Dethonray Prelude DTR1+
We have been very satisfied with the Dethonray Honey H1, whether the sound performance or the software that has been continuously updated.
Dethonray just unveiled their new portable music player PRELUDE DTR1+, let’s take a look of this new product together.
Design/ Built:
Our first impression of the Dethonray DTR1+ is the retro look and exquisite finishing. DTR1+ is relatively small in size and light weight, which is very convenient to carry around. It adopts a black metal body with golden button design, and the edge of the player is specially processed, which makes it comfortable to hold.The overall design language is simple and elegant, which is very consistent with the concept of "Simple is the best" advocated by Dethonray.
The buttons on the front side have a nostalgic look. It consists of four direction buttons： up, down, left, and right plus the confirmation button in the center. The surface of the button uses a splendid brushed finishing process, the details are very elegant, the tactile feedback of the buttons is very obvious.
DTR1+ uses a 2.3-inch display, the display resolution is quite okay, as a music player, the screen of the DTR1+ is enough to cope with all kinds of colorful album covers and informations. Of course, if you want to compare with those screens of today's smartphone, the difference is still noticeable.
On the side of the DTR1+, there are volume increase and decrease buttons, on/off screen buttons, and a microsd card slot.
The back side design is also very concise, with the embossing golden text “Prelude and DTR1+”.
Electronic:
The DTR1+ uses an unique digital/analog circuit power supply separation design to eliminate noise interference from the source, to make the listening experience more pure. At the same time, DTR1+ also improves the power supply efficiency, ensuring that the dynamics, details and transparency of the music are fully displayed during the playback process. DTR1+ have enough power to drive most your IEMs and even big headphones. We believe that the single-ended energy and performance of DTR1+ is even better than the 3.5-port performance of Honey H1.
GUI/ System：
Due to the deeply customized Linux OS system used by DTR1+ , the overall operation is simple, with quick response, and the whole listening experience is more pure and effortless. what impressed us the most was the music scanning speed of DTR1+, which is much faster than some Android players in our hands. About 5,000 songs were completed in just a few seconds.
Sound performance:
In terms of sound, for those who have used Dethonray products can hardly not be impressed by the tuning skills of the brand engineer Mr. Anson.
After a brief inquiry with Anson, we learned that Mr. Anson has extremely rich experience in the audio industry. As the designer and developer of many classic music players, he deeply believes in "simple is the best". Whether it’s design or tuning, Mr. Anson aims to bring us back that simple touch of the music.
DTR1+ is a good interpretation of Dethonray’s unique understanding of sound. It is one of the best sounding portable device we have tried until this day.
It’s very different from some of those digital sounding players only spotlight on the resolving ability, and it’s also very different from those that deliberately pursue analog sound but come up with poor resolution. DTR1+ on the other hand is a very three-dimensional, unique sounding device. The resolving ability of the DTR1+ is outstanding, meanwhile it delivers that wonderful musicality into your favourite tracks. The soundstage is very wide, wider than the Honey H1. This characteristic gives DTR1+ excellent music adaptability. No matter it is the presentation of pop, instrumental, or classical music, DTR1+ has the absolute strength to let people remember its name.
After matching with different earphones, we found out that DTR1+ is very powerful, even the classic HD650, which is well know power hungry headphone, can be pushed decently. Yet the highlight of DTR1+ lies in its control of power. Under the strong power output, some players often make the sound too sharp. With DTR1+, this situation does not exist at all. It handles sound very meticulously and softly, reflecting a precise control.
With some IEMs in our hands, we found that the DTR1+ has ample low-frequency volume, clear layers, and very good density and texture. Some IEMs with relatively heavy low-frequency when paired with DTR1+, the low frequency has become more linear, and the sub-bass dive is further deepened, becoming more three-dimensional.
In the mid-frequency part, the thickness is moderate, the density is very good, and the texture is smooth. It sounds delicate, natural and full of emotion. Whether it is a cello or vocal, DTR1+ can accurately present the charm of the sound.
At the same time, the treble of DTR1+ is well extended, the sound is pleasant and detailed, and the control of high frequencies is excellent. Some IEMs with slightly sibilance sound are also well neutralized after pairing with DTR1+.
The dynamic performance of DTR1+ also surprised us. The 3.5mm single-ended sound of DTR1+ is even better than that of many players 4.4mm balanced port.
Conclusion:
The experience of DTR1+ is simple and convenient, focusing on the perfect presentation of soundThis seems to remind us that the essence of a good music player should be to carry music perfectly. It may not have those new features with the latest technology, but the sound performance of the DTR1+ can definitely make it shine, and it may sound even better than many products with higher prices. If you have a higher pursuit of sound quality, you must try this DTR1+, it is one of the best sounding portable music player we have tried so far.
