is excellent! The soundstage is very tall and extends upwards, but the vocals are presented forward which keeps everything very engaging and exciting. Comparing to much bigger and more expensive portable DAC and amp products from FiiO, the Cozoy Astrapi delivers an overall better tonality and signature that is truly incredible for the size and price. All I can say for the Cozoy Astrapi is WOW! The hype of this product is real!
Overall: For the price of around $130 and with the size around half of a cigarette lighter and a packaging that includes every single cable you need, the Cozoy Astrapi is extremely hard to beat! Whether you plan to use it on your iPhone, your iPad, your Android phone, or your laptop/PC, it delivers the same amazing sound quality packed in such a small package that you can easily bring anywhere you go! My friend can even puts his Cozoy Astrapi inside his in-ear case! The Cozoy Astrapi is priced at $130.00 and is available through Cozoy Audio’s website and Penon Audio’s website. Local dealer will be available soon.
