NiPO A200Pro First Impressions

Product: NiPO A200Pro

Sound Signature / Tonality: balanced, natural, detailed, resolving.

Highlights: Beautifully crafted compact lightweight design in the shape of a classic compact cassette tape, strong MagSafe attachment back, a bright OLED screen, lots of configuration settings accessible and customizable on the screen, high power (1.6W) balanced output, PO/LO/Coax configurable outputs, separate Type-C data and charging ports, 12hr playback using BAL output, UAC2.0/1.0 compatibility to cover all devices, PCM (32bit/768kHz) and DSD512 support.

Suited Genres: As a source, it is suited for and great with every genre of music.

Impressions:

When the A100 was released, this DAC/amp dongle caught everyone by surprise with its slim design, secure MagSafe attachment, built-in battery, and sound quality that rivals that of some higher-end DAPs.  Many were so impressed with its sound quality that they didn’t mind some of the design shortcomings.  But NiPO took customer feedback very seriously, bringing the A100 to the next level with the A200Pro, a big step forward in every aspect of its design, sound tuning, and noise control for sensitive IEMs.  With a new DAC and an updated, fully discrete current-mirror circuit, the sound is more balanced, more dynamic, more natural, more expansive, and still very resolving and detailed.  The output triples to 1.6W from the balanced port, and you can also switch between PO, LO, and Coax outputs.  Along with an added dedicated USB-C charging port, A200Pro is great not only for a portable application with your smartphone, but also for desktop use, directly with headphones (seriously, it can power up HD800) or while adding an external amp.  A200Pro converts your smartphone into a high-end DAP without taking a toll on your phone’s battery.  It looks great, sounds great, and is loaded with great functionality!